“GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE!!“, Carrie screamed from down below, making me laugh, as weird noises continued to come through her clenched teeth.

I had forgotten to ask if she was afraid of heights, and didn’t realize the extent until I tried to coax her up on the lookout. No dice.

“I’ll be just fine. Unless one of my shoes falls off the edge, of course“, I said, jokingly.

“Nooo, not the shoes!”

She knew that they were brand new, and that I already loved them.

We both laughed, and eventually I convinced her to make her way up to a small tree that she gripped onto for dear life, and finally coached her into shuffling juuust close enough to glance over the edge.

And, what a view it was.

I’ve done the hike to Lion’s Head Lookout a number of times now, since it’s so close to home, but today was a little different.

First of all, the most obvious change is that social distancing now applies, which never would have been an issue on previous hikes, but the trail is now much more popular than the last times I was there. Because of this influx of visitors, the main trail is closed (for forest regeneration), which requires an extra hike to get to the trailhead itself, and then an even longer loop through the forest to get back to the main trail.

The positive changes this time around, were that I finally dragged along my bestie, and got to put my new hiking shoes to the test–yay!

Lion’s Head Lookout is my favourite place in all of Bruce County (even more than the Grotto & Tobermory), and probably even all of Ontario. No matter how many times I see that view after emerging out of the woods–and yes, it’s even more worth it after all that hiking–it’s just as good as the last time, if not better.

How is that even possible?

The cliff edge seems to stretch on forever, bending in and out of view, interrupted only by jagged rocks and century-old trees. Looking down, you’d think that you were in the Caribbean, from the crystal clear turquoise waters lapping upon the brightly coloured pine and birch-lined shore.

It is truly one of the most beautiful views in the world. And.. you know.. I’ve seen a few.

Our day started with a drive from Southampton to the town of Lion’s Head, where we parked near the school, and took a 10 minute walk to the McCurdy trailhead, which is part of the Bruce Trail circuit.

If you’re planning to do the hike yourself, you can take the risk of driving right up to the parking lot of the trailhead, but chances are it will be full, and you will spend more time waiting to get in than it would take to simply walk in from town.

Do not try to park on the side of the road–you will 100% get a ticket. We chatted with the man handing them out, and he said it’s the same way every day. He counted out 8 cars, did the math, and said “there’s going to be 8 unhappy people coming off the trail soon“.

As I mentioned before, the main trail is currently closed to recover from over-use this summer, so the initial hike is now quite a bit longer than before.

Instead of starting on a fairly straight gravel path, you head straight into an uneven winding terrain of large rocks and tangle roots. The trail snakes in and out of narrow corridors between 450 millions year old rock walls, and wide birch expanses covered in a yellow and orange ceiling of fall leaves.

I typically roll an ankle within 15 minutes, not to the point of injury, just an uncomfortable accident. However, in my new Merrell Jungle Mocs from Zappos, I practically skipped through the trail without a single scuffle or slip.

We navigated twisted flora and knotted roots to large rocks and small boulders–and even had to climb a natural geological staircase, using both hands and feet. It definitely wasn’t the simplest of hikes, and could easily be considered one of the most difficult in Bruce County.

But, with my new Jungle Mocs guiding the way, it turned out to be a lot easier than I remembered.

I’d been working them over the course of the week–from dog walks and playing in the yard to bike rides and forest hikes–so they had already formed to that sweet spot around my feet, cushioned perfectly by the molded foam insole. But, my favourite part of the shoes is the curved rubber sole that stretches from behind the heel to above the toe, that almost seems to smoothly glide the foot with each step.

Along the way, we stopped to check out the natural “pot holes” off the side of the trail, which are essentially large holes in the ground, or hollowing out a standing rock. They were carved out during the last ice age, when the entire peninsula actually sat beneath a Sea.

I rambled all of these facts to Carrie, but I think she was too busy sticking her head into the opening to pay attention to tour guide Seattle.

Finally, I could see light coming through the trees, and knew that we were close to the edge. After one last ascent of a narrow rock pathway, the trees opened and the glistening expanse of Georgian Bay came into view.

It was enough to make me stop dead in my tracks.

Of course, the panoramic view itself is incredible, and well worth the hike alone. But, it’s the shoreline that really makes the whole scene truly one of the best in Ontario, and actually makes you question whether or not you somehow managed to hike all the way to the Caribbean.

As the water of the Bay reaches the shallows lined with white rocks, it ombrés from a brilliant blue, to a vibrant turquoise–accented by bright green trees in the summer, or a mixture of greens, yellows and reds in the fall. Combined with the fact that you’re viewing it all from over 200 feet above, it’s enough to keep your attention for an hour or two before making the hike back.

We found a nice spot along the edge, where we could stay socially distanced, and spend some time enjoying the view. I found the perfect little spot, where a rock stretched out almost like a seat belt, so I could safely hang my feet over the edge, but keep my body tucked in behind the rock.

Carrie seemed content standing much further back, down on the lower level, where she didn’t have to be near the edge.

We sat and chatted, and took in the view, until the sun started to dip into the town of Lion’s Head in the distance.

At that point, we knew it was time to start the hike home, and took in our last views of the Bay before making our way back into the forest.

More Photos

Tiktoks

@seattledredgeThe view at the end is worth the wait // Hiking to Lion’s Head Lookout with @carriebrilliant @merrelloutside ##canada ##ontario ##hikingszn ##hiking ##fall? original sound – Callen Schaub

@seattledredgeApparently I like to flip my hair ? @merrelloutside @zappos ##lionshead ##hiking ##brucecounty ##canada ##ontario ##gotitonzappos? ZABO Breathe – ????????

This post was made in partnership with Merrell and Zappos.