A Weekend Hike in Lion’s Head Provincial Park
As the weeks until my departure for the West Coast become fewer, I have been trying to fit in lots of outdoor time to enjoy Ontario’s beautiful landscape before I trade in for the West Coast’s sights. This weekend my mom and I hopped in the car and headed to Lion’s Head to do the Lion’s Head Loop Hike in Lion’s Head Provincial Park. The approximate two hour drive was pretty uneventful, but the breathtaking views from the cliffs certainly made up for it.
Lion’s Head is a small town on the shores of Georgian Bay about 30 minutes from Tobermory and 55 minutes from Owen Sound. If you’ve been to Tobermory before, the crystal clear turquoise water reminiscent of the Caribbean will certainly stand out in your memory. Lion’s Head boasts similar views with stunning cliff faces and views of the bay. The Lion’s Head Loop is part of the Bruce Trail system. There are several different side trails that branch from the main white trail, which allows hikers to modify the distance of the loop. In all its glory, the Lion’s Head Loop is about 18 kilometres in length. My mom and I decided that length would be a bit ambitious for our first time on this trail, so we opted to do a shorter loop that clocked in around 11 kilometres. Another deciding factor for choosing a shorter loop was the fact that the terrain was very rocky, rooty, and uneven. You definitely want to be sure to have proper footwear for this hike! The map below outlines the route that my mom and I did. We started at the star and then looped back on the Inland Side Trail. It took us just over three hours to hike the eleven kilometres.
Where to Park
There are two options for parking at Lion’s Head. There is a parking lot on McCurdy Drive and another trail access point off of Cemetery Road. We arrived at the McCurdy Drive parking lot and found out that we had to register for parking ahead of time, which we had not realized. The parking was full, so we were presented with two options: firstly, we could park at the local school and take a shuttle back to the trailhead at McCurdy Drive, or we could park in town with a cap at three hours. We opted to park at the local school and take the shuttle because we figured that three hours would not be long enough to complete the hike, but the catch was that there is a flat fee of $35 to park for the day. So, definitely register online ahead of time to avoid that cost.
Highlights
- Various stunning lookout points with views of beautiful Georgian Bay’s crystal clear water
- McKay’s Harbour. After the lookouts, the trail descends down to shore level and comes out along the water. We unfortunately didn’t bring any bathing suits, but if you’re going on a hot day I would highly recommend bringing a suit and a towel
- Rock climbing! There are different climbing routes all along the rock face. If you’re lucky, you may see some experienced climbers scaling the rock face
Best Practices
If you are planning on heading up to Lion’s Head to try this hike here are some recommendations for best practices:
- Wear proper footwear i.e don’t wear flip flops or sandals, hiking shoes and boots are best
- Bring sunscreen and a hat
- Pack a lunch. There are lots of beautiful spots along the trail to stop and enjoy lunch with a view
- Register to park in advance
- Bring a bathing suit and towel if you’re going on a hot day
- Hiking poles are a welcome addition to this hike
- Be sure to bring a big bottle of water
- Check the route ahead of time. AllTrails is a great resource for mapping out routes
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
xx
Ashley
