Bruce Trail - The beginning (42 km)

(42km out of 894km, overnight hike)


Depending on your physical ability and the distances you plan to travel each day, it can take anywhere from 30 days to 60 years to complete the 894 km of the Bruce Trail.

You can begin either in St. Catherines or in Tombermory.  We start our journey in St. Catherines, just north of the Queenston-Lewiston bridge to the USA.

The trail is marked by these white blazes. If you click on the picture to make it bigger, you can see one on the tree ahead.

Can you find the white blaze on the tunnel below?

If you walking on the trail and you don't see a white blaze in a while, you probably are probably going the wrong way and need to backtrack.

A map, which can be purchased on the Bruce Trail website, can be really helpful if you get lost or help ensure you stay on the trail.

On our first hike, we greatly underestimated the distance we could travel in a day as well as the amount of gear/food we could comfortably carry.  Our goal was to travel 80 km in two days, but we barely made it 40 km.


Lesson for rookies; pack only what you need and make sure you get a backpack that fits properly. For example, if you know it's not going to rain, don't bring a heavy tarp.

This is my friend and I with full backpacks.  In hot summer days, you need to ensure you stay hydrated so you need to pack plenty of water, which adds weight; about 2 pounds per liter.

If you're going to get serious about hiking, spend a bit of money to get comfortable and lighter gear.

We completed about 20 kms before we were completely exhausted.  We pushed on for another 10kms before we found a suitable spot to put up a tent and rest.

(Disclaimer: Camping on the Bruce Trail is considered tresspassing and is prohibited.  We put up the tent only to rest.  Shortly after, we packed up and took a cab to the nearest motel where we spent the night.)





The next morning, we were pretty sore.  We pushed on for another 10km where we called it a day.

(Disclaimer #2: The thoughts and opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone.)