Kerncliff Park, located within and managed by the city of Burlington, is truly a hidden treasure of diverse landscapes and scenic hiking trails. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Toronto with no traffic, northwest of the major intersection of highway 407 and 403.
Entrance sign at the main parking lot off Kearns Road. 
About a three minute walk into the trail.
The trails weave through dense forest with shade to keep cool on a hot September weekend. The terrain is varied in elevation and was slightly more challenging. I do strongly suggest utilizing the map near the bottom of this post as it was an easier resource to reference than the slightly worn trail map at the entrance of the park.
Kerncliff Park lies on what once was the Nelson Quarry. The quarry was purchased in by the City of Burlington in 1981 and was used to mine limestone from the edge of the Niagara escarpment. The Ian Reid Side Trail meanders through the remains of the blasted cliff face and the wetland ecosystem that has since flourished.
When hiking on the Bruce Trail, we were awarded with scenic views of Burlington all the way to Lake Ontario. On a clear day, we saw the Toronto skyline in the far distance when looking over the quarry.
Looking overtop the former quarry. 
The edge of the escarpment is fenced. 
The Toronto skyline on a clear-ish day. 
Views of Burlington meeting Lake Ontario. 
Kerncliff Park is a region under the “Cootes to Escarpment Ecopark System”. It’s a combined effort amongst government and non-profit organizations to protect important natural landscapes. You can read more about the initiative here.
We hiked for a few hours but we’d like to return as we didn’t have a chance to explore all the trails!
Have you visited Kerncliff Park? Let us know your experience in the comments below.
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I remember as a young boy riding our bikes to the quarry in the mid 1960’s. At the time there were no trees or wetland area just old building ruins of a gun club shooting range and broken beer bottles. The upper area was a farmers field with a row of old oaks near the edge of the quarry. Thankfully they are still there along with the woodlots to the east and west. It is fantastic to see the regeneration of the quarry almost 60 years latter. The Bruce trail paths along the escarpment are easy and gives a glance of what things were like before settlers carved up the land and trees. A great day trip!
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Thank you for your comment, Jim! That is fascinating. While looking over the views across the escarpment, I couldn’t help but visualize how beautiful the area would be before industrialization.
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