3 Best Hiking Trails in St. Catharines, ON

This is my favourite off leash dog park. There are others that are closer to my home but I go the extra way to go to this one. It's hard to find a place to socialize little dogs so this is perfect for my little 4 pound yorkie. Lots of small dogs and also a larger dog area. Beautiful place to have a picnic and to hike on the trails.

This is a great park for hikes and to being the kids. The pool is no longer here, however the playground is newer. There are bbq stations, bring your charcoal. There is also a place for dogs. If you feel adventurious then there are trails that are a bit more challenging. Great for larger group picnics.

Nice trails. Lots of options to explore or take an easy walk. Very peaceful. There's a large playground structure for the kids as well to get some energy out.

Great variety of trails for all to enjoy! I have done some running and hiking in short hills and it never disappoints me. With kids: I love the variety of trails here and I can always find ones that are easy enough for my kids to do during our hikes. I would recommend bringing kids here to enjoy but know there are some hills which may be hard for some littles. My kids like some hilly, uneven terrain, so I don't usually worry much about the hills. Some trails are wider then others, just depends which ones you take. There are some bigger trees they can climb safely and streams to play in. With dogs: trails are dog friendly and I always see lots of people bringing their dogs. My dog enjoys being off leash but because this is a busier trail, I never let him off the leash. My pup loves to walk here and enjoys playing in the streams. Running: I always enjoy doing a run at shorthills. It's very flat where I live, so I love that I can be in the trails and get a little elevation. In the winter, some of the trails can get pretty slippery with ice and wet rocks but it's definitely still runnable all the times I went. I'd recommend a trip out here for a run! It's beautiful whether you are running or hiking but it can get very busy and the parking lot gets full quick so I'd recommend getting out there early, if possible.

I’ve come to this park over ten times now and every time I leave amazed. The trails take you through various ecosystems; a hardwood grove ( black walnut trail), wildflower fields (scarlet tanager) waterfalls, thick pine forests ( hemlock valley). There are levels of difficulty for all to enjoy! I’ve always parked up by Pelham road and walked down the steep gravel path before merging onto other trails, but recently I broke with tradition and tried Wiley road. What a gem! Please try it. Scarlet tanager to hemlock was my favourite section this time of year because of the bustling wildflower fields. Teeming with butterflies and bees. In winter time or after great rains I’d say swayze loop because the falls are magical. Well worth the exhaustive 2 hours. Not this time of year, though. The drought effects everything.

While hiking the Bruce Trail from end to end we inevitably came thru the park. We have liked it a lot. The meandering creek flowing at the base of the sweeping hills gave us such a pleasant feeling. We didn't explore the other trails that are in the park, but we have put this place on our bucket list. The waterfalls were amazing as well. We only saw the Terrace Creek and the Swayze. Amazing sights, for sure.