As I planned the trip, I tried to intersperse mellow days with active days and most of the time I followed those guidelines. Originally Day 5 was designed as something low-key in Collingwood without any driving. However, plans shifted a tiny bit and we did more than we anticipated.
Hen and Chicken Island
I ducked out of the house by myself in the early morning, part of my ongoing effort to explore Collingwood on foot. This time I went for a 16 kilometre (10 mile) run. I thought about taking an out-and-back on one of the railroad trails, just heading straight into the countryside. Then I considered that it was unfamiliar territory and what if something happened to me way out there. Well, I’d use my mobile phone and call my wife to come pick me up and everything would be fine. But my mind was playing tricks on me so I decided to stay closer to town and just meander.
That said, I ventured to a lot of new places because I could cover more ground quickly. Collingwood truly does have a wonderful system of trails, as I’ve noted previously, and I followed one of them around the western side of the harbour, through a residential area, down a gravel path, and out to the end of a boardwalk. It terminated at a scenic overlook with an expansive view of the Georgian Bay coastline. This was a spot called Hen and Chicken Island, connected to the mainland by a wooden causeway that I’d just crossed (map).
I could actually see the Nottawasaga Lighthouse again, even better than my viewing position from the Port of Collingwood a couple of days earlier. However, I was running so I didn’t have my good camera. The lighthouse appears as a tiny dot on the photo above, taken with my phone. I does give a nice view of Great Lakes coastline in its natural state though, away from intensive waterfront development closer to town.
Harbourview Park
Then I followed the main trail back into town and took various side-paths through Harbourview Park. One corner of the park provides acreage for the Collingwood Arboretum which I enjoyed immensely. I wandered around bit more until I hit my target distance and I finished just in time for the rest of the family to wake up.
That was supposed to be my only activity. Just an easy morning run followed by a full day of indulgent laziness.
Scenic Caves
However, we returned to an area we visited a couple of days earlier when we explored Blue Mountain Village. Originally we intended to see the Scenic Caves Nature Adventures the same day (map) — they were less than five kilometres apart — but we were simply too tired. We punted the caves to today so here we were.
A steep road climbs the Niagara Escarpment to the caves. Another minute later it actually runs directly past the spot where the Blue Mountain gondola brings people to the top of the hill. So yes, technically, we didn’t need to ride the gondola earlier but that’s a lot more fun than driving a car up a hill.
Caves?
Let’s start with definitions. Caves doesn’t necessarily mean caverns. Visitors won’t find long winding tunnels filled with stalactites and other formations created by dripping water over millennia. Here, rather, the cliff at the edge of the Niagara Escarpment include massive fissures and cracks created by ancient glaciers and ongoing weathering. Some are large enough for people to walk through, and a number of trails and stairways provide convenient access. In that sense it reminded me of Bilger’s Rocks in western Pennsylvania.
I guess these qualify as “caves” in the loosest sense of the word. Either way, they were impressive in their own right and definitely worth a visit no matter what anyone calls them.
Hiking Trails
We visited the area in something of a shoulder season, long after skiing ended but a little before families arrived in force for their summer holidays after the school year. Many of the trails were closed and it seemed like they were transitioning from snowmobile or snowshoe routes to walking trails. Even so, there were plenty of other trails available for us to follow through the forest.
Suspension Bridge
One of the trails led to the attraction’s 125 metre (400 foot) suspension bridge spanning high across a valley. It was perfectly stable and the walk offered excellent views. It’s a good thing that none of us were afraid of heights.
Brewery #7: Side Launch Brewing
It was mid-afternoon by the time we finished and it was time to drive the short distance back to Collingwood. Of course, we felt we deserved a little reward for our rock scrambling, hiking and bridge crossing. Fortunately Side Launch Brewing fell along our direct path home. We didn’t even need to detour. So we stopped for a brief visit, aligning with the usual disclaimer.
This was the largest brewery we’d encountered so far during our trip. The name reflected Collingwood’s former shipbuilding heritage from a previous century. A side launch is a rather intricate method of putting a brand new vessel into the water for the first time, by sliding it sideways down a ramp.
Brewery #8: Northwinds Brewing
Wait, didn’t I count Northwinds Brewing already? Well yes I did, and thank you for being observant, but that was their outpost located in Blue Mountain Village. Their flagship location sits in Collingwood proper, and just steps away from Endswell Beer that we visited the previous evening. And in the same manner, we stopped at Northwinds during our evening stroll. Some might say that I visited Northwinds only a single time but I do count each location separately. My list, my rules.
Articles in the Ontario Series
- Choices
- Downtime
- Lake and Mountain
- Penetanguishene and Beyond
- Lake and Caves
- Owen Sound
- Toronto Orientation
- Toronto Tourist
- Bonus Days
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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