Returning to Niagara – Walking the Laura Secord Legacy Trail

Exploring Familiar Pathways While Preparing to Hike the Great Trail Across Canada
 

The Great Trail in Niagara, Ontario

 
As we continue researching and preparing for our planned journey across Canada on the Great Trail (Trans Canada Trail), we are increasingly discovering that many of the pathways making up the national network are not entirely unfamiliar to us. In fact, having spent years hiking and exploring different parts of Ontario, we have already walked sections of the Great Trail without necessarily realizing that they were part of a much larger system connecting communities across the country.

 
Having spent the past several days exploring the Niagara Peninsula, we are continuing our walks along some of the many pathways that make up the Great Trail (Trans Canada Trail) in southern Ontario. Our explorations began near the shores of Lake Erie, where we visited Rock Point Provincial Park and walked a short section of the Gord Harry Conservation Trail. From there, we spent two days following the Niagara Parkway Recreation Trail northward from Fort Erie toward Niagara-on-the-Lake, discovering the natural landscapes, historic communities, and landmarks along the Niagara River.
 
Today, however, we are turning away from the river and returning to another part of the region that is particularly familiar to us – the Niagara Escarpment and the southern end of the Bruce Trail at Queenston Heights.  Our plan is to follow the Laura Secord Legacy Trail toward St. Catharines, retracing portions of the historic route associated with Laura Secord's journey during the War of 1812. Along the way, we will also be following sections of the Bruce Trail, which we have walked on several previous occasions while working toward completing that remarkable pathway from Queenston Heights to Tobermory.

 
One of the interesting things we are discovering during our preparations for walking across Canada is just how many existing trails come together to form the Great Trail. Here in Niagara, pathways commemorating different chapters of Canadian history intersect with recreational trails, conservation areas, and long-distance hiking routes. Although we are familiar with parts of this landscape, following the national trail network is giving us another reason to look more closely at how these pathways connect and where they lead.
 

Where Several Trails Meet

 
One of the fascinating things about hiking in Niagara is discovering just how many different pathways share the same landscape. The Bruce Trail, Laura Secord Legacy Trail, General Brock Trail, and other regional heritage routes weave through the area, sometimes following the same footpaths before diverging toward different destinations.

 
Each has its own history and purpose. The Bruce Trail follows the Niagara Escarpment northward toward Tobermory, while the Laura Secord Legacy Trail commemorates the remarkable journey undertaken during the War of 1812 to warn British forces of an impending American attack. Other regional pathways provide opportunities to explore the military, cultural, natural, and industrial histories of the Niagara Peninsula.

 
Follow the Great Trail across Canada; these overlapping pathways offer an interesting introduction to how a national trail network actually works. Rather than being one newly constructed footpath stretching from coast to coast, the Great Trail brings together hundreds of existing local and regional routes, many of which retain their own identities, histories, and names.  We are gradually beginning to appreciate that knowing which trail we are following, and where its route connects with or diverges from another, may prove just as important as knowing the direction in which we hope to travel.
 

Continuing Our Preparations for the Great Trail

 
While these outings provide welcome opportunities to spend time outdoors, they are also helping us become more familiar with the different types of pathways that make up the Great Trail. We are learning that the national route may follow a dedicated recreational trail for one stretch, share a local hiking route for another, and then continue along roadways or through communities where the way forward is not immediately obvious.  Of course, we are not suggesting that hiking in Niagara is necessarily representative of what we will encounter while walking across Canada. The distances, landscapes, weather conditions, and challenges ahead will undoubtedly vary considerably. Nevertheless, these shorter outings are giving us opportunities to familiarize ourselves with the national network while continuing to explore places we already enjoy.  More importantly, they remind us that we do not need to wait until our expedition begins to enjoy discovering Canada on foot.

 
For those interested in the full experience of hiking the Bruce Trail and Laura Secord Legacy Trail through Niagara, including the historic sites, natural landscapes, route descriptions, and photographs from our explorations, we have shared a more detailed account in our separate Bruce Trail End-to-End hike.
 
Meanwhile, we will continue researching the Great Trail, testing our equipment, and exploring other sections of the national pathway whenever opportunities arise.  There is still an enormous amount of planning to be done before we set out from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, but it is encouraging to discover that some of the trails we have already come to know and love are part of the very network we hope to follow across Canada.
 
See you on the trail!