Bruce Trail

The 🌍 Southern Terminus Cairn, is in Queenston Heights Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake. From there, the General Brock Side Trail follows the Niagara Parkway north from the cairn to the 🌍 Fort George National Historic Site near Niagara-on-the-Lake's downtown. Accomodations and visitor information are available in town. Heading west from the cairn, the Upper Canada Heritage Trail passes through vineyards and countryside to re-join the main trail at the Laura Secord Heritage Trail.

The trail follows the northern edge of the City of 🌍 Niagara Falls, and meanders west to the Wetland Ridge and Niagara College Side Trails lead to the Niagara College Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus (served by GO Transit bus).

The trail enters 🌍 St. Catharines near the Welland Canal. The 🌍 Morningstar Mill and Decew Falls is a preserved mill surrounded by several picturesque waterfalls. St. Catharines is well connected to the Greater Toronto Area and beyond by bus and train.

A side trail connects to 🌍 Thorold. The Bert Lowe Side Trail and Welland Canals Pathway lead to the 🌍 Allanburg Bridge over the Welland Canal. Continuing west, the main trail passes through 🌍 Short Hills Provincial Park which provides additional hiking routes and parking, but no other facilities or services.

The trail enters 🌍 Lincoln through the Rockway Conservation Area. 🌍 Ball's Falls Conservation Area provides parking, washrooms, and trails with views of two waterfalls.

The trail crosses over Thirty Mile Creek entering 🌍 Grimsby. Further west, a small lookout platform at 🌍 Grimsby Point offers a panoramic view over Grimsby and Lake Ontario. The Forty Mile Creek provides a connection north to Lake Ontario and Grimsby's downtown. A short side trail heading south leads to 🌍 Beamer's Falls.

Regional and long distance buses and VIA Rail serve the town. Accommodations are available, primarily in the west part of the town along the Queen Elizabeth Way.

In the 🌍 Stoney Creek part of Hamilton, the 🌍 Devil's Punch Bowl Conservation Area] provides a lookout platform and views of a 34 m (112 ft) waterfall. The conservation authority provides paid parking.

In 🌍 Central Hamilton, 🌍 Albion Falls is a 22 m (72 ft) cascade waterfall, with several viewpoints from the creek. Several side trails, parking and local transit are available nearby. The Sanitorium Falls and the Westcliff and Mountview waterfalls are connected by side trails and the Chedoke Radial Rail Trail. Parking and local transit are nearby.

In 🌍 Dundas, the trail bends around the westernmost point of Lake Ontario. A short side trail leads to 🌍 Tiffany Falls, part of a conservation area that connects the escarpment to the Dundas Valley. A unique part of the trail passes through the downtown area of Dundas. Shops and restaurants are a short detour south from the trail on King St. Side trails around the 🌍 Spencer Gorge Conservation Area loop around Sydenham, Tew's, and Webster's Falls, while the lookout at the Dundas Peak provides a view over the valley.

The trail enters 🌍 Burlington, passing through Clappison Woods. To the north, 🌍 Mount Nemo Conservation Area provides climbing, caving, and scenic views to the east.

Accommodations and regional transit connections are available along the Queen Elizabeth Way corridor through the city, closer to the lake.

From Burlington, the trail heads northwest through the rural parts of 🌍 Milton. The trail passes through 🌍 Crawford Lake Conservation Area, which provides additional hiking, a lakeside boardwalk, and a reconstructed Iroquoian village. In spring, the park celebrates maple syrup season.

A 5 km (3.1 mi) side trail heading east, the Nassagaweya Canyon Trail, connects Crawford Lake to 🌍 Rattlesnake Point, which offers a small number of tent campsites, as well as several cliffside lookouts, and climbing opportunities. Heading north from Crawford lake, the trail passes through 🌍 Kelso Conservation Area, known as a small ski hill in winter which offers swimming and camping in the warmer months.

Near Acton, the trail passes through limestone caves, rock fissures, and abandoned remnants of the lime industry from the late 1800s in the 🌍 Limehouse Conservation Area. Further north, Silver Creek Conservation Area provides several challenging side trails, and parking.

An out-and-back side trail - the Credit Valley Footpath - leads to 🌍 Glen Williams and 🌍 Georgetown along the Credit River. Georgetown provides accommodations and train and bus services that connect to Sarnia, Kitchener, Brampton, and Toronto.

