Why Is It Called the Paris Moraine Side Trail ?
The Paris Moraine Side Trail informs us in two very different ways. Its name points us to the last glaciation that occurred in North America. But it also tells the story of the Bruce Trail Conservancy itself and its continuing work to preserve a natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment.
The Laurentide Ice Sheet was a massive ice sheet that advanced and retreated multiple times. The massive ice sheet started to thin and retreat slowly. The Paris Moraine was formed about 13,000 years ago during a pause in the retreat when rocks, sand and gravel accumulated at the ice edge. When the ice continued to retreat, the Paris Moraine was left behind.
The deposition of the materials was uneven and resulted in the characteristic hummucky terrain of ridges, irregular hills and wet depressions. Meltwater streams deposited thick sand and gravel layers and formed outwash plains.
The Paris Moraine Side Trail started its life as part of the main Bruce Trail. The main Trail’s route has been altered multiple times, the most recent alteration in 2025 being especially significant as it removed 3.3 km from busy Airport Road and Escarpment Sideroad. After that change the resultant side trail was significant enough to merit a name and it was named after the moraine that dominated the area.
The multiple changes to the route are in service to the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s goal of conserving a continuous footpath following the Niagara Escarpment from Queenston Heights to Tobermory, aided by generous local landowners who share access to their land and generous donors who enable the purchase of land so the Trail will be secured forever.