This part of our hike included a sidetrail to get onto the Bruce Trail Iroqouia section from Buttermilk falls. You’ll see the blue blazes showing the trail from the Falls that leads through the woods along the top of the escarpment running parallel to Mountain Brow Blvd. You’ll hit a crossroads which directs you left, to the Rail Trail, or right, down the escarpment and meeting up with the Bruce. This is the trail we were following when the rain caught us and we turned back, not knowing how close we were.

At the base of the escarpment the trail comes out of the forest and into open meadow running along the King’s Forest Golf Course border.


Wildflowers and Mushrooms
This section of the trail had an abundance of wildflowers and butterflies, especially in the sunny areas. We saw swallowtails as well as tiny blue butterflies/moths. I thought they would be easy to identify but there are several small blue guys in Ontario so I’ll have to try and get a picture for a better identification. There are about 750 species of butterflies recorded in Canada. Each time we head out there’s something new to discover.




There’s quite a bit of red, iron rich, soil exposed here, giving the Red Hill Valley its name.
So Many Stairs
This route continues to run parallel to Mountain Brow Blvd, and part of the Rail Trail, with stairs leading up or down in a couple places accessing Greenhill and Fennel Ave. As we rounded the Escarpment heading northwest we hit our first set of stairs at the Kennilworth Access.


At this point the trail runs high enough to get an overview of King Street East.
Books I Want to Read
Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, A Poisonous Plant and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution by Anurag Agrawal
The Monarch: Saving Our Most-Loved Butterfly by Kylee Baumle
Part 2 Kennilworth Stairs to Cliffview Park