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IN THE NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ontario 's Longest Suspension Bridge Promises
Thrills for Visitors.
Explore Ontario 's newest great natural adventure experience. Snowshoe
across Ontario 's longest suspension bridge. Summer or winter, make
it a must to explore Scenic Caves Nature Adventures. Owner Rob Thorburn
is challenging visitors to cross Ontario 's longest suspension footbridge,
the newest adventure at the popular Blue Mountain/Collingwood-area
attraction.
Now you can take a breathtaking 126-metre hike across the narrow
bridge, which arcs 25 metres above a treed valley. But thanks to
its location, you'll feel as if you're suspended above the world.
Standing near the highest point of the Niagara Escarpment -- more
than 300 metres in elevation above Georgian Bay -- the bridge commands
an unparalleled view with nothing between you and miles of open
space.
The bridge is the latest attraction at Scenic Caves Nature Adventures,
a popular tourist destination which has drawn visitors for more
than 70 years with a chance to explore a network of caverns, meandering
forest trails, and an area rich in history and native spirituality.
In the early 1600s, this high area of the Niagara Escarpment was
home to two villages of the Petun people, which were visited by
Samuel de Champlain in 1616. It's also home to Ekarenniondi, a huge
rock outcrop of the Escarpment, described by Jesuit Father Jean
de Brebeuf in 1636. The sacred rock marked the route to the "Village
of the Souls" in native spiritual tales, and the crevices at
its base would have suggested entrances to the Underworld, says
Charles Garrad, who excavated the site from 1975 to 1978. "The
hollows, cracks and crevices would be enough to ensure the area
was avoided by both the Algonquin Odawa and the Iroquoian Petuns
and probably avoided as a sacred and fearsome place except by the
highest shamans."
Today, visitors can explore Ekarenniondi up-close, and ski or snowshoe
to scenic lookouts. "The nature trails and the view from the
Escarpment are already very popular," says Rob Thorburn. "But
now we have the longest suspension footbridge in Ontario , which
takes you high above the valley."
Scenic Caves is located in the Town of the Blue Mountains , at
the top of Scenic Caves Road . This winding, picturesque route climbs
the Niagara Escarpment just minutes from the town of Collingwood
and the Village at Blue Mountain . It's about 20 minutes from Wasaga
Beach , and less than two hours north of Toronto . Click here for
driving directions .
Follow the links below for more information:
Suspension
Bridge Facts
Suspension
Bridge Construction Story
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