The Scarborough Bluffs - A Slice of Paradise Near the Big City!

The Scarborough Bluffs is a stunning geological wonder, situated along the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just outside of Toronto. The Bluffs is a 14 km long escarpment formed during the last ice age, and is an impressive 65 m (213 ft) at its highest point. Last weekend, Joe and I decided to check out this unique feature, with the hopes of enjoying a fruitful day of hiking and caching. The above picture is of me standing on a small pathway, jutting out above one of the precarious cliffs of the Bluffs. It's truly hard to believe that something this incredibly gorgeous could exist right beside Canada's largest city, on the overly polluted Lake Ontario. We were both made speechless by the crystal clear azure coloured water, and sandy white beaches below. 

Our journey began last Friday, which of course was the long weekend here in Canada because of Canada Day. We set out early in the afternoon and despite the heavy holiday traffic and the various festivals lining the waterfront, we made decent time to the Bluffs. On our way, we managed to snap this notable picture while speeding along the Gardiner Expressway. Believe it or not, it's rather difficult to snap a photo of another vehicle while travelling at 100 km an hour, but when an authentic looking DeLorean fully equipped with a Flux Capacitor passes you by, you must take the opportunity!

We arrived in the general vicinity of the Scarborough Bluffs around 2:00 pm. We weren't entirely certain where to go, where to park or where the best vantage point was situated. Even with the aid of Google Maps we were a little confused, because ultimately Goggle Maps does not show you elevation. So, it will indicate that you have reached your destination, even though you may be 200 metres directly above your intended destination. In this case however, this fact seemed to work to our advantage. 

We easily found parking along side a small, unassuming municipal park, which had some tiny signs up indicating sheer drops up ahead. When we traversed the park, we were shocked to see that we were indeed standing on top of a very high, and stunningly beautiful cliff, overlooking the blue-green waters of Lake Ontario. 

Amazingly, even though the Scarborough Bluffs have the appearance of being comprised of Limestone, they are in fact compacted sand. So, I would imagine that they erode at a ridiculous rate! This lends to the spectacular geological features that make the Bluffs so unique. It also makes walking along the steep edges a slippery and precarious undertaking!

Below is a photo gallery of some of the gorgeous views:

After admiring the view for quite some time, we decided to try some caches in the area. The first Cache was entitled "Suicide", so for obvious reasons we decided to skip that one. We had no interest in marring a beautiful day, by having to take a trip to the emergency room. The second cache, was a multi, which we again decided to skip because hitting up multiple points along 14 km of sandy cliffs, in 30 degree weather didn't seem feasible. So, I'll be honest, we didn't actually do any geocaching on this particular day, however if you are an avid geocacher, who is perhaps a tad braver than my boyfriend and I, this is a perfect spot to feed your obsession!

From our vantage point, we could clearly see Scarborough Bluffs park far below. It was clamouring with people and bustling with fun July 1st activities! Joe and I looked at a map online to see how we could get down, and it seemed to require quite a lengthy drive through heavy traffic. So, we decided to hike along the ridge and see if we could find a relatively safe way down. Within 10 minutes or so, we discovered a path leading down a rather steep hill. We chanced the hike down, and very shortly found ourselves at our desired destination!

Again, we were not disappointed by the unbelievable sight of the stunning white cliffs! Below are some of the gorgeous snapshots we took from the park:

Joe and I had a marvellous time at the Scarborough Bluffs, and we would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a glorious, inspired time just outside Canada's largest city. It feels more like an exotic holiday than a short jaunt. Treat yourself to the Scarborough Bluffs, you won't be disappointed! ;)