Hike #56 Transcarioca Friendship Trail




6/7 Sideroad Nottawasaga to 12/13 Sideroad Nottawasaga


This weekend we decided to do our first overnight while hiking the Bruce Trail....by overnight we mean sleeping at the Holiday Inn Express in Collingwood. I don't think I'm quite up for sleeping on the trail, especially as we haven't come across that many designated campsites. Okay, let's be honest...I prefer sleeping on a king sized pocket coil mattress free of mosquitos and critters. Speaking of mosquitoes, make sure to pack the bug spray with deet, as there are some damp marshy sections. And if you think you'll be able to escape the mosquitos in the wide open meadows, you're not wrong; however, you will likely encounter pesky deer flies. 

Our first hike of the weekend started on Nottawasaga Concession 10 South at 6/7 Sideroad. There is no actual parking here, but there is enough of a shoulder and no signs indicating parking is prohibited. We then walked around the corner to enter the trail off 6/7 Side Road. Once again, we brought a bike for Peter to make the short trek back to the car. While the hike was just over 7 kms in length, the road back was a straight 3kms. So this section could easily be done as a 10 km loop, walking back along Concession 10 South. There are no washrooms on this leg of the trail.

Parking on the west side of Concession 10 South




From Concession 10 South we headed west on Nottawasaga 6/7 Side Road for 600 meters.  The trail then enters some woods and meadows north of the road.  This section skirts a small marsh then turns due west.  The boardwalks helped to keep us out of the mud.  The path crossed two streams before exiting to cross Concession 10 S.






One of many boardwalks in this section

This section of board walk climbed a gentle hill.



Bridge spanning the second stream encountered on this leg of the trail









Where the trail crosses Concession 10 S north of 6/7 Sideroad

The trail crosses Concession 10 South just north of where we parked the car.  This section of Concession 10 South and the 9/10 Side Road form a loop with the June and George Willis side trail, which we did not take.

Crossing Concession 10 South, the trail becomes twinned with the Transcarioca Trail located in Brazil.  This section skits the top of the escarpment, slowly turning from east to north towards roadside parking on 9/10 Side Road.  From there the trail continues north along the ridge of the escarpment, eventually turning west to join Concession 10 South (again).




There are a couple of stiles along the trail; however, you won't have to climb them as they are no longer in use.
 
Stile at Concession 10 South and Transcarioca Trail

Entrance to Transcarioca trail




One of many pine plantations encountered on the Bruce



Here we see the familiar fissures of the escarpment


View of surrounding valley from the trail just south of 9/10 Side Road




Fortunately this bench was not only placed in a spot with a beautiful view of the valley, but had the added bonus of being one of the few spots where we were not being attacked by either bloodsucking vampire insects or carnivorous deer flies.

Nice little spot for a rest





Roadside parking on 9/10 Sideroad (5 cars). 
This is also the start/end of the June & George Willis side trail.



Make sure to keep an eye out for blazes, we almost missed this turn!  The trail turns sharply east then north at 9/10 sideroad.

Trail heading north from unimproved section of 9/10 sideroad




The trail passes along the edge of a farm



The trail leads us through some terrain we haven't seen in a while, rocky trails, deep crevices and caves.

Bridge over a crevice 




After heading north, the trail turns west towards Con 10 South.  This section runs alongside farmers fields.  They happened to be wheat fields with gorgeous wildflowers growing along their margins.  The trail turns north again once you come out onto Con 10 South.

Picnic area where trail turns from north to west.

Wheat fields.



End of Transcarioca Trail at Con 10 South.



The bike Peter road back from 12/13 Sideroad


Flora along the trail


Peter biking the 3 kms back to our parked car from 12/13 Sideroad to 6/7 Sideroad.


Note: Amanda's tracker stopped at the end of the Transcarioca Trail. 
12/13 sideroad is just off the north edge of the map.





 Hike #56

Date:        July 6th, 2024
Start:        6/7 Side Road, Nottawasaga and Nottawasage Concession 10 S (no parking)
Time:                          2 hours 19 minutes
Distance:                   7.18 kms
Difficulty:                   Moderate: rolling hills, meadows, some rocky terrain
Trail Use:                    Hiking Only               
Total kms hiked:       400.8
Kms remaining:        511.1

Points of Interest in the Area: We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, Collingwood, which was 26 kms away from where we were hiking the trail. Keep in mind, rates are much higher in the Blue Mountain area on the weekends due to the influx of tourists. We also visited Sunset Point Park. This park boasts a beautiful waterfront trail. We were surprised that the parking fees are what would be expected in Toronto. We also stumbled upon a tank and a jet plane located at the Royal Canadian Legion in Collingwood.












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