Hiking in Lion’s Head

Lion’s Head is a tiny town on the Bruce Peninsula, about a 3.5 hour drive northwest of Toronto. On the way to (but much less famous than) Tobermory, it offers an off-the-beaten-path way to enjoy the area’s stunning bluffs and crystal clear water.

James and I recently made a long weekend visit to the area as part of our broader summer effort to hike as much of the Bruce Trail as we can (more about that in a later post).

We stayed at Taylormade B&B, which was the perfect base for a hiking trip. Doug and Diana are the sweetest people, very outdoorsy themselves, and knowledgeable about the local trails. Their full made-to-order breakfast (bacon, waffles, pancakes, sausages, eggs, etc.) offers great hiking fuel. Diana even offered us some homemade baked goods to bring with us on our excursions!

On our first day, we completed the 14km Lion’s Head Provincial Park loop. This part of the trail begins at Barrow Bay, on the main road a few kilometers from town. You soon enter the forest, and then ascend up onto the bluffs where there are some absolutely stunning lookout points. Great place to eat those muffins. You loop around the Bluffs, with increasingly spectacular views of the cliffside, before re-entering the forest and eventually reaching downtown Lion’s Head on the other side. The trail brings you very close to a pub if you want to finish your hike off with a pint.

One thing to be aware of is that transportation is a bit of an issue in Lion’s Head. Uber does not operate there, and the nearest taxi service is a 30 minute drive away (Wiarton) and has a “fleet” of one guy. So, you pretty much have to have a car to explore this area. We were lucky to catch a ride with a fellow hiker on Day 1, which allowed us to complete a section with no repeated trail. But generally, it’s smart to arrange your hikes as out-and-backs that can both start and end near your car.

Or, if you are a really Type A “cover as much ground as we can” sort of hiker (not judging) and you have two hikers and one car, you can have a system where Hiker #1 drops Hiker #2 off to begin their hike at Point A, then drives to Point B to begin their own hike. You hike in opposite directions, meeting up at halfway and exchanging car keys. The car is waiting at Point B for Hiker #2 when they finish their hike, and Hiker #2 then drives back to Point A to pick up Hiker #1.

Totally hypothetical solution of course.

During our stay, we also completed the parts of the Bruce that take you around near Grieg’s Caves and Hope Bay Provincial Forest. These were still characteristically Bruce, but did not have the stunning vistas that the Lion’s Head section had. If I was to recommend one straightforward and rewarding hike in this area, it would be an out-and-back from downtown Lion’s Head through the provincial park to the main lookout point (“Lion’s Head Point”).

We’ll be coming back to this area in another month or so to complete more of the trail. Stay tuned for more summer Bruciness!