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Introduction |
Welland Canal Parklands Walking Tours.
Welland Canal Parklands covers a long distance; 4 km if you measure from Lock 11 in the north to just past Hwy 58 (Thorold Tunnel) in the south. Because of the size of this place we're going to split WCP into four distinct areas. Just scroll down to the section you're interested in seeing.
Lock 11 to Glenridge Ave.
| Duration:20 minutes Difficulty: Easy: Simple trail with some climbs |
This is a very small section with a path you can take on the east side of the locks. The west side of the locks does have a path you can use to reach to Lock 11 but the area is restricted and fenced off to the public.
| Aerial View (1921): This image taken in 1921 shows Locks 11, 12 and 13 of the Third Welland Canal, along with its system of weir ponds used to help manage water levels in the canal. It also shows how busy the canal could be. Boats can be seen using both Lock 11 and Lock 12 when the picture was taken. Today this section is mostly flooded with water from the current canal system. (Photo: Brock Map Library) |
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Glenridge Ave. to CNR Railway
| Duration: 60 minutes Difficulty: Easy-Moderate: some trails are awkward and unclear |
Exploring this section can be simple or complicated depending on what side of the canal you decide to walk along. The Bruce Trail runs along the east side of the canal and is the best way to see the locks on a safe path. The west side has several paths that can provide rewarding experiences like taking you directly into a lock chamber. These paths can also be more dangerous so be careful.
| Aerial View (1930): This image taken in 1930 shows Locks 13 (far left) to 16 (far right) of the Third Welland Canal. In addition to the locks, Glendale Ave. can also be seen just left of Lock 13. While a section of St. David's Rd, no longer used, can be seen passing through two tunnels and a bridge on its way to Thorold just right of Lock 16. The present day CNR railway line can also be seen on the extreme right of the photo. (Photo: Brock University Map Library) |
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CNR Railway to the Reservoir
This was a very popular section of Welland Canal Parklands and the location of the popular "Blue Ghost Tunnel". The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation currently wants this section off limits to hikers so the field guide is only providing pictures with no hiking recommendations. Images show what the area looked like in 2003 before the current restrictions were put in place.
| Aerial View (1921): There's a lot to see in this image. Locks 17 to 21 can be seen going right to left across the top of the image. The curved railway track going under the canal between Locks 18 and 19 (The Blue Ghost Tunnel) can be seen in the middle of the picture. St. Davids Road can be seen running along the bottom of the image providing access to several houses remaining along the road. Finally, construction of the Fourth Welland Canal's water reservoir has already started, possible forcing St. David's Road to a dead end at the bottom right of the photo (Photo: Brock University Map Library) |
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Reservoir to Hwy 58.
| Duration: 60 minutes Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult, reasonable trails but exploring is more difficult |
This remote section of Welland Canal Parklands is often overlooked but it does include a few more remnants to look at. Regarding the map below, there's a lot of overlap between the Third Welland Canal and several newer water channels dug for the Fourth Welland Canal. To avoid any confusion we've outlined the route of the Third Welland Canal where it passes through this area on the map. The right side of the map shows the canal crossing over Hwy 58 (Thorold Tunnel) and leaving the WCP area.
| Aerial View (1921): This is a large section so the aerial image combines two photos stitched together. Locks 21 to 24 can be seen starting in the top left corner and continuing toward the centre of the image. The right side of the image shows the channel of the Third Welland Canal continuing south toward Lake Erie. The Fourth Welland Canal can be seen still being built between the Third Welland Canal and the town of Thorold located at the bottom of the picture. (Photo: Brock University Map Library) |
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