The Champlain Sea

 More today from the Champlain Lookout.

Display signs tell of the geological history of this area, and the nature of the escarpment.

Long ago, this area was covered with shale and debris of an ancient sea, forming a plain, before faults pushed the Canadian Shield to the surface and created what is now the escarpment.

Ice ages buried this region in ice, along with much of the continent.

When the last ice age ended, and the ground started to rebound, there was an inland sea of the Atlantic that ended here- known today as the Champlain Sea. Gradually that receded out, and the St. Lawrence lowlands, as well as much of the northeast coast, became more what we know today.

The escarpment is now home to a rich but fragile ecosystem.

I decided to descend to the lower section of the lookout.

There's an additional trail that moves down along the steep slope of the escarpment.