Town of Meaford + Bruce Penninsula and Grotto hike, Ontario

Southern Ontario

On the road early as our next stop is the Bruce Peninsula and we want as much time there as possible. We pass through the small town of Meaford and Chris wants to stop at the marina. Interesting we are well below the 49th parallel. 

Meaford marina

Bruce Peninsula National Park

North up the Bruce Peninsula, a long narrow geological feature that forms a natural barrier between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. We have a reservation at the Bruce peninsula National Park - Birches campground. We made this reservation 5 months ago and could only get 2 nights. Very popular place. 

Rugged terrain along the hike

When we are checking in, the young man suggests we take the hike out to The Grotto, a limestone cave overlooking Georgian Bay's clear waters. The hike features forests, wetlands and rugged cliffs. 

The Grotto from above

We come upon The Grotto and it is stunning. The crystal clear blue water is straight out of the likes of the Caribbean. 

Blue pool inside the cave

View out from inside the cave

Chris climbing out of the Grotto

Indian Head  Cove

A short scramble from The Grotto is a very popular beach called Indian Head Cove. Many people are enjoying the water though we hear it is very chill. We sadly had read swimming can be dangerous so we didn't bring our bathing suits. Today is so calm the conditions are ideal for swimming but these conditions are rare as there is usually some sort of wind making the beach a crashing shore of hidden dangers. 

Cliffs along the Bruce Trail

From Indian Head Cove we continue along the hike and end up on a portion of the Bruce Trail, Canada's longest and oldest marked hiking trail, extending approximately 900 km along the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara to Tobermory. It's a trail of very diverse terrain, including cliffs, forests and waterways. 

We branch off The Bruce Trail and get onto the trail back to the campsite. It has portions of nice boardwalks and marshes to finish off our stellar hike. 

Sun set on Cyprus Lake

We are back to Cyprus Lake where we are camped just as the sun is setting. There are lots of people watching the event and we have a nice chat with a group of young guys from London, Ontario.

Back to the RV about 8:15pm...hungry and tired. BBQ supper and fall into bed.