- HikeType Nature Walks
- PaceTypes Leisurely - 3 km/hour or less
- TerrainTypes Moderate - some hills and/or some poor footing
- PaidOuting No
Hosting Club: Caledon Hills, Dufferin Hi-Land
Category: Nature Walks
Location (Google Maps): Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. Park in the gravel lot at the Mono Community Centre, 200 metres south of Mono Centre.
Hike Leader(s): Priyantha (Pri) Amarasinghe Click here to contact Hike Leader(s)
Pace: Leisurely - 3 km/hour or less
Terrain: Moderate - some hills and/or some poor footing
Distance: 10.15 km
Description
This loop hike is one of the more popular forest adventures in Mono Cliffs. Its trail system offers a great deal of diversity, featuring marshes, dry woods, ponds, and rolling hills that lead to several excellent viewpoints.
Among the several trails within the park, we take on a combination of the most scenic sections, including the main Bruce Trail, the Clifftop Side Trail with stops at the wooden steps going down to the escarpment valley for pictures and walking back up, continue hiking further north to the Lookout deck for a good view of the plain below. Next stop is at Scenic Rock Cliffs/Jacobs Ladder (there are 45 steel steps to reach the bottom deck for beautiful rock cliff pictures, and go back up the same way). We then hike further north past McCarston's Lake onto the Lookout Trail for a scenic view of the highest point in the park, at 507m/1607 ft, before joining the Walter Tovell Side Trail, from where we hike to the Carriage Side Trail towards the connector linking the South Outlier trail to bring us back to Mono Centre parking. Most of the path is a flat, grassy trail with a few rocky inclines.
Must haves: Good, well-broken hiking shoes, bug spray, a minimum of 2 liters of water, a lunch snack, personal hygiene stuff/garbage bag to carry any food waste/wrappings, and ideally a wide-brimmed sun hat or a cap to protect from the July heat. Trekking poles are recommended. Don’t forget the camera!
- Do not go to the Mono Cliff Provincial Park Parking lot on 3rd Line EHS, this is the wrong place
- Meet the hike leader at the Mono Centre parking lot, 15 minutes before start time.