Hike #43 Puckering Lane to Escarpment Side Road, Caledon Hills

Hike #43 Puckering Lane to Escarpment SideRoad Caledon Hills


We parked our car on Escarpment Side Road in Caledon area and took an Uber ($23) to Puckering Lane to continue  from where we left off after our last hike. They really weren't kidding when they named this region Caledon Hills. Our hike started with a kilometre and a half moderate climb up the escarpment and continued to gradually climb for the duration of our hike. Despite what they say, what goes up does not always go down...at least not on the same day.


Trail Head on McLaren Road at Puckering Lane


Roadside Wild Turkey 

View of Puckering Lane (Southwest) from McLaren Road Trailhead


This 1.5 km section of the Bruce traverses through a wooded section. The climb is moderate; however, it does require endurance as it never seems to end.






We passed through another section of Rough Horsetail, a bamboo like plant that blankets the forest floor. 



There is roadside parking for 5 cars at Willoughby Road. Immediately the trail reenters the woods and climbs Caledon Mountain.







Windmill

We passed a really nice picnic spot overlooking a creek, possibly a tributary feeding into Black Creek.


This is the first time we've encountered Bruce Trail markers made out of tree trunks mounted on posts. This section of the trail had a lot of rolling hills and twists and turns. 


The Bruce Trail passes under Hurontario Street through a tunnel maintained by the Bruce Trail Conservancy. The nice thing about this tunnel is that unlike the tunnels in more populated areas there is no graffiti. 

Tunnel under Hurontario Street

Escarpment Side Road on North Side of Hurontario Street


We reentered the woods after a brief climb up Escarpment Side Road we reentered the woods to the left. The trail continued to climb through the woods and opened into rolling meadows. 



Rolling Meadow, Quarry in the distance


As we head south towards Escarpment Side Road, parallel to Kennedy Road, we pass through a copse of evergreens. I think I hear sleigh bells...






Much of the Bruce Trail in this section is either on Escarpment Side Road or parallels it in the woods. Despite a good portion of the Bruce Trail in this stretch being on road the hike was still quite enjoyable as there was not much traffic on the country roads. 


We saw quite a few Woolly Bear caterpillars out and about today as they look for a spot to rest for the winter. Woolly Bear caterpillars are the larvae of Isabella Tiger Moths. You really shouldn't touch them as they have barbs that can cause a rash for some people. Clearly Peter is not affected...

Woolly Bear Caterpilar

Don't let the free roadside red apples fool you...they really were quite mealy rendering them inedible. 


Back onto Escarpment Side Road for a long approximately 4 km stretch. Don't let the view fool you, while it appears quite level it's actually very rolly polly.

Escarpment Side Road

Before returning to the woods on St. Andrew's Road, you will pass two intersections. The first is Heart Lake Road.




View Northeast on Escarpment from Heart Lake Road


From Escarpment Road we could see stunning views of the Toronto skyline.

View of Toronto from Escarpment Road


View Northeast on Escarpment from Horseshoe Hill Road


Interesting Mailbox on Escarpment Side Road

From Escarpment Side Road we turn Northwest onto St. Andrew's Drive. Here we duck back into the woods briefly as we walked through a forest of tall pines.




Towering Pines


After our brief pass through the pine tree forest we emerge back onto St. Andrew's Drive where we passed St. Andrew's Stone Church Heritage building circa 1853. 

St. Andrew's Stone Church



The Bruce leaves St. Andrew's Drive as it heads back over towards Escarpment Side Road skirting the edge of a horse farm. Note that dogs are not allowed in this section. This section of the trail forms a box that leads away from Escarpment Side Road only to return to it. If you are looking to save some time, you can continue on Escarpment Side Road to the roadside parking. This would shave just under three kms off the hike.














With the shortage of used cars for sale I'm sure it won't be difficult to offload this beauty. This car boasts tons of trunk space...it goes right through to the ground and still has it's plates! Just renew and you're ready to go. I'm still baffled by how many cars have been abandoned along the Bruce Trail. How did they get there? Why are they in the middle of the woods?






Before returning to Escarpment Side Road the Mountainview Side Trail leads northeast to another roadside parking location.





Roadside Parking on Escarpment Side Road


On the map below, you can see the box near the end of our hike where the Bruce Trail veers away and then back to Escarpment Side Road. 



Hike #43
Date:                            October 2, 2022
Start:                            McLaren and Puckering Lane
Finish:                          Escarpment Side Road
Time:                            2 hours 58 minutes
Distance:                     12.92 kms 
Difficulty:                    Easy, gradual inclines, road sections
Trail Use:                     Hiking                 
Total kms hiked:        281.6 kms
Kms remaining:         630.3 kms

Point of Interest in the area: After our hike we stopped at Dixie Orchards. I suggest stopping early in the morning as it is quite a busy spot on weekends.  There was a line to pick apples so we browsed the craft venders instead before heading home.

Dixie Orchards





 

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