Today I’m sharing a more famous spot in Bruce Peninsula. Last week I wrote about the Bruce Caves, which are in the South Bruce Peninsula, but today I’m taking further north, to the Grotto (also known as the Indian Cove).
I’ll be sharing some basic information about arriving and paying fees, as well as my experience being there during the winter season. If you’re interested in seeing some video footage of my time there, you can check out my Youtube channel!
The Grotto in March
I know it looks like I’m uncomfortable, but trust me, I loved every minute of my time here!
I was especially pleased at how few people were around us. I haven’t been here in the summer myself, but apparently it is usually busy, with few spots to sit down and enjoy the water and the views. To be honest, I’m not sure if I would want to come here at that time of year because it’s quite a small area to be sharing with a a lot of people.
If you prefer quieter spaces this is for you! Next I’ll get into some logistical stuff.
Getting to the Grotto and Fees
If you’re coming here from Toronto, the drive to the North Bruce Peninsula is about 3.5 hours. Taking Highway 6 leads you up into the Peninsula, and you’ll need to turn right onto Cyprus Lake Rd to reach the entrance to the Grotto.
You’ll need to drive down Cyprus Lake Rd to the Cyprus Lake office, where they have a self-service tent set up for visitors to make payments on their own. There is no attendant here (there wasn’t when we were there at least) so I suppose they are operating on an honorary system during this time of year.
These are the fees we paid (there is no difference in price between seasons):
Parking: $11.50 per vehicle
Entrance: $7.90 per person (there are group rates available for discounts)
At the tent you’ll find small forms to fill and calculate the total fee for your visit and are asked to leave payment in an envelop (you can provide card information if you don’t have cash), which you deposit into a safety box.
In the summer time, you’d need to book a time slot to visit the Grotto in advance, so make sure to plan ahead if you are going at that time of year.
From there you can drive up to P1 (shown on the map above), which is the closest spot to get to the Grotto. The signs are super clear, you can follow the trail signs that point towards the Grotto if you want to go there first. The walk from the parking lot to the Grotto took us about 30 minutes.
Lots of room to chill!
The stone area in the photo above shows the main area of the Indian cove (Grotto) which is a popular spot for laying down a towel and swimming in the summer. Obviously there were a few groups of people there while we visited, but not even close to the amount of people you’d see here on a summer weekend.
Of course the down side is that you can’t swim in the winter, but if you’re like me (unable to tolerate cold water temperatures) you probably wouldn’t tolerate the water in the summer anyway!
As far as picturesque spots in Ontario go, this one has to be near the top. I’d like to add I have not edited any of the photos on this blog, the colour of the water here is as real as can be! Clear icy blue waters, grey stone cliffs and tall green pines—a nature lovers dream!
What else is there to do there?
The main attraction here is of course the Grotto, but the trails surrounding it are well worth your while to check out.
If you keep walking along the Bruce Trail which goes along the cliff side of the Grotto (refer to the map above), you will eventually end up at a large pebble/stone bay (in the photo above). You can follow the signs here to either continue along the Bruce trail, or you can head back towards the head of trails around Marr Lake.
My mom, Stewart and I circled back around Marr Lake and then joined the trail around Cyprus Lake.
The trail around Cyprus Lake goes around the lake close to the shore, winds between trees and is fairly narrow compared to the path up to the Grotto. There are also a few bridges to cross near the bottom of the lake which were neat. There are no hills to climb so it’s very easy for all fitness levels. The Cyprus Lake trail is ~5km and takes about 2.5 hours to walk.
The other fantastic thing about this trail is that we only passed one other person during the entire circuit. I suppose that most people just come for the Grotto and leave? I’m not sure but what I can promise you is that in the winter the circuit around the lake will provide you a nice quiet walk. If we weren’t so tired by the time we finished the walk around Cyprus lake, we probably would have checked out the other trails, but it was already around 4pm, and we were ready for an early dinner.
That’s it for my brief review on the Grotto in the winter—which I would definitely suggest if you are looking to avoid the summer crowds.
The water is still just as blue, the trails are still very accessible, and you have the added views of ice and snow which create an interesting landscape. Not to mention, you can be more flexible with your schedule, without needing to book time slots for your visit (compared to the summer time).
I hope you found this blog helpful in planning your trip at Bruce Peninsula. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments. If you’re interested in watching what our day was like there you can check out my Youtube channel.
Next week I’ll be covering Lion’s Head and a few other spots in the Bruce Peninsula so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading and happy adventures my friends!
Much love,
Dee