Waterloo Region and Guelph
Overnight Bike Tour
  of the Grand, Speed, Eramosa and Conestogo Rivers

This bike ride can be accomplished comfortably in 2 days—or take a little longer and explore some of the natural, cultural and heritage sites along the way.  Starting at St Jacobs Market (1) in Waterloo, ride along multi-use trails through the University of Waterloo, across Laurel Creek and into Uptown Waterloo (3).  Take the Iron Horse Trail through Kitchener (4).  Stop at Doon Heritage Village (5) and then cross Hwy 401 high above the traffic on a pedestrian bridge.  Cross the Grand River into the Village of Blair (6) and then follow the Speed River to the village of Hespeler (7) and onto downtown Guelph (8).  Take the Kissing Bridge Trailway through the West Montrose Covered Bridge (9) then to the town of Elmira (11).  Take back roads into the quaint Village of St Jacobs (12) (a shopper’s paradise).  Follow another tributary, the Conestogo River back to St Jacobs Market.

Overnight Bike Tour of Waterloo Region and Guelph
Exploring the Grand River and its Tributaries
The Speed and Conestogo Rivers and Laurel Creek
(110 km round trip, mainly on multi-use trails and quiet back roads)

The instructions for this trip start and end at St Jacobs Market (1)  in Waterloo, but you can start anywhere on the route.  If you begin at St Jacobs Market, break your trip overnight in Guelph for a 2 day trip.   For a unique 4-day trip, stay at Langdon Hall in Blair (6), Norfolk Guest House B&B in Guelph (8); and Bristow’s Inn in Elmira (11).

PARK:  If you are staying overnight at a hotel near the route before you start your trip, arrange to leave your car at the hotel while you are away.  Overnight parking is permitted in the City of Waterloo (3) (for up to 15 nights a year, except during snow emergencies). You must register on-line before 1 am to avoid a ticket.  In Kitchener (4), you can park overnight anywhere it is legal to park, except in the winter. Guelph (8) does not allow overnight parking on downtown streets. You can park for up to 48 hours at the East Parkade (146 MacDonell St) and West Parkade (110 MacDonell St).

STAY:  There are numerous hotels and bed and breakfast establishments in Waterloo Region and Guelph.  A number of hotels are close to the route of this bike tour:


Waterloo to Kitchener

  1. Begin your trip at St Jacobs Market (1).  The Farmers’ Market is open on Thursday and Saturday year round.  In addition to local produce and crafts there are numerous food vendors on market days.  For a unique treat, look out for the handmade apple fritters.  Market Road Antiques and St Jacobs Outlet Mall are open daily.  Waterloo Central Railway is a heritage railway that runs from the market to Elmira (11).  Check their schedule for special holiday trips and steam train rides.  You can also take a 1 hour wagon ride through the countryside, drawn by a 1953 John Deere tractor.  Visit The Mennonite Story to learn about the history of Mennonites in Waterloo Region

  2. Turn L as you leave the market onto Farmers Market Rd.  When you reach the railway line, turn R onto the Market Trail (off road multi-use trail), which runs beside the active railway line.  Ride for 1.5 km to Northfield Dr (busy road).  Turn R and ride on the bike lane to the traffic lights at Parkside Dr.  Turn R at the lights and ride 1.3 km on a multi-use trail and road and then cross Bearinger Rd onto Wes Graham Way.  After 450 m jog L onto the Laurel Trail (off road-multi-use trail).  This trail continues through the University of Waterloo for 1.8 km to Seagram Dr.  Continue into Waterloo Park and cross the light rail train tracks at the station.  Ride through Waterloo Park (keep R on the cycling section of the trail) for 1 km, crossing Laurel Creek, a small tributary of the Grand River.  There is a play park for children and, in the summer, a splash pad and farm animals, as well as a beach area on Silver Lake.  The trail passes the Perimeter Institute, a world-renowned institute for research into theoretical physics.  It is housed in a unique building designed with randomly placed windows to look like an old-fashioned computer punch card.  The next building on the left is the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.  The Laurel Trail ends at Erb St.  As you ride across Erb St watch out for the train tracks crossing the road at an angle.  The heritage building on the corner of Carolyn St and Erb St was formerly the Seagram Company’s original warehouse.  Beside the warehouse on Erb St is a modern building housing the Centre for International Governance Innovation, also known as CIGI.

