Niagara Km 0.0 to Km 15.2 - 15 April, 2015

Hikers: Helgy, Christine and Case

Leader:  Karen

Section and Distance:  Niagara Km 0.0 to Km 15.2 

Weather:  Sunny and mild

Actual Distance hiked:  16.72 Km

This is the first hike back for Christine since her accident last fall.   It is also a make up hike for Case.

Starting the hike

After positioning the cars we started the hike at the southern terminus cairn at the eastern end of  Queenston Heights Park, which is situated on top of a bluff that marks the shore of Lake Iroquois, the forerunner of Lake Ontario.  The floor of Lake Iroquois, called the Iroquois Plain, extends about 11 km northward and is the area where the glacial ice and melt water dropped loads of gravel, sand and clay as the glaciers melted.  Today orchards and vineyards thrive on these glacial soils.


We followed the first blaze westward along a row of trees and entered deep woods along the brow of the escarpment on the edge of a quarry.

We then descended steeply to reach the railway bed of the former New York Central Railway and followed the railway bed south.


We left the railway bed at the intersection of Niagara Townline Rd and Four Mile Creek Rd and passed under Highway 405 and then climbed a 500 metre hill before turning right into the bush along a well-defined pathway.  We continued to Dorchester Rd where we had parked Christine's car at Fireman's Park.  Christine decided that the 7 kms was enough for her first time back and volunteered to drive  her car to Taylor Road and Woodend Conservation area while Karen and Case continued on.  Helgy stayed with Christine to keep her company.

Case starting his march to Tobermory

Brock monument

Will Flowers - Blood Root

Christine leads the way

We followed the railroad for a short distance and then went down a steep hill, across a small creek and looped around the ravine coming back to the railroad.  We then reached the pedestrian bridge across the QEW.  This bridge was built with the co-operation of the Ministry of Transportation and Canadian National Railway and was jointly funded by the Province of Ontario, the Region of Niagara and Bruce Trail donors.  We continued along the railroad to a concrete underpass known locally as "Screaming Tunnel" before reaching Warmer Road.

Question Mark Butterfly

Coltsfoot

Snake sunning on a log

Pedestrian Bridge

Screaming Tunnel

When we reached Warmer Road we followed the road for 1.4 km before turning right into the woods.  We continued alongside a vineyard and turned right at the gravel road leading into Woodend Conservation Area.  We descended the Escarpment and then returned to the top circling the Woodend houses and then headed west.  We continued hiking alongside the multi-layered rock formation and the large block of dolostone that has broken away from the escarpment.

We continued through the bush until we reached the parking lot on Taylor Road where Christine and Helgy were waiting for us.

A couple who were starting their end to end got to the parking lot the same time as we did.  They discovered that they had left the key of their car in the car parked at the beginning of the hike.   One of them came with us to pick up their car when we  picked up our other car.

We stopped at Tim Horton's and then drove home.

Welcome back Christine.