Bruce Trail
| Bruce Trail | |
|---|---|
View from the Niagara Escarpment
|
|
| Length | 885 km (550 mi) |
| Location | Southwestern Ontario |
| Trailheads |
Tobermory, Ontario Queenston, Ontario |
| Use | Hiking |
The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern and central Ontario, Canada.
The trail follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for almost 900 km (560 mi). The land the trail traverses is owned by the Government of Ontario, local municipalities, local conservation authorities, private landowners and the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC).
The name of the trail is linked to the Bruce Peninsula and Bruce County, which the trail runs through. The trail is named after the county, which was named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin who was Governor General of the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854.
The idea for creating the Bruce Trail came about in 1959 out of a meeting between Ray Lowes and Robert Bateman, of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists. Ray Lowes' vision was of a public footpath that would span the entire Niagara Escarpment.
On September 23, 1960 the first meeting of the Bruce Trail Committee took place, consisting of four attending members - Ray Lowes, Philip Gosling, Norman Pearson, and Dr. Robert McLaren. Each member became instrumental in building the Bruce Trail.
Trail Director Philip Gosling was responsible for gaining access to the Niagara Escarpment. With a team of volunteers, he visited major towns along the proposed route to discuss their vision of the trail and to solicit help from landowners. Their efforts were successful, and by 1963 regional clubs were established along the length of the Trail. Each club was responsible for obtaining landowner approvals, organizing trail construction, and maintenance efforts within their region of the trail.
On March 13, 1963 the Bruce Trail Association incorporated in Ontario, and the first edition of the Association's newsletter, Bruce Trail News, was published that same year. Membership grew to 200.
Dr. Aubrey Diem, an assistant professor of Geography at the University of Waterloo compiled the first guidebook in 1965.
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Wikipedia