Sunrise Shores Nature Reserve

Property Description

Sunrise Shores Nature Reserve is a spectacular 27-hectare natural sanctuary containing iconic and diverse Niagara Escarpment habitats along the clear waters of Georgian Bay, between Barrow Bay and Rush Cove. The addition of this nature reserve completes a 560-acre conservation corridor in this stunning area and secures the longest remaining section of the Bruce Trail along Georgian Bay.

An ecological gem, featuring a variety of habitats including Escarpment cliffs, rocky shores, and interior forest; this is a monumental addition to the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s ribbon of wilderness, made possible through a lead donation by the MapleCross Fund.

Resting on the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, the towering 30-meter dolostone cliffs of Sunrise Shores Nature Reserve overlook the turquoise waters of Georgian Bay, where resilient Ancient Eastern White Cedars, ranging between 400-1,000 years old, cling to the Escarpment face.

Sunrise Shores Nature Reserve protects a critical transitional zone from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems that provide habitat for numerous migrating and shoreline birds, reptiles, and insects. Located at the base of the cliffs is an entrance to a sea cave carved by the continual erosion of wave action originating from an ancient sea millennia ago.   The majestic Bald Eagle can be found nesting atop these remote cliffs, overlooking the Bay.

The nature reserve’s interior forest features a mature Sugar Maple canopy and a lush understory of Trilliums, Blue Cohosh, and ferns that thrive in the shallow, rich soils of the Niagara Escarpment.

This connected ecological corridor is vitally important to maintaining local biodiversity and offers important refuge to increasingly rare wildlife such as Black Bear, Fishers, and Foxes, and species at risk such as the Eastern Wood-Pewee and Wood Thrush.

Content and property pictures courtesy of Bruce Trail Conservancy.