Top things to explore in Tobermory

Okay so you have your well known places, Toronto and Niagara Falls. Toronto you have the CN Tower, Ripley Aquarium. Niagara Falls you have the Falls, casinos and great food. However if you want to get away from all the hustle and bustle take a venture to these places. Roads trips across Ontario are great and Tobermory should be on that list.

If you enjoy the outdoors you want to check out Tobermory and its surroundings. It is a small town 4 hours North West of Toronto. The landscape is filled with towering cliffs that are part of the Niagara Escarpment. It is also home to some of the best hiking trails, the Bruce Trail. Here you will find The Grotto, crystal blue waters and also some great shipwreck dives. Take a ferry to Flower Pot Island (watch out for the snakes). Or just submerge yourself into some great food.

Things to do

The Grotto

Hiking to the grotto is Tobermory’s biggest attraction. Can you believe the waters here are crystal blue like what you would see in the Caribbean? Here you can see 20 feet down with so much clarity. Should warn you, the waters here do not get warm till about August.

If you are planning to come here come early as it gets full fast. Once inside the park it will depend where you park to which trail you take to get here. There are 3 trails that will get you to the Grotto, 2 are inside the Bruce Peninsula National Park at the Cyprus campground. The trails here are part of the Bruce Trails which go from Niagara Falls all the way to Tobermory. Which brings me to my next activity….

Hiking

Tobermory is no stranger to great hiking trails. If you love hiking this is a great place to go.

Where to start. Well that depends. Are you coming for the day? Staying the weekend at one of the campgrounds?

If you are coming for a day hike I would suggest Hiking Cyprus Lake to the grotto. The hike around the lake is 3.2km and from there on the horse lake trail to the grotto is another 1.3km. To get to here you will take Hwy 6 to Cyprus Road to the National Park (again be early) Here you will get a day pass, where to park and a guide to the park.

If you are staying for a night or a couple nights I would suggest doing the hike around the lake but also add the trail to Boulder Beach which is another 0.5km from the grotto. There are so many trails here to choose from. For more info check out AllTrails

Lions Head

For us this turned out to be a very interesting day. As we were making our way to the famous Lion Head we got lost. So we asked a man (who we thought was a local) for directions. We took the road up to the top and were trying to park. I very nice lady came out and told us we could not park there. After some explaining she asked us if we were looking for Lions Head. She told us if we wanted we could go to her backyard for the view.

Now this is not Lions Head, however the view was just as nice. It is not as high but was enough that I didn’t go near the edge. I couldn’t believe this was a view she got to see everyday. Turns out her my was my neighbor, small world.

So with that said I have yet to go to Lions Head but I hope to this year. Just make sure you get the right directions to the parking for the hike.

Greigs Caves Just South of Tobermory

This is by far my favorite stop. Just South of Tobermory you will find Greigs Caves 407 Scenic Cave Road on the North side, across from the corner of Tower Road, 4.82 kilometres from Bruce Road 9. This place is home to 10 caves and is about a 2 hour hike. You will need to wear hiking boots and be cautious the rocks are slippery. Also bring a flashlight, a sweater, yes even in the summer as it is damp. The hike can take up to a couple of hours so bring water and if you are like me and get hangry, bring a snack.

The Town of Tobermory

Tobermory is a cute fishing town. To be honest I never heard of it till about 10 years ago. In the summer months this town is packed with tourists. One year I had gone and it was so busy they closed the town down. The is the center point for things to do. Some things on my list are

Visiting Flower Pot Island
Snorkeling a ship wreck
Watching the perfect sunset

Where to Eat

There are 2 places that I love to eat at while here.

Crowsnest Pub & Restaurant- I come here for the burgers and beer. Located on Bay Street and the heart of the town. This second floor patio and a great place to sit back and relax after a long days hike.

Shipwreck Lee’s- I come here for the fish and chips and the Island vibe. Great music and the service was amazing. I came here with my grandpa and they treated him like gold.

Where to Stay

Camping – Stay at the a National park. If you are going camping it means you love the outdoors which this is the center for all the great trails.

Hotel – When I took my grandpa here for the weekend we stayed at the Escarpment Heights Motel. This place has a great location in town and it was really nice. The service was great and again, if you treat my grandpa well you get 5 stars from me.

Things to bring with you

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Planning on Hiking?

Hiking boots – Proper hiking boots will make or break your end of the day. I love Columbia, have since I was a kid.
Walking Shoes – I am sure you seen in my pictures that I was wearing Sketchers. I love these shoes. They are comfortable and have a good grip. Now I wouldn’t recommend for big hikes.
Bug Spray – Deet free bug spray. Yes you have have some kind of repellant while hiking these areas