Toronto Star, October 5, 2002. -
A path through Ontario's heritage
Trail marks 35th anniversary - Mary Gordon STAFF REPORTER
longest and oldest footpath is celebrating its birthday this weekend.
But the Bruce Trail, at the ripe old age of 35, is just a baby compared
to the Niagara Escarpment along which the trail runs. The landform
is said to have originated 450 million years ago, which is one of
the reasons why so many naturalists and hundreds of volunteers are
so eager to preserve it.
are other reasons, too. The northern part of the escarpment is home
to 37 types of wild orchids. You can see bald eagles, along with 300
other kinds of birds. There are stunning views from rocky limestone
cliffs, which sprout 400- to 1,000-year-old trees. If you're particularly
lucky and/or attentive, you could see 34 different species of reptiles,
like the rare northern dusky salamander and the Eastern Massasauga
rattlesnake. Just watch out for that southern flying squirrel. "It
really is a haven for naturalists," said Marsha Russell of the
Bruce Trail Association.
trail runs from the Niagara peninsula to Tobermory, and 47 per cent
of it has been secured on public land. The remaining 53 per cent is
either on roads and road allowances or cuts through private property
through "handshake agreements" with co-operative landowners.
While the association is grateful to the landowners, it must "start
from scratch" whenever those lands are sold, Russell said. The
goal is to acquire the land (by donation or by purchase) by 2015,
to ensure the trail survives.
biggest obstacles facing the trail are development and soaring land
prices, Russell said. "There has been a tremendous amount of
development. Property values are increasing at such a fast rate."
She estimates that an acre of escarpment property can cost as much
as $6,000. "The Caledon Hills area is just out of sight,"
trail is maintained by the association and volunteers, who will be
out tomorrow in various locations to guide interpretive hikes for
people of all ranges and abilities. "You can bring your bad hips
and your children," she laughed. "The volunteers picked
each site with the fall colours in mind, so it should be quite spectacular."
hike nearest Toronto leaves every 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and
3 p.m. from the historic village of Limehouse (near Georgetown in
Halton Region). Hikers will see several 19th-century lime kilns,
which were used for extracting lime from limestone. The hike passes
along deeply creviced landscape on the escarpment's edge, through
a narrow passage in the rock called "Hole-in-the-Wall,"
then up two ladders to the top of the escarpment.
www.brucetrail.org or call 1-800-665-HIKE for more Bruce Trail Day