Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park lies within the rural town of Mono, in southern Ontario, Canada, along the Bruce Trail. It is part of the Niagara Escarpment Parks System, and the escarpment Biosphere Reserve.

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
View of McCarston's Lake
Map showing the location of Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
Map showing the location of Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
Location in Southern Ontario
LocationOntario, Canada
Nearest cityMono
Coordinates44°02′48″N 80°04′37″W / 44.04667°N 80.07694°W / 44.04667; -80.07694
Area732 ha (1,810 acres)
Established1985[2]
Visitors64,107 (in 2022[3])
Governing bodyOntario Parks
www.ontarioparks.com/park/monocliffs
Map

Main entrance

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The main entrance to the park is located along the 3rd Line E.H.S. at a pay parking lot with washrooms. There is a map of the park and the seven colour-coded trails:

 
Vivid autumn colours draw large crowds each fall.
  • Carriage Trail (red)
  • Spillway Trail (blue)
  • Cliff Top Trail (green)
  • McCarston's Lake (orange)
  • South Outlier Trail (yellow)
  • Lookout Trail (grey)
  • Bruce Trail (dotted)

The map also indicates how each section of the trail can be used:

  • hiking
  • biking
  • horseback riding
  • camping

Natural features

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Rock faces: As the name suggests, the park has a number of cliff faces along the Niagara Escarpment itself. Along the Cliff Top Trail is a sturdy set of stairs which descend about 30 metres (98 ft) down the rock face to a wooden path that runs between the cliff face and a small outlier, providing excellent views of the rock, ferns, and cedars. Caving, rock climbing, bouldering, and scrambling are not permitted anywhere in the park.

Also along the Cliff Top Trail is a viewing platform that extends out over the cliff edge, with a great view to the north east across the park to the farms beyond.

Large Outliers: There are two large 'outliers' that have been separated from the main escarpment edge.

Water features: In the north west corner of the park is McCarston's Lake. There are also a number of streams and smaller ponds throughout the park, the largest just below the viewing platform.

 
The park in autumn

References

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  1. ^ UNEP-WCMC. "Protected Area Profile for Mono Cliffs Provincial Park". World Database on Protected Areas. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  2. ^ "Mono Cliffs Provincial Park - Natural Environment". Protected Planet. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014.
  3. ^ Parks, Ontario. "Ontario_Parks-Visitation-Statistics 2022 - Ministries". data.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
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