Scarborough Bluffs

Scarborough Bluffs is a cliff formation along Lake Ontario in Toronto that stretches for fourteen kilometers. The cliffs of sandstone, clay and silt show horizontal layers ranging from white to ochre bands.

The landform developed twelve thousand years ago when a large glacial lake accumulated sediment and later drained away. The walls began forming as the waters of Lake Ontario eroded the soft ground.

The name comes from Scarborough in England, where similar cliffs line the coast. These walls of sand and clay glow bright against the dark water and draw photographers who capture the light in early morning or late afternoon.

Several parks along the cliffs offer lookout points, paths down to the shore and access to narrow beaches at the base of the walls. Some sections are closed due to landslide risk, so watch for warning signs and stay on marked trails.

Fossils of extinct plants and animals that lived thousands of years ago sometimes appear in the layers. Geologists also find remnants of trees pressed down by the ice of the last glacial period.