Scenic Caves Nature Adventures is an amazing way to experience nature in Blue Mountains, Ontario. Hike down trails through a 200 year old forest. Wander across southern Ontario's longest suspension bridge.
Scenic Caves is most famous for its crevices and caves. Venture betweeen massive boulders and marvel at the ancient moss-covered rock formations.
It's a unique experience at the highest point of the Niagara escarpment, one of Canada's sixteen UNESCO biosphere reserves.
When we visited Scenic Caves Nature Adventures before the pandemic, we embarked on the Scenic Caves Eco Adventure Tour. This was a guided tour that included the suspension bridge, treetop trekking, a nature walk through the caves and gliding down the giant zip line.
Currently, the Eco Adventure Tour isn't being offered and the treetop trekking is no longer offered. The giant zip line is also closed.
You can still experience the suspension bridge, the nature walks, and the caves and crevices. I'll share our past experiences going treetop trekking and ziplining at the bottom of this blog post, just in case it reopens in the future.
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Scenic Caves Nature Adventures: Suspension Bridge
Our first stop was the suspension bridge. This isn't any old suspension bridge!
It's Ontario's longest bridge of its kind located 300 meters above the water level of nearby Georgian Bay (the height of the Eiffel Tower!). The bridge is unique in that it arches upwards toward the center, providing the best view possible.
And the view is quite beautiful. On one side, you see a wall of green. Trees, trees, and nothing but trees. I can imagine that this would look quite gorgeous on an autumn day when the leaves have started to change color.
The most magnificent view can be witnessed by facing the opposite direction towards Georgian Bay. On a clear day, you can see 10,000 square kilometers of the water, the nearby town of Collingwood, a lighthouse off in the distance, and the surrounding countryside.
When people took a stroll across this bridge, it moved around a lot! It swayed quite violently back and forth.
Even though there was no chance of this bridge breaking, it was still a little unnerving, particularly when a huge group of school children ran across the bridge - twice!
Of course, there was nothing to be worried about and it actually added to the excitement of being up so high, suspended above the Niagara escarpment.
Lookout Point
There's another great lookout point near the caves themselves. We soaked up views of the rolling countryside, as well as the sparkling waters of Georgian Bay.
We crossed from the edge of one limestone cliff across a short natural bridge onto a rocky surface that was actually one of the "flowerpot" shaped rock formations jetting out from the edge of the escarpment.
The Caverns of Scenic Caves
It's called "Scenic Caves" for a reason! When you visit Scenic Caves Nature Adventurs, you have the opportunity to explore some of the caves and caverns at the site.
These caves were carved out over 450 million years ago by glacial ice. It's really a whole other world down in the caves, descending up to 70 feet below the surface.
The temperature of the air cooled right down as we ventured to the caves hidden in the forest. We were completely surrounded by large boulders, covered in lush ferns and sprawling moss.
The sun peaked out between the tall oak trees that somehow grew on the rocky surface above. We had to watch our step as we walked beneath low-lying stone ledges.
These were unlike any caves I had visited in the past; they were deep within the escarpment, yet not quite underground. They are technically called fissure caves.
They occur in the narrow gaps that form between large rocks as they move downwards from the top of the Niagara Escarpment. They're also called "neotectonic caves" because their formation depends on deep cracks forming in the dolostone cap rock.
The Scenic Caves are a series of chambers with overhanging rocks, boulders, tight passageways and sculptured cliffs.
Treetop Canopy Tour
Here's more information about the Scenic Caves Eco Adventure Tour. Hopefully it returns soon!
It is a professionally guided treetop canopy walk and cavern tour with two ziplines going through the forest and across the valley. And yes, it is an eco tour, meaning that the proper care is taken to avoid any damage to the natural environment.
This is responsible tourism that allows tourists to visit the area with minimal negative impacts, ensuring that the natural environment is left relatively undisturbed.
No trees were damaged in the creation of the treetop canopy walk, and we were provided with many interesting ecological facts on our journey.
We walked along 10" planks of wood, completely airborne in the forest. They're attached to wooden decks built around oak trees that are hundreds of years old.
At each of the sixteen platforms, we learn about the actual tree that is supporting us with an informational plaque. The canopy walk is 600 meters in total length. We were up there for a while, admiring the views and making sure we were careful in slowly stepping across the wooden planks.
Some of the platforms leaned slightly "downhill" or "uphill" in the air, adding to the challenge. Furthermore, if a pair in our group were slightly ahead or behind us and walked on the same platform, the planks tended to bounce in the air, contributing to the thrill.
At the end of the canopy walk, we took the easy way back down to the ground - a really fun 330 foot zipline ride through the forest back to the bottom.
1000 Foot Escarpment Zipline
Our three hour eco tour ended with a 1000 foot zipline from the top of the escarpment and across the valley, offering spectacular views. It is one of the fastest zip line rides in Ontario! It was a great finish to an exhilarating tour of this magnificent landscape.
More Things to Do in Bruce Grey Simcoe
Looking for more things to do in the region? We've got some great suggestions for you!
Want more travel tips and inspiration? Follow me on Instagram! I share daily adventures, whether I'm at home in Ontario, Canada, or halfway across the world!
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Sri & Kian Radojewski says
Beautiful nature, would love to try it oneday,
Thank you for sharing guys
Cheers,
Sri & Kian
Andrea says
I'm a bit claustrophobic so the caves would have not been my favorite but the rest of it looks amazing! walking between the trees so high up is pretty great.
Zita says
I am currently visiting Canada and was in that area not so long ago and wished if known if this! That area looks amazing! Great pictures!
Rhonda Albom says
You make this sound so exciting and almost fun, but it will never be me. Although, I could do the suspension bridge with a big smile. I am glad I get to enjoy the experience through your photos. My hubby and girls, they would have loved every second of your adventure.
Jolanta | Casual Travelers says
Ontario is such an amazing place! We'll have to do this tour some time, though I'm not sure how soon. That must have been a breathtaking adventure indeed, both because of the beauty of your surroundings AND the thrill. Thank you for sharing the photos and your experience with your readers. I very much enjoyed this article!
Karen says
What an amazing experience and your photos are great!
Brain & Amanda - Eat_Work_Travel says
Wow, what a fun experience! The canopy tour looks so exhilarating! Love the compilation in the video to recap all the activities. Thanks for sharing!
Agness says
Apart from running and hiking, I love to so adventure tours when travelling to different places across the world. It's so amazing to stay active and the landscape you experienced is absolutely breath-taking!