Hike #50: Centre Road (Boyne Valley Provincial Park) to Bruce Trail Lot #716599, Shelburne

 

Hike #50: Centre Road (Boyne Valley Provincial Park) to Bruce Trail Lot #716599


Today we drove two cars and left one at Bruce Trail Lot (parking for 10 cars) and then drove our other car to Centre Road. Centre Road parking is not maintained, and during our previous hike it was not accessible due to the snow. There are no facilities at either location. From Centre Road, we immediately entered a wooded area. The conditions were in stark contrast to our previous one, less than a month ago, where we encountered knee deep snow. Today was a bit of a mixed bag with dry, muddy, snowy and icy conditions. I'm definitely glad we packed the spikes and poles. 

Parking on Centre Road

The Boyne Valley section of the Bruce Trail is extremely enjoyable with lots to see. There are several bridges over babbling creeks, diverse forests, valleys, lookouts, and a short boardwalk. We even chanced upon a couple of wild turkeys. Unfortunately they were too shy to pose for a photo. And no perfect hike is complete without finding an Easter Egg in the middle of the woods...in this instance a GMC pickup truck and a building of unknown purpose.




As we went deeper into the woods and down into the valleys we needed to put the spikes on our boots as the conditions were quite icy. 



Any ideas as to what the hut in the picture below would have been used for? Post it in the comments if you know! 













Photo looking back as we left Boyne Valley Conservation Area


After exiting Boyne Valley Conservation Area the Bruce crosses 1st Line East and enters private land traversing through a farmers field that follow the Boyne River Valley.

Style off 1st Line East into private land

The Creeks in the following pictures are tributaries of the Boyne River









A short 85 metre side trail leads you to a bench looking out over trees. Not a very exciting view, perhaps it would be more spectacular with colourful fall foliage. The bench makes a pleasant rest stop. 


Mulmur Lookout

85 metre length of Mulmer Lookout Side Trail

Ominous Looking Dead Tree

Beer??? What??? Where???


Pine Forest



Snow in Summer






Once again...how does a vehicle end up in the middle of the forest??? My theory: Husband drags wife on a long hike. Wife demands husband goes and gets the vehicle. This GMC truck was in pretty good condition considering. I wonder what we could get in a trade. 


Taking this beauty for a test drive!



"Every Stop I make, I make a new friend..." 🎶


After a brief road section along 2nd Line East we entered the Oliver Creek Area. 



The creeks in the next several pictures are tributaries of Oliver Creek which feeds into Boyne River.

Tributaries of Oliver Creek





In this section, there are several side trails that create a loop with the Bruce Trail, each with the option of cutting off significant portions of the Bruce Trail. So if you're in a hurry to get back to your parking spot you may want to try one of these short cuts. We continued with our end to end hike along the Bruce. 


Boyne Valley and Oliver Creek both have well maintained benches should you need a spot to rest/have a snack. 














Notice that the Enchanted Forest Side Trail is a drier and less icy route than the main trail. This section of the Bruce Trail remains icy 12 months of the year. It is Canada after all. Check back in July to see if the icy conditions persist. I'm joking by the way for those of you not from Southern Ontario. 




BTC Car Park with benches





Hike #50

Date:        April 10th, 2023
Start:        Center Road - Boyne Valley (44.117420° N, 80.128361° W)
Finish:      Bruce Trail Conservancy Parkin Area #716599

Time:                          3 hours 35 min
Distance:                   13.68 kms (as the crow flies)
Difficulty:                  Moderate: rolling hills, meadows, some climbs
Trail Use:                    Hiking Only               
Total kms hiked:       356.1
kms remaining:        555.8

Points of Interest in the Area: Primrose Park Campground

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