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| Hike #51 Bruce Trail Lot #716599 to 20 Side Road, Mulmur |
My sister Nathalie and brother-in-law Michael joined us for todays hike. We drove two cars and left one at our end destination on Prince of Wales Drive. According to the map our hike between the BTC Lot on First Line East and Prince of Wales Drive was only supposed to be an 12.3 km hike, but my tracker said we clocked closer to 17 kms.
We were a little concerned that there are several road sections along this section of the Bruce, especially as we had invited guests along for the hike. We were pleasantly surprised that most road sections were gravel and in wooded sections. We saw no traffic other than an ATV on many of these road sections. So while we were technically on the road, we still had the feeling of hiking through the woods. There would be nothing worse than going out for a hike and spending a good part of it walking down busy regional roads.
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| Nathalie, Michael, and Peter at the Bruce Trail Lot |
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| Sisters |
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| Trail Head off First Line East |
The Rock Hill Corner property in the Dufferin Highland is a lot like the Iroquois Section complete with rock fissures, caves, and rocky trails. The Dufferin Highlands area of the Niagara Escarpment is the coldest region of Ontario south of Algonquin Park. This is due to the high elevation and the lack of nearby large water bodies to moderate temperature.
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| Michael and Peter exploring caves |
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| Walking down No 10 Side Road (westbound) |
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Whitfield Church
There is parking for 10 cars on Centre Road just north of the Whitfield Church.
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| Heading North on Centre Road, Whitfield |
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| Field adjacent to Centre Road |
Centre Road descends towards Kilgorie while following a major tributary of Pine River.
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| Tributary to Pine River |
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| Waterfall Trickle |
In Mulmur, at the intersection of Centre Road and River Road, there is a rest stop with a map of points of interest in the region within cycling distance. Kilgorie is considered to be a ghost town with few inhabitants. At this intersection, the Trail turns left onto River Road. On Centre Road, just south of River Road, there is parking available for 3 cars.
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| Bicycle Rest Stop |
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| Kilgorie School, Mulmur Heritage Building |
The Trail enters the Pine River Provincial Fishing area and follows the river bank past the Dufferin Light and Power Company generating station ruins.
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| Heading down to Pine River |
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| Pine River |
It's always exciting to stumble upon ruins when hiking. The Dufferin Light and Power Company generating station was operational between 1909 and 1927.
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| Dufferin Light and Power Company Generation Station Ruins |
While I don't condone tagging, I can appreciate the artwork that is graffiti.
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| Graffiti inside the ruins |
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| Pine River |
The Trail crosses River Road to re-enter the woods on the west side.
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| View of Pine River from the road |
Only 20 kms to go until we reach Lavender and the Blue Mountain Section. Still 540 kms to get to Tobermory!
The Trail climbs the escarpment by way of switchbacks.
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| Railings to aid in ascent |
After climbing the Trail then descends back down to the the river bank.
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| Pine River Provincial Fishing Area |
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| Pine River Dam |
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| Pine River Provincial Fishing Area |
It was great to see so many people out fishing. Most we spoke to said they are fishing for trout and walleye.
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| Pine River Provincial Fishing Area |
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| Pine River Provincial Fishing Area |
As we leave the Pine River Provincial Fishing Area we ascend northwards through a densely wooded area abundant with cedars.
This placard marks the Bell Section, named after founding members of the Dufferin Hi-land Club, Grant and Grace Bell.
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| Exiting onto 15th Side Road |
At the intersection of 15th Side Road and Prince of Wales Road there is roadside parking for 3 cars. Please note that there is no winter maintenance on 15th Side Road.
At the intersection of 15th Side Road and Prince of Wales Road there is roadside parking for 3 cars. The Kilgorie Side Trail does provide a shortcut; however, you will miss the Dufferin Power House Ruins and Pine River Fishing Area. It connects river road to Prince of Wales Road and is a good option for a loop.
The Bruce Trail runs west into the woods and returns back to Prince of Wales Road. This section is a 1.5 kms loop away from and back to the road. If you're going to skip anything...skip this. The steep climb is not worth it.
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| Mosquito breeding grounds |
After the climb up and away from Prince of Wales road that left us breathless, we return to Prince of Wales Road about 500 metres north of where we left it.
We didn't find any cars on the trail today, but if you want to Netflix and Chill, just plug one of these beauties into a power source. While I do joke about the strange things found in the woods, we really do need to stop littering and dumping on the Bruce Trail.
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TV's dumped on the side of the trail
The final 2km stretch of our hike today was on Prince of Wales Road. This is a very quiet rolling rural road and was pleasant to walk along...or would have been if we weren't already so tired from what ended up being a longer hike than anticipated. |
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| Car parking on Prince of Wales Road (8 cars) |
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Flora and early signs of spring
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Hike #51
Time: 3 hours 40 min
Distance: 16.8 kms (as the crow flies)
Difficulty: Moderate: rolling hills, meadows, steep climbs
Trail Use: Hiking Only
Total kms hiked: 368.4
Kms remaining: 543.5
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| Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 🎶 |
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