Waterfront Trail

Pedestrian and bicycle trail system in Ontario, Canada

Waterfront Trail

A sign demarcating The Waterfront Trail in Toronto

Length| 3,600 km (2,200 mi)
Location| Ontario, Canada
Trailheads| Niagara-on-the-Lake, Quebec border (near Cornwall, Ontario)
Use| Biking, hiking, inline skating
Logo of The Waterfront Trail

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is a 3,600 km (2,200 mi) signed route of roads and trails in Ontario, Canada, running between Sault Ste. Marie and the Quebec border following the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The trail connects over 150 communities and First Nations. It is a legacy project of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, and its community partners. Through Toronto, the trail is called the Martin Goodman Trail. The Waterfront Trail is also used by commuters in parts of Southern Ontario.[1]

## Expansion and future plans

[edit]

In October 2013, Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne announced government support for expansion of the trail system to better connect the 2015 Pan Am Games venues and community.

> I want to ensure that all of the people of this province benefit from our investments in the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, because that is how we can grow as One Ontario. Extending our trails system and connecting more communities is a great way for the excitement of the Games to live on well beyond 2015.

>     — Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, October 3, 2013[2]

The announcement ensures that "the province will work with First Nation and Métis communities and organizations to incorporate Aboriginal markers along the trails to honour the history and culture of Aboriginal communities in Ontario."

Trails will connect to four major Pan Am and Parapan Am Games venues – CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes' Village, CIBC Pan Am Park, CIBC Hamilton Soccer Stadium and Pan Am/Parapan Am Fields.

All consultations related to Pan Am/Parapan Am trails will address accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

In November 2013, two waterfront-design firms were selected to reimagine the space at the former Ontario Place grounds in Toronto to incorporate a broader mandate for greenspace and parkland.[3]

Since 2013, the Trail has been growing radically, with expansions along the shores of Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Georgian Bay and Lake Huron's north channel, adding over 2000 km to its length.

## Uses

[edit]

The rising cost of automobiles and gasoline mean a heavier burden on the trail system from multiple uses.

* Walking/Hiking
* Running
* Cycling
* Inline skating
* Skateboarding
* Mobility scooters
* Mountain biking

Controversial decisions to limit some e-bike and mobility scooters have been underway along portions of the trail.[4]

## Cities

[edit]

Municipalities and First Nations connected by the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail  St. Lawrence River | Lake Ontario | Lake Erie & Lake St. Clair | Lake Huron | Georgian Bay | Lake Huron (North Channel)

|
|
|
|
|

South Glengarry | Loyalist | Niagara-on-the-Lake | Plympton-Wyoming | Northern Bruce Peninsula

(Tobermory, Lion's Head)

| Greater Sudbury
Cornwall | Greater Napanee | Niagara Falls | Kettle & Stoney Point

First Nation

| South Bruce Peninsula

(Wiarton)

| Nairn and Hyman
South Dundas | Deseronto | Fort Erie | Lambton Shores

(Grand Bend)

| Georgian Bluffs | Baldwin
South Stormont | Belleville | Port Colborne | South Huron | Owen Sound | Espanola
Prescott | Quinte West | Haldimand County

(Dunnville, Nanticoke)

| Bluewater (GAP)  | Meaford | NEMI (Little Current)
Augusta | Prince Edward County

(Picton, Carrying Place)

| Norfolk County

(Port Dover, Long Point)

| Central Huron | The Blue Mountains

(Thornbury, Blue Mountain Village)

| Sheguiandah
Brockville | Brighton | Elgin County

(Port Burwell, Port Stanley)

| Goderich | Collingwood | Assiginack (Manitouwaning)
Gananoque | Cramahe / Colborne | Chatham-Kent South

(Erieau, Rondeau Park)

| Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh

(Amberley)

| Wasaga Beach | Sables-Spanish Rivers
Frontenac Islands

(Wolfe Island and Howe Island)

| Alnwick/Haldimand | Leamington | Huron-Kinloss

(Lucknow, Ripley)

| Township of Tiny | Spanish
Kingston | Cobourg | Kingsville | Kincardine | Penetanguishene | Serpent River First Nation
| Port Hope | Pelee Island | Saugeen Shores

(Port Elgin, Southampton)

| Midland | Township of the North Shore
| Clarington | Colchester | Saugeen Ojibway Nation | Tay Township

(Waubaushene)

| Blind River
| Oshawa | Amherstburg | South Bruce Peninsula

(Sauble Beach)

| Severn Township

(Port Severn, Severn Bridge)

| Huron Shores

(Iron Bridge)

| Whitby | LaSalle | Northern Bruce Peninsula

(Tobermory)

| Orillia | Thessalon
| Ajax | Windsor | Manitoulin Island | Gravenhurst | Plummer Additional
| Pickering | Tecumseh | Tekummah (South Baymouth)  | Bracebridge | Bruce Mines
| Toronto | Lakeshore |  | Muskoka Lakes

