Jackson Park is located in and around and under the Parkhill, Monaghan and Fairbairn neck of the woods. It is a unique oasis of large cedar trees situated in the northwest environs of our small city, Peterborough, Ontario. Jackson Park is connected by unusual road entrances, worn bike paths, and of course, by Jackson Creek itself, which starts somewhere in the depths of the Cavan Swamp, runs gently past Lily Lake, and empties in to Little Lake, joining with the Otonabee River.

Jackson Park is a destination for what generally seems to be he urban folk of Peterborough who like nature. Kind of like a big backyard for those of us who have smaller backyards or no backyard at all. The topographical feature of Jackson Creek is that it leads me into a valley, and therefore shelters me from the many noises of the city. Rolling in to Jackson Park, by whatever method, I can feel the weight of the day gently lift off my shoulders. It’s a park, but it’s more than that, it’s our park.

Jackson Park is a journey, not part of my daily commute, like Millennium Park, or other paths around Little Lake that are part of my daily routine, but a journey that leads you once you arrive there. It forces one to amble down small paths toward the creek, and then shoots you along a straight line to Atkinson Road, or at least the wooden bridge.