Smith Property - Guelph

The Smith Property is a piece of land running alongside the Eramosa River just south of Guelph. The land is managed by the Grand River Conservation Authority while the trail is maintained by the Guelph Hiking Trail Club. The trail is a loop that is 4.5km long.

The Smith Property

The trailhead is on Watson Road South and there is parking for about 15 cars along the gravel shoulder. The trail begins on the railbed for the long abandoned Toronto Suburban Railway. The cedar lined path can get quite dark in overcast conditions but it soon opens up. After 250m the trail splits. I chose the northerly route (the trail is a loop and will eventually return to this same place) and the trail climbed slowly out of the Eramosa River valley. The path is dirt with and for some sections follows an old farm road. There is a wonderful old stone wall that follows the trail for about 500m on your left.

There are several nice lookouts over the valley to be had about 1.6km into the walk. After 2.2km the trail begins to turn south and soon heads steeply downhill, back into the river valley. The clockwise route I took is certainly the easier one. Should you choose to travel in the opposite direction this hill will give your quads and knees a good workout.

The Trail at Sunrise

The Eramosa River

Once at the bottom the trail re-joins the railbed and is very flat from here back to the parking area. There is a small side trail that will bring you to a dam on the Eramosa River about 2.9km into the hike. This is a beautiful area to sit and watch the wildlife. But please stay off the dam.

The trail can get bust at times with joggers and dog walkers. I went very early on a Saturday morning and I only ran into 2 other people. The area has a wonderful mix of cedar forest down in the valley and a mixed deciduous/coniferous forest at the top.

For more photos of the Smith Property click here.




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