20
|
AUTUMN
/
EARLY WINTER
2015
ESCARPMENT
®
FEATURE
|
hike the bruce
Towering150metersabove theBeaverRiver,OldBaldy’s limestonebluffs
standout as theonlyvisible rock inanotherwise forested landscape, creat-
ingabald spot when viewed from the valley floor. The cliff face itself rises
about 30metersand isoneofOntario’s topdestinations for rockclimbers -
although it hasn’t always been thatway. Thebaseof the cliff used to sit on
private land,andasa result theareawasclosed toclimbers in theearly90s.
Then, apermit systemwasput inplace in the late90s toallowclimbingac-
cess. In the fallof2014 the landadjacent to thebluffswaspurchased, thanks
todonations from individualsandgroups including theOntarioAccessCoali-
tion,MountainEquipmentCo-op,AlpineClubofCanada,OntarioClimbing,
theNatureLeague,and theBruceTrailConservancy. The landwas thendo-
nated to theGreySaubleConservationAuthority, ensuring that thisnatural
treasure remainsopen to thepublic.
The parkingareaat the topof Side Road7B serves as an access point to
thecliffs,and iscentrally locatedalong theBruceTrail’smain loopbetween
theKenYoungandMacKirk side trails (seemap left). There isa small daily
parking feeof $4. The easiest way to theparkingarea is todrive upSide
Road7B fromGreyRoad13. The steep sectionof 7B is closedduring the
wintermonths, but thearea is still accessible from the top - fromSideRoad
10Dwhich takesyou through the tinyhamlet ofDuncan.
(Parking lot coordinates44.392251, -80.521523).
