Woolwich Trail Locations

Trail Map

Grand Valley Trail closed between 17 McAllister Lane (in Bloomingdale) to the trail entrance across from the Bloomingdale Mennonite Church at 1151 Snyders’ Flats Road

The Grand Valley Trail is a marked footpath of about 275 kilometres which generally follows the Grand River through Haldimand County, Brant County, Waterloo Region (including Woolwich), Wellington and Dufferin Counties and Peel Region.

About 34 kilometers of the Grand Valley Trail fall within the boundaries of Woolwich Township. The trail follows the river valley from Breslau in the south, through Bloomingdale, Winterbourne and West Montrose to the Woolwich/Centre Wellington townline in the north.

This trail is a combination of natural footpath, gravel shoulder, pavement and gravel road. White blazing marks the trail. There are some boardwalks, log bridges and stiles over fences. Some areas are wet and some portions of the trail on land adjacent to the river may flood seasonally. Use caution in these areas in these times.

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

Trail length: 5.1 km

Permitted uses: hiking, birding, mountain biking on all sections. Biking, cross country skiing and snowshoeing in some sections.

This is the old Conestogo River Trail between St. Jacobs and Conestogo. It dates to the earliest days of both villages. The HVT was a Conestogo/Winterbourne Optimist club project in 1992. It is maintained by the Township of Woolwich, members of the Woolwich Trails Group and the Avon Trail Club.

The Health Valley Trail is a multi-surfaced trail located along the Conestogo River extending from Albert St. E. in St. Jacobs, east towards University Ave. E. in Waterloo. The trail has a hard-packed stone-dust surface and is quite level from the trailhead in St. Jacobs to Arthur St. S. From there, the trail is a mix of natural footpath, stone-dust and woodchips. There are some boardwalks in wet areas. Hiking boots are recommended in wet seasons. Please close the farm gates as you pass through. 

NOTE: Bridge over Martin's Creek is closed. There is no access from St Jacobs to University Ave or from University Ave to St Jacobs.  

 This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail length in Woolwich: 4 km

Permitted uses: hiking, biking

The Hopewell Trail on the east side of Breslau follows the outer boundary of the Hopewell subdivision and the forested valley of Hopewell Creek. There are walkways with access to the trail on Horseshoe Cr., Townsend Dr. and Maplecrest Dr.. This trail is a combination of asphalt and stone dust making it well suited for pedestrians & cyclists.

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

Trail length in Woolwich: 16.5 km Linear 
Trail length between Guelph & Millbank 45 km Linear

Permitted uses: hiking, biking, cross country skiing. Snowmobiling permitted in designated sections only.

The abandonded 45 km stretch of rail line from Guelph to Millbank was purchased by the Province in 1990 and subsequently leased by the Region in 1997 as a rails to trails conversion project. The operations of the trailway are coordinated by a volunteer Trailway Advisory Board with representatives from five steward groups consisting of Elmira Lions Club, the West Montrose Residents Association, the Guelph Hiking Club, the Linwood Lions Club, and the Golden Triangle Snowmobile Club.

Extending from Guelph to Millbank, the Kissing Bridge Trailway is almost completely finished with a hard-packed stone-dust surface, making it an excellent trail for users of all ages. The portion of the trail within Woolwich extends from the eastern Township boundary and parallels Line 86 to West Montrose, where the route takes you into the village and over the Grand River on a covered bridge. From there, the trail continues west to the northern edge of Elmira, and then on to the western boundary of the Township where Woolwich meets Wellesley and Mapleton Townships. This resurfaced former CP railway line is a great place for young children to safely learn to ride their bikes on a level, even surface away from traffic. The wide pathway makes a great trail for bikers or groups of hikers as it allows people to walk four or five abreast. More information about the Kissing Bridge Trailway may be found at:  www.kissingbridgetrailway.ca 

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

Trail length: 7 km loop

Permitted uses: hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, bird watching.

This trail was established in 1980 by the Elmira Lions Club, the GRCA, the village of Floradale and local landowners. It is maintained by the Elmira Lions Club. The Lions Lake Trail is an easy, well-maintained single track earthen trail encircling the Woolwich Reservoir at the north end of the township. It has some sections of double- track laneway, and at the Woolwich Dam crossing, some pavement. Bridges traverse wet areas.

Follow the Lions Club trail markers. Outhouse facilities are located at the north end of the trail in Floradale Park near the picnic shelter.