(Port Carling, Bala, Minette)

| Johnson Township (Desbarats)
| Mississauga | Chatham-Kent North

(Pain Court, Mitchell's Bay)

|  | Georgian Bay

(Honey Harbour, MacTier)

| St. Joseph Island

(Richard's Landing, Jocelyn, Hilton,

Hilton Beach)

| Oakville | Wallaceburg |  | Seguin (Rosseau)  | Tarbutt Township
| Burlington | St. Clair (Sombra)  |  | Parry Sound | Laird Township
| Hamilton | Sarnia and Point Edward |  | McDougall | McDonald, Meredith and

Aberdeen Additional (Echo Bay)

| Grimsby |  |  | Carling  | Garden River First Nation
| Lincoln |  |  | The Archipelago | Sault Ste Marie
| St. Catharines

(Port Dalhousie, Port Weller)

|  |  | Shawanaga First Nation | Prince Township

Regional Municipalities connected by the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail

* Frontenac County
* Northumberland County
* Regional Municipality of Durham
* Region Of Peel
* Niagara Region
* Essex County
* Lambton County
* Huron County
* Bruce County
* Grey County
* Simcoe County
* Muskoka District

## Notable waypoints

[edit]

The rise of social travel and photography have parallelled with the rise of smaller wearable technological advancements that permits travelers along the trail a variety of activities and destinations.

### Toronto Harbourfront

[edit]

Location: 43°36′55.12″N 79°23′28.21″W﻿ / ﻿43.6153111°N 79.3911694°W﻿ / 43.6153111; -79.3911694﻿ (Toronto_Islands)

The jewel of the Waterfront Trail lies at the Toronto Islands Ferry Terminal where trail users can catch a ferry to the expansive Toronto Islands including Centre Island and Hanlon's Point Beach. In 2015, the Waterfront Trail is expected to connect to the huge underground Toronto PATH system. Cyclists and skaters are encouraged on the peaceful island where only utility vehicles are permitted.

Among the artistic touches of this portion of the trail include the architecturally renowned Wave Decks, designed by West8.[5]

### The Beaches

[edit]

Location: 43°39′20.12″N 79°18′40.21″W﻿ / ﻿43.6555889°N 79.3111694°W﻿ / 43.6555889; -79.3111694﻿ (The Beaches)

The Beaches community in eastern Toronto is an important location on the trail, being one of the only neighbourhoods in Toronto with residential homes next to the lakeshore. The Beach itself is a popular destination, hosting games of beach volleyball, and attracting many cyclists and rollerbladers. North of the waterfront are many small stores and restaurants along Queen Street and The Danforth. From the Beaches, the trail, called the Martin Goodman Trail, runs west along the Toronto waterfront for its entire length, with only a few sections on city streets. Currently, there isn't any path running east along the waterfront from the Beaches.

### Sugar Beach

[edit]

Sugar Beach is a former parking lot located at Lower Jarvis Street and Queen's Quay—the park is now a non-swimming beach on the south-eastern edge of South Core, Toronto.

### Port Credit

[edit]

Location: 43°33′02″N 79°35′10″W﻿ / ﻿43.55056°N 79.58611°W﻿ / 43.55056; -79.58611﻿ (Port Credit)

Port Credit straddles the Credit River with a mix of residential and commercial development along the trail. Most of the trail is separated from traffic with the exception of some residential streets at the east end near the Adamson Estate.

### Spencer Smith Park

[edit]

Spencer Smith Park's Waterfront Trail "compass"

Location: 44°5′33″N 79°31′7″W﻿ / ﻿44.09250°N 79.51861°W﻿ / 44.09250; -79.51861﻿ (Spencer Smith Park)

Spencer Smith Park at Burlington is a prime example of the evolution of mixed-use development and city planning in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2013, a new pier was opened by the City of Burlington that anchors the trail along the shores of the lake.

Spencer Smith Park hosts the annual Sound Of Music festival, a longtime tradition and celebration for Halton and surrounding areas.

### 1000 Islands

[edit]

Location: 44°20′19″N 76°8′1″W﻿ / ﻿44.33861°N 76.13361°W﻿ / 44.33861; -76.13361﻿ (1000 Islands Bikepath)

The 1000 Islands Bikepath is a 37 kilometre trail running parallel to the Parkway between Gananoque and Brockville, forming a section of the Waterfront Trail.[6]

### Ontario Place

[edit]

In July 2014, the provincial government of Ontario announced a $100 million renovation plan that will see the transformation of Ontario Place from an entertainment venue into a huge mixed-use park that will anchor the trail in this section.[7]

## Cycling on the trail

[edit]

Old Soo Road in Lively, one of a number of mixed-traffic sections of the trail.

Not all sections of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail are off-road. The route is designated with existing infrastructure in place with the goal of future improvements, including a legacy goal of a completely off-road trail, as close to the water's edge as ecologically feasible. There is an effort by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, the charity leading the partnership of communities the Trail connects, to expand and improve the route. Their partnership with local, regional, and Provincial governments has yielded several successes, including the Ministry of Transportation's addition of paved shoulders on roughly 50km of Highway 17 between Sault Ste Marie and Greater Sudbury, where the route could use no other roads.

> The Waterfront Regeneration Trail is focused on creating a cycling route around the Great Lakes, and has big expansion plans and dreams for the coming years to increase significantly its mileage. Some of the biggest deterrents for cycle tourists are poor road conditions that force cyclists into traffic and a lack of good signage.[8]

## Facts and figures

[edit]

Length

* Over 3000 km (2236 miles) designated (signed)
* 700 km (434 miles) undesignated on a 2018-2020 expansion route between Collingwood and Sudbury,
* Roughly 50km (31 miles) undesignated gaps in the route

Includes

* 155 communities
* 3 Great Lakes, touching a fourth, Lake Superior
* 520 waterfront parks and natural areas
* 42 Provincial Parks
* 6 National Parks and 23 national historical sites
* 239 beaches, including 21 Blue Flag Beaches
* 152 arts and culture heritage attractions
* 37 major annual waterfront festivals
* 170 marinas and yacht clubs
* 21 Bike Friendly Communities
* 50+ major connecting trails

## See also

[edit]

* Martin Goodman Trail
* Bruce Trail
* List of rail trails in Canada

## Footnotes

[edit]

1. ^ Trail usage at WaterfrontTrail.org
2. ^ Trail Expansion announcement. Retrieved 2013-10-03.
3. ^ When completed in 2015, the new park will link to the existing Waterfront Trail. "Design firm hired for Ontario Place urban park and waterfront trail". CityNews Toronto. 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
4. ^ "City seeking new ways to regulate Hamilton's E-Bike explosion". Retrieved 2014-07-22.
5. ^ "Five signs of a revitalized Toronto waterfront". The Globe and Mail. 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
6. ^ "1000 Islands Bikepath". Canada Trails. Retrieved 2008-02-12.
7. ^ "Ontario Place to get $100 million make-over". Blog TO. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
8. ^ "Is Canada missing the boat on cycling tourists?". CBC News. 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-29.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waterfront Trail.

* The Waterfront Trail Official Site
* The Waterfront Trail Artists
* Entry at Ontario Trails database
* City of Toronto cycling map
* ~~Entry at Waymarked Trails, based on OpenStreetMap data.~~

* v
* t
* e

Bike and hiking trails in Canada

Multi-province|

* Great Divide Trail (AB/BC)
* International Appalachian Trail (NB/QC/NL)
* Mantario Trail (MB/ON)
* Trans Canada Trail (All)

Newfoundland and Labrador|

* East Coast Trail
* Newfoundland T'Railway

Nova Scotia|

* Devils Hill Road Trail
* Greenlink Rotary Park Trail System
* Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail
* Musquodoboit Trailway
* Uisge Ban Falls Trail
* Wilkie Sugar Loaf trail

Prince Edward Island|

* Confederation Trail

New Brunswick|

* Fundy Footpath
* Nepisiguit Mi'gmaq Trail
* Sentier NB Trail

Quebec|

* Cycloparc PPJ
* P'tit Train du Nord
* Route Verte

Ontario|

* Beltline Trail
* Bruce Trail
* Cataraqui Trail
* Don Mills Trail
* Iron Horse Trail
* K&P Rail Trail
* La Cloche Silhouette Trail
* Laura Secord Legacy Trail
* Leaside Spur Trail
* Martin Goodman Trail
* Nipissing-North Arm Orienteering Trail
* North Simcoe Railtrail
* Oak Ridges Trail
* Pan Am Path
* Prescott-Russell Trail
* Rideau Trail
* Spencer Creek Trail
* Spurline Trail
* The Bentway
* The Crack (trail)
* Walter Bean Grand River Trail
* Waterfront Trail
* West Toronto Railpath

Saskatchewan|

* Wascana Trails

Alberta|

* Iron Horse Trail
* Skyline Trail
* Waskahegan Trail

British Columbia|

* Alexander MacKenzie Heritage Trail
* Chilkoot Trail
* Galloping Goose Regional Trail
* Juan de Fuca Marine Trail
* North Coast Trail
* Vancouver Island Trail
* West Coast Trail
* Wildside

Northwest Territories|

* Canol Heritage Trail

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template