Cycling.
The Trans Canada Trail / Elgin Trail rail-trail crosses St. Thomas on the former Michigan Central, Pere Marquette, and London & Port Stanley railway corridors — the same rail-junction spine that earned the city its "Railway Capital of Canada" identity.
The corridor connects north toward London via the Thames Valley Trail and south toward Port Stanley, putting St. Thomas at the centre of a long-distance Lake Erie–to–London cycling spine on flat former-rail surfaces.
The brief.
The Elgin Trail rail-trail through St. Thomas is non-motorized, mostly flat, and surfaced for shared multi-use cycling and walking.
The City of St. Thomas's parks-and-trails inventory ties the rail-trail to Pinafore Park, Waterworks Park, Kains Woods, and the Lake Margaret Trail loop, giving the urban network coherent connections to the city's parks.
Best window is May through October; the rail-trail surfaces stay rideable into shoulder season. The full London–Port Stanley axis via the Thames Valley Trail and Elgin Trail is doable as a long day or split over two; St.
Thomas is the natural mid-point overnight.
2. places.
- 01
Trans Canada Trail / Elgin Trail rail-trail (St. Thomas)
Crosses the city on former Michigan Central / Pere Marquette / London & Port Stanley corridors; non-motorized; connects London (Thames Valley Trail) to Port Stanley.
- 02
St. Thomas urban cycling network
City parks-and-trails inventory ties the rail-trail to Pinafore Park, Waterworks Park, and Lake Margaret Trail loops.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.