Top 7 Things to Do in Tobermory

I’ve been missing in action for a over week now and that’s because I’ve been escaping the unbearable sweat lodge that is Windsor for a little vacation to the Bruce Peninsula and Grey County in Midwestern Ontario. Matt and I camped in Bruce Peninsula National Park before meeting up with my family for a week long stay in the Blue Mountains. Glorious!

Tobermory is one of my favourite places in Canada. It has serenity, spectacular geological formations, great hiking, phenomenal swimming, and clear skies. So if you ever decide to head there, here are some things that should not be missed.

Take a Hike

The 894 km Bruce Trail starts in Tobermory and this region is reputed to have the most gorgeous views of the entire trail. Try hiking from Halfway Log Dump to Cave Point on the Bruce Trail. It is difficult, but the gorgeous views gorgeous views offered from the top of the Niagara escarpment are worth the effort.

How to Get There:

Halfway Log Dump trailhead is remote but it can be accessed by taking Hwy 6 about 3K south of Cyprus Lake Campground to Emmett Lake Rd (dirt road, 8K long). Follow the blue trail blazes from the parking lot until just before the boulder beach where you will turn left onto the Bruce Trail.

Tips:

- Parking is available for a fee of $11.70 which appears to be based on the honour system.
- Many hikers walk along the boulder beach thinking they’re on the right path because the Bruce Trail is easy to miss here. Look for the white trail blazes on the trees marking the Bruce Trail. You will see them just before the beach.

Boulder at the Coastline

If you don’t want to hike from Halfway Log Dump, you can boulder there instead. There are countless boulders along the coast just waiting to be climbed. Bouldering is permitted along the beach up to cave point.

How to Get There:

Same directions as above.

Tips:

- Bouldering isn’t permitted in the forest.
- Be careful to avoid any vegetation include lakeside daisies

Visit the Grotto

The Grotto. It’s just where you go when you go to Tobermory. That’s where everyone goes, and rightfully so. It’s a gorgeous Georgian Bay cave that feels just a little bit dangerous.

You have to squeeze yourself into a tiny hole in the rocks and manoeuvre yourself along massive boulders to get down to this cave, but the crystal clear waters and the refreshing swimming is worth it.

You can find a spot for cliff jumping into the deep bay below, but be careful because it’s not actually permitted and can be dangerous.

How to Get There:

You can take a private boat and anchor just off of the coastline.

If you’re driving, take Hwy 6 about 10K south of Tobermory to Cyprus Lake Rd and park at the Head of Trails parking lot at Cyprus Lake Campground. The Grotto is an easy 30 minute hike along the Georgian Bay Trail.

Tips:

- Parking is available for a fee of $11.70.
- The grotto can get very busy during summer months so try to get there early in the morning, at supper time, or late in the evening.
- Wear good shoes or just go barefoot because climbing the rocks in flippy floppys can be a pain.

Visit the Flowerpots

My favourite spot in Georgian Bay is Flowerpot Island, named for the 2 rock pillars or stacks formed by erosion along the coastline of the island. The island has some not-too-tough hiking along the coast and through the emerald green forest of moss and ferns. It would take a novice hiker about 2 hours to hike the flowerpot loop. The Island has some of the best places to swim in the crystal clear and refreshing (read: cold!) Georgian Bay. It’s a bit less busy than swimming the Grotto and for those who play by the rules and prefer not to cliff jump, there are a lot of lower boulders that you can jump off of into the bay.

How To Get There:

By boat only from Tobermory’s main business centre in Little Tub Harbour

The Flowerpot Express operated by Blue Heron Cruises is a good option. It is a speed boat that takes about 25min to get there. It travels to Big Tub Harbour as well so you can see 2 turn of the century shipwrecks right over the side of the boat.

If you want to take a glass bottom boat for even better views go with Blue Anchor Cruises instead. Their glass bottom vessel actually has a glass bottom that you can walk on top of and see the shipwrecks right under your feet. It’s a lot better than Blue Heron’s “glass bottom” (not really) boat tour.

Diver’s Den offers boat rentals for full or half day at a reasonable price and will give you a 45 minute orientation beforehand if you don’t have a pleasure craft licence. Weather is permitting though, they won’t send you out if the weather is bad.

