Over the past two years a steering committee has been formed to develop the Guelph to Goderich trail by Doug Cerson, a Wellington-Waterloo based business consultant and advisor to multiple trail organizations; Doug Coda, a North Perth bike shop owner and creator of Cycle Ontario; and Paul VanderMolen, owner of a Huron County based landscaping business and member of the Maitland Valley Trail Association.
The three like-minded individuals were brought together by a common interest and have been diligently working to solidify the blueprint of the 127kms along the rail bed trail between Guelph and Goderich.
The historic rail bed currently has a 45km completed Rail Trail which is groomed and open to the public travelling from Guelph to Millbank.
That section has been under the guidance of the Kissing Bridge Trailway Advisory board for over 15 years.
There is also about 10 kms between Auburn and Goderich which is well maintained and has a spectacular view over the Maitland River.
“It is the remaining 70 plus kms that presents the next challenge” said Cerson.
Recently, the group took part in an Active Transportation Symposium which gathered representatives from Huron, Perth and many other surrounding municipalities.
At this point they are gaining real momentum now that Perth County has approved their participation.
Perth County represents a large section of the undeveloped Rail Trail that would mainly require grooming and clearing with some capital projects in the form of bridges and culverts.
The next step is to get all of the trail enthusiasts, stakeholders and volunteer groups to the table and on the same page.
The group wishes to take the experience from the previously completed work and pass it along to groups in Huron and Perth.
The finished trail will offer safe passage for all types of active transportation.
According to Cerson, once finished it will be “the backbone of Ontario Trails connecting thousands of people from the 401 corridor to Lake Huron.”
Once the Rail Trail bed is open the group will be pushing to have three suspension bridges completed over the Grand, Conestogo and Maitland rivers. The bridges would create a unique tourist attraction, drawing outdoor enthusiasts from around the world.
A meeting will be held every month along the Rail Trail until it is finished.
For more information contact Doug Cerson at 519-572-3124; via email at douglas@cerson.co or online at www.visitperth.ca.
