Hike #62: Blue Mountains, South Side

 

Castle Glen Estates to Blue Mountains (South Side)



Note: While hikes 62 and 63 are in end to end order, the dates are note chronological. We completed these hikes at earlier dates but waited to post to keep the blogs in end to end order. We skipped ahead to complete other sections due to winter conditions and trail closures. 

Today we embarked on a fun group hike ending at the Summit View BBQ. Peter's brother Rob was visiting from Vancouver so we decided to show him our version of a "Mountain Hike". The end of the hike left him wondering when we were going to get to the mountains. While it's no Big Chief, there still are some great views. My sister Nathalie and her husband Michael joined us as well. We parked one car at P2 in the Village at Blue Mountains (free parking and E-vehicle charging) and then the five of us squeezed into Peter's Elantra. Thankfully it was a short drive as it was a tight fit! We parked on County Rd 19 and 2nd Line (space for 3 cars). Note this is not a Bruce Trail parking spot. There is a  Bruce Trail Lot (space for 20 cars); however, this is not where we parked today. Note that the section of the trail that passes along the top of Blue Mountains is closed from November 1st to May 1st. The other benefit is that the Bruce Trail along the top of Blue Mountains is free to hike whereas you must pay a fee to hike the trails on Blue Mountains.


The trail leaves county rd 19 heading north into woods, crossing Silver Creek a few times along the way.  The terrain included a lot of rolling hills / valleys and eventually hits 12th Sideroad.

Trail entrance at 2nd Line and County Rd 19







Bridge spanning Silver Creek






Another bridge crossing Silver Creek


















A lower section that skirts the easter side of a marsh





View of 12th Sideroad (eastward)


The trail briefly runs east on 12th Sideroad then turns right to head north through woods again.  This section of the trail between 12th Sideroad and County Rd 119 is clossed from Nov 1st to May 1st (use Mission Road Side Trail instead).   A portion of this section uses the trail system associated with the Blue Mountains Scenic Caves.  We did not explore the Scenic Caves today.







Stile at 12th Sideroad (northside)
































The trail exits the woods at the intersection of County Rd 119 and Scenic Caves Rd.  Here we turned right to briefly follow Scenic Caves Rd.  The trail then turns right (east) through a brief section of woods to end up on 15th Sideroad A.  We then travelled North on Scenic Caves Rd.  There is parking on Scenic Caves Road.  The trail passes north through the parking lot here to follow a paved path that parallels Scenic Caves Road.  The views of the Collingwood in the distance were nice.
Heading east on Scenic Caves Rd




15th Sideroad A


Heading north on Scenic Caves Rd towards parking lot
The Bruce Trail runs through this parking lot (east side)
View of adjacent parking lot (west side - across road)








The trail then turns right on Swiss Meadows Rd.  We ended out journey on Swiss Meadows Rd at Parking Lot 6 of the Blue Mountains Resort.  Parking for 50 cars.









Hike #62

Date:        August 5th, 2024
Start         County Rd 19 and 2nd Line 
Finish:      Swiss Meadows Boulevard
Time:                          1 hour 52 minutes
Distance:                   5.47 kms
Difficulty:                  Easy, rolling hills, gentle climb, gravel path
Trail Use:                    Hiking Only               
Total kms hiked:       448.2 kms
Kms remaining:        463.7 kms

Points of Interest: There are so many points of interest in this section of the Bruce Trail. We decided to stop in for lunch at the Summit View Family BBQ  in Blue Mountains. Let them know at the ticketing office that you have a reservation and they'll let you pass for free. Then we took the Gondola to the village. Note: Tickets for the Gondola must be purchased at the base of the ski hill. If you have a dinner reservation the Gondola is free. It wasn't a busy day so they let us ride the Gondola down to where our car was parked (we showed our lunch receipt and begged, so don't count on being able to do so!). The Village at Blue Mountains also offers a variety of activities, such as paddle boats, ropes courses, a mountain coaster, restaurants and shops. After lunch, we also headed over to Wasaga Beach  (about a 20 minutes drive) for a quick dip before heading home. 

Blue Mountains

Summit View Restaurant



The Village at Blue Mountains


























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