Its been a long 3 months since Canadians are stuck in their homes, painstakingly keeping themselves away from business, social gatherings, travel and a lot many things they they loved or needed. The coronavirus has affected almost all aspect of our daily lives not in a good way. We are maybe a few lucky ones for whom the agony of the lock-down was mostly restricted to self-isolating within in the confines of our walls as much as possible. For a lot many people it has done even more serious damage. And not to forget the round the clock hard work by the healthcare and essential service professionals who risked their own health to keep the nation strong.
But all the sacrifices and hard work seem to be paying off as the numbers are falling gradually. The lock down is actually showing good results and based on that confidence, the country is slowly opening up.
-Quick Tips-
- The parking fees are $7.50 for 4 hours or $12 for full day
- To avoid crowd start the hike around 8 AM when the park opens, specially in summer
- Carry an insect repellent as there are a lot of annoying bugs and mosquitoes in the forest.
- Don’t forget to carry enough water as there is no source of drinking water inside.
- Carry some snacks if you are planning for a whole day hike.
For people like us, who loves travelling, it has been a patient 3 months. Our travel destination was predominantly our backyard, apart from a weekly visit to the grocery store. But when we learnt about the good news that the provincial parks are opening from the end of May or early June, we couldn’t help but promptly capitalize on the change in situation. And we choose the famed Mono Cliffs Provincial Park as our destination.
Journey Towards The Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
The Mono Cliffs Provincial Park is a easy day hike near Toronto but immensely beautiful as we found it. It is just an hour and half drive away from the city through some really scenic country roads that passes through stunning farms. The park opens at 8 AM in the summer an we will suggest you to reach around that time if you want a parking spot and less crowded trails. During the summers, towards the late morning, the trails can become as cramped with people as downtown Toronto.
Car Parking and Amenities
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park has a decent sized parking lot just at the entry to the trail. But don’t be fooled, you will be lucky to get a parking spot after 10AM. So try to arrive early not only for deserted trails but also for a safe parking spot. But we saw that people were parking their cars on the road too. So if you are late, maybe that is an option, even though we cannot comment on how safe it is.
We paid for a 4 hour parking permit which cost us $7.50. There was a whole day permit too for $12. The fee station is located towards the end of the parking lot and accepts coins and cards. There is a visitor information center near the parking lot, but it was closed due to coronavirus precautions. The trail itself starts right from the parking lot.
Also the public washrooms near the visitor center were closed too. But there were a few vault toilets near the start of the trail and also a couple of them mid way in the trails for convenience.
The Hike Through The Trails
There are multiple trails that run thorough the Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. Some of the trails are actually part of the Bruce trail which runs all the way from Niagara to Tobermory. Some trails allow bicycles and some even allow horse riding. Here is a map of the park showing all the available trails.
Since we were only doing a short hike within 4 hours, this this the route we took as marked on the map. Also we took a quick peek into the nearby Dufferin forest which is totally optional.
The trails are at most of the places quite well marked but do keep the map handy because it can be confusing at some points. We started our hike along the Carriage trail. Now lot of people complete their visit by only following the Carriage trail to the viewing platform. That is not a bad idea if you are short on time. The Carriage trail for most of its part is flat and passes along with forest on its one side while open green fields on the other before entering the main forest.
At one point the Carriage trail intersects the Spillway trail and we took a right to the Spillway trail from here. this trail was visually not much different from the Carriage trail and was pretty flat too. After around ten minutes we took a small section of the Walter Tovell trail which led us to the Clifftop side trail.
The main viewing platform, which is the target destination for many people, is on this trail after a little uphill hike. since we were early, it was mostly deserted and we could enjoy it all by ourselves. The view from there was mesmerizing as we could see green valley far and wide.
Till now we were on the moderately easier part of the trails. After our quick visit to the viewing platform we went back along the Clifftop side trail to reach the McCarston’s lake trail entry point. This trail is only allowed on foot and bicycles and horses are not allowed inside.
This trail was a little more tiring than the previous ones with lots of undulations. some parts of the trail was muddy but not difficult to navigate with wooden platforms provides for convenience.
Walking along the beautiful green path, after some time we reached the McCarston’s lake. The lake was truely breathtaking and serene. As it was summer, it was lively with life, both flora and fauna. The deep blue water amongst the green hills was truly a sight to behold while the sounds of the birds and winds through the trees will definitely take you to a state of utter bliss.
The McCarston’s Lake was maybe around 3 kilometers long and it ends at the link trail. now from here the return path is to take a left. But you can also take a right to explore the Dufferin forest a bit.
We did go to loop around the Dufferin forest for sometime and it is beautiful in its own way. the forest here seemed denser. Also this forest is frequented by horse riders from nearby farms.
After our quick detour to the Dufferin forest, we came followed the link trail back to mono cliffs and via the clifftop side trail, we caught up with the Carriage trail which took us back to the parking lot.
It was a beautiful experience indeed. Maybe we covered only around 10 kilometres in around 3 hours, but we were stopping a lot to absorb and click the pretty scenery around us. We believe it is possible to cover all the trails within 4 hours if one can walk fast without stopping. But we left something for next time.
So guys, keep hiking as it has immense benefits to you. If you liked our post about Mono Cliffs Provincial Park Day Hike Near Toronto, please check our other posts related to Canada here:
To Check our other Destinations, please click here.