Tips:

- If you want to hike and swim, give yourself at least 3 hours on the island.
- The best swimming is near the flowerpots.
- The island is pack-in/pack-out so don’t leave your garbage lying around.
- If you’re into camping, there are 6 very private campsites on the island that would make you feel like you have your own private island.

Gaze at the Milky Way Galaxy

(source)

The Cyprus Lake Campground has virtually no light pollution. When the sky is clear and the moon is new then conditions are perfect for seeing the milky way galaxy in the sky with your naked eyes. Oh yeah, there are about a billion other stars you can see too—it’s like your own private planetarium.

Tips:

- It’s easiest to see the milky way during the new moon because there is less light pollution in the sky
- Cyprus Lake campground does offer guided stargazing

Go Diving

The waters off the coast of Tobermory are part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. The waters are crystal clear, contain beautiful submerged geological formations, and have over 20 intact shipwrecks turn of the century which are popular among divers and snorkelers alike making Tobermory the Scuba Diving Capital of Canada.

How to Get There:

Head to the National Park Visitor’s Centre Driving south on Highway 6 from Tobermory turn left onto Chi sin tib dek Road. Follow approximately 1km to the visitor centre.

Tips:

- All divers must be trained and certified
- It is a national park so admittance into Fathom Five Marine Park is $5.80 per adult or $14.70 per family. Diver’s must also register at the Visitor Centre for a fee.
- Waters here are very cold and diver’s should take necessary precautions

Eat Whitefish

The whitefish here is amazing. Mild, moist, flaky, and melt-in-your mouth kind of amazing. True story. Hit up one of the many fish and chip places in Tobermory’s Little Tub Harbour that offer fresh Georgian Bay whitefish or if you’re camping, cook it yourself on the campfire.

Tips:

- Here’s a recipe for the Best Whitefish

New Hampshire Hikes and Eats

On to part 2 of my vacation. If you missed my Boston recap make sure to check it out here.

On Tuesday morning we left Boston on a quick 2 hour drive to the White Mountains of New Hampshire with one purpose: hiking. The Appalachian Mountain Club has a system of huts on the Appalachian trail (although, I’d call it a cabin—it’s much more luxurious than a “hut”) that are accessible only by hiking.

Difficult to reach, remote, and in the mountains? That kind of lodging is right up my alley!
Free dinner and breakfast? Yes!
Bunk beds? Hell yes!
No showers? Well, who needs ‘em?

I had booked Matt and I for the night at the Greenleaf Hut at 4,200 feet above sea level, near the summit of Mt. Lafayette. The hut is accessible by 2 trails: Old Bridle Path and Falling Waters. I chose the shorter Old Bridle Path trail (which was good because a bridge was out on Falling Waters so that trail involved wading in knee-high water).

The stats:

Distance: 2.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,450 ft
Duration: 2.5 hours
Difficulty: Moderate

Matt and I have done our fair share of hiking, particularly in Europe. In Europe we’ve finished hikes in nearly half the time that’s allotted. Evidently the Europeans factor in time for picking wildflowers, eating a gourmet picnic, and an afternoon siesta into their hike times. So we were expecting to finish this hike in about an hour or so. Let me tell you, these AMC hikers mean business. It’s no nonsense hiking all the way (many people were even running!) It took us a solid 2.5 hours to complete this hike and it was quite tiring.

Once we made it to the hut, we relaxed and enjoyed the views, picked our bunks, and played cards until dinner time.

The next morning after a very hearty breakfast of oatmeal and pancakes, we hiked back down the mountain (we decided to forego the hike to the Mount Lafayette summit since it was in the clouds and there would be no views. We spent the afternoon doing some flat land hikes and kayaking in Echo Lake.

Afterwards, we headed to Jackson NH to our home for the next two nights: Carter Notch Inn.

This place was my favourite part of the trip! It is probably the best B&B I’ve ever stayed at. Dick and Sally, the Innkeepers, were so friendly and welcoming that you really felt like you were at home. They really provided everything you could want on a vacation: books, movies, a hot Jacuzzi tub, tea and fresh baked cookies, and even wine and beer. Plus they have an adorable English Sheepdog named Henry.

