The Hamilton–Brantford–Cambridge Trails are a network of multiuse interurban recreational

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

s connecting several municipalities in southern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The trails are part of the Southern Ontario Loop of the

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the Arctic Ocean, Arctic oceans. The trail extends over ; it is now the longe ...

. From end to end, the trail is long, running from

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

south through

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

Brantford Brantford ( 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by Brant County but is politically separate with a municipal government of its own that is fully indep ...

and then East to central

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

Gordon Glaves Memorial Pathway

The first portion of the Hamilton–Brantford–Cambridge Trails to be completed was named the Gordon Glaves Memorial Pathway in 1993.

Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail

The second portion of the Hamilton–Brantford–Cambridge Trails is the Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail, which was opened in 1994 along the

right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

of the now-defunct

Lake Erie and Northern Railway The Lake Erie and Northern Railway was an interurban electric railway which operated in the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River Valley in Ontario, Canada. The railway owned and operated a north–south mainline which ran from Galt, Ontario, Galt ...

. The northern

trailhead A trailhead is the point where a trail begins or is accessed, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain restrooms, maps, signposts, and distribution centers for ...

is in Galt off Water Street, and from there the trail passes south through Glen Morris, a distance of approximately . It then continues on to Paris until officially terminating and becoming the SC Johnson Trail. The total length of the trail is .

Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail

In 1996, the Hamilton to Brantford Rail Trail was the third portion of the Hamilton–Brantford–Cambridge Trails to be completed. It runs from

through the towns of Dundas and Jerseyville. The entire former railway bed is surfaced with stone dust and marked with a post at each kilometre, with frequent benches by the side of the path. From Brantford to Jerseyville the trail is owned and maintained by the

Grand River Conservation Authority The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is a conservation authority in Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It is a corporate body, through which municipalities, landowners and other organizatio ...

with the Jerseyville-Hamilton section similarly owned by The Hamilton Region Conservation Authority. Beginning in Hamilton just north of the Chedoke Municipal Golf Course, the trail runs West over

Ontario Highway 403 King's Highway 403 (pronounced "four-oh-three"), or simply Highway 403, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that travels between Woodstock and Mississauga, branching off from and reuniting with Highway ...

, through Ainslie Wood and into the

Dundas Valley Conservation Area Dundas Valley Conservation Area is located on the Niagara Escarpment in Dundas, Ontario, a constituent community of Hamilton, Ontario, and is owned and operated by the Hamilton Conservation Authority. Its 40-kilometre trail system provides a connec ...

. Parking and washroom facilities are available at the Dundas Valley Trail Centre, from the trail head. The path winds up the face of the Niagara Escarpment for , reaching the trail's peak elevation at the ruins of Summit Station on the boundary of the Hamilton Harbour and Grand River watersheds. The trail then descends through farmland to Jerseyville, where another parking lot is located at kilometre 18.5. It continues in a nearly straight line for several kilometres before turning South, crossing under the 403 and passing another parking area at the point. The final run through Brantford to connect with the Gordon Glaves Memorial Pathway.

SC Johnson Trail

The SC Johnson Trail (or SC Johnson Rail Trail) follows another section of abandoned Lake Erie and Northern Railway right of way between Paris and Brantford. It connects to the Gordon Glaves Memorial Pathway in Brantford. The trail opened in 1998, completing the network of off-road trails from Hamilton to Cambridge.

External links

Conservation Hamilton Brochure

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton-Brantford-Cambridge Trails Transport in Cambridge, Ontario Bike paths in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Rail trails in Ontario Geography of Hamilton, Ontario Parks in Hamilton, Ontario