“. . .  here stands a rugged, beautiful continuum of rocks,

waterfalls, greenery and ‘recreational opportunity’

that must be preserved in its entirety for us and for the future."

Ray Lowes, Bruce Trail News,

Vol.1, No.2 (September 1963)

Bruce Trail Conservancy’s Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Statement 

The Bruce Trail Conservancy wishes to acknowledge and honour the lands of the Niagara Escarpment as the traditional territory of Indigenous peoples. In both spirit and partnership, we recognize and thank the Anishinaabek, Huron-Wendat, Tionontati, Attawandaron, Haudenosaunee, Métis, and all who provided stewardship of these lands over millennia. Recognition of the contributions of Indigenous peoples is consistent with our commitment to making the promise of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities. We are grateful for the opportunity to live, work, and play here and thank all those who have served and continue to serve as caretakers of this special place. 

 

Maintainance:

There are more than 130km of trails associated with the Niagara Section of the Bruce Trail all of which are maintained by volunteers.  If you are interested in becoming a trail captain visit our Volunteer  page to sign-up.

Here is a guide to Trail Maintenance that you may want to review to see if this volunteer job is right for you. Trail Captains & Trail Workers Guide

Quality maps of the Niagara section or of the entire trail can be purchased from the Bruce Trail Conservancy Store

Trail Captains:

Trail Captain Job Description

You should be making inspections of your trail section several times throughout the year, especially after a significant weather incident.  You can make formal report each time but it is expected that a at least two reports are made - Spring and Fall.

Click on the button to make your report:  Trail Status Report

Trail Monitors:

Trail monitors assist Trail Captains by walking a section of trail.  Monitors can do minor maintenance but report concerns to Trail Captains. Click here for more details: Niagara-Trail-Monitor-Job-Description

 

Trail Re-routes:

Occassionally it is necessary to re-route parts of the trail to avoid dangerous conditions (ie. spring flooding), or by request of the property owners. In these cases, the re-route is posted and new blazes are marked on the trail. It is important that you follow the blazes. If your map does not show the re-route, you still need to follow the blazes.

Up-to-date trail changes can be found on the Bruce Trail Conservancy Trail Changes page.

The trail begins...

The southern terminus of the Bruce Trail is located at a stone cairn in Queenston Heights Park. Near Niagara Falls, the park is perched on the west side of a deep gorge carved over the centuries by the Niagara River. The Niagara Section is 83km long, ending in Grimsby, at a little bridge crossing 40 Mile Creek.

On the way through St. Catharines and Thorold, a hiker will pass all four of the Welland Canals, from the first canal, with it's narrow wooden locks, to the fourth canal, with its massive twin locks. Here, on this major international waterway, ships can be found from all over the world.

The Trail begins to travel through a woodland belt and across farmland before heading northward along the ancient shores of Lake Iroquois.

Side Trails

Apart from the main trail, there are several side trails which are worth exploring. Niagara Side Trails