Outdoors & Nature
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
Thirty-metre limestone cliff faces, a walk-through canyon crevice, a glacial kettle lake and the Jacob's Ladder staircase. On a clear day you can see the CN Tower from the Lookout.
Book ahead — you cannot pay at the gate
795086 3rd Line EHS, Mono·~15–20 min from Orangeville·732 ha, est. 1985·Ontario Parks day-use permit — band not published, call 705-435-2498
Before you go — checked July 27, 2026
- Day permits must be booked in advance — booking opens 7:00 a.m., five days ahead. There is no way to pay at the gate.
- Seasonal pass holders still have to reserve, though there is no extra charge.
The headline asset, open year-round for day use. Thirty-metre limestone cliff faces on the cliff-top route, a walk-through canyon crevice on the Spillway Trail, McCarston’s Lake (a glacial kettle lake), the Jacob’s Ladder staircase, and a genuine outlier ridge sitting detached from the main escarpment face. From the Lookout, on a clear day, you can see the CN Tower.
The trails
| Trail | Hiking | Bikes |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Tovell Trail | 4.8 km | Yes (4.6 km) |
| McCarston’s Trail | 3.6 km | No |
| South Outlier Trail | 3.5 km | No |
| Cliff-Top Side Trail | 2.8 km | Yes |
| Carriage Trail | 1.3 km | Yes |
| Spillway Trail | 1.3 km | Yes |
| Lookout Trail | 600 m | No |
| Link Trail | 600 m | Yes |
The Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club’s Mono Cliffs Park Loop — 8.8 km, combining the Walter Tovell side trail, the Lookout side trail and the main trail — is the best single hike in the county.
Come prepared
There is no visitor centre, no store and no drinking water. Two vault privies, and that’s it.
Staying on-trail is enforced: there are crevasse hazards and sensitive habitat, and wardens can issue provincial offence notices for going off-trail. In winter, skiing and snowshoeing are allowed on the hiking trails, but nothing is groomed or track-set.
Getting in
This park is gated and automated — you book online, then scan a barcode at the gate. Full booking detail for every gated site in the region is on our park permits page.
The move afterwards: Mono Centre Brewing is six minutes from the trailhead, and reviewers describe it almost unanimously as the post-hike stop.
Details checked July 27, 2026. Fees, hours and closures change — phone ahead for anything that would ruin the trip if it were wrong.
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