The Nine Sections
The 900 km Bruce Trail is divided into nine sections, each managed by a local hiking club. Together they trace the full length of the Niagara Escarpment from Queenston to Tobermory.
Official map © Bruce Trail Conservancy
The trail begins at the stone cairn in Queenston Heights Park, passing vineyards and all four Welland Canals on its way through St. Catharines, Thorold, and into Short Hills Provincial Park.
Club website ↗Waterfalls abound in this section — Albion, Tiffany, Sherman, Webster's and Tew's Falls — winding through Dundas Valley and the Crawford Lake meromictic lake and reconstructed Iroquoian village.
Club website ↗Highlights include Hilton Falls and Limehouse Conservation Areas, Scotsdale Farm, and the stunning Silver Creek Valley — an oasis of natural space in Ontario's most urban region.
Club website ↗The trail follows glacial moraine deposits atop the buried Escarpment through mature hardwood forests and wetlands — spectacular in autumn colour and beloved for birding.
Club website ↗Parts of the trail follow Hurontario Street, a pioneer road linking Lake Ontario with Georgian Bay. Long eastern vistas and mature mixed hardwood forests define this section.
Club website ↗The terrain shifts dramatically as the trail enters Ontario's ski country. High bluffs, deep wide valleys, and sweeping views of Georgian Bay and the rolling countryside.
Club website ↗Opening onto the Loree Forest plateau above Nottawasaga Bay, the trail finds dolostone cliffs at Kimberley Rock and Old Baldy, plus the spectacular Hogg's Falls.
Club website ↗The Bighead River valley leads to expansive Georgian Bay views and Inglis Falls near Owen Sound. Home to provincially rare Hart's-tongue Fern and the Bayview Escarpment Nature Reserve.
Club website ↗The most remote and dramatic section. White cliffs above deep Georgian Bay blue, rare flora, and the final 30 km of high clifftop walking to the northern terminus cairn at Tobermory harbour.
Club website ↗