  3. Follow the multi-use trail (now the Iron Horse Trail) along the west side of Caroline St to Vincenzo’s, a family-run international food store.  Buy lunch or supplies for a picnic.  Just past Vincenzo’s, the trail turns R between an apartment building and a parking garage.  On the other side of the apartments, cross Park St and follow the trail for 1.9 km to Victoria St.  Be careful crossing this busy road, using the mid-road island.  The trail then goes behind the City Café Bakery (pick up some traditional bagels and other baked goods for a picnic, cash only) and Golden Dynasty Restaurant.  Immediately after passing the bakery and restaurant, the Iron Horse Trail crosses West Ave and continues off-road beside Victoria Park, where there is a large children’s playground and splash pad (if you turn off and go through Victoria Park, you will come to downtown Kitchener (4), where there are many restaurants and several hotels.)  The trail continues for 1.8 km to Courtland Ave E.  Walk your bike to the traffic lights at the intersection of Courtland Ave E and Stirling Ave S.  The trail resumes on the opposite side of the intersection, ending at 850 m at Ottawa St S.  

  4. Turn R onto Ottawa St S and cross the bridge over the creek.  Immediately after the bridge, cross Ottawa St at Nyberg St, and continue on Nyberg St to Sydney St S, about 200 m.  Turn R on Sydney St.  In 170 m turn R onto Bedford Rd and ride for 350 m beside the golf course to Courtland Ave.  Turn L onto the off-road multi-use trail.  In 220 m cross the road at the traffic lights at Carwood Ave.  Continue for 850 m on the multi-use trail beside Courtland Ave, to Hayward Ave and turn R.  Continue on Hayward Ave.  In 400 m turn R on Hansen Ave and continue for 500 m to Homer Watson Blvd.  

  5. Stay on the same side of Homer Watson Blvd and take the multi-use trail all the way to the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum and Doon Heritage Village (5) at Huron Rd.  If you have time, both are worth a visit.  Otherwise, turn R onto Huron Rd.  In 500 m, turn R onto Mill St.  Continue for 1.6 km to Old Mill Rd and turn L.  The Homer Watson House and Gallery, on your left, is dedicated to the works of 19th and early 20th century local landscape artist, Homer Watson.  Continue for 1.3 km to Doon Valley Dr and turn L.  After 600 m, just before the entrance to the Doon Valley Golf Course, turn R onto a trail that leads to the pedestrian bridge over Hwy 401.  Here you can safely watch the cars speeding by on the highway under your feet.  As you cross the bridge you leave Kitchener behind and enter Cambridge.

Blair to Hespeler, Cambridge

  1. After crossing the bridge, continue on Morningside Dr for 850 m to the roundabout at Fountain St S, in the Village of Blair (6).  (If you continue straight onto Blair Rd, in 1.1 km on the R you will reach Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa.  (The hotel also has a world-renowned restaurant)  Take the 3rd exit onto Fountain St S.  Ride 2.1 km to the Shantz Hill Rd intersection.  There is a multi-use trail for the first 1.5 km.  Then use caution as the road is narrow and busy.  There is a sidewalk.  At the traffic lights, continue on the multi-use trail beside Fountain St S for 280m.  Turn R on the multi-use trail onto King St S for 250.  Cross the road at the traffic lights and enter Riverside Park.  

  2. Take the park road which branches off to the R, which follows the Speed River (the Grand River’s largest tributary) upstream.  After 800 m there is a pond on the L.  Just past the pond, take the multi-use trail on the R.  After 300 m, the trail becomes a boardwalk.  When the boardwalk divides, take the R hand branch and cross the bridge over the Speed River.  Stay on the trail for 2.9 km to Beaverdale Rd, crossing Speedsville Rd and passing under Hwy 401.  Turn L onto Beaverdale and cross the Speed River again.  Immediately after the bridge, take the trail to the R.  Follow the trail, for 2.3 km along the banks of the Speed River to Guelph Ave in the Village of Hespeler (7).  To continue your ride, turn L on Guelph Ave.   Take a break at Four Fathers Brewing Co, on your R.  If you have time, go the opposite direction on Guelph Ave and cross the river into the village, where there are several restaurants.  Visit the Fashion History Museum at the corner of Queen St E and Cooper Ave.