🌍 Terra Cotta Conservation Area is on the border of 🌍 Caledon, offering a more developed conservation area with side trails and visitor services such as a park store and picnic area. A short side trail as the trail leads to the popular 🌍 Cheltenham Badlands. Further north-west, another side trail leads to the small village of Belfountain, before the trail loops through the 🌍 Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, with ruins of old railway and hydroelectric infrastructure around the Cataract Falls.

A side trail leads east to Palgrave, a small rural community near 🌍 Albion Hills Conservation Area, which provides camping, swimming, and hiking in the summer months.

In 🌍 Mono (near Orangeville), the trail winds through the 🌍 Hockley Valley Nature Reserve, which protects the habitat of several rare and endangered species. No visitor facilities are located in the reserve, but the Hockley Valley Resort nearby provides recreation, dining and accommodations. In 🌍 Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, the trail and numerous side trails provide access to cliff-top lookouts. Forest boardwalks and stairs provide access along the bottom of the rocky cliff faces.

Entering Dufferin, toward Grey County, the trail passes through 🌍 Boyne Valley Provincial Park, providing hiking, fishing and a scenic lookout, but no other services. In the 🌍 Nottawasaga Bluffs Conservation Area, the trail travels along several steep cliffs, while side trails access crevices, wetlands and an old stagecoach road.

Approaching the north part of Grey County, the trail passes through the large 🌍 Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, which protects sensitive plant species and unique geologic formations at some of the highest elevations of the escarpment.

In the Town of the Blue Mountains, the trail passes along the 🌍 Village at Blue Mountain resort area, looping around the Scenic Caves. The resort village is at the bottom of the escarpment, providing year-round recreation, dining, and accommodations.

A short distance from the trail on Georgian Bay, 🌍 Craigleith Provincial Park provides camping, about half-way between Thornbury and Collingwood on the Georgian Bay Trail.

🌍 Duncan Escarpment Provincial Park contains a provincial nature reserve, and deep crevices, and crevice caves. 🌍 Old Baldy Conservation Area provides a lookout point 150 m (490 ft) over the Beaver Valley; parking is available. The 🌍 Bognor Marsh takes the trail through forests and marshes, with an observation tower. Before turning back west, the trail loops through the 🌍 Bayview Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve, which protects a landscape of birch swamp and maple bedrock forest.

The trail circles to the south and west of the downtown of 🌍 Owen Sound. On the way, it passes through 🌍 Inglis Falls Conservation Area, with views of the 20 m (66 ft) waterfall on the Sydenham River, and unique glacial potholes. Owen Sound is a popular base for exploring the Bruce Peninsula, and offers a range of amenities and accommodation. Some limited regional transit is also available.

After leaving Owen Sound, the trail turns north, passing Jones Falls in 🌍 Pottawatomi Conservation Area. The conservation area provides parking lots in several locations, and offers lookouts from the escarpment. From 🌍 Skinner's Bluff, the view over the bay looks towards the next segment of the trail after bending through Wiarton.

The trail meets the water of Colpoy's Bay in the downtown of 🌍 Wiarton, a small town known best for its annual Groundhog Day festival and forecast. Some small accommodations are available in town, in addition to some shops and services on Highway 6. In 🌍 Spirit Rock Conservation Area a staircase takes hikers from the main trail along the water's edge to the top of the escarpment, with side trails looping through forest set around the ruins of an old stone mansion. After passing above several bays and coves along the shoreline, the trail forms a look around 🌍 Lion's Head Provincial Park, which protects a large white cedar cliff ecosystem and uniquely shaped rock formations. In the small town of 🌍 Lion's Head, the trail passes along a beach and small campground. Some limited shopping and accommodation is available in town.

In 🌍 Bruce Peninsula National Park, backcountry campsites provide several tent platforms for camping along the trail, by reservation. Developed campsites are also available in the park. The trail follows the Georgian Bay coast, and overs views over the rugged shoreline, including cliffs, coves, and stony beaches. Away from the cold, rough waters of Gerogian Bay, swimming is safer at the beach on Cyprus Lake.

The 🌍 Northern Terminus Cairn is in Tobermory's downtown, near Little Tub Harbour. Although it's a small town, it's a busy travel destination in summer, serving visitors to the Bruce Peninsula National Park, boaters and divers exploring the Fathom Five National Marine Park, and anyone catching the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry to and from Manitoulin Island. Limited bus service is available from the town to Toronto during summer. During peak months, accommodations and transportation here should be made well in advance.