Sally’s breakfasts were spectacular! She made moist and delicious coffee cakes and a hot breakfast every morning. I can’t wait to go back and stay again.

Dick and Sally recommended Moat Mountain Brewing Co. for a hearty dinner, and it was gooooood. One of my favourite meals on the trip. I tried the micro-brewed stout which was really rich and chocolaty tasting.

Me: “Matt, what are hushpuppies? Besides the shoes.”
Matt: “I don’t know?”
Me: “Let’s try them!”

Hushpuppies are new to me (are they actually obscure or have I been living under a rock?) Imagine a savoury cornbread doughnut topped with pure maple syrup. Yeah. Welcome to my belly, hushpuppies, and feel free to come back any time.

My dinner was a fantastic roasted chicken with squash and green beans and Matt had a beef brisket (which he thought was good, but not the greatest).

On Thursday (Canada Day!) we had every intention of hiking to the summit of Mt Washington the highest peak in New England (6,288ft). Naturally, the weather did not co-operate. We took the popular Tuckerman’s Ravine trail and were able to hike up about halfway, to the Hermit Lake shelter.

The stats:

Distance: 2.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,800 ft
Duration: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Easy

When we got to the shelters we were freezing and it started pouring rain. There was no chance we would be able to hike to the summit under the extremely windy, bitterly cold (-5*C), and very slippery conditions. I was so disappointed. But on the bright side, now I have an excuse to visit again

On our way back down the mountain we saw a black bear! It was my first bear sighting ever so I was really excited (and not remotely scared, I swear). Some hikers were yelling at it and making lots of noise (good!) but then they threw food at it (bad) so Matt and I high-tailed it out of the area before the bear started following us for the rest of the hike. You’re definitely supposed to throw rocks at bears…not food. Of course I didn’t take a picture of the bear (as wildlife photography was not the first thing on my mind at the moment) but it’s safe to assume that it looked a lot like this:

I stole this picture from here. This is the bear that had been hanging around our B&B in Jackson (we never saw him but some other guests did).

The rangers were notified about the bear and brought a humane trap to catch it.

After the freezing cold and wet hike, we spent the remainder of the afternoon warming up with red wine and tea in the hot tub. Ahhh… I could get used to this.

note the Speedo swimsuit

I was actually sad to leave Jackson and wish I could have stayed another day (especially since Mt. Washington was supposed to have great weather that day), but we had exciting things lined up for Montreal. Very exciting things. We finished off the trip with a delicious breakfast and then hit the road.

Well, there was one more stop before we left.

Me: “Cider Slushies and Doughnuts! Matt, did that sign say Cider Slushies and Doughnuts? Yummm! Do you want one?”
Matt: “No, I’m okay.”
Me: “I’m turning the car around.”

Dear New Hampshire, I love you.

Stay tuned for my Montreal re-cap this week!

day 159: rosemary sea salt larabars

I’ve been dying to make my own larabars after reading Clotilde’s recipe at Chocolat et Zucchini. I’ve seen lots of other bloggers do it since. I wanted to make them so that Matt and I can take them on our upcoming road trip.

We plan to do some hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Particularly, we’re going to be staying for one night in Greenleaf Hut at the treeline of Mt. Lafayette. The “hut” is more like a cabin with co-ed  bunks and no showers, but I’ll stay anywhere that a free hot breakfast and dinner are served.

We’re also going to be hiking Mt. Washington which is the highest peak in the NE United States and is known to have the most unpredictable weather patterns in North America. Yikes!

So, my point is, that it’s important that we have some non-perishable and high energy snacks ready to go for our hiking adventure. Enter the larabars.

I wanted to make a deluxe version and, for me, herbs = luxury. So I headed out to the herb garden for some inspiration.

Rosemary. Perfect!

This version is cranberry flavoured with a hint of rosemary and sea salt. It’s fantastic!

Rosemary Sea Salt Larabars

• 200g honey dates
• 50g raw almonds 
• 100g dried cranberries
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• a dash of sea salt

In a food processor, combine all ingredients until the nuts are chopped up and the mixture comes together. Form with wet hands into a bar shape. Wrap individually and refrigerate.