Improved access to the Niagara Region’s Twenty Valley Trail via the Ellis Property

By partnering with the Town of Lincoln, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and Bruce Trail Conservancy, the Trust plans to reopen the Ellis Twenty Valley Trail in fall 2025 after undertaking important slope stabilization work and trail improvements.  Once the site has been reopened, visitors will be able to access a continuous 1,366-km trail network (849 miles) that connects the Trust property to Balls Falls Conservation Area and the Bruce Trail.

Phase One, completed in 2022 with support from the Greenbelt Foundation, allowed the Trust to conduct a feasibility study that included various studies as well as a tree inventory. From this study, the best route for the new trail network was identified.

Phase Two involved taking the results of the trail feasibility study, which identified the optimal route of the Twenty Valley Trail that avoids naturally sensitive areas and maximizes the topography of the property to keep the trail out of flood-prone areas.

For Phase Three, the Trust installed wooden walkways and connecting staircases for easy and safe access to the trail, leading from the valley up the slope to the Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre.

The Trust will reopen the Twenty Valley Trail section with the reopening of Sho’arishon Park planned for fall 2025. These improvements provide safer access to the Ellis Trail and Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre, and will help to reduce erosion on the slope.