The Bikepath – Winding Along The Waterfront For Your Scenic Cycling Adventure

About 25 years ago the City of Cornwall created a beautiful paved pathway along the waterfront, from Gray’s Creek in the east to Long Sault in the west. It was built to help people connect with the waterfront more and has really become one of the jewels of the area.

Fast-forward to today and the multi-purpose recreational path now serves as a destination for cyclists, walkers, runners, ebikes, rollerbladers, and strollers.

Windings it’s way along the beautiful St. Lawrence River banks for hundreds of kilometres, the pathway’s local section really gives people untouched waterfront access winding past St. Lawrence College, the old Cotton Mill district and through Lamoureux Park and west towards the canals, the power dam and Guindon Park.

EAST OF CORNWALL
The path runs along the winding, waterfront of Highway 2 from Lancaster to Gray’s Creek before detaching from the road to become a stand-alone pathway where you quickly enter Cornwall’s unique waterfront park system. A great area for cycling, the pathway extends all the way to the Quebec border (Approximately 50km east) past Summerstown, Lancaster, Bainsville and several campgrounds. A view of the St. Lawrence river is a constant, as is the gentle breeze that being directly at the water’s edge can bring. If you prefer to dart into Gray’s Creek, there is also a short 3 kilometre path that enters the park, which makes for a great rest-stop or picnic area.

CORNWALL
The recreational path becomes much more of a multi-purpose pathway in Cornwall. From Gray’s Creek and west you are immediately drawn to the city’s vast waterfront where you will find many people walking, cycling, riding their ebikes or running. Nav Canada’s large conference centre facility provides an architectural backdrop and the tree-covered path makes for a great escape for many conference attendees. As the path continues west, Cornwall’s only waterfront properties serve as the welcome-wagon to path-goers before the path quickly darts back to the Waterfront. Passing by St. Lawrence College on a charming bridge overlooking Moulinette Creek you will begin to enter the city’s urbanized area.

A few hundred metres of distance is all that separates the College campus from the entrance to Lamoureux Park – a large waterfront park space – where the path regains a park-like feel winding through baseball diamonds, past beautiful Marina 200, the Civic Complex and into the main waterfront park area. Staying along the waterfront on the path will bring you west into the Eco-Gardens, a pond and watershed area filled with birds, frogs and flora.

Lamoureux Park features many amenities and the pathway breaks off into several sections that lead to the Downtown, a kids play area and splashpad, a Cornwall historical museum, and a veterans centre. There are plenty of picnic tables, shade, restrooms and even a small concession stand and smoothie spot right in the park. If you’re lucky enough to pass through when one of Cornwall’s many events are taking place in the park, you will truly get to feel why the city was nicknamed the Friendly Seaway City.

Moving along west on Cornwall’s waterfront, past the new international bridge, bring you to a unique historical canal system where you can walk, bike or glide past several old locks right in the heart of the city. The path caries you up and down the canal banks over several kilometres until you reach the the Ontario Power Generation company’s visitor centre.

WEST OF CORNWALL
Once at the Power Dam, you are able to continue along the banks of the large dam dykes through wooded areas, rolling hills and ponds. A few kilometres to the north and you will arrive at the entrance to Guindon Park – making this path a true connection to Cornwall’s three finest park areas – all while never having to cross a street or go through an intersection.

The pathway is both safe and friendly as many people use it all-year round for outdoor activities. There is a painted line in the middle of the path to easily help you distinguish sides when oncoming users approach.

in the last decade, the path has been connected to other waterfront corridors along the St. Lawrence River and Seaway which makes it possible to bike from Niagara Falls to the Quebec border. The path along the Cornwall area provides unique access to an urban centre in a safe environment for cyclists and walkers/joggers alike. More than just a sliver of pavement in a park system, the bikepath and recreational path are a large aspect of Cornwall’s outdoor-enthusiast lifestyle.