I’ve now completed 3 sections of the Bruce Trail (there are 9)!
What’s the Bruce Trail? According to the Bruce Trail Conservancy website, the Bruce Trail is “Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath. Running along the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario from Niagara to Tobermory, the Bruce Trail spans more than 890 km of main Trail and over 400 km of associated side trails.”
- Niagara – Queenston to Grimsby (Maps 1-5) (read summary)
- Iroquoia – Grimsby to Milton (Maps 5-11) – completed (read summary)
- Toronto – Milton to Cheltenham (Maps 11-14) – completed (read summary)
- Caledon Hills – Cheltenham to Mono Centre (Maps 14-19) – completed (read summary)
- Dufferin Hi-Land – Mono Centre to Lavender (Maps 19-21) – completed (read summary)
- Blue Mountains – Lavender to Craigleith (Maps 21-24) (read summary)
- Beaver Valley – Craigleith to Blantyre (Maps 24-28) (read summary)
- Sydenham – Blantyre to Wiarton (Maps 28-35)
- Peninsula – Wiarton to Tobermory (Maps 35-42)
TORONTO SECTION
Started the Toronto section: December 8, 2018
Finished the Toronto section: April 22, 2019
Run details
- December 8, 2018 – Crawford Lake, Milton to Hilton Falls Conservation Area, Milton – 13k (to just north of the northern end of the Iroquoia section)
- January 25, 2019 – Hilton Falls Conservation Area, Milton 5k north towards Speyside and back again – 10k (solo)
- March 3, 2019 – Scotsdale Farm, Georgetown, to Silver Creek Conservation Area and back again – 11k (solo)
- March 8, 2019 – Speyside south to Hilton Falls, and then north past Speyside to 17 Side Road – 18.3k (solo)
- March 16, 2019 – 17 Side Road, Milton to Scotsdale Farm, Georgetown – 17k
- April 22, 2019 – Silver Creek Conservation Area to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park – 22.9k (solo)
Run stats
- # runs: 6
- # solo runs: 4
- # runs with my husband Alasdair: 1
- # runs with friends: 1 (Laura)
- shortest run: 10k
- longest run: 22.9k
- average length of run: 15.4k
Run highlights
Most fun section to run: from Speyside south toward Hilton Falls, because of this section’s curvy, twisty little ups and downs.
Most decorated trees: From Hilton Falls north towards Speyside, there was one spot with many trees marked for removal.
1st time climbing a stile in spikes: Between Hilton Falls and Speyside (I was extra careful, thinking I may get caught in the gaps of the wood!).
Longest stretch without seeing another person on the trail: 18.3k when I ran from Speyside south toward Hilton Falls, then north up to 17 Sideroad and back to Speyside.
Most wildlife encounters: From Silver Creek Conservation Area to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park I saw 2 wild turkeys, 1 turkey vulture, 2 riders on horseback, 1 hawk, 1 garter snake, butterflies, chipmunks and squirrels, and a beagle that chased me, and I heard lots of spring peepers and other pond critters.
1st signs of spring on the trail: On April 22nd – flowers (and spring peepers!)! However, there was still ice on one section just south of Forks of the Credit.
Most memorable encounter with others on the trail: a beagle that chased me, getting very close and barking at me – I had to keep yelling “no!” to get it to back off. Eventually it’s owner called it away (property backs onto the trail).
Neat finds: Limehouse Conservation Area, with narrow passages through steep rocks faces and little caves.
Hardest section to run: from Silver Creek Conservation Area to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, because of the rocks, mud, washed out trail, and a sore knee after I fell hard on it at the 10k mark! My knee really didn’t like the final steep descent to Forks of the Credit.
Up next is the Caledon section!
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