  3. Resume your ride by travelling north on Guelph Ave.  Ride up the hill for 1.5 km to Blackbridge Rd and turn R.  Continue on Blackbridge Rd, which turns into Roszell Rd and then Forestell Rd (all paved country roads), for 7.3 km, crossing Wellington Rd 32.  Turn L on Side Rd 10 N (paved country road) and continue for 1 km to Laird Rd W (paved country road).  After 2.1 km turn L onto Downey Rd (busy road) and ride for 1.6 km into the city of Guelph (8).  


Guelph


  1. Turn L onto Ptarmigan Dr.  In 1.2 km, at the end of Ptarmigan Dr, take the off-road multi-use trail for 850 m to the corner of College Ave W and Stone Rd W.  Go straight ahead, and take College Ave W for 2 km.  At Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute, turn L onto the 2nd driveway of the high school, just before Vanier Dr.  The Royal Recreation Trail comes off the driveway to the R.  Follow the trail alongside the school building and ride for  passing beside the school and proceeding north for 1 km  (note that the trail divides at Centennial Park.  Keep L on the Royal Recreation Trail).  Turn L on Municipal St.  In 450 m, at the end of the street, continue straight, back on the Royal Recreation Trail, and ride along the banks of the Speed River for 2.1 km, crossing Edinburgh St and continuing to Gordon St.  The trail passes behind McCrae House, at 108 Water St,  home of Col. John McCrae MD, who wrote the poem, “In Flanders Fields the Poppies Blow” before he was killed in WWI.  At the end of the trail at Gordon St, turn L and cross the bridge over the Speed River (busy road with bike lanes and sidewalk).

  2. Immediately after crossing the Speed River, turn R into the driveway of the Boathouse Restaurant and Speed River Paddling.  The two establishments are open seasonally.  Rent a canoe or kayak and paddle the Speed River and its tributary, the Eramosa, for an hour or two and then take a break for ice cream and traditional afternoon tea.  

  3. To resume your ride, continue on the Boathouse driveway.  Turn R onto the trail on the other side of the Guelph Lawn Bowling Club and cross the covered bridge.  From here you can get great views of the confluence of the Speed and Eramosa Rivers.  At the other side of the bridge, turn L taking the trail across York Road Park to York Rd.  Turn L and at the end of the street, take the trail behind the houses for 230 m to Wyndham St S.  Turn L and cross back over the Speed River on Wyndham St S (very busy road, walk on the sidewalk over bridge to the traffic lights at Wellington St E).  To get to the centre of Guelph where there are numerous restaurants, continue on Wyndham St S for 500 m.  Catch a hockey game or an event at the Sleeman Centre.  

  4. To continue your ride, cross Wyndham St S at the traffic lights at Wellington St E and take the Downtown Trail beside the river for 3 km to Speedvale Ave E.  (At Earl St, the trail switches to the other side of the train tracks.)  Turn R onto Speedvale Ave E and cross the Speed River again (busy road with sidewalk).  The trail resumes on the other side of the bridge.  To safely cross Speedvale Ave E, there is a pedestrian crossing in front of the fire station, just 50 m beyond where the start of the Speed River Trail.  After 600 m, cross back across the river on the pedestrian bridge and enter Riverside Park.  Continue on the trail, past the Riverside Park Concession (seasonal snack bar) to Marilyn Dr.  Follow Marilyn Dr to Woolwich St.  Cross the road and enter Woodlawn Memorial Park.  Keep to the trails to the L and follow the edge of the cemetery to the trail leading up to Woodlawn Dr W/Hwy 6.

