Bruce Trail

The Bruce Trail opened in 1967 and runs about nine hundred kilometres of main trail from Queenston on the Niagara River to Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula, plus around four hundred kilometres of side trails, following the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. It is the oldest and longest marked footpath in Canada. White blazes mark the main route and blue the side trails. Much of it crosses private land under handshake agreements with landowners, which is why staying on the marked path matters; the Conservancy has been buying land to secure a permanent route. Ancient cedars over a thousand years old grow on the cliff faces.

History

The idea came in 1959 from a meeting between Ray Lowes and Robert Bateman of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Lowes imagining a public footpath along the whole Niagara Escarpment, and the Bruce Trail Committee first met on 23 September 1960. Philip Gosling and volunteers won over towns and landowners along the route, regional clubs were in place by 1963, the Bruce Trail Association was incorporated on 13 March 1963, and the cairn at the northern end at Tobermory was unveiled in 1967 for Canada's centennial (Wikipedia, Bruce Trail).

What to look for

• The escarpment cliffs - a limestone ridge running the length of the route.
• The white blazes - the marking system for the main trail.
• The ancient cedars - thousand-year-old trees clinging to cliff faces.
• The northern section - the Bruce Peninsula, the most spectacular stretch.

When to go

May to October for the full route; the northern sections are icy and hazardous in winter. Autumn colour along the escarpment is the best season. Spring is muddy.

Before you go

Much of the trail crosses private land by permission and access can be withdrawn; leaving the blazes risks that. The northern sections are far rougher than the southern. Water sources are unreliable.

Nearby

Cheltenham Badlands and Webster Falls are on the route; Tobermory is the northern end.

Key facts