St. Catharines

The heart of St. Catharines’ Waterfront Trail is Port Dalhousie with its antique carousel, sandy beach, busy harbour and exuberant patio scene. But the race for the crown in the Garden City is getting more contentious. Throughout St. Catharines you’ll find the Trail meandering along residential roads and off-road paths, connecting beaches at Port Weller and municipal parks as well as the unique family-oriented experience at Happy Rolph’s Animal Farm. Nearby you’ll find stunning wetlands and a scenic bridge on part of the Green Ribbon Trail, follow the 12 Mile Creek trail, or cruise the famous Welland Canal.

Along the Welland Canal, you can celebrate the history, scenery, and activity on working waterfront as vessels pass through the canal locks. Following the Canal even further, you can enjoy a 40km (each way) trip to Thorold, Welland to take in the popular eateries or Lake Erie beaches in Port Colborne.

Download Printable Map

Trail Attributes

Total distance: 20 km
Lakeshore Road from Gregory to Courtleigh is narrow road with no shoulders and ditches. (2 km)
Sections of off-road stone dust trail through Belmont Park, Cherie Road Park, Malcolmson Eco Park and 911 Memorial Park by Happy Rolph’s. Quiet residential roads.
Set of stairs located on the west side of Lakeside Park. Cyclists may prefer to use Lock Street and Main to enter the Park.
Bike lanes have been installed along Lakeshore from Read Road to Townline Road on the boundary with Niagara on the Lake (3.8 km).
Lakeshore Rd is a busy Regional Road posted with speed limits between 60km/hr to 80 km/hr

Tips:

Stock up on water and provisions in Port Dalhousie since Trail west through Lincoln and east toward NOTL has few amenity stops.

Local Maps and Connections Staging Areas Amenities and Transit Helpful Links

Links to Local Maps

The regional cycling map provides a comprehensive guide to cycling in Niagara. Both the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie sections of Waterfront Trail are clearly marked, as well as the connections on the Niagara River Recreation Path and the Welland Canal Trail. The map is also available as an downloadable interactive PDF map for iPhone and iPad devices.

The Niagara Cycling Map is also available for download on an interactive PDF map.

Tourism Niagara’s Cycling Route maps: Developed in collaboration with the Regional Niagara Cycling Committee, the Cycling in Niagara Map offers six different day trips in the region. It is available in English and French.

Connections

Welland Canals Parkway Trail

Greater Niagara Circle Route

Merritt Trail

Green Ribbon Trail

Bruce Trail connections through the Merrit & Green Ribbon Trails

Walkers Creek Trail

The Greenbelt Route: This 475km cycling route connects businesses, farms and communities from the scenic Twenty Valley wine region in Niagara to the stunning vistas of Northumberland from Queenston to Roseneath near Rice Lake.

The Lake Ontario Watershed Network: The growing Lake Ontario Watershed Network links many communities in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, Northumberland County and the Niagara region via the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, Greenbelt Route and a growing number of signed connectors and signature loops. In St. Catharines there are a number of signed connections between the Greenbelt Route, and Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, forming three distinct (and overlapping) signature loops: The 38km Short-Dalhousie Shakeup linking Short Hills Provincial Park to St. Catharines and the beaches of Port Dalhousie; the 30km Garden City Glide, connecting St. Catharines to Port Weller and Port Dalhousie via 12 Mile Creek and the Welland Canal; and the 49km Wine Country Roundabout circling much of the lower Niagara wine region.

Self-Guided Bike Trips

The Region and it’s partners have developed an Online Library of Scenic Bike Routes, featuring hundreds of pre-selected routes, each one containing a map and turn-by-turn directions in PDF printable format. Check out this amazing resource!