Bigfoot
For snowshoe enthusiasts,
untracked trails, winter-accessible parks and frozen lakes beckon in Bruce
County. Follow the Bruce Trail to caves, potholes, icefalls and lookouts.
Traipse along the Lake Huron or Georgian Bay shorelines. Explore Bruce
Peninsula National Park and other great white recreational spaces.
No need to come equipped. Snowshoe
rentals are available from our year-round outfitters including Suntrail in
Hepworth, and Thorncrest in Southampton and Tobermory.
Terrific Treks
- MacGregor
Point Provincial Park – On Lake
Huron near Port Elgin, MacGregor has a 7-km-long
shoreline with series of coves plus forest and wetland habitat all laced with easy trails. Here too, a dozen rental
yurts offer a cozy winter lodging option.
- Brant
Tract – This multi-use trail park
offers 30 km of well-marked and mapped trails that roam different pockets of
forest and traverse down slopes to
stream crossings. Fun and easy for snowshoeing, the trails
are tight and bendy without any steep ups or downs. Located
8 km south of Paisley on Concession 12, east of Bruce Rd 3.
- Headquarters Conservation Area – At this park near Hanover, you can wander
alongside a sulphur spring that never freezes and see fish in clear ponds. Snowshoe rentals are available on
weekends from 1 to 4:30pm. Located 6 km north of Neustadt off County Rd
10.
- Saugeen
Bluffs Conservation Area –
Situated on the banks of the Saugeen River, this park has trails in a mature
maple forest and a lovely lookout over the river. Located 8 km north of Paisley
off County Rd 3.
- Devil’s
Monument – On the Bruce Trail near Cape
Chin North, Devil’s Monument is a 14-m-high flowerpot formation with a
staircase leading down the Niagara Escarpment to the edge of Georgian Bay.
(Guidebook Edition 24, Map 38, Reference #119.1)
- Jack Poste
Side Trail – On the Bruce Trail near
Hope Bay, this blue blazed side trail meanders amongst massive boulders and
large glacial potholes in a mature maple forest. (Guidebook Edition 24, Map 35,
Reference #49.7)
- Cyprus Lake – In winter, the extremely popular stretch of trail
in Bruce Peninsula National Park – from Cyprus Lake to Indian Head Cove
and the Grotto – is a trek you can have all to your own. (Guidebook
Edition 24, Map 40, Reference #156.5)
Trails Website
Together with Grey County,
our neighbours to the east, we’ve compiled a comprehensive database of all our
trails – Bruce Grey Trail Network.
Click on “Trails”, and then find “Snowshoeing” in the column on the left (under
“Hit The Trail!”) for a listing of nearly three dozen snowshoe-friendly trails
– along with all the details you need to know to go.
Yurts
Rental Huts
Yurts are available
year-round at MacGregor Point Provincial
Park. Fancier than a tent but more rustic than a cabin, these
Mongolian-style huts are round with a peaked roof, equipped with electric heat
and bunk beds that sleep up to
six people. Warm in winter, the cozy abodes are insulated. Each comes
with an outdoor barbecue and an
indoor table and chairs. Missing is running water and toilets, but a
nearby heated comfort station is open 24 hours a day with hot showers, toilets,
drinking water and laundry
facilities.
To book a yurt, visit www.ontarioparks.com
or call 1-888-ONT-PARK (668-7275).