Hiking Hilton Falls & Packed to Go

Canada travelog #28
Campbellville, ON · Fri, 29 Aug 2025. 12:30pm.

This morning we packed to go. ...Not just go hiking but also go home. We figure we'll cool our heels at the airport for a few hours later today— our flight doesn't depart until 7pm— by taking advantage of lounge access. Yay, elite status. But first there was one more hike we put on our list, Hilton Falls.

It's convenient that Hilton Falls isn't too badly out of our way. It's an easy drive from here to YYZ airport. When I mapped it out I asked Hawk, "Wait, why didn't we do this first, on Monday, when we were coming from next to the airport?"

Money. The answer was money. This little park charges an outsized fee. For the two of us it was C$27.12. Okay, that's just under $20 US, but it's still a lot for a small park. And it also has a reservations system. C'mon, this isn't Yosemite!

When I read up on the park this morning the website said that reservations are not required, so we figured we'd give it a try. I mean, arriving at 10:30 on a weekday we didn't expect too many crowds.

In fact there were only a few other cars in the parking lot when we arrived. That didn't stop the gate attendant from saying, "Reservation?" as the first word out of her mouth. 🙄 I said No, presented a card for payment, and we parked in the first space next to the visitors center... which wasn't even staffed. For US$20 we don't even get a ranger/docent to talk to, just a ticket-taker? 😡

We checked our packs, shrugged on our light jackets (it was a bit cool this morning), and set off up the trail.



By now you've probably had enough with the wall of text, so here's a waterfall photo. 🤣 The trail back to the falls is about a mile each way. ...Well, it's about a mile via the shortest path. There are multiple ways to get there from here. I guess for C$27.12 per couple they could afford to build a bunch of trails.

Next to the falls are the remnants of an old mill. If I'd made the picture above with a really wide angle lens you'd see the stone foundation over to the left. It last operated over 100 years ago so there's very little of it left now.

But I did climb up what little was left, basically just the stone foundation, to enjoy the falls from a slightly different perspective.



I only sat at this perch for 10 minutes, but while I did the falls area got crowded. When we arrived there were just 2 small groups here, a solo hiker and a man with two young kids. By the time we left there were 20 people and at least 1 dog milling around below the falls. I guess it's a good thing we arrived at 10:30am otherwise we might have needed a reservation!

Well, now we're back at the parking lot. We did pass a few more hikers headed in while we were hiking out. Parking's still not all that crowded, though. I guess it's just that everyone is here for the falls. We took advantage of the underutilized visitors center to change out of hiking clothes into street clothes. Now our bags are all packed and it's time to head to the airport for the journey home.

Heels Up Before Wheels Up in Toronto

Canada travelog #29
Maple Leaf Lounge, YYZ Terminal 1 · Fri, 29 Aug 2025. 2:30pm.

Getting through the airport shuffle at YYZ today was... well, I won't say swift, because par for the course at YYZ it felt like we had to walk to Mississauga and back, but it was at least uneventful. There weren't really any lines....



Passport control had more agents than travelers. I've read that trips from Canada to the US are way down thanks to our bellicose president. I wonder if the lack of crowding here at the passport queue is due to Canadians choosing not to travel to the US, or just due to the time of day. I'm certain it'll be more crowded late Friday afternoon, but how crowded?

It was also quiet here at the lounge when we arrived just after 2pm. Access to partner lounges is one of the benefits I get from my United Airlines Gold status, and Air Canada is a Star Alliance partner. If there were a United Club lounge here I would not get in for free, because United does not consider Canada "international" for purposes of its international travel benefits. (United was waaaay out ahead of President Trump, years ahead, in verbally treating Canada as "the 51st state".)



Hawk and I are sitting down now, enjoying a meal in the lounge. They've got a little buffet going that today has bulgogi, pesto pasta, and sauteed broccoli. It's an odd combination, but it works. And it's free and it's tasty.

Speaking of combinations, my beer in the photo is a combination. The lounge has a few beers on tap, including Smithwick's Red and Guinness Stout. I poured myself a Blacksmith.

Update: By the time I left the lounge around 6pm I'd eaten another plate of food and knocked down a Manhattan and 3 Gin + Tonics. 🥃🍸😋

Smoked Out AND a Fire Closure

We had plans this weekend to visit Mammoth Lakes, California. We had a reservation at a beautiful hotel with an upgraded suite including a balcony and mountain view, and we were going to do various hikes in the Eastern Sierra. This was the trip we'd originally planned for 4 weeks ago but pushed out due to fatigue and a minor injury. Just today we pushed it out again to... I don't know when. We actually canceled it.

Why cancel a trip we were so looking forward to?



Yeah, fire. That's why.

First we noticed yesterday or the day before that, per PurpleAir.com, the AQI around Mammoth Lake was poor. Like, index around 170, meaning unhealthy and noticeably smoky. We figured we'd go anyway but try to pick hikes away from the smoke. Then today we saw that not only was the AQI not improving, but the most direct driving route there was closed. Yes, a section of Highway 120 is closed due to fire right now.

We called up the hotel and sweet-talked them into letting us cancel our reservation even though we were inside the no-refunds window. They were sympathetic to us having to drive around literal fires to get there. Plus I assured them that we really want to stay at their lovely hotel sometime later, when our driving route and the area surrounding the hotel isn't on fire. Though I don't know when that'll be. We can't really predict when a fire will be over. Especially since the one burning around Route 120 is only 13% contained as of this afternoon.

I've remarked before in my blog that it's getting so we need to check not just the weather forecast but also the fire forecast before going on a trip. I've said it half-jokingly— but only half. The half that makes it half a joke is that there is no such thing as a fire forecast. I can only wish I were joking about the need for one.