Lion's Head

The combination of high quality rock, breathtaking exposure, and a pristine setting above Georgian Bay make Lion's Head one of the most spectacular cliffs in Canada and it is also part of a Provincial Nature Preserve. To ensure our future access, please pack out all of your trash and tread as lightly as possible on the environment. The approaches are long, the cliff is hard to navigate, the routes are scary and you will likely have an epic or two. That being said, those willing to endure these hardships and willing to give a little more time and effort will be rewarded with world class climbing in a beautiful setting. This section of the guidebook was written by Greg Williamson and Selene Ma, with some additional information and photos provided by the author and several other contributors. __Headspace Area__ This area is located where the trail first meets the cliff. A lookout allows views of the black Headspace wall to the west. The Bruce trail continues east to where the majority of the routes are. The routes are quite spread out in this area so take your time to ensure you are on the right line. __Lost At Sea Area__ This popular area features several varied lines. The classic hanging belay routes of “I Wonder Where the Lions are” and “Thor” are two must-do routes at the 5.12- grade. “Lost at Sea” is a classic 5.10 with the comforts of belaying from the ground. The 3 side by side 5.13’s off the west side of the ledge offer up some of the toughest finger and footwork test pieces around. All routes have top anchors. The corner you rappel in on is not a great way to climb out. It’s better just to climb out on Lost At Sea. It has a set of shuts and an extra bolt at the anchors to make this process easier. __Titan Area__ This spectacular area hosts some of the longest and most impressive routes at the cliff. Easy access and a good concentration of difficult lines make this the premier location for hard sport climbing. All of the routes except #1 start from the ground and have top anchors. Most routes require at least a 70m or longer rope; make sure to knot the end of your rope when lowering. __Mr. Bojangles Area__ This spectacular area hosts some of the longest and most impressive routes at the cliff. Easy access and a good concentration of difficult lines make this the premier location for hard sport climbing. All of the routes except #1-3 start from the ground and have top anchors. Most routes require at least a 70m or longer rope; make sure to knot the end of your rope when lowering. The area around the Windy City area is identifiable from the top by a lone dead tree standing on the clifftop prow above “Windy City” and “30 Years In The Making”. __Lord Of The Flies Area__ This area has some great 5.11’s and 5.12’s on beautiful stone. The rock can seep a little longer than some areas so you might want to save them until conditions are good. All of the routes except Crescent Moon start from the ground and have top anchors. __Beach Boulder Climbs__ The large boulders beside the water below are home to several good lines. This fantastic setting is a great spot for those hot midsummer days. Take a few burns; take a swim, repeat, repeat. Cold Hard Beach and LoreLai are right beside the water on clean compact stone. The routes up in the forest are on darker rock and can be a little damp when conditions are humid. Special note: many climbers access these routes by boat. __Swept Away Wall__ A great area with some excellent pocket pulling. All of the routes are quite exposed with hanging belays just above the large overhangs below. Natural anchors need to be built for the hanging belay routes. This area is located about 45 meters past the point where the shortcut trail rejoins the main trail. Watch for a side trail just before the main trail climbs up a short cliff. There are a couple of small birch trees near the edge of the cliff. Natural anchors need to be built for the hanging belay routes. __Cumulus Wall__ This area features some superb varied 5.11 climbing. The main wall features 3 superb routes with long sections of vertical face climbing followed by spectacular finishes through the overhangs at the top. The routes are quite long, so be sure to rap single line and knot the end of your rope. All routes are hanging belays. Natural anchors need to be built for the hanging belay routes. __American Bucks Wall__ This popular area is home to one of the best 5.9 sport routes around and the classic gently overhanging “American Bucks”. All routes are hanging belays. Natural anchors need to be built for the hanging belay routes. __Maneline Wall__ The next wall past the American Bucks area is the ever popular Maneline area. “Queue De Lion” offers exposed and aesthetic climbing not typically found on a route of this grade. The