Waterloo Region Connected
Trails - Printable Version

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RE: Trails - danbrotherston - 09-18-2016

To be fair it is easily navigable on a mountain bike. I wouldn't remove bike access given that bikes are permitted.

The whole trail should be brown though as that is marked "unpaved".


RE: Trails - Markster - 09-18-2016

Yeah, I've just updated a large amount of the trail to "gravel".  It will at least appear different (brown, not green) now.


RE: Trails - Pheidippides - 09-18-2016

I had thought that section was scheduled for fixing this summer:
http://www.therecord.com/news-story/6221476-gaps-in-river-trail-still-years-from-completion-along-grand-river-in-kitchener/
"It's expected work will begin this summer to fix several kilometres of the trail between the Highway 8 bridge over the Grand River and the Doon Valley Golf Course in Kitchener. That section of the riverside trail has been repeatedly damaged by flooding."


RE: Trails - Canard - 09-18-2016

Wow, thanks for that article - I had no idea. This would be such an awesome trail if it was actually traversable by anything other than mountain climbers! Wink


RE: Trails - jamincan - 09-18-2016

Hey Canard, have you done other parts of the Walter Bean Trail? I frequently run the section between Ottawa Street and Fairway Road. The surface conditions there are good.

There's actually a pretty nice 18km loop you can do around the part of Kitchener east of the Conestoga Parkway and Hwy 8 using a combination of neighbourhood trails, the Walter Bean Trail and the Dom Cardillo Trail. Most of the trails are crushed stone, with some paved trails. There is only one small section that's lower quality, approximately 300m of trail heading north from Otterbein Road. It should still be fine on a bike, except for one steep ditch that you might have to get off for (although I think you might be able to go around? I only ever run the trail, so don't see it with a biker's eye.)


RE: Trails - Canard - 09-19-2016

(09-18-2016, 08:44 PM)jamincan Wrote: Hey Canard, have you done other parts of the Walter Bean Trail? I frequently run the section between Ottawa Street and Fairway Road. The surface conditions there are good.

Something like this?

   

I was actually planning on checking that out sometime this week!  My only problem with it is it's a little too short - 10 km round trip, but I prefer rides around 20-30 km.  I find that's my "happy spot" for riding.  Any less and I'm still itching for more, and any more than 40 km and my knees can't take it.

(09-18-2016, 08:44 PM)jamincan Wrote: There's actually a pretty nice 18km loop you can do around the part of Kitchener east of the Conestoga Parkway and Hwy 8 using a combination of neighbourhood trails, the Walter Bean Trail and the Dom Cardillo Trail. Most of the trails are crushed stone, with some paved trails. There is only one small section that's lower quality, approximately 300m of trail heading north from Otterbein Road. It should still be fine on a bike, except for one steep ditch that you might have to get off for (although I think you might be able to go around? I only ever run the trail, so don't see it with a biker's eye.)

Thanks for that - the Dom Cardillo (I keep calling it the "Don Corleone" by mistake) is also high on my list of "To Explore" trails, but I can't figure out a nice way to get from my house to the North end of it to make a good run.

So many fragments of good trails with little or no connectivity between them.  For a novice cyclist, this is really frustrating. Sad  I was really let down by the Walter Bean thing.  Aside from the IHT, Spur Line Trail and the ones up Northwest of R+T Park, I think I'm just going to keep going back to London to explore their absolutely vast network of paved, connected, continuous waterfront trails.  I simply adored those - the best I've ridden, by far.

(Thanks for the changes/updates to the map, Mark - I noticed they took effect today!)


RE: Trails - clasher - 09-19-2016

The Walter Bean trail going from Conestoga College in Kitchener following the Grand down to Galt is a really nice ride.


RE: Trails - jamincan - 09-19-2016

You might try some of the rail trails in the area as well - the Elora Cataract Trail, Kissing Bridge Trailway, or Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail.


RE: Trails - Canard - 09-19-2016

I did Paris to Cambridge and back - 40 km, and loved it! I made sure to start and end in Paris, due to the topology. I'll check out those other suggestions - thanks!


RE: Trails - jwilliamson - 09-19-2016

The Forwell and Hillside trails in Waterloo are a nice little system, and almost Sad connect to the Laurel trail at Moses Springer.


RE: Trails - jwilliamson - 09-23-2016

The Laurel trail is now passable from Caroline to Waterloo Park. It's in rough condition, but easily bikable.


RE: Trails - Canard - 09-23-2016

Do you mean this section, in front of the Perimeter Institute? (red line)

   


RE: Trails - jwilliamson - 09-24-2016

Yes. I expect it will close again for trail grading fairly soon.


RE: Trails - Pheidippides - 10-03-2016

The Kitchener trail counter data is now available via their open data portal. Unlike Waterloo, who opted for the automatic upload, the data has be collected manually and will only be refreshed periodically, but it is better than nothing.

http://app.kitchener.ca/opendata/csv/Trails_Counters_Pedestrians_Cyclists.csv


RE: Trails - Pheidippides - 10-07-2016

Partial closure of the IHT coming Gage to Glasgow:

In partnership with the development of 137 Glasgow, the Iron Horse trail between Gage and Glasgow will undergo a series of improvements including widening, re-paving, additional amenities and replanting. In preparation of the improvements, the City of Kitchener is undertaking a series of corridor management practices to remove identified invasive, encroaching, undesirable and hazardous vegetation along the trail. This section of the Iron Horse Trail will have partial and temporary closures to accommodate the improvement work. Details of the periodic closures and detour route are below:

Location: Gage Avenue to Glasgow Street
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016 (on or about)
Time: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays only and periodically
Duration: 1 to 2 weeks

Also, and I could not find this online: