KW Urban Trails: Top 3
I’ve gathered my top 3 “go-to” trails in the city. These are all accessible from Uptown Waterloo, fully paved and are well-lit for after-work dog walks.
Iron Horse I usually join this on Caroline St (at Vincenzo’s grocery shop) and walk all the way to Victoria Park. A loop round the park and back takes just over an hour. I like how this trail has lots of long stretches without crossing traffic, and where it does, pedestrians have right of way. It’s a nice straight trail with greenery on both sides. As the name suggests, it runs along what was an abandoned railway line. Now the trains actually crosses overhead and you may be unlucky to walk under the bridge while this happens! As it runs alongside Belmont Village, you may choose to stop off for drink at Arabella Park or pick something up at Gifted.
Spurline The Spurline trail runs alongside an active railway track, but the trains only come at night. I join this from the Laurel Trail at Regina St, and continue all the way to its end at Athrens St, creating a 5km round trip. There are a couple of great stopping points en-route; George Lippert dog park is perfect for a run-around - it’s usually empty so Rita and I enjoy a game of fetch by ourselves-, and The Outpost is a dog-friendly coffee shack with outdoor seating in the summer.
Laurel The Laurel Trail runs through Waterloo Park and so heralds many possibilities. You could stop for a picnic, visit CE Bakery at one end of the trail, or continue with a loop of Columbia Lake at the other. This trail is usually busy with students, as it runs through the UWaterloo campus. It can also be a bit noisy as the Ion runs parallel for most of it. However, I find it’s a nice one to put in a podcast to and be able to keep walking straight ahead - it’s hard to get lost.
