A winter walk at Guindon Park in Cornwall

Winter is slowly starting to set in, so I took my snowshoes out of my closet for the first time this winter! I wanted to enjoy that first snow of the season without going too far from home, so I decided to go explore Guindon Park in Cornwall, in South Eastern Ontario.

I know Cornwall well and go there quite regularly (I usually drive through Cornwall when I want to cross the American border, on my way to the Adirondacks), but I had never been to Guindon Park before. I actually knew little about this park, but I knew that there were snowshoe trails, which gave me a great reason to go there for the first time!

Guindon Park is located in the west of the city, near the St. Lawrence River. It has three entrances and a few parking lots, and I decided to head towards the one in the eastern sector. As soon as I arrived, I realized that this park was much larger than I expected… and that there were several trail options for me to explore!

Named in honour of local politician Fernand Guindon, Guindon Park protects 500 acres of forested land near the St. Lawrence River. There are more than a dozen kilometres of trails for hiking, fat biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. It is also apparently a good place for bird watching, and in the summer, it is even possible to rent kayaks to go for a paddle on the river.

The trails are all interconnected, so it is possible to follow routes of varying distances. I didn’t really have a set plan, so I decided I would first follow the snowshoe trail that seemed to follow the shore.

I had brought my snowshoes with me, but I quickly realized that there was not enough snow on the ground for snowshoes to be necessary. So I continued my walk without them. But even though there wasn’t much snow on the ground yet, the trees were all frosty and snowy, which gave the impression of walking straight in a winter wonderland.

The snowshoe trail winds through a pretty mixed forest, occasionally passing through some wetlands. It seemed well marked, which I appreciated because I think I could have lost track of it on occasion. The path I followed passes very close to the river, but it was not possible to see it as large embankments hide its view (I think this might be because of the dam that is built nearby).

Still, it was a pleasant hike. The weather was not too cold and the forest was very quiet and peaceful (I actually didn’t meet anyone else there on the trails). This is what I like most about urban parks like this: they can make you forget that you are still in the city!

The snowshoe trail I was on eventually brought me to an intersection where the yellow, red and blue trails intersect (almost right in the center of the park). At first, I decided I would follow the blue trail back to the parking lot. But I changed my mind when I realized that the blue trail seemed to have been little used recently, and that some of its sections, which are only accessible in winter, could have been made impassable with the mild weather.

So I instead returned to the parking lot following the red trail, a wide multi-use trail that is fairly easy to follow.

When I returned to my car, I had hiked more than 5 kilometres, and I had only explored a small part of Guindon Park. There is so much more still for me to explore, so I know I’ll be back. It is truly a beautiful corner of nature that is worth visiting!

And if you’re looking for another hike to do in the Cornwall area, Gray’s Creek Conservation Area, to the east of the city, is also a lovely place!