Mono Cliffs Trails: A Hiking Guide to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

An hour outside Toronto you will find Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, the perfect destination for an afternoon hike and city escape. Take in a view of the deciduous forest from the lookout point or walk between towering canyon walls – choose any of Mono Cliffs trails for a relaxing walk in the woods.

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park is a popular park, but don’t let the potential crowds deter you. The viewpoints and cliffs will be worth it, especially if you go outside the peaks hours.

In this post, you will find all the information to make a trip out to Mono Cliffs yourself.

About Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
Mono Cliffs trail map
Hiking the Mono Cliffs trails
Other things to do around Mono Cliffs
FAQs

Note: Starting in 2021, it’s recommended you book your vehicle permit in advance to ensure you secure a parking spot. You can book through the Ontario Reservation portal.

About Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park is a small park located an hour north of Toronto. It is mostly used for hiking, though you can also navigate the Mono Cliffs trails by horse or bike in the summer and snowshoe and cross-country skis in the winter. The Bruce Trail goes through the park on its trek from Niagara to the Bruce Peninsula.

The area is characterized by a floor of ferns, a canopy of cedars and rocky, exposed cliffs.

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Mono Cliffs Trails Map

The map below showcases all the trails in Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. This map is also posted near the start of the trail, so you can reference it there too. I suggest either taking a screenshot of the map below or taking a photo of the sign when you pass it. It isn’t a difficult park to navigate, but there are several trails that connect at various points, so having the Mono Cliffs trails map will help you find your way back to your car afterwards!

Lookout Trail (600m)
Spillway Trail (1.3km)
Carriage Trail (1.3km)
Cliff-Top Side Trail (2.8km)
South Outlier Trail (3.5km)
McCarston’s Lake Trail (3.6km)
Walter Tovell Trail (4.8km)
And the Bruce Trail (which ventures through parts of the South Outlier Trail, Walter Tovell Trail, Cliff-Top Side Trail and McCarston’s Lake Trail)

Hiking the Mono Cliffs Trails

Ah, the good stuff. You come to Mono Cliffs to do some day hiking. There are 20 km of trails for you to choose between. Most of them are relatively flat, though a few have some steep sections. However, you won’t be rock scrambling or traversing cliffs, meaning it’s suitable for new hikers, kids and dogs.

The two popular hikes are the Cliff-Top Side Trail and the Lookout Trail. There are trail markers throughout the park, so you only need to know which trails you want to hike in order to navigate the park.

Other Things to do around Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Antique Store

Another thing to do (though not in the park itself but outside of it) is this quaint antique store. I can’t find it on Google Maps, but if you follow the Google Maps directions to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, it will be on your left-hand side, about a kilometre or two from the park entrance. Keep your eyes open for a bright yellow barn, visible from the road.

Split Rock Narrows

If you’ve finished hiking the Mono Cliff trails There is a short hiking trail near Mono Cliffs Provincial Park that goes to Split Rock Narrows, which has some nice viewpoints and a few places where the rocks split into large cavernous gorges. You can check out the trail here.

Mono Cliffs Inn

Mono Cliffs Inn is the nearest accommodation and restaurant to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park. If you’re interested in spending more time in the area or grabbing a bit to eat after your hike, this is a great option! Click here to learn more about the Inn.

FAQs About Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

How do you get to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park?

The primary way to get to Mono Cliffs is to drive yourself. Search “Mono Cliffs Provincial Park” on Google Maps and it will take you to the parking lot located on the east side of the park. If you don’t have access to a car, Parkbus offers a shuttle service from downtown Toronto on select weekends.