A Parkbus guide with the group · no hiking experience needed
The Niagara Escarpment from the clifftop at Rattlesnake Point
Guided · From Toronto

A 15th century village, a lake that never mixes, and the cliff edge

Start at Rattlesnake Point and walk the Bruce Trail over to Crawford Lake. A reconstructed Iroquoian village standing on its original site, a boardwalk around a rare meromictic lake, Carolinian forest, and clifftop lookouts over the Niagara Escarpment. A guide comes with the group and no hiking experience is needed.

300,000+ riders since 201096% recommend on Facebook4.6 on Google16 years of doing this

Book your seat

Pick your date below. The bus leaves from 34 Asquith Avenue, just north of Yonge and Bloor.

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This trip is between seasons

We put seats on sale one season at a time, and this one is not up yet. Nothing is hidden and there is no list to pay to join. Leave your email and you hear the day the dates open.

Cancel 14 or more days before you go and you get 90% back.

Guided

A Parkbus guide leads the group all day, so you do not need to know the trail.

Easy

A short, flat walk on even ground, at your own pace.

What's included
  • Round trip coach from 34 Asquith Avenue, Toronto
  • A Parkbus guide with the group
  • Conservation area admission
  • Reclining seats, air conditioning and a washroom on board
What's waiting for you

A lake whose water never mixes

Crawford Lake is meromictic: its layers of water never fully turn over, so everything that settles on the bottom stays in order, year by year. That is why the sediment here is studied, and why the boardwalk keeps you off the shore.

Beside it stands a reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian village, built on the site of the real one. Walking from the longhouses to the water is a short walk through several centuries.

Rattlesnake Point is the other half of the day: clifftop lookouts with the Niagara Escarpment running away below you, and in autumn the whole thing turns.

Rare lake, old village, big view.

The boardwalk around Crawford Lake with autumn colour in the trees

Your trip

You start at one, walk the Bruce Trail, and finish at the other.

We pick you up

34 Asquith Avenue, Toronto

Bus leaves9:00 AMBe there by 8:45 AM

Just north of Yonge and Bloor subway station. Come up the Asquith exit and look for the coach.

1

Rattlesnake Point

Bus arrives10:00 AMBus leaves4:00 PMclifftop lookouts · the Bruce Trail

Lookouts along the cliff edge with the escarpment stretching out beneath you. In autumn these are some of the best views in the province.

Good to know:

  • The Bruce Trail runs from here across to Crawford Lake
  • Some terrain is hilly and uneven
  • Tripods and drones are not allowed
2
The wooden boardwalk running along the edge of Crawford Lake through the trees

Crawford Lake

the boardwalk · the village · Carolinian forest

A boardwalk loops the lake, and the reconstructed Iroquoian village sits beside it on the site of the original. The forest around is Carolinian, which is a southern ecosystem that does not grow much further north than this.

Good to know:

  • The boardwalk keeps everyone off the shore, which is the point: the lake bottom is a scientific record
  • The village is walkable and there is usually somebody to talk to about it
  • Bring a lunch. There is nowhere much to buy one.

We drop you back

34 Asquith Avenue, Toronto

Back in the city6:30 PM

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.

Know before you go

Comfortable shoes and a lunch. That is most of it.

Two trips go to these two places

This is the guided hike between Rattlesnake Point and Crawford Lake, usually run for the autumn colour. There is a separate trip on 21 June, the summer solstice and National Indigenous Peoples Day, with programming led by Indigenous educators at the village. They are different days out to the same two places.

What to bring

Frequently asked questions

Who is this trip for?
Everyone. It suits people coming on their own, couples, families and groups, and you do not need any hiking experience. Curiosity and comfortable shoes will do.
Do I have to stay with the group?
No. Join the guided hike or wander at your own pace. There is no pressure either way.
Can I bring children?
Yes, it is a family friendly trip. Children need to be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.
What should I bring?
Sunscreen and sunglasses, a hat or an umbrella, comfortable walking shoes because some terrain is hilly and uneven, water, snacks and a lunch, and your phone or camera. Tripods and drones are not allowed.
What is a meromictic lake?
One whose layers of water never fully mix. Everything that settles on the bottom of Crawford Lake stays in order year by year, which makes the sediment a scientific record. It is why there is a boardwalk rather than a shoreline path.
What is the village?
A reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian village, built on the site where the original stood.
How is this different from the solstice trip?
This is the guided hike between Rattlesnake Point and Crawford Lake, usually run for the autumn colour. The solstice trip goes to the same two places on 21 June, the summer solstice and National Indigenous Peoples Day, with programming led by Indigenous educators.
What if I have to cancel?
Cancel more than 14 days before you go and you get 90% back. The other 10% is what the payment processor keeps and we never see it. Inside 14 days we cannot refund, with one exception: a medical emergency in the 48 hours before departure, with a doctor's note. If we are the ones who cancel, you get everything back. The full policy is on our terms of service page.

This season's dates

This one usually runs for the autumn colour. Dates appear here when they open in the booking system.

Placeholder dates · the real ones come from our booking system

Dates to be confirmed
Email me the dates

New to Parkbus? Here's the deal

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 lunch. We handle everything with wheels.

A Parkbus guided group together before setting off

You walk between the two

The Bruce Trail links Rattlesnake Point and Crawford Lake, so the hike is the way you get from one to the other.

A village on its original site

The reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian longhouses stand where the village actually stood.

No experience needed

A guide leads it, the pace suits the group, and you can walk with them or at your own speed.

You don't drive home

An hour back after a full day walking the escarpment.

Crawford Lake & Rattlesnake Point in photos

What passengers are saying

★★★★★  4.6/5.0 on Google

★★★★★
I just recently went on my first guided tour with a friend of mine from work. And man, was it amazing! Speaking from someone who doesn’t drive. This is a must!!
Linda Ann · Facebook · Jun 2024
★★★★★
I have always had excellent experiences with Parkbus. I have been to many of their destinations, and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. The ambassadors have been knowledgeable and friendly. The drivers drive safely, and with the passengers’ comfort in mind.
Sharlene Haye · Google
★★★★★
Came with my friend in April, our guide Mike did a great job! Nice tour, small group, everything was great! Will go again!
Natalia N. · Tripadvisor · Jul 2025
96%
recommend Parkbus on Facebook
4.6 ★ on Google · 300,000+ riders since 2010

In the press

The Globe and MailNational GeographicCBCNational PostToronto Star

If your plans change

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.

Read the full terms of service

History, a rare lake and a cliff edge, in one day

An hour out of the city, and somebody else drives both ways.

Email me the dates

Other trips from Toronto

Not quite the right fit? These all leave from the same spot downtown.