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                BRUCE TRAIL - CANADA


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 the twelve UNESCO
World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for more than 800 km (500 mi). The land the
trail traverses is owned by the Government of Ontario, private landowners and the
Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC).

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.


The Bruce Trail and the escarpment run through some of the most populated areas
of Ontario, with an estimated 7 million people living within 100 km (62 mi). 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.


                           ROUTE

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 in a parking lot, about 160
metres (520 ft) 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 where it passes through wine country near the Short Hills Bench,
Hamilton, Burlington, Milton, Halton Hills, Owen Sound, Wiarton and Tobermory.

It passes through 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, Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, and the 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 BTC 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 BTC is involved in acquiring land along what it calls
the 'optimum route'.


                      HOW TO REACH

The Bruce Peninsula is accessed by several roads. You can reach the Bruce from
Hwy 26 from Meaford - Barrie area, From Hwy 6 from Guelph or Hwy 21 from Sarnia -
Highway 10 and 6 from Toronto.