Carpool:
Meet in the small parking lot at 9 Woodlawn Rd. W. next to CIBC, at 8:40 for an 8:45 AM departure to the trailhead. If you are making your own way to the trailhead, please contact the hike leader. The hike is limited to 16 in order to leave room in the small Bruce Trail parking areas, for our hiking friends.
Hike Description:
The hike will begin at Bruce Trail Roadside Parking, (44.063940, -80.081773), corner of 25th Side Rd. and 2nd Line EHS, Mono. From there we'll hike the Walter Tovell Side Trail into Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. If there isn't room for us in Bruce Trail Roadside Parking space, we'll park in the lot at Splitrock Narrows, 1 Km north, and start the hike from there.
Once inside Mono Cliffs P.P. there are many trails to choose from. On the prehike I walked the Lookout Trail early in the hike. But if hike day is warm, we can save the Lookout Trail for later, when we eat lunch at the Lookout point. If it's a cold day we can shorten the hike and go into Mono Centre for lunch afterward. Fall colours should be at, or close to their peak at that time. Let's hope for a warm day, for a longer hike and lunch on the trail.
Aside from the Fall colours, one of the highlights of this hike, which we'll save for last, is the hike through Splitrock Narrows, where we'll hike into accessible crevices, (not the dangerous ones) to see fossils and petroglyphs, (which I'm told do exist here, but I haven't seen), and the lush mix of plants that grow along the rocky ledges of the Niagara Escarpment.
Hike Length: 10 - 12 Km. Pace: 3.5 Km/hour. Terrain: 2. Hiking Time: ~3 hours
Members only may register for now. Public registration opens three days prior to close of registration. Registration closes October 9th at 11:59 PM.
What to bring:
Snacks, lunch, at least 1L of water, personal first aid kit, health card, sun screen, sun hat, rain gear. Hiking poles are optional but helpful. Hiking boots required. Dress for the weather.
No dogs please.
Hike Leader:
Ron - ronaldcherry002@gmail.com
Geological History:
Splitrock Narrows Nature Reserve, located in Mono, Ontario, is a site of significant geological interest, shaped by ancient seas and glacial activity. The area is a prime example of the unique landforms found along the Niagara Escarpment.
The underlying bedrock of the reserve is a type of limestone that formed approximately 420 million years ago, when the region was covered by a warm, tropical sea. This is evidenced by the presence of crinoid fossils, which can be found in the rock walls of the crevices.
The most distinctive feature of the reserve is the "narrows" or crevice system. These deep, moss-covered cracks were formed through a process called "cambering," which involves freeze-thaw cycles. Water seeped into existing cracks in the rock, froze and expanded, gradually widening the fissures over time.
In addition to the crevices, the landscape was further sculpted by the massive glaciers of the last ice age. The reserve contains rocky outcrops, steep cliffs, and a glacial spillway—features left behind as the ice sheets retreated, leaving a landscape carved by the powerful forces of glacial erosion and meltwater.
