Hiking.
The Tiger Dunlop section of the Maitland Trail runs through the Maitland River cedar gorge between Goderich and Benmiller — a riverside cedar-forest walk on the bluff and river-flat above the lower Maitland. The full Maitland Trail Association corridor extends roughly 46 kilometres east from Goderich harbour to Auburn.
Falls Reserve Conservation Area on the Maitland near Benmiller adds riverside loops and connects to the Maitland Trail.
The brief.
The Tiger Dunlop section is the headline hike for visitors — manageable as a day-walk between Goderich and Benmiller, with the cedar gorge as the defining landscape. The trail is maintained by the volunteer Maitland Trail Association, which publishes section maps and access points; some sections cross private land.
The 30-kilometre Goderich-to-Auburn (G2A) Rail Trail offers a flat former-rail option east out of the harbour for hikers who prefer a level surface to a gorge walk. Falls Reserve Conservation Area is the easiest day-use anchor inland (riverside loops, MVCA-managed campground).
Best season is April through November; mid-October is fall colours through the cedar gorge.
3. places.
- 01
Tiger Dunlop Trail / Maitland Trail (Goderich–Benmiller section)
Roughly 10 km of riverside cedar-forest hiking through the Maitland River cedar gorge.
- 02
Maitland Trail (Goderich–Auburn corridor)
Full ~46 km Maitland Trail Association corridor east from Goderich harbour to Auburn.
- 03
Falls Reserve Conservation Area trails
Riverside loops on the Maitland near Benmiller; MVCA-managed conservation area with campground.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.
By the book.
- 01The Maitland Trail crosses public and private land; the Maitland Trail Association is the volunteer steward, and its section maps are the authoritative routing source.Source ↗
- 02Falls Reserve Conservation Area is managed by Maitland Valley Conservation Authority under standard CA day-use and seasonal-camping rules; day-use fees may apply.Source ↗