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

11 km loop trail

Permitted uses: hiking, biking, cross country skiing, bird watching

The Lions Ring Trail was developed through a partnership between the Elmira Lions Club and the Township of Woolwich. Construction of the trail began in 2004 with funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The purpose of the trail is to provide trail users with a circular or 'ring' trail around Elmira with a link to the Kissing Bridge Trailway at the north edge of town. Currently, the trail surface includes hard-packed stone-dust, wood-chipped side trails in more sensitive woodland areas, as well as sidewalk and roadside sections. Stone-dust trail sections are found south of Oriole Parkway and Whippoorwill Dr. The Elmira Lions Club and the Township continue to explore opportunities to extend the stone-dust sections of the trail on the east side of Elmira. Plans are in place to construct a portion of the trail in the new residential development in the north-west corner of Elmira, thereby completing the western link with the Kissing Bridge Trailway.

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

Trail length: 1.5 km Linear 

The trail follows the division and reunion of the Conestogo River entering St. Jacobs from the west. It dates back several generations and is known locally as "Lovers Lane".

The Mill Race Trail is an easy, level, stone-dust trail that parallels the mill race diversion of the Conestogo River from the old Snider Mill in St. Jacobs, upstream to the dam at Three Bridges Rd. west of the village. Proximity to the village, and the hard-packed, level, stonedust trail surface makes it ideal for hikers of all ages. Seasonally, baby strollers can be maneuvered quite easily on the trail. 

NOTE - the trail ends at the railway bridge. There is no access from the trail to downtown St Jacobs.    

This trail is not winter maintained.

1 km linear trail with loop around a storm water management pond.

Permitted uses: hiking, biking

The Riverland Trail is approximately 1 km in length running along a section of the Grand River in the Riverland subdivision located on the west side in Breslau. The trail has a hard packed granular surface and is suitable for hiking and biking. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail. The trail is not winter maintained. As the residential area of the Riverland subdivision continues to develop the trail will be extended.

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

Trail length: South Trail: 1.7 km loop North Trail: 1.1 km Loop/linear

Three trails meander through 2 stands of pine trees designated as Waterloo Region Agreement Forest. The land was purchased by Waterloo County in 1945 and the red pine stand planted to prevent erosion of the sandy soil.

The Sandy Hills Pinery Trails are located north of Elmira in a pine plantation-type woodland managed by the Region of Waterloo. These trails are easy, single track sand/gravel trails with some areas of double track width. The side trails are somewhat narrower and traverse more varied elevation. There are few to no wet areas, but cyclists are cautioned on areas of loose, deep sand.

The Sandy Hills Pinery Trails can be accessed at the following points:

South Trail-390 Sandy Hills Dr., Woolwich From Elmira, head north on Arthur St. N. and turn east/right onto Sandy Hills Dr. The trail is located on the right. Limited parking is available just off the roadside.

North Trail-275 Sandy Hills Dr., Woolwich From Elmira, head north on Arthur St. N. and turn east/right onto Sandy Hills Dr. The trail is located on the left. One parking spot is available near the small trail sign.

This trail is not winter maintained.

Trail Map

Snyder's Flats is a 100-hectare former gravel pit that has been restored as a natural area with ponds, new forests, grasslands and other features.

The conservation area is on Snyder's Flats Road, west of Sawmill Road near the village of Bloomingdale in Woolwich Township.

The ponds provide habitat for several fish species that live in the ponds as well as the nearby Grand River. The forest was planted in conjunction with the Kitchener-Conestoga Rotary Club.

There is a 4.5 kilometre looped trail with interpretive signs that explain the features of Snyder's Flats.

A National Trail

Trail length within Woolwich: 29 km linear

Trail Map

The Trans Canada Trail in Woolwich is part of the world's longest trail at 24,000 km. Within Woolwich, the Trans Canada Trail follows former CP railway, existing trails (Kissing Bridge Trailway, Mill Race trail, the Avon Trail and the Health Valley Trail), as well as some newly constructed sections along Farmer's Market Road, it crosses public and private land and follows some roadways. Trail surfaces vary and include pavement, stone-dust, natural foot path and some on-road sections. Details of the entire trail can be found at https://tctrail.ca/ 

NOTE - In St Jacobs the trail is closed at the railway bridge. There is no access from the trail to downtown St Jacobs.   

This trail is not winter maintained.