Grand River Conservation Areas
We frequent these areas often, as they are close to our home base in Waterloo. We have omitted Byng Island and Conestogo Lake as they are for water activities and camping only.
Luther Marsh See our main blog post here. Luther Marsh is the furthest north of the Grand River parks, and boasts some of the longest trails. In fact, there are just two trails, the North and East Launch trails, both starting at the main parking lot. We did the North Launch Trail when we visited. The trails are open to vehicles, hence wide and flat, but you are only likely to pass an occasional group carting their kayaks to the boat launch.
Best for: long, just-switch-off-and-keep-walking-straight hike
Rita’s rating: 4
Pinehurst Lake I elaborate on our first visit here. Both times I’ve been, we have done the Captain Kidd and Morton Trails and it felt pretty quiet and spacious. I imagine it is nice in the summer too, and the Beach Trail-Pine Grove trails would be an enjoyable walk.
Best for: a less populated and shorter walk
Rita’s rating: 3
Laurel Creek This is a regular spot of ours as it’s in Waterloo, only a 15 minute drive from our condo on King St. We usually combine all three trails as they are quite short, to create a 4.5km walk. This includes some boardwalks, forest trails, and a more muddy section. Along the red Pine Meadow Trail, we encounter striking views of the reservoir, which freezes in winter.
Best for: Close to the city
Rita’s rating: 3
Shades Mills We’ve been here a couple of times, in both fall and winter. There are lots of long trails through the forest, with a river winding through. The reservoir is great in all seasons. In the warmer months, you can make use of the beach (although no dogs) and in the colder months, admire the frozen scenes. Park at the Chalet Shelter and combine the Toyota, Deer Run and Red Pine trails to get about a 90 minute walk, before having a sit-down at the picnic area at the beach, with views of the reservoir.
Best for: Long forest walks with pretty river views
Rita’s rating: 4
Guelph Lake Guelph Lake CA sits on the reservoir which is part of the Speed River. Visit here if you’re looking for a long hike, as there are over 10km of trails. The beach is popular in the summer for sun bathing and swimming, however trails are open year-round for winter hiking.
Best for: The beach evidently, in the summer! But also lots of trails
Rita’s rating: 3
Rockwood We have visited spectacular Rockwood a couple of times, both in April at varying stages of thawing. It’s open year round, making it a prime spot to observe the Eramosa River at varying stages of frozen. A great loop to undertake, starting at the pavilion car park, is that of the Pothole Trail and Cedar Ridge Trail “around” the river, with a cut up to the caves at the NE of the CA. At this end, you’ll also find the ruins of a woollen mill, dating back to 1867. Be sure to visit the Cedar Trail lookout for the most striking views.
Best for: Panoramic river views
Rita’s Rating: 4
Belwood Lake Sitting on a 12-mile long reservoir, the main function of this park is water sports! Canoes, kayaks, powerboats, sailboats, swimming and fishing during the warmer months are all encouraged. It is open year round however, and Rita and I took advantage of the quiet season to admire the views of Grand River and walk the 3km trial. This goes through forest and alongside fields. If you want a longer walk, you can join the Elora-Cataract Trailway from the bridge.
Best for: River views and some boating
Rita’s Rating: 3
Elora Gorge See our main blog post here. Elora Gorge only has 3km of trails but it’s a nice hike for a hot day. The views are incredible. We did the whole hiking loop and ventured to the tubing launch for a paddle.
Best for: Gorge lookouts and a paddle
Rita’s Rating: 3
Brant Only 20 minutes from our dog agility place, this is an ideal place for a post-training walk. There are only a few kms of trails in the park, marked as the Wilkes Dam Trail. It’s a mostly grassy route alongside the Grand River and through meadow and marshes. I really enjoyed this walk as it was nice and peaceful with plenty of opportunities for Rita to have a swim at the canoe launches. We could even hear the frogs ribbeting in the wetlands! If you want to spend longer in the park, there a plentiful camp sites and an enormous swimming pool (although dogs are understandably not allowed in the pool area).
Best for: A camping trip and swimming (dogs in the river, kids in the pool!)
Rita’s Rating: 4
