A trip along the Niagara Escarpment opens up a world of discovery. You will encounter over 64 species of trees, colourful songbirds and hundreds of species of flora, all while exploring the Niagara Escarpment.
The Escarpment is a massive ridge that soars 1,675 high in places and spans some 725 km (450 miles) from Queenston to Tobermory in the Bruce Peninsula. It is made up of forests, farms, cliffs, wetlands, streams, and picturesque waterfalls, and is home to over 300 bird species, 53 mammals and 36 different species of reptiles, not to mention hundreds of species of rare flora, including wild orchids. In 1990 the Escarpment was named a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.
Southwestern Niagara is privileged to be in the Carolinian region where mature Carolinian forests made up of tulip trees, sassafras, black cherry, paw paw and blue ash trees are scattered amongst more common species such as sugar maples. This region is one of the most biologically diverse in Canada, with 40 percent of rare vascular plants occurring only in this area.