The Mediterranean in Canada? Exploring Bruce Peninsula National Park

The crystal clear waters of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. Who would've thought the Mediterranean exists in Canada eh? Well...a much colder version of the Mediterranean!

 

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The Great Lakes that border Canada and the United States truly are GREAT! They are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth. I was shocked to learn just how big they are. Standing at the edge of Lake Superior felt like standing at the edge of the ocean. There was no end in sight.

Summer of last year, Ben & I visited the Great Lakes but it was Lake Huron, more specifically the Bruce Peninsula area, that really stood out.

Ben had been wanting to see this place for quite some time but we were struggling to find somewhere to stay. All the hotels were booked, campgrounds full, Airbnbs unavailable. Then, just by chance, I checked the Parks Canada website again and a camping spot had opened up at the Grotto. Someone must have cancelled. We hightailed it up there for 1 night only. And I'm so glad we did.

We arrived at Cyprus Lake campground in Bruce Peninsula National Park and quickly set up our tent. Once we were settled in, we headed straight for the Grotto.

The walk from the campground took us around half an hour. It was quite late in the afternoon and most people seemed to be coming back for the day. As soon as we laid eyes on the beach and the water, we got so excited. This place is seriously beautiful.

We made a beeline for the water and spent the afternoon floating and exploring the Grotto. Even though it was the middle of Summer, the water was quite cold. It was a stinker of a day though so we enjoyed the refreshing coolness.

There were people jumping off the cliffs into the deeper areas of the lake but it's definitely not an activity taken lightly in the area. People have died at the Grotto so if you do decide to cliff jump, please be careful. It is also important to note that it's an illegal activity so you could be hit with a fine by park staff. I had a close encounter myself actually. I wasn’t cliff jumping but I did lose my footing at one point and it was a real wake up call. Sometimes getting that “Instagram worthy” shot just isn’t worth it!

After that, we made the walk back to our campsite and settled in for the night around the fire.

The next day, we decided we’d spend the day at the beach. We packed up our tent and drove out to a place named Halfway Log Dump. Strange name I know. I’m really not sure why it’s called that but anyways, it’s absolutely stunning. We had great weather again plus the solar eclipse occured while we were there! It was a pretty special moment. We weren’t in the most ideal place to witness the full solar eclipse, but seeing a partial eclipse was still pretty spectacular in my books. We spent the day exploring the surrounding rocks and relaxing in the beautiful waters of the Georgian Bay.

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And while it does get crazy busy at Bruce Peninsula National Park, I highly recommend checking it out. If you are unable to secure a campsite, you can drive and park near the Grotto. But keep in mind that parking is very limited and it fills up FAST! You can now reserve certain time slots in order to secure a park but it does mean that you’re only able to stay for a total of 4 hours.

In saying that, there are other areas in the park to explore if you miss out on the parking too. Halfway Log Dump is a must see and so much more chill than the Grotto.

Plus the Bruce Trail comes through the area so there's some lovely hiking to be done too. At 890kms long, it’s the oldest and longest marked hiking trail in Canada! It runs all the way from the Niagara River, right up to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.

Many thanks to @scrooger for the page divider

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