In 1963, a small group of hikers and dedicated naturalists combined their efforts to mark a continuous trail along the escarpment. With luck and perseverance, the Bruce Trail was officially opened from the Niagara River to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula at Tobermory in time for Canada's centennial celebration in 1967. The fledgling club maintained the trail on a volunteer basis with branch trimming, grading and woodchip spreading financed from organization dues. From these humble beginnings, the Bruce Trail Association has since expanded its reach to include reforestation and preservation of wetlands on the watersheds that cross the escarpment. Funds raised by the club's 7,500 members are also used to buy privately-owned land.
The Bruce Trail does not always follow the course of the escarpment itself and only about 40 percent of the trail is in public hands or owned directly by the BTA. A polite query to landowners is usually sufficient to provide passage over private land, but obtaining advance approval from the hundreds of land owners is a big job — one normally undertaken only by trail hiking clubs. There is little opportunity for individual hikers to see the escarpment outside those areas publicly owned.
Trail Diversions
The designated trail follows the path of the escarpment where possible but diversions are
necessary in many locales. In areas of thick tree cover or steep incline, even the
sturdiest of hikers greet the roadway diversions with relief. Most diversions however, are
necessary to avoid private land. Many rural farm and residential land owners welcome
hikers and some even maintain their own marked path so that hikers can avoid tilled land.
Other landowners have closed off the trail to all users and set up barriers to prevent use
by snowmobilers. The many golf courses and ski hills that naturally cling to the
escarpment’s rugged lay are the biggest impediment to trail walkers. Often, these
private business operators require hikers to purchase a greens fee or lift ticket when
passing through their private property.
For more information on the Bruce Trail and the various trail walks, visit the Bruce Trail Association's official web site at www.brucetrail.org.
Back to: Niagara Escarpment