Niagara Section - Woodend C.A (13 km) to Decew House Park (29.9 km) - April 16, 2026.

 Niagara Section - Woodend C.A (13.0 km) to Decew House (29.9 km) - April 16, 2026.

Hiking With Friends was Thorold-ly excited to venture down to the Niagara Section this past week and truck through a lot of muck and, with a bit of luck, get through 17 km without having to become a duck...did we do o.k?...did the rain hold off?..well, the mud did suck, but we're HWF, so we don't give a...hoot.

 Early morning...13 eager beavers have assembled dutifully at a place where you think a hike normally would end, but here we are at Woodend C.A pointed westward...myself, Frances, Annette (H.C), Ivan, Renu, Steve K, Faryde, Doug, Steve R, Katherine, Rita, Frank, and Barbara...time to hit the trail!

  Lately it seems that April showers have brought...more April showers...and with the over saturated ground not able to absorb any more water, we are a little fearful that today's forecast of rain and possible thunderstorms will make a sloppy trail an even more unpleasant experience. Fortunately, as you will see, we will escape any precipitation (other than a few sketchy drops), and actually be blessed with a very decent, and warm, day ahead...

 As we prepare to leave the Conservation Area at Taylor Road, we remark at how good the trail has been so far...no real issues with any wet spots...this would definitely not be the case as the hike progressed...

As we approach, and begin to travel around the perimeter of, the Royal Niagara Golf Club, eventually squeezing between their fence line and the canyon-esque remnants of a previous iteration of the Welland canal, the trail quickly deteriorates...as usual, everyone initially tries to skirt around to avoid the mess, but after a while, you have to accept that it's not going to be pretty for a lot of stretches, and just appreciate the fact that you're out in nature...

One aspect to this fairly unique section of the Bruce is that it features a lot of varied visual attractions that can help distract you from the less than ideal footing conditions...old canals, nice fairways, and these interesting old bollards than lie along the waterway's cliff edge...

Upon reaching Glendale Avenue (sign maker needed to check Google Maps), we enter a bit more of an "urban" phase for today's journey...the town of Thorold awaits with all its quirks...other than perhaps Dundas (which is a lot nicer imo), this is probably the longest stretch of "built environment" that you can experience on the B.T...

It's all well and good as we approach the famous canal through which so many great ships pass yearly...and one is waiting at the lock just up the way...we are clear to cross unimpeded...

And include a stop for a classic bridge pic! What an uplifting experience!..without the actual lift...

We approach Lock 7 just before heading into a small urban woodlot...there's another ship waiting to continue its journey northward to Lake Ontario...

   The trail emerges to parallel another earlier version of the canal that employed barges (horse drawn I believe)...we are about to get into Thorold proper...and hope everyone acts that way...

...because there's a lot at stake.

...a whopper of a road walk...we were moving fast, food, and drink, were just ahead...

We decided to "stick it out" at Tim's...do nut judge...it's the only one right on the trail!

A steep walk up Tremont Drive and it is getting hot out!..what started as a four layer day for me has been reduced to one damp t-shirt...any supposed rain storms have stayed to the north of the lake and we now enjoying very springlike conditions in a quite nicely forested area with mature trees...

 

Apparently they say, if you can "walk and talk" (both of which our group excels at), then you can "hike around Brock"...the university grounds are nicely surrounded by natural areas...

...as well as poor drainage!..ugh...

So these 3 beautiful creatures were watching a bunch of humans...

...do this...dear, oh dear.

It wasn't pretty a lot of the last 2 km...deaths by blaze, foot sucking mud testing tired legs and minds, and a menacing sky...

After crossing a narrows that separates a very full Lake Gibson and Lake Moodie (which was under a moody sky), we arrive at our destination, the historically significant Decew House Park. The welcoming First Nations Peace Monument is an appropriate spot to rest and reflect after a very interesting hike that showed us a lot of different faces of the Bruce Trail...and left our faces smiling.

 Congratulations to Renu, Faryde, and Ivan on their completion of the Niagara Section! These 3 have been racking up the kilometers and are well on their way to an E2E (later this year?)...stay tuned for more successes, you won't be disappointed.

The End

Renu is one smart cookie...(she must have got a PhD from Brock...Professional Hiking Degree)