Scenic Caves Nature Adventures

By: Toronto4Kids

Scenic Caves Nature Adventures in Collingwood is a must see attraction that offers a unique back to nature experience for all ages. Situated at the highest point of the Niagara Escarpment, the self-guided tour allows the exploration of historic Native folklore amidst caverns, caves, crevasses, and stunning lookouts over Georgian Bay. Carved by millions of years of glacial ice, the Scenic Caves Nature Preserve is a wonder of nature, attracting and fascinating many visitors from all corners of the world. But this attraction is more than just a walk through rock formations … there is the walk across the longest suspension footbridge in Ontario and many more great activities, all making Scenic Caves one of the best day trips around.

Caves are among nature's most amazing creations. Ice and water movement have formed these impressive tunnels and rooms of stone, over the course of millions of years. The caves are set into sheer limestone cliffs -- towering over you at unfathomable heights and plunging countless feet into the depths, opening passageways and revealing rock formations. It's like being in a world of your own - a surreal and unimaginable experience! The self-guided tour features caves of all kinds: Fern Cave, Bear Cave, Ice Cave (you can still spot ice well into July), Natural Refrigerator Cave (at 4°C!), Fat Man's Misery Cave (a tight squeeze at 36 cm's wide) and more. While on the scenic trails to access the caves, you can stop to enjoy spectacular scenery from lookout points such as Signal Point, Suicide Point among others -- also giving you the opportunity to rest in between your climbs!

A hike through the forest ends your tour of the caves, bringing you back to the main grounds. From this point, you can head over to yet another captivating attraction at Scenic Caves -- the Suspension Bridge -- the longest footbridge of its kind in Ontario at 126 metres long (410 feet) and 300 metres (985 feet) above the shoreline of Georgian Bay. From the bridge, you can experience a breath-taking 10,000 sq. km viewpoint of Blue Mountain toward Collingwood, across the Bay to Wasaga Beach, Christian Island, and the distant shores of the Penetanguishene Peninsula.

Then, top off your visit by taking in a leisurely game of mini-golf, panning for some semi-precious stones at Gemstone Mining, enjoying a picnic on the beautiful grounds or dropping in the gift shop. Scenic Caves also features a playground for kids, a magnificent trout pond with fountains (though fishing is not allowed), and a snack bar.

Over the recent years, there have been many newly added features: in the wintertime, Scenic Cave Nordic Center offers 20 km of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing with 7 km of bush trails with a trek across the Suspension Bridge. More recently, the new 2004 Treetop Walking (Eco-Tour) was launched -- an opportunity to walk through the treetops, then plunge down zip lines from clifftop to earth. And in the future, Scenic Caves is planning a 20-acre working SugarBush, a man-made Scenic Waterfall, a Sculpture Garden, a Cedar Maze and a dramatically expanded Children's Play Area, adding that much more excitement to this already popular attraction.

Less than a 2 hour drive from Toronto, it's a fun family outing for all - the only requirements are that you wear hiking or running shoes and that you perhaps bring a jacket since some of the caves can be quite cool. Scenic Caves Nature Adventures offers visitors and nature enthusiasts a particularly rewarding and unforgettable experience, giving the term "Rock-Climbing" a whole new meaning!

Scenic Caves Nature Adventures is located in the Town of the Blue Mountain, on the shore of Georgian Bay, just minutes from the town of Collingwood and the Village at Blue Mountain. It's about 20 minutes from Wasaga Beach. For more information, visit www.sceniccaves.com.