Welcome to the Toronto Bruce Trail Club

Close to nature. Close to home.

About Toronto Bruce Trail Club

Who We Are

Toronto Bruce Trail Club is the largest of the nine member clubs of the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

Founded in 1962, we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2012. Since our founding, our member volunteers have worked tirelessly to build and maintain the Bruce Trail, to raise funds for the purchase of conservation lands and for support of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, and to give the public the opportunity to enjoy hiking through the more than nearly 400 hikes we offer each year.

We offer a huge range of opportunities for volunteers to be active through leading hikes, working on trail maintenance, community outreach, fundraising and social activities.

Our more than 3,000 members enjoy the benefit of a full range of hiking activities as well as the conservation and educational activities organized by the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

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Partnerships

Working alongside our professional colleagues at the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the volunteers of the Toronto Bruce Trail Club maintain strong relationships with partners who share our dual vision of conservation on the Niagara Escarpment and recreational use of the Bruce Trail.

Our partners are many and varied. The following list is by no means comprehensive.

Ontario Heritage Trust
OHT is a provincial government agency that protects natural heritage areas and raises public awareness about conservation. The Bruce Trail crosses several OHT properties, some of which the BTC helped to acquire. The BTC manages these properties under its Land Stewardship Program.
Halton Hills Chapter
The Halton Hills Chapter was formed in 2000 by a group of Toronto Club members who live in the Georgetown area. It promotes the Bruce Trail Conservancy at local community events and through its own hiking program. Members of the Chapter take an active part in trail management and represent the Conservancy on local government committees.
Friends of Scotsdale Farm
The 531-acre Scotsdale Farm was bequeathed to Ontario Heritage Trust by Stewart and Violet Bennett in 1982. The Farm is crossed by both the main Bruce Trail and side trails. In 2014, a group of local citizens formed The Friends of Scotsdale Farm to assist the OHT with the management and preservation of the farm and its various buildings.

Conservation Authorities (CA's)

The following CA's facilitate the Bruce Trail running through the land they protect within the Toronto Club's section of the Trail. They also provide professional assistance with ecological research and maintenance of the Trail. The boundary between the two CAs is roughly at Fourth Line south of Limehouse.

Municipalities

The following municipalities provide varied services to the Bruce Trail, including assisting us with Trail location and in some instances helping provide funds for the purchase of conservation land. In return, we strive to be good corporate citizens of the municipalities where the Trail is located.

City of Toronto

Toronto Bruce Trail Club has a special relationship with the City. Our Urban Walks promote the City's “Discovery Walks” program, and our volunteers assist with the maintenance of the Discovery Walks. We also showcase many of the City’s parks and recreation areas to our membership. In return, the City provides publicity for our Club's activities.

In February 2008, the Club submitted its Hiking Program to be considered for the Health Award category of the City's Green Toronto Awards. The Club was awarded the $5,000 prize on April 25th, 2008. The award was used to fund a special hiking program for community groups in recognition of the outstanding contribution to the greening of Toronto through the club’s hiking program.

Other Hiking Clubs

Several other Hiking Clubs based in or around Toronto make free use of the Bruce Trail for their activities. We welcome all hikers on the trail. We encourage them to consider becoming members of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, to help us continue our work of conservation and to provide funds to maintain the trail.