North St. Catharines Waterfront & Welland Canal

This is our favorite area to run in St. Catharines, with several options to mix & match waterfront paths. Run the 3.3 km Waterfront Trail standalone, combine with a section of the Welland Canal Trail & Walker’s Creek Trail for an 11.5 km loop, or take the George Nicholson Memorial Trail out to MacIntyre Bay.

Waterfront Trail Section. The western end of the Waterfront Trail is at Belmont Park off Beachview Dr. Run east along the water for 3.3 km. It’s a mainly gravel path with some nice views of Lake Ontario, passing through several small parks, with a brief on-road section. The path ends at Port Weller Beach. Here, you can continue the Welland Canal Trail (below).

• Loop Option: For a terrific 11.5 km loop option, continue east onto the Welland Canal Trail for 2 km to Linwell Rd. The canal trail is a gravel, wooded path inland from the canal for 1 km, then turns to paved and is right alongside the canal. Then head east along Linwell Rd. for 1.6 km to join the Walker’s Creek Trail, a wooded gravel path that heads north through Walker’s Creek Park for 2.3 km to the Lake. Then finish the loop for 2 km east along the Waterfront Trail.

Welland Canal Trail. The gravel path starts just east of the Waterfront Trail off Cumberland Rd. It’s wooded and inland from the canal for 1 km, then turns to paved and is right alongside the canal. We’ve mapped up to 8 km south to the St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre, though the path continues for several km south of there.

Trail to MacIntyre Bay. On the east side of the Welland Canal/Port Weller Harbour, the George Nicholson Memorial Trail is a scenic, wide dirt path that runs out to MacIntyre Bay. There are fantastic water views, especially at the tip, where the Welland Canal meets Lake Ontario. Starting at Jones Beach, the trail is 5.7 km out and back.