This was a short hike that I took on my way back from camping at Cyprus. I chose the area because I was looking for an interesting Geocache and a good hike to close out the weekend. Unfortunately I DNFd both caches in the area: ”Lions Head Lookout” and The Trial Series #3” but the hike and views were both more than worth the trip. I only explored a small fraction of the trails in the area which criss-cross the Lion’s Head Provincial Nature Reserve but the small area that I did see was so stunning that I’d like to come back to see the rest.
I had seen the cliffs at Lion Head before, and thought that a hike would be nice but wouldn’t afford great views since I’d be standing on the most interesting thing to look at, but I learned how wrong I was.
The trailhead parking is fortunately halfway up the cliff, and starts out by sharing a private road. The first half kilometre is quite plain, but the trail becomes steeper at first, and then increasingly rugged until it is quite challenging. It is always quite clearly marked, but there is a lot of very convoluted rock to cross making for a rewarding hike.
There are two significant potholes on the side of the trail, one that broke through the rocks at the bottom to create a vertical chimney. Standing at the bottom and looking up at the tiny hole at the top is an interesting sight. A series of 3 more large potholes dot the rock ledge near the first lookout , and several potholes of various sizes can be seen bisected by the edge of the cliffs.
The first lookout is recessed and affords an impressive view of the bay, the shore below, and the walls of the cliff to either side. As the trail continues it seems that each successive lookout is more impressive than the last. Each one juts out a little further from the cliff face, affording a better view of the cliffs behind.
After a weekend of exploring the escarpment I was actually starting to feel overwhelmed by the relentlessly stunning scenery. I snapped a lot of pictures at first, but by the time I reached the final lookout I had given up, realizing that the pictures would not do the view justice. The trail continues around the tip of the isthmus, but it came to an end for me at a lookout that hangs out from the face of the cliff far enough to afford dizzying views of the cliff faces in both directions. With the sun low in the sky and sparkling on the water the overall effect was overpowering. There was almost no direction I could look without seeing something amazing. The only time that I have seen such an overpowering view was after climbing Mount Caroline Livermore on Angel Island in San Fransisco Bay.
I must admit that I did the area disservice by turning around when I did, but I was already late and had to head back, but I will return. This is an area that can only be properly experienced directly – no pictures or description will do justice to the impact of the scenery.