Guelph: Trails, Art and History

Guelph combines expansive green spaces with art, history and a lively market. More than 1,000 hectares of parks and open spaces, along with over 150 kilometres of trails and paths, give the city a strong outdoor character. At the same time, collections and historic sites tell the story of Guelph’s past. When planning your trip, you can consider whether you’d prefer to spend most of your time outdoors, discover art or explore the city’s history.

Green spaces and trails of varying lengths

Several trails offer clear options for walks. The Speed River Trail is 3.4 kilometres long and runs from Speedvale Avenue East via Riverside Park to Victoria Road North. The Eramosa River Trail covers 4.1 kilometres, running from the Covered Bridge via Victoria Road South to Stone Road. At 4.3 kilometres, the Downtown Trail/Trans Canada Trail is slightly longer. It starts at Heritage Park, ends at Woodlawn Cemetery, and runs along the Speed River, through Riverside Park and alongside the railway corridor. The different lengths and routes make it easier to choose a trail that suits your plans for the day.

The Arboretum offers a distinctive take on Guelph’s green spaces: more than 12.5 kilometres of trails wind through natural woodlands, fields, plant collections and gardens. The 1.1-kilometre Ivey Trail is a wheelchair-accessible walking path through the grounds and plant collections. If you’d like to include this option in your trip, you can distinguish it from the longer trails in the Arboretum. The Arboretum Recreational Side Trail connects the Arboretum to the City of Guelph’s trail network.

Art, history and local life

A distinctive art venue is the Donald Forster Sculpture Park, next to the Art Gallery of Guelph building. Forty-one permanently installed artworks are set across two and a half acres. The Art Gallery of Guelph is one of Canada’s leading public art spaces, introducing visitors to innovative artists and ideas from around the world. Guelph’s offerings thus bring together permanently installed sculptures and a public art space with an international perspective.

For a glimpse into the past, the Guelph Civic Museum houses a collection of more than 30,000 artifacts illustrating Guelph’s history. McCrae House has been designated a site of national significance by the Government of Canada through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board. When choosing a vacation rental, your personal interests can help you decide what to focus on during your stay, without narrowing nature and culture down to just one kind of visit.

The Guelph Farmers’ Market is also part of the history of community life: it has been a central part of it since 1827. The market offers fresh local food and handcrafted products year-round. This complements the trails and cultural venues with a glimpse of local produce and craftsmanship. If you enjoy combining markets with art or history while traveling, Guelph offers different themes to shape your stay around.

When choosing your accommodation, you can start by considering which of these aspects matters most to you: trails through parks and the Arboretum, art and history, or the market with its local food and handcrafted products.

More destinations

Belwood: Belwood, Rockwood: Rockwood, Erin: Erin, Palmerston: Palmerston, Fergus: Fergus, Elora: Elora.

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