The Bruce Trail is a hiking path that starts at Queenston Heights Park and follows the beautiful Niagara Escarpment for 530 miles! It ends at a place called Tobermory, which is on the skinny point of land between Lake Michigan and Georgian Bay. There are over 400,000 visits to the trail every year. Be part of the great tradition of hiking the Bruce Trail. Pack a picnic lunch for the whole family, put on your best walking shoes, and take a hike. At the end of your hike, use your global math skills to calculate how long it would take you to hike the entire Bruce Trail.

Instructions:

Find the terminus of the trail in Queenston Heights Park. The trail is marked by white lines on trees or poles. These lines are called blazes, and they show you where to go so that you don’t get lost. Using a map of the Bruce Trail or a clear landmark, pick a turnaround that is a set distance from the terminus of the trail—one or two miles, if possible. Also note the exact time you start your hike.

Make sure everyone is wearing comfortable shoes, hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses before you start. Bring snacks, and lunch if you’re going to be walking for a long time. Everyone should have lots of water to drink as well.

Follow the white blazes (marks made on the trees) and you’ll get to see some of Niagara’s natural beauty. You may be able to see some of the local wildlife if you’re quiet and have sharp eyes. Look for squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and even small snakes.

If you walk far enough, you might see some blue blazes on trees too. These are the markings for side trails, so don’t get confused and start to follow those instead.

When you get to your turnaround point, note the time again. How long did it take you to walk the distance you hiked? Now you have all the information you need to figure out how fast you walked. Use the following formula to determine your average rate of speed:

Speed=distance divided by time, or S=D/T

So how fast did your family move on the hike? The average speed of a walking human is about 4 miles an hour. Did your family walk slower or faster than the average?

To figure out how far it would take you to walk the entire Bruce Trail, simply shift the formula around to get the answer you want—in this case the total time, or “T”:

T=D/S (Time= Speed/Distance)

How many hours would it take to get to the end of the trail at Georgian Bay, 530 miles from the terminus at Queenston Heights Park? How many days would that take if you could never stop walking, day or night? What if you walked 12 hours a day? More likely you could only walk six or eight hours a day, so figure out how many days it would take you to walk the trail at that speed.

Remember to turn around before you get tired. The other end of the trail is over 500 miles away, so you won’t be finishing the whole thing! There will be blazes to lead you in the other direction, all of the way back to Queenston Heights Park.

Conclusion:

The Niagara Escarpment is an area of great natural beauty. It’s classified as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve because of the way it has been preserved in an area that is so developed. The Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest footpath, and over 800 volunteers work to keep it well maintained. Even if you don’t get a chance to really experience the wilderness on your trip, a walk on the Bruce Trail will give you a taste for the beauty of Niagara’s natural surroundings—and using your math skills will help you understand how long and impressive the Bruce Trail really is.

Supplies & Materials

-small backpack
-good walking shoes
-sunscreen, sunglasses, hat
-snacks and/or lunch
-water bottle

User Reviews

Tell everyone what you think!
Be the FIRST to write a review for this activity.

Copyright © 2009 Fogglight

HOME & ABROAD:   About Us |  Terms of Use |  Privacy