The Bruce Peninsula

The Niagara Escarpment runs north and ends in a limestone peninsula dividing Georgian Bay from the rest of Lake Huron, and the cliffs along its eastern shore drop into water of a startling turquoise that owes nothing to the tropics and everything to clean limestone and cold. The Grotto, a sea cave at the foot of the cliffs reached by a walk and a scramble, is the park's signature and is so popular that parking runs on timed reservations. The Bruce Trail runs the length of the escarpment along the cliff edge. Offshore at Fathom Five, Canada's first national marine park, more than twenty shipwrecks lie in clear shallow water, some visible from a glass-bottom boat and several dived from the surface.

What you actually see

• The Grotto - the turquoise sea cave at the foot of the cliffs.
• The Bruce Trail - the clifftop path along the escarpment edge.
• Fathom Five shipwrecks - wrecks in clear shallow water, seen by glass-bottom boat.
• Flowerpot Island - the sea stacks offshore, reached by boat from Tobermory.

When to go

June to October, with the water warm enough for a brief swim in August and autumn colour along the escarpment in October; the Grotto parking reservation system runs through the summer and slots go quickly. Boats to Flowerpot run from spring to autumn.

Honest expectations

Grotto access requires a timed parking reservation booked in advance, and people still arrive without one and are turned away. The scramble down to the cave is over sharp rock and genuinely awkward, and injuries are common. The water is cold enough to take your breath at any time of year. Summer weekends are extremely busy.

Nearby

Tobermory is the port for boats; the ferry crosses to Manitoulin Island from here.