Bruce Trail
The
Bruce Trail is a
hiking (and multi-use)
trail in southern and central
Ontario,
Canada.
It follows the edge of the
Niagara Escarpment, one of only twelve
UNESCO World
Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for more than 800 km (500 miles). The land the trail traverses is owned by the
Government of Ontario, private landowners and the Bruce Trail Association (BTA).
The name of the trail is linked to the
Bruce Peninsula and
Bruce County which the trail runs through. Bruce is named for
James Bruce or
Lord Elgin,
Governor General of the Province of Canada.
There are many
waterfalls along the Bruce trail, where
streams or
rivers flow over the Niagara Escarpment.
Niagara Falls, by far the most famous watercourse in the area, can be reached by a side trail of the Bruce Trail proper. There is also a wide range of plant and wildlife along the trail, including slow-growing centuries-old coniferous trees right on the limestone lip of the escarpment itself.
|
Quarry operation on the escarpment |
The Bruce Trail and the escarpment run through some of the most populatedareas of Ontario, with an estimated 7 million people living within 100 km (62 miles). Golf courses, housing, and
quarries are all examples of the threatening impact that this many people have on the natural environment. The popularity of the trail itself, especially near urban areas, and the careless attitude of many of its users also paradoxically threaten the quality and viability of the trail.
The trail begins in the south in
Queenston, Ontario, on the
Niagara River, not far from
Niagara Falls. The cairn marking its southern terminus is about 200 metres from
General Brock's Monument on the easterly side of the monument's park grounds. From there, it travels through the major towns and cities of
St. Catharines,
Hamilton,
Burlington,
Milton, Halton Hills, Owen Sound, Wiarton and Tobermory.
It passes through numerous parks operated by various levels of government, including
Woodend Conservation Area in
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Battlefield Park in
Stoney Creek,
Dundas Valley Conservation Area in
Dundas, the
Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail,
Mount Nemo Conservation Area,
Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area,
Crawford Lake Conservation Area and
Bruce Peninsula National Park between
Georgian Bay and
Lake Huron. Its northern terminus is in
Tobermory, the jumping off point for
Fathom Five National Marine Park.
Approximately half of the trail runs through public land. In order to make a complete connection the trail runs partly on private property and partly on road allowances. When going through private property, the BTA has made agreements with landowners to allow trail users to pass through. Using roads is not the best route for the trail. In these sections the BTA is involved in acquiring land along what it calls the 'optimum route'.
The Federation of Ontario Naturalists surveyed the route in the early 1960s, and the responsibility for maintaining the trail was assumed by the nascent Bruce Trail Association.
Currently headquartered at Raspberry House in
Hamilton, the BTA marks and maintains the main trail which currently exceeds 800 km. Just under half the trail is on public land: the rest is routed on roads and road allowances, or over private property through the generous permission of many landowners.
The trail is subdivided into nine sections, each with subsidiary clubs (e.g., Iroquoia Club,
Toronto Club, Peninsula Club). Volunteers inspect, repair and build footbridges, retaining walls, stiles and handholds along their section of the route. The BTA and subsidiary clubs offer badges for those hikers who complete the whole trail or any of its sections under prescribed conditions.
The main trail is marked with the BTA logo, a white lozenge with black text and drawings for the Bruce Trail and an upward pointing arrow which does not in fact offer directional assistance. The actual
blazes are white markings, approximately 3 cm wide by 8 cm high, with turns indicated by stacking two blazes off centre to indicate the direction to take. The blazes for the 300 km (185 miles) of associated side trails are similar, except they are blue.
*
Bruce Trail Association*
Hikes on the Bruce Trail*
Travel narrative of the Bruce Trail*
Hiking the Bruce