West Montrose, Elmira and St Jacobs


  1. Turn L onto Woodlawn Dr W/Hwy 6.  Walk 100 m to the lights at Nicklin Rd and cross to the other side.  Ride along the multi-use trail on the N side of the road for 1.5 km to Wellington Rd 39.  Turn R and ride up Wellington Rd 39 (busy road) for 2.5 km to the trailhead for the off-road Guelph to Goderich/Kissing Bridge Rail Trail.  Turn L onto the rail trail and ride for 10.4 km to Township Rd 58.  If you continue on the rail trail, there is a steep staircase with a narrow metal bicycle ramp, from the rail trail up to Katherine St, where the trail detours through West Montrose (9) because the rail bridge over the Grand River was removed.  To avoid the staircase, turn R onto Township Rd 58 (unpaved country road)  Go 550 m and turn L onto Township Rd 59 (unpaved country road).   Turn L onto Katherine St and cross the Kissing Bridge Trailway in 400 m. Otherwise, continue another 2 km on the rail trail to Katherine St and climb the staircase pushing your bike up the ramp.  Turn L onto Katherine St.  Continue for 1.8 km to Katherine St.  Continue on Katherine St (busy paved road) for 700 m and turn R on Rivers Edge Dr.  In 1.2 km, the road continues through the West Montrose Covered Bridge (8), which would be worth a visit, even if the railway bridge were to be replaced.  Stop for a picnic at Letson Park, on the L just before the bridge.  The best spot to take pictures is from the south end of the bridge.  Ride through the covered bridge on Covered Bridge Dr, past Lost Acre Variety which sells snacks, ice cream and local baked treats.  Continue on Covered Bridge Dr for 800 m to Line 86.  Cross this busy highway with care and continue on Middlebrook Rd for 280 m to where the Kissing Bridge Trail crosses the road.  

  2. Turn L onto the Kissing Bridge Trailway.  In 7.2 km the trail passes the town of Elmira (11), which is famous for the annual Maple Syrup Festival in Spring.  There are numerous restaurants in Elmira, which you can visit by turning L onto Arthur St (busy road).  The main business section starts in 450 m after Arthur St crosses Church St.  Otherwise, continue on the Kissing Bridge Trailway for 6.8 km to Wallenstein.  The trail passes through Mennonite country, where you may see farmers ploughing their fields with horse drawn equipment, or families out for the day in their buggies.

  3. Turn L onto Yatton Sideroad (paved road).  After 300 m, the road crosses Wellington Rd 86/Line 86 (very busy road).  Cross the road with care, noting the Wallenstein General Store on the south side of the intersection.  Continue south on Hergott Rd/Hwy 10 (busy paved road).  After 1.5 km, turn L onto Temperance Rd/Township Rd 28 (unpaved country road) and continue 3.3 km to Broadway St/Township Rd 11A(paved country road).  Turn L and continue for 1.6 km to a T-junction at Steffler Rd and Hemlock Hill Dr/Township Rd 22.  Turn R and continue on Hemlock Hill Dr/Township Rd 22 (paved country road) for 2.3 km, running beside Conestogo River, one of the Grand River’s main tributaries.  At the top of the hill, turn R onto 3 Bridges Rd/ Township Rd 21 (paved country road).  Continue for 3.5 km, passing the Conestoga Mennonite Meeting House and Cemetery on the R.  The road returns to the Conestogo River and follows it to a low bridge (sometimes closed when water levels are high, especially in the early spring).  Cross the bridge.  On the other side of the bridge, take the Mill Race Trail which runs beside a mill race once used to bring water to power the St Jacobs Mill.  Continue for 1.4 km to where the trail passes under the railway bridge over the Conestogo River.  The trail is closed here, so turn R onto the trail running beside the railway line for 240 m to Spring St in St. Jacobs.  

  4. Continue on Spring St for 300 m to King St N, the main street in the Village of St Jacobs (12).  There are numerous restaurants and gift shops up and down King St N.  Turn L and continue north for 180 m to the historic 19th century St Jacobs Mill, beside the Conestogo River.  Be sure to visit the shops in the mill buildings, including the Conestoga River Pottery and Village Silos Pottery.  Stop for coffee and snacks at the EcoCafe.  

  5. Turn R outside the St Jacobs Mill and go south on King St N for 90 m to Albert St  and turn L.  Continue on Albert St for 170 m to where it turns the corner at Water St.  Instead of turning, go straight ahead and cross the St Jacobs Public Parking Lot to the start of the multi-use Health Valley Trail at the back of the parking lot.   Take the Health Valley Trail for 1.3 km beside the Conestogo River.  Just before the trail goes under the highway, turn R.  There is a very short but steep section that you may need to walk up to the trail back to the St Jacobs Market.  At the top of the hill, take the L and fork and ride for 3.5 km along the trail, which overlooks the highway.  The trail eventually meets a farm laneway.  Turn L and take the lane to King St N in Waterloo.  Cross King St N and Farmer’s Market Rd at the traffic lights and continue on the multi-use trail on the left hand side of Farmers Market Road, back to the start of your adventure at the St Jacobs Farmers Market (1) in 700 m.