Lion's Head, Ontario
Coordinates: 44°59′12″N 81°15′15″W / 44.98665°N 81.254137°W
Lion's Head is a community in the municipality of North Bruce Peninsula, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Located at the midway point of the Bruce Peninsula, about halfway between Owen Sound and Tobermory, Lion's Head is just east of Ferndale on Bruce Road 9. Lion's Head is located on or somewhere near the 45th parallel north, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. The town is named after the resemblance of a lion's profile in the rock formation of the Niagara Escarpment. The first post office opened in 1895.[1] The estimated summer population ranges widely from 900 to 5000.
It is a well travelled holiday spot on the coast of Georgian Bay.
The limestone rock formations make it a scenic area for canoeing, kayaking, hiking the Bruce Trail, rock climbing and visiting the marina-lookout by car.
Bruce Peninsula District School is the only secondary school north of Wiarton, and one of the few schools in Ontario to go from Kindergarten to grade 12.
There are accommodations, restaurants, shops, and galleries all located in Lion's Head. There is also a marina, school, hospital, bank, library, pharmacy, grocery store and several churches in the town. Lion's Head is under the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) jurisdiction. There is also the Northern Bruce Peninsula Fire Department, which operates four trucks in the region.
The area has four somewhat distinct seasons. Cold, snowy, and blustery winters, as well as warm, comfortable summers are the usual pattern. Summer mornings are usually cool but do warm quickly before 9 or 10 AM. Rain showers are common, along with thunderstorms, and a few severe thunderstorms per year. Tornadoes are less likely in the region, unlike the far southern part of Ontario. Summer brings the heaviest amount of people to Lion's Head (mostly July and August). This influx of people creates parking problems especially near the beach and marina. The population drops during the colder seasons. Lion's Head experienced a more significant tornado during the 1985 Barrie tornado outbreak which damaged areas the outskirts of the village. Since then, no tornadoes have been reported in this area.
References
- ↑ Hepburn, Glen Gordon (1987). Benchmarks : A History of Eastnor Township and Lion's Head. Owen Sound: The Eastnor and Lion's Head Historical Society. p. 22. ISBN 0-9692848-0-2.