ultra-classic “Maneline” is a must do for everyone who visits the cliff. The routes are all quite long so make sure to rappel single line. Natural anchors need to be built for the hanging belay routes. __Nimbus Area__ The prominent Lion’s Head lookout is a great place to head to on your first visit to get your bearings. From this spacious viewpoint you can see a large portion of the cliff to the east and west giving a great perspective of where all the various walls are located. The top-out of Nimbus is at the most outward point of the lookout. Be prepared to answer dozens of climbing related questions from curious hikers while climbing here. This lookout point is one of the most popular hikes on the Bruce. The routes here have a very airy and exposed atmosphere with hanging belays perched just above the large overhangs below. Natural anchors need to be built for the hanging belay routes. __Latvian Ledge Area__ This is the most heavily used area on the cliff due to the number of moderate ground up routes and lack of exposure. All of the sport routes have top anchors, so please lead these routes and lower off them. This will help the erosion problem on the slope above and eliminate the maze of tree damaging, hiker-annoying webbing that tends to accumulate here. In addition to the moderate sport routes, there are some desperate face routes for those who like to punish their fingers and toes. The crack lines of “Curveball” and “Lefty” are also deservedly popular. The downside, the dark rock (particularly the west side wall) takes a little longer to dry after a rain. __Latvian Boulder Climbs__ Directly below the Latvian ledge is a large boulder just up from the shoreline, it is home to 3 good sport lines. The rock here is a little different than the main cliff as it is a little more popcorn like, making the routes fingery and sustained. __The Fin Area__ Just past the Latvian edge is this ground up area. It is host to a few good physically demanding 5.12's __Scalphunter Area__ This area contains some excellent and diverse 5.11's and 5.12's with easy access. The vertical Mandate wall is characterized by its dark vertical stone with thin footwork-intense routes. Most of these routes take a bit of time to dry out after wet weather, so good conditions are key. The lighter colored, steeper rock of and adjacent to Scalphunter are the opposite; these routes receive lots of sun and dry quickly, making them a good choice early season or on colder damper days. The Stinger gulley provides an easy way to access all the ground up routes without rappelling. After about 200m past the Latvian area the main trail turns away from the cliff and drops in elevation, look for an obscure path leading downward towards the cliff edge. __Melon Ledge__ This small area has a couple of worthwhile routes. __Ladyslipper Area__ A very popular area with two fantastic moderate routes: “Ladyslipper” and “Skunks do it in Tevas”. Also the compact stone of “Man Overboard” and “Good Kung Fu” tends to stay dry when all else is wet. __Summer Residence__ This small area hosts some great routes and is located at the base west of Ladyslipper. __Pigroast Wall__ This ledge offers a couple of good routes and a good place to get away from the crowds on a busy weekend. __Monster Ledge__ This is another seldom visited area. Doing "Green Eyed Monster" makes the hike worthwhile. Natural anchors need to be built. __West of Headspace__ The area west of Headspace has been designated a nature preserve. As a result, the routes here are older and have been listed here for historical purposes. Routes are listed from climber's left to right. __Merchant And Thieves Area__ Further down the trail west of Headspace you will encounter a small cliff between the trail and the cliffs edge. It gives the feeling of being in a trench. Rap to a ledge in the corner just prior to this feature for the next 5 routes. The rap anchors are visible in an small opening from the trail, but are often concealed by logs for the safety of curious hikers. Routes are listed from climber's left to right. There may be a fixed line there already. If you choose to use it, please inspect the state of the rope and use your own judgement about using it. If not, it's a good idea to bring an extra rope and leave the line here to climb out on or for emergencies. __Storm Warning__ West of Headspace, and west of Merchants And Thieves Area - this area consists of scattered clusters of routes. Routes are listed from climber's left to right. __North Shore__ The following routes in this area have become quite overgrown due to lack of use. It is probably best to walk the base from North Shore to access them, because of their close proximity to the cottages above. Happy route-hunting! Routes are listed from climber's left to right.