A sea cave carved into a limestone cliff, white boulder beaches, and water so clear it looks fake in photos. It is four hours north west of Toronto, the car park fills by mid morning, and none of that is your problem. We drive. You walk.
Pick your date below. The bus leaves from 34 Asquith Avenue, just north of Yonge and Bloor. Your park entry is part of the ticket, so there is nothing to sort out at the gate.
Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.
Nobody leads the day. The bus drops you off, you do what you like with the time, and you meet it again where it left you.
A few hours of walking on real trail, with uneven ground and some climbing. Roots, rocks and hills, so proper shoes matter. Not a stroll.
A full-size coach: reclining seats, air conditioning, large windows, a washroom on board and room for daypacks and gear.
The Grotto is a cave worn into the limestone by four hundred million years of waves. When the sun is out, light comes through an opening below the waterline and fills the whole cave with a blue you would not believe from a photograph. People go quiet when they get to it.
Getting there is a walk of about 30 to 45 minutes through mixed forest on the Georgian Bay Trail. It is mostly flat, with roots and rock underfoot, and then the trees stop and the shoreline opens up in front of you at Indian Head Cove. The last stretch to the cave is a scramble over white boulders.
The cliffs above are the same story in reverse. Layers of ancient coral and dolomite, with white cedars growing straight out of the rock, some of them hundreds of years old. Bruce Peninsula is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a dark sky preserve, and it is the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
You will not be alone out there. It is the most photographed corner of Ontario for a reason. It is still worth the four hours.
Four hundred million years in the making. Four hours from Bloor Street.
One stop, right at the head of the trails. Everything below is walking distance from it.
We pick you up
Just north of Yonge and Bloor subway station. Come up the Asquith exit and look for the coach. There may be more than one bus, so check the sign in the window before you get on.
This route runs a full-size coach, with a washroom on board.
The bus stops at Cyprus Lake Campground in Bruce Peninsula National Park, at the head of the trails. From here you can walk the Georgian Bay Trail out to Indian Head Cove and the Grotto, pick up the Bruce Trail in either direction, or take one of the shorter loops around the lake.
Good to know:
Facilities: Washrooms near the start of the trail, No food or drink for sale anywhere in the park
Note: Cell reception is patchy to none. Agree a meeting time with anyone you split up from, and give yourself plenty of margin walking back.
We drop you back
The bus returns to the same place it left from, so you go home the way you came.
This is our estimated return time, not a guarantee. Traffic can change it and some trips do run late, so please leave yourself some room afterwards rather than booking something tight against it.
A long day on rock, with nothing to buy once you are there.
The water at Indian Head Cove is deep, cold all year, and often rough, with strong currents. Parks Canada does not recommend swimming, and you are responsible for your own safety.
People do get in. If you do, know that the bottom is rock, the cold is a shock, and getting out is harder than getting in.
There is nowhere at Cyprus Lake to buy food or drink. Pack lunch, snacks and more water than you think you need.
Boots or trainers with grip, please. The rock is uneven and it is slick when wet.
Dates run into late October, which is the quietest and arguably the best time to be up there. Book early: the September dates are usually the first to go.
We're Canada's outdoor bus service. Since 2010 we've taken more than 300,000 people to parks and trails without a car. You bring a daypack. We handle everything else.
Bruce Peninsula runs timed entry to keep the crowds down, and the day use lot fills by mid morning. Your seat comes with a pass, so you do not have to win that race.
It is most of a day in the car, each way, and then a fight for a parking space. On the coach it is a nap and a book.
Reclining seats, air conditioning, big windows and room underneath for boots and packs. We stop partway for a stretch.
A long ride back after a long day on rock. Sleep through it if you like. Somebody else is watching the road.
★★★★★ 4.6/5.0 on Google
This is a great service if you don't have a vehicle or just don't want to drive. I'm so happy to have discovered this. There will definitely be more Parkbus trips in my future!James Taylor Wilson · Happy Parkbus customer
All stops enable guests ample time to explore the destination. This is a highly a good idea trip for those that appreciate spending time in nature minus distractions.OnAir48444 · Tripadvisor · Oct 2025
Highly recommend them. The bus service is so useful for people who doesn't want to drive and gives return facility. They were on time and bus facility was good too. Total worth the cost if you want to avoid hassle driving/parking.Sidhant Duggal · Facebook · Aug 2022
Parkbus is an official partner of VIA Rail and Parks Canada, helping keep car-free trips to Canada's parks and wild places genuinely affordable.
Factor in the cost of gas, parking and renting a car, it's a lot cheaper than taking a personal vehicle.Toronto Star
Parkbus is a great option for nature lovers, whether it's a day trip or overnight camping getaway.The Globe and Mail
Cancel more than 14 days before departure and you get a 90% refund, with 10% withheld for payment processing. Inside 14 days refunds are not available, except for a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, which needs a signed doctor’s note within 14 days of the missed trip and returns 50%. Tickets are transferable: you can change the passenger name up to 48 hours before departure.
If Parkbus cancels a trip, you get a full refund. We decide no later than 48 hours before departure and only on confirmed conditions: the park closed or the park authority asking us to stand down, an evacuation order or alert, an area restriction order, the highway closed, or the trip judged unsafe to run. A forecast is not one of those things, and trips run rain or shine.
Pack boots, water and a lunch. We handle the highway and the parking pass.
Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.
