The Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Nature Reserve is a non-operating park located on the Niagara Escarpment just south of Georgian Bay. It offers some great hiking opportunities along the Bruce Trail and contains a few other side trails that weave through forested slopes, on top of the Escarpment, and through caves and crevices.
We’ve been to Nottawasaga Lookout twice:
There are two parking options that provide access to Nottawasaga Lookout, with the most popular entrance along the shoulder of Osprey Clearview Townline. The other access point is on the southern edge of the nature reserve along the shoulder of 26/27 Sideroad Nottawasaga.
Hiking
There are a few interconnecting trails which form a series of loops through the nature reserve:
(1) Just over 4 kilometres of the Bruce Trail winds through Nottawasaga Lookout. The trail weaves along the Niagara Escarpment and is marked with a series of white blazes. There are a few side trails that branch off from the main path to create a series of shorter or longer loops.
(2) Singhampton Side Trail (190m), which provides a shortcut to another part of the Bruce Trail to form a 2.1km loop that will eventually leads back to the main entrance along Osprey Clearview Townline.
(3) Standing Rock & Caves Side Trail (630m), which is the main draw to this nature reserve. The side trail is marked with blue blazes and leads down the side of the Escarpment to a large rock pillar and series of large boulders, crevices and small caves.
Other Activities and Attractions
Besides hiking, there are no other activities or attractions at Nottawasaga Lookout, however there are a few other great hiking options in the area including:
- Craigleith Provincial Park
- Devil’s Glen Provincial Park
- Duncan Escarpment Provincial Nature Reserve
- Noisy River Provincial Park
- Nottawasaga Bluffs Conservation Area
- Pretty River Valley Provincial Park
Camping
Since this is a non-operating park, camping is not permitted.