Bruce Peninsula, ON
Glamping We chose a boho glamping experience, which is part of the Maple Ridge Campground in Miller Lake. The “Explorer” tent, was very cute, with thoughtful décor, necessities provided and a super comfy bed which certainly put the “glam” in glamping! The wash facilities were shared with the campground, and were very clean. The place was noticeably peaceful (apart from the sound of Highway 6!) and felt safe and family-orientated. Rita absolutely loved our tent and couldn’t wait to get inside every time we arrived back. She also enjoyed sleeping in the sunshine while I ate breakfast at the picnic table.
Tobermory The focal point of Tobermory is Little Tub Harbour (Big Tub is next to it, to the west). We browsed a few shops – those which weren’t dog-friendly stated so on the door. Our favourites, and most welcoming, were Mementos, Trading Post and the three Blue Heron shops: Mariner Chart Shop, The Net Shed and their outdoors store. We also took a walk along the waterfront trail and watched some scuba divers having a lesson!
The tourist information lady gave me a list of dog-friendly patios: Tobermory Brewing Co., The Fish and Chip Place, Shipwreck Lee’s, The Hungry Hiker and Las Chulas, to name but a few! We particularly loved Stella’s Gelato, as dogs were welcomed inside! My ice-cream came with a mini cone on top, perfect for Rita! I also recommend the Taco-mory food truck – I had a delicious vegan bowl. The staff at Coconut Joe’s absolutely loved Rita, and brought her some water. The food was great and the décor funky. Little Cove Bakery is perfect for a morning coffee (buy their granola!) or else Tobermory Coffee Co. (although pricey). All these places had outdoor seating allowing dogs.
Bruce Peninsula National Park The Peninsula has two national parks, which share a visitor centre. We spent our first day exploring the Bruce Peninsula National Park. Be sure to reserve parking in advance for the Halfway Log Dump and The Grotto, which gives you access to Singing Sands.
Singing Sands So called as the sand is said to “sing” due to its high silica and quartz make-up, this small beach area and boardwalk is worth a visit! Dogs are even allowed on the beach, so Rita had a nice swim! The Wild Trail boardwalk loop is a particularly pleasant walk, with interpretive signs along the way.
Halfway Log Dump A 10 minute drive from the highway to the trailhead, this is a lovely secluded spot. The pebbled beach really shows off the blue waters of Georgian Bay. Lots of people were swimming, so Rita decided to join them!
The Grotto Perhaps the most iconic spot of the park. We took the rugged Marr Lake Trail up (narrowly missing a rattlesnake!), and the more direct Georgian Bay Trail back. There is both a natural grotto and arch at the tip of the trail. Again, many got in for a swim. This is a very picturesque point.
Fathom Five National Marine Park On the second day, we took a Blue Heron cruise to Flowerpot Island. As this is part of the Fathom Five Park, we had access to the trails on the mainland too. There’s a viewing tower at the visitor centre, but I didn’t go up as it was the grating-type stairs which Rita isn’t too fond of! Instead, we hiked to the Little Dunks Lookout for a spectacular view of the bay. Afterwards, we completed the Burnt Point loop, with even more spots from which to observe the blue water and white rocks characteristic of the peninsula.
Flowerpot Island We set off on our cruise at 10am. Dogs are most welcome and permitted anywhere on the boat. We sat outside but were able to move around and in particular go inside when we got to Big Tub Harbour to see the 19th century shipwreck through the glass bottom. In fact, the Sweepstakes is in such shallow water, we could see it by simply looking over the edge of the boat! We also saw the Big Tub Lighthouse, before accelerating over the 5km stretch to Flowerpot Island.
The island gets its name from its two distinctive sea stacks. We first saw them from the boat, and then got off at Beachy Cove and were able to walk along to them. The views were very striking, most notably due to the bright blue waters of Georgian Bay. We carried on up the Lighthouse Trail to the lighthouse keeper’s house, now a museum. Dogs are welcomed inside, and there is also a small selection of refreshments and souvenirs on sale, when the volunteers are on duty. We learned a lot about how the Spears family, with their 8 children, lived in the 4-bed house. To be fair, the cramped living conditions were worth it for the views upon opening the curtains in the morning! There’s a nice picnic area outside, perfect for enjoying a rest. A short walk away is where the original lighthouse was stationed, now replaced by a fully automated steel tower.
Afterwards, Rita and I took the more rugged Mountain Trail, leading to the Marl Trail. We fitted in a swim before returning to the dock to be picked up. In total, we had 3 hours on the island which was about the right amount of time to see and do everything we wanted.
Lion’s Head South of Miller’s Lake is Lion’s Head village, and the trail at the non-operating provincial park of the same name. This was another rugged trial so come prepared! We prebooked our parking at McCurdy Drive and took the 7 km hike to the first lookout to see the namesake of the area. It took me a minute, but I could make out the lion’s head in the rock face. The views over the clear waters of Georgian Bay were just as impressive. En-route to the lookout, we took the short side trails to marvel at the Lion’s Head and Giant’s Cauldron glacial potholes, holes in the rock formed 10-12,000 years ago.
Sauble Falls At the southern end of the peninsula sits Sauble Falls Provincial Park. We parked at the west side of the park and took the short walk to the falls viewing area. These are formed of multiple mini-falls, and the water is not too deep so a lot of visitors were in paddling, Rita included! Some were even having picnics on the flat rocks in the middle of the river. This is a pretty spot. Afterwards, we crossed the road to the east side of the park and wandered through the campgrounds to get to the Sauble Falls Trail. This is a short interpretative trail where we learned a lot about the history of the landscape, how the logging crew operated and forest management. It was a nice touch to our last hike of the trip.
