Malcolm Bluffs (Rock Crevices)

We completed this hike, November 27, 2025 .  This wasn’t our original hike for our second day of adventures. We were originally going to keep hiking near Barrow Bay, however based on the nights weather we decided to change the hike. Barrow Bay's hiking is on cliffs and has lots of rock climbing involved and the wind had drastically increased (33kms/hr, gusts 63km/hr) and we were under a snow squall watch. With the wind being that high and then combining that to standing on the edge of a cliff, just didn't sound that appealing. haha It had also snowed a bit and climbing on rocks when they're snow covered and wet makes it that much more difficult. I chose Malcolm Bluffs because the majority of the hike seemed like it was in the forest so we would be protected from the winter elements of wind and snow. I wanted to stay safe while still enjoying a hiking adventure.

We started this hike at 10 AM and overall it was a great hike. It was pretty easy walking and completely through the forest.  There were some trip hazards of rocks and roots but nothing out of the ordinary. We definitely weren't rock climbing so that was a great start. The start of the hike, I was still pretty paranoid. If you read my last blog post Challenges of Hiking Barrow Bay (Lions Head) then you know, I thought I saw a bear.  So that was still on my mind at the beginning of this hike.

The start of the hike followed the edge of the bluff and had lots of really beautiful lookouts. It kept snowing on and off all day but overall it was pretty good. The wind was still present on several occasions but I think it was much better on this hike than if I had chosen to go to Barrow Bay.

We followed animal tracks on the ground that was hiking the trail as well .  Which if you’ve read this blog post Beaver Valley and Hiking with a Porcupine you know this isn’t our first time following animals that also enjoy hiking the Bruce Trail.  I sent the pictures to Jared to see if he had any idea what it would be. He assumed it was a coyote, based on the appearance and the print being Mia-sized.  I’m not an expert, but because the print wasn’t completely visible in the snow. I feel like it was pretty old. It probably happened throughout the night when it first started snowing and then the snow kind of covered it up.  So I wasn’t too concerned about running into this animal.

The forest that we walked through was so completely open, which is really nice. You can see very far into the distance which is particularly helpful when paranoid about bears. haha

Rock Crevice

It was truly so

cool to see so many interesting features in the landscape around us.  The biggest rock crevice we encountered measured approximately 15' deep that created a striking drop which caught our attention immediately.  Its width was around a foot, which made it feel even more dramatic as we peered down into its depths. As I examined the trench more closely, I noticed that there was a small stream of water gently flowing at the bottom. It was fascinating to see how the water had carved its path through the earth, contributing to the ongoing erosion and shaping of the trench. This rock crevice extended for a considerable distance, winding through the landscape like a natural corridor.

After seeing this one large crevice, we realized the whole area was covered in them. We had to watch our footing, especially with the snow covering areas on the ground. The potential of tripping on a smaller crevice was higher. It was truly incredible and I had never seen anything like this before. Most of these crevices we were able to cross by simply stepping over them, maybe a little hop was needed sometimes. Oliver got to practice increasing his confidence levels by jumping these crevices. We eventually came to a narrow trench that he was apprehensive to cross. It wasn't a wide gap but he seems to visualize these as being worse than they are. He overreacts on how wide it is and then he overcompensates on his jump. I eventually convinced him to cross and he leaped so far that the leash went taut which resulted in him yelping. I now know to unhook him from the leash so that he can safely jump these.

Shortly after passing all these rock crevices we made it to the rock formations, a destination on this hike. The only obstacle in our way was a steep wooden staircase to lead us down. I didn't think this was an obstacle at all until Mia led the way, with me following and Oliver crying at the top. Oliver was too scared to come down which is fair considering they were very narrow and steep. Unfortunately, there was no way around this staircase. I wasn't too disappointed because we were almost at the turnaround point anyway so we could just cut this hike short. However, this does mean that we would have to come up the other way in order to complete this main section of the Bruce trail.

Since we were here, I decided that Mia and I could at least take a little peak at the rock formations before rejoining Oliver at the top of the staircase. These natural rock formations were taller than me and it appeared to be a giant rock wall that went for a considerable length. It was very cool to see. After spending a moment taking it in, while listening to Oliver cry from above, Mia and I decided we better go back up and join him.

We were about a half kilometre from the actual turnaround point, a distance that felt tantalizingly close yet just out of reach! But thats ok, we will complete the rest of the trail next time and will have more of an opportunity to check out the rock formations then. I decided in this moment that our next days hike would be to complete this section so that we could take our time to capture the beauty and wonder of this place.

Malcolm Bluff is within the Peninsula section of the Bruce Trail. Altogether, we hiked 12.5kms and  5.8 km of that can be counted towards the main Bruce trail. 

**Want to hear more about the rock formations and see more photos, check out my following hike Coveney's Loop to the Rock Formations

Oliver and Mia taking in the breathtaking view of Malcolm Bluff

Thank you for reading!

Kendal

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