Hiking

With nearly 900 km of main trail and more than 400 km of side trails, the Bruce Trail is the oldest and longest continuous footpath in Canada. Following the Niagara Escarpment, it weaves its way from Niagara to Tobermory through some of the most beautiful scenery in Ontario. The hiking trail for Bruce Trail Club (BTC) members are organized by the 9 BTC clubs, which are responsible for the maintenance of the trail.

The Niagara Section of the Bruce Trail goes from Queenston to Grimsby, a distance of 80.5 kms. The southern terminus of the Bruce Trail is located at the stone cairn in Queenston Heights Park, close to the carpark at the Niagara Parkway entrance. The trail follows along the Niagara Escarpment, affording the user a variety of special interest side trails and spectacular scenery and outlooks.  Including side trails, there are more than 130km of hiking trails associated with the Niagara Section.

We welcome all hikers to join our scheduled hikes and special events. If you are not already a member of the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC), we encourage you to consider becoming a member.  Your membership supports the establishment of a conservation corridor containing a public footpath along the Niagara Escarpment, in order to protect its natural ecosystems and to promote environmentally responsible public access to this UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

 

The Niagara Hike Schedule offers 6-8 hikes per week, throughout the year. Included in these hikes are night hikes, Youth hikes and Event Hikes. Refer to the NBTC Calendar for full details. There you will also find a link to see all hikes organized by BTC. Hikes vary in difficulty. In each hike description, you'll find important pieces of information - about distance, pace, and terrain - to help you determine if that particular hike is right for you. All club hikes are organized and led by volunteers.

Bruce Trail map and kilometre references are taken from the 30th edition of the Bruce Trail Reference.

And, if you prefer to plan your own hikes, the Badges section has a few ideas for you.

 

To stay safe on the Trail, please take a look at our General Hike Information, and Trail Changes pages, as well as the BTC Trail Safety page.

Trail Access:

The main trail (white blazes) can be accessed from the following parking lots: Queenston Heights Park see Note (cairn is located in the parking lot near the round about).  You can also access the trail from Fireman's Park (north end of the park), Niagara Falls, Woodend Conservation Area (NOTL), DeCew House, Thorold, Short Hills Provincial Park (all 3 parking areas, Thorold & St Catharines), Rockway Community Centre (Pelham), Louth Conservation Area (Jordan), Balls Falls (Jordan),  Kinsmen Park (Beamsville), Mountainview Conservation Area (Beamsville) & Beamer Memorial Conservation Area, Grimsby.

Note: Parking fees may apply.  Go to Niagara Parks - parking fees for more information

Registering for a scheduled hike (guests welcome): WHEN AVAILABLE

When you scroll over a hike that you are interested in you will see all the hike details. There you will see a spot to click on to register. This will present you with a waiver form to fill out. Your valid BTC membership # is required. Upon submission of this form to the hike leader you will receive a confirmation email which contains more detailed information about the Covid-19 restrictions.  When registering a guest.  The guest should agree to the waiver information.  Your BTC membership number can be used with their name.

Getting the family out for a hike

A Few Introductory Hikes You Can Try on Your Own...

Queenston - first 3km and back - Easy (mostly flat with good footing) Terrain, 6km in and out

Hike from the cairn (rock mound representing the southern most point of the Bruce Trail) to the switchback and back again.  The cairn is located in Queenston Heights Park, Niagara Parkway.  At the Niagara Parkway roundabout, go into Queenston Heights Park, take the first left in the parking area to see the cairn.  Follow the white blazes through the park into the woods.  The trail follows the top of the Niagara escarpment providing wonderful views of vineyards, orchards and the edge of a quarry.  When you see the steep descent down turn around and follow the trail back to the parking lot.

Rim of Africa - Bruce Trail Friendship Trail  - Moderate (some hills &/some poor footing) Terrain, 5.3km Loop

Located in Short Hills Provincial Park, St Catharines, this section of the Bruce Trail is twinned with  a section of the Rim of Africa Trail in South Africa.  See beautiful Terrace Creek Waterfalls.

Park in the Pelham Rd parking lot of Short Hills.  Follow the Black Walnut Side Trail and the main Trail to form a 5.3km loop.

Kinsmen Park, Beamsville - Moderate(some hills &/or some poor footing) Terrain, In and Out hike as long as you like.

Park at the end of Frost Rd, Beamsville.  Follow the main trail (white blazes) in either direction for as long as you want and turn around and come back.  The trail is rocky and uneven as you follow the edge of the Niagara Escarpment providing great vistas of Lake Ontario, orchards and vineyards.  The trail does look different in both directions.