Niagara Km 15.2 to Km 29.8 - 10 June, 2015

Hikers: Helgy, Christine, Case and Andy

Leaders:  Karen and Richard

Section and Distance:  Niagara Km 15.2 to Km 29.8 

Weather:  Sunny, hot and windy with a few showers

Actual Distance hiked:  15.45 km

This hike is a make up hike for Andy, Christine and Case.  With this hike Case completes his Niagara end to end.

After positioning the cars we started the hike at the Woodend parking lot.

Starting the hike

We crossed the road and continued west through the woods along the edge of a golf course.  We then followed an abandoned roadbed to the Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).  After a short climb we continued northeast for about 1 km along the banks of the Third Canal.  At Glendale Ave. we turned left and crossed the Glendale Bridge over the Fourth Welland Canal.

Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).

Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).

Rose Bush

Third Welland Canal (1887 to 1931).

Glendale bridge over Fourth Welland Canal

Fourth Welland Canal

We then entered the Greater Niagara Circle Route (GNCR) which is a multi-use trail and followed the GNCR under the CN Rail tracks.  We turned right into a light bush and crossed a spur line before entering a denser bush behind a new subdivision.  We took a sharp turn up another spur-line embarkment and crossed the tracks into another bush.  We paralleled the tracks for 300 metres to a sharp incline to Merritt Street.

Mulberry Tree

Rose Bush

We crossed Ball Avenue over a small concrete bridge and continued to an old chain-link fence which we followed over a steel bridge crossing the old canal.  Here we met the Merritt trail which we followed for 500 metres to Glendale Avenue.  We turned left under Highway 406 to Tremont Dr, were we stopped at Tim Hortons for our lunch.  As we ate lunch the skies got darker and before we left it rained heavily for a short period of time.

Second Welland Canal

After about a 1/2 hour break we continued to the top of the hill before entering into a light bush and then into  mature woodlot, through light rain.  We continued along Glenridge Avenue to the footpath on the Brock University Campus at which time the rain had stopped, but the trail was very muddy.

We followed the north side of the Brock University campus and then headed along the edge of escarpment.  We continued along the escarpment edge to the hydro property above the outskirts of St. Catharines.  We followed the fence along a hydro canal and then turned left over rough ground onto a gravel road.

After 600 metres we turned right into the forest.   We crossed two bridges winding through scrub land, on a very muddy trail, to the eastern side of Lake Moodie and hiked along the water's edge to the east side of the DeCew Rd. Bridge.  Along the way we came across a painted turtle on the trail.  We crossed the bridge to DeCew House Park where we had parked the first car.   We picked up the other car from Woodend and drove home.

Moodie Lake

Moodie Lake

Moodie Lake