Hiking the Bruce Trail has been a personal goal since returning home from Spain after walking the Camino Frances in 2018. The truth is, since that trip, my desire to keep walking has only continued to grow. Here in Ontario, the Bruce Trail is approximately 900 kms of main trails and almost another 500kms of side trails. It follows the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara Falls to Tobermory. The trail itself is rugged but maintained and well travelled. The real difficulty is in the logistics. It is not designed to be a thru hike. There simply isnt enough support in place. Most of the trail runs through conservation areas, country roads and private property. Property owners have granted access to their land and where permission has not been granted, the trail has been re routed as needed. Accomodations are minimal along the route and camping in most sections isn't allowed. The options are to hike in and back out to your car in small sections at a time or go with a hiking buddy and take 2 cars leaving one at the start and one at the finish. This will keep the views fresh and help to cover the most distance.
On October 22nd, rain or shine, my hiking buddy Jolene and I are going to drive out to the trail head in Queenston, Niagara Falls and take the first steps of this challenging adventure. Our goal is to hike 20 to 25 kms per day, once or twice a month on a weekend. If overnight camping is an option, I will hike with gear and make the most of the great outdoors. My intention is to hike in all seasons but this challenge will likely still take up to 3 years to complete.
After each hike, I will be sure to document our day on the trail and include the logistics. I will grade each hike for its difficulty and as always will share our experiences in photographs. Each day will no doubt end in a fabulous meal and a glass of wine...or two.
If you are interested in taking part in a day hike on the Bruce Trail, please message me for dates and details.
Happy Hiking!
