The Brule Bay Bluffs trail has everything — shoreline, cliffs, views, trails to explore, and even a possibly a Pukaskwa Pit or two–all very close to town.
Trail Data
Roundtrip: 3 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Thunder Bay, ON
Click Here for Google Map
Directions to Trailhead
Take Highway 11/17 to the Arthur Street intersection. Go south on Hwy 61 for 5.2 km, turn left on Chippewa Road and go east for 3.4 km until it becomes City Road at Bannon’s Gas Bar, continue east for 6.4 km to Chippewa Park. Continue past Chippewa park on Sandy Beach Road staying right until you come to the bridge that crosses Brule Bay and park in the parking area on the Lake Superior side of the road.
Brule Bay Bluffs Hike Details
I have a number of secret hiking spots I don’t usually tell people about. This was one of them, but it was hard to keep a place like this a secret for long.
Recently this trail has seen some real damage due to blow-down. The damage is severe on some parts of the trail and it may be difficult to follow. You will have to find your way around fallen trees or even go out onto the shoreline to get around the obstacles. Hopefully, over time the debris can be moved or the trail will be re-routed.
The trail starts in the parking area and follows the shoreline for the most part. Approximately, 1 km in you will find a trail to the left flagged with orange tape that leads up to the top of the bluffs. There are several trails in the area that are fun to explore. But most times I return the way I came down to the bottom of the bluffs and then head onto the shoreline and follow it back to the parking area.
My hubby and I trimmed up the trail w clippers and possibly a chainsaw..got the trail hike-able again..I’ve done with children when they were 5 and 7 years old..love the forest floor out there
We hiked this trail today. Beautiful views and managed to make it all the way to the Pukaswka Pit at the top of the bluff. Definitely a challenge in some places but we did it!
I was out today looking for this trail. I think I found it but it seemed to come to a dead end a short way in. I also saw this out there. Looks like a skinned bear. :O
http://tinypic.com/r/2ziued3/8
Thank you for this Jakub!
I can confirm the trail is there exactly as described. and exactly as shown on the map. What appears to be a group of 3 pukaskwa pits are only a short distance from the parking area. It seems that the pits were deliberately damaged or perhaps people are taking the rocks as souvenirs. There is a new imitation pit that appears to be about some years old and has an active fireplace. The entire shoreline is obviously sacred aboriginal grounds and there are visible signs of active ceremonies. Unfortunately there is also a lof of garbage especially close the parking area. The blow down does make it a little challenging to locate the trail but because the trail follows the shoreline it is not difficult to find it. The turn off to the top of the bluffs is still marked with the old orange trail and the trail to the bluffs from the turnoff is pretty well marked.
Hi Richard,
Please be aware that navigating by flag tape only is tricky because people will add and remove the flag tape at will –and you never know what they are flagging. I do not maintain the trails that I post. I am only trying to bring awareness to the trails that are out there. The map I provided is accurate as it is right from my GPS.
That being said. After I read your comment I did go out and hike the Brule Bay Bluffs trail again to see what kind of land marks I could give you. After you climb the very steep rocks to a lookout and then descend on the other side, watch for a trail to the left at the 1.3 km mark. I saw that it was flagged with blue as well as orange tape. The trail leads to a shale mound at the bottom of the bluffs. Cross the shale and you will find the steep trail to the top, which was also flagged with orange and blue tape. Once at the top head to the right for a great lookout over the city and Lake Superior. Be very careful of the cliff edges as they are undercut. Hope that helps you find your way to the top of the bluffs!
I really appreciate your comment. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Susan
I and a friend of mine tried this one today. Unfortunately, we never did find a trail marked with orange tape. There was a trail that we did find coming off the shore after we walked for more than 1 km (we in fact had to backtrack to even find that one). Following that trail, which paralled the shoreline for the most part and was completely unmarked, led us to the bottom rather than the top of the bluffs, from what we could surmise.
Needless to say, I think that this entry needs a better description. Are there any other obvious signs to the trail in question other than a bit of tape?
It?s posts like this that keep me coming back and checking this site regularly, thanks for the info!