Page 80 - ESCARPMENT MAGAZINE | Winter 2013

80 Escarpment Magazine Winter 2013
ESCARPMENT EXCURSIONS | hike the bruce
To get there from Blue Mountain Village,
take Grey Rd. 19 through the traffic circle,
and continue straight to the lights. Follow
19 as it turns right onto Osler Bluff Rd. Turn
right on 6th Street / 12th Side Road. There
is room to park just after the single lane
concrete bridge. Coordinates:
(44.481358,-80.282644).
Begin by climbing the 12th Side Road as it
winds its way up to a steep straight incline.
You may not need snowshoes on the
plowed section of road, but when you hit
the closed single lane portion, you are
going to need that extra grip. If you were
to turn right on Mission Road you could
follow the Mission Road Side Trail all the
way over to Scenic Caves Road. For this
hike however, we are going to continue
straight up to where the main tract of the
Bruce Trail intersects the 12th Side Road
near the summit.
Look for the white blaze of the Bruce Trail
on your left, near the top of the climb. The
trail starts off with an easy, gradual
descent through the forest. Along the way
there are a couple of nice vistas over
Collingwood and Georgian Bay.
Eventually you will come across the
uppermost portions of Silver Creek, which
is a great spot to take a break, grab your
snack and snap a few photos.
The trail continues on and climbs back up
the small valley, eventually popping out on
Grey Rd. 19. This is where we’ll end our
featured hike for this issue. However, if you
have the energy and want to keep going
then cross over 19 and you will enter into
the Petun Side Trail area.
To view our featured hike of that section,
go to escarpmentmagazine.ca. Scroll over
the Bruce Trail drop down and select
“Petun Side Trail”. |E|
a great way to get some exercise
while enjoying a beautiful hike