Time to explore Cornwall’s cycling trails

BY ALLEN MACARTNEY

Cornwall has many great cycling trails, and they’re calling your name. All less than an hour’s car drive from Ottawa, these paths weave through and around the city, including the entire waterfront. They link up with regional attractions like the historic Cornwall Canal, Upper Canada Village, the Chrysler’s Farm Battlefield (War of 1812), and Gray’s Creek Conservation Area. And they can take you even farther afield. Cyclists can choose easy loops for families, more ambitious trails involving overnight camping, and anything in between. Loops from Cornwall lead to Maxville (and the annual Highland Games), downstream to Montreal or west to the farthest reaches of Lake Ontario. Most start at Lamoureux Park in downtown Cornwall at the corner of Water and Pitt streets.

WATERFRONT TOUR

This trail along the city’s waterfront is perfect for a young family. Park at the Gray’s Creek Conservation Area, corner of Boundary Road and Highway 2, then pick up the paved bike path heading west along the St. Lawrence. You’ll pass St. Lawrence College, the EcoGardens and Lamoureux Park with its splash pad, children’s play structure, a clock tower and more. Continue west along the old Cornwall Canal to the new St. Lawrence Power Development Visitors Centre and its interactive exhibits of the St. Lawrence Seaway’s history. Ride on to Guindon Park for a picnic before retracing your route.

UPPER CANADA VILLAGE

This 56-kilometre route starts at Lamoureux Park and leads to this rebuilt 1860s pioneer village on the shores of the St. Lawrence. You can tour 40 heritage buildings – mills, a blacksmith shop, farms, a oneroom school house, a church and an old factory. Most of the trail hugs the waterfront away from busy roads except for one segment near Cornwall that parallels a stretch of highway. It’s mostly flat except for a few long slopes, also near Cornwall. From Lamoureux Park, head west along the Waterfront Trail beside the old Cornwall Canal, and pass Guindon Park and the Lost Villages Museum. As you leave the city behind you can join the Long Sault Parkway that links St. Lawrence islands by bridges and causeways – both

beautiful and interesting. The trail leads to the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary with up to 200 different species. Half a kilometre west of Upper Canada Village is Chrysler Beach – a great place to picnic and take a dip. Chrysler’s Farm Battlefield surrounds this area. CORNWALL CYCLING RESOURCES • Cornwall Parks and Recreation: 613-930-2787 ext. 2552 • Cornwall and the Counties Road Trip: free booklet at any city tourist centre • Waterfront Trail: www.waterfronttrail.org • General info: www.visit.cornwall.on.ca WATERFRONT TRAIL This one stretches for 900 kilometres from Niagara-on-theLake to the Quebec border just east of Cornwall, hugging Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway almost all the way. The surface varies from crushed stone to paved shoulders on residential and major roads. If you start at Lamoureux Park and head west toward the far end of Lake Ontario, you’ll pass 22 campgrounds, 182 parks and open areas, scores of marinas, locks, dams, bird sanctuaries, and more. When you reach Niagara-on-the-Lake you can take the train home. This trail network brings deeper meaning to Ontario’s motto: “Yours to discover.”