Gazing at the expanse of a blue sky and undulating clouds, I started to feel relaxed and excited at the same time. After a quick debate and reshape of our road trip (when we had to completely change our original plans to go to the Adirondacks due to some unforeseeable rain), we were on the road in the opposite direction, with a trip around Georgian Bay in mind.

Georgian Bay is a large bay and an extension of Lake Huron, east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. We were introduced to the beauty of the Georgian Bay shoreline on a previous visit, on a road trip around Huron Lake, and found that we couldn’t get enough of the beauty of this area. The eastern side of Georgian Bay is part of the Canadian Shield, a granite bedrock exposed by the glaciers at the end of the last ice age, about 12,000 years ago, while the western side is part of the Niagara Escarpment, another type of bedrock exposing impressive cliffs and other interesting features. Equally beautiful, they both create a unique landscape that is worth exploring throughout the region.

Part of the UNESCO heritage, the Niagara Escarpment is famous for several landmarks, and Bruce Peninsula has quite a few. Lion’s Head Provincial Park is well-known for its rock formation that resembles the profile of a lion from a distance. We couldn’t really “see” that particular spot, or haven’t had enough imagination to see that profile, but enjoyed all the viewpoints along the trail.

The air was fresh and clean after the past night’s thunderstorm, and the forest looked so green, welcoming us all. Part of the Bruce Trail, the main Lion’s Head Trail, located in the park with the same name, is one of the most popular trails of the Bruce Peninsula. We started with a new enthusiasm, ready for our new adventure.

From what appears to be a straight path at the main parking lot on McCurdy Drive, the trail quickly led us to one of the roughest paths we’ve ever done: twisted tree roots mingled with ancient rocks in the most fascinating way let us basically not one square inch of flat land.

After an hour of watching carefully our steps, following the forested path, we found an interesting feature, a pothole formed more than 12,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Subglacial meltwater, under a great pressure from the overlying ice, and laden with granite boulders (called “erratics”) carried from the Canadian Shield east of Georgian Bay, scoured the softer dolostone of the Niagara Escarpment. Their swirling action created such potholes, and the one here with a diameter of about 1.5 metres and a height of more than 7 metres is the largest one I have ever seen.

After few more minutes of walking, the trail took us to the first of the several outlooks along the 200-foot cliff facing the Georgian Bay. The incredible turquoise and ultramarine blue waters held us in awe for several minutes at the edge of the exposed cliff, making me dizzy for a moment.

A few more openings offered us more views from different angles, until we reached the Lion’s Head Lookout. A great place to rest and take in the million shades of blue sweeping with sumptuous elegance to the very edge of the shore. This is Georgian Bay: you can’t get enough; you can’t get over.

The Lion’s Head Trail has two trails: the main trail which is basically the Bruce trail marked with white blazes, and the inland trail, a side trail marked with blue blazes. We felt relieved once we left the crowds behind at the main lookout, moving forward along the Bruce trail.

Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada, and follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the nineteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada. The trail is named after the county, which was named after one of Canada’s General Governors. The main one is more than 890 km long with over 400 km side trails, starting in southern Ontario from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory in Bruce Peninsula. We hiked various sections of this trail in the past years, the escarpment looks quite similar along the trail, but still so different.

Quite sad to leave the stunning coastal views from the 200-foot cliffs behind, we felt happy instead to leave the crowds, as not many people would follow the main trail, choosing to return to the parking lot instead. We quickly found the forested path, following the white blaze, not before peeking through the sea arch, safe from a distance.

The winding trail can undoubtedly test your hiking abilities. The path is not difficult, except for its length and the roughness. There is no way you could watch for long elsewhere than the path if you don’t want to step over or disturb the rocks from their position. And you wouldn’t want that if you really love your toes!

We found few more openings to the bay along our path, and took a few more pictures before moving on. The anticipation of a good hike was very promising: the old forest was beckoning, and, under the blue sky I was once again happy of our choice to come north.

We followed the main trail until we reached a pebble beach in McKay’s Harbour. Time for a rest and a snack. It was what we thought to be halfway of our trail. After the break, we soon found it was too long, as the already tired legs started to scream. And the toes. We tried to ignore them until they returned right back into the steady pace along the path.

Following the route outlined on the map provided at the trailhead was quite easy, we only lost sight of the blaze a couple of times. We couldn’t get enough of the splendor of this pristine forest, filled with natural wonders. Bruce Peninsula can fully capture the hearts and souls of all its visitors. No wonder it has become so busy, and there are so many restrictions, and parking regulations. But despite the crowds we encountered at the beginning of the trail, we managed to find our peace and solitude.

The path continued to wind up through the forest, and the mild temperatures made a perfect day for hiking. We were quite happy when we reached the last leg of our hike: Ilse Han side trail links the main trail, making it a loop. We were so ready to get back to our car, but alas, we still had 3 more km to go.

After passing through a little meadow full of poison ivy, the trail took us to a more leveled area, with a large trail, suitable also for ATV’s or snowmobiles. Glad that we passed the worse part of the hike, we continued in force, realizing we were for more than 5 hours on the trail. It was getting late, and we should have been back by 5 pm in the parking lot. A few more kilometers, and we were finally back, just in time for the last shuttle bus. It was 18 km all together, and we did it😊

Tip(s) of the day:

• Wear proper footwear, and watch your steps, as this is one of the most rugged terrains you could ever expect;
• There are 3.5 km from the McCurdy Drive parking lot to the Lion’s Head Lookout – it took us 1.5 hours one way, breaks included;
• Have water and snacks with you, as the hike is quite long, 18 km in total to hike the whole loop, of Bruce Trail – it took us 6.5 hrs in total, breaks including; about 5 hrs of effective hiking;
• The trail is very well marked, with white and blue blazes: white for main Bruce Trail, and blue for side trails. If the path gets lost in the forest, don’t forget to look for the blaze;
• This trail is not recommended for small children since there are no rails and numerous crags, crevices and sinkholes. If you do bring a youngster, keep them on a harness, or close to you, as the cliffs’ edge is not protected;
• There are 3 parking lots. The main one, on McCurdy Drive fills up very quickly, and it cost $30 per day. The one from the Lion’s Head Arena is cheaper $15 per day and has a shuttle to get you to and from the trailhead (10 am to 5 pm). Both can be booked online here and are closer to the Lion’s Head lookout, reason why they are so popular. There is another parking lot on the Cemetery Rd, apparently small and free. I wish we could have gotten here to save some money, since we did the whole loop.

~ visited on August 31, 2024