Happy Canada Day! I celebrated my first Canada Day by spending the weekend traversing Bruce Peninsula National Park. It sure was packed, but everyone was quite friendly, and there weren't too many people to fully enjoy the scenery and trails. The Grotto is one of the main attractions of this area of the park, however, its parking lot was always full, which gave us the perfect opportunity for a beautiful, but difficult, hike. We parked at halfway log dump (we are still debating the origins of this name....) and hiked to Georgian Bay before turning west and taking the Bruce trail along the coastline. There were several nice boulders, which we stopped and climbed. I tackled my first two boulders, but I admit, they were easy ones! Most of the time, though, I spent enjoying the views. I have never seen water so clear! Unfortunately it is much too cold to swim in! Some brave souls were wading in near the Grotto, though. The trail overall was well-maintained (most likely due to heavy traffic) and most of it not too difficult, though there are some steep climbs. Jesse sure was exhausted when we got done each day, and spent the rest of his evenings sleeping in the tent! The trail wound through forests and cliffs with spectacular views and along the rock beach surrounding Georgian Bay. Tobemory was a very cute, but expensive, town near the campgrounds. We stayed at Land's End, which was very nice for campground standards. We got a spot on the back edge of the campgrounds, so we had plenty of trees and a bit of privacy. Even a young black bear came for a visit! The bathrooms and showers were surprisingly well-kept and clean, and the staff was very attentive to the 11pm quiet time. I would love to be able to spend more time in this area in the future, it is truly one of Ontario's most spectacular locales.
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foot notes.A guide to my hikes throughout North America Archives
June 2016
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