Grand River Country | Trails Take Flight

Snyder’s Flats Trail - Woolwich Township

Latitude/Longitude: 43° 30' 36" N , 80° 29' 2" W

Snyders Flats is a floodplain area that has historically been mined for gravel, but restored in the 1980s as part of a major man-made pond and wetland rehabilitation project. The area contains a 4.5 km multi-purpose looped trail this is a branch off the main Grand Valley Trail. The area is accessed from Snyder’s Flats Road which runs off Sawmill Road, in Woolwich Twp. but across the river from the city of Waterloo.

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The trail begins at either the parking lot at the end of Snyder’s Road, or it can be accessed from a grassy parking area just west of the Mennonite Church. There is also a parking lot between these two aforementioned parking lots, which allows access to a side trail south of Snyder’s Road. This side trail itself forms a looping section back to the main trail, and connects to a further linear section continuing south to another area. The surface of the main trail is loose fine gravel for 0.5 km, and then is mostly grassy until it meets Snyder’s Flats Road. For the remaining 0.9 km it is gravel road.

From the westerly parking lot, the trail initially follows a former paved road which is now reverting to regenerated field and woods. The trail with a wide gravel surface continues west for 0.5 km, then north between two large clear ponds. An historical plaque and a large area map are situated there. The trail then almost immediately swings east and winds south of the Grand River for a leisurely 4 km through varied habitat, a little of which is in view of the Grand River, before winding south to Snyder’s Road. From there the trail turns west along the road for 0.9 km to the original starting point.

The habitat is incredibly varied: fields, a small swamp, several ponds, willow lowlands, and dense mixed woods. Initially weedy fields line the former roadway, interspersed with a variety of trees such as sugar and red maple, red and burr oak, ash, and hackberry. Plants include at least five types of asters, chicory, tansy, and goldenrod. Later on there are Manitoba maple, pine, cedar, basswood, and choke cherry. Further on there are stinging nettles, artemisia, cucumber vine, morning glory, burdock, and soapwort.

During spring and summer in the fields, the trail user may see eastern towhee, and various sparrows such as field, vesper, and savannah. Around the ponds and in marshy and shrubby areas, common birds include American crow, various swallows such as barn and cliff, gray catbird, warblers such as yellow, mourning, and common yellow-throat, and song and swamp sparrow. In woodland areas, expect to see sharp-shinned hawks, great horned owl, various woodpeckers such as northern flicker and hairy woodpecker, red-eyed vireo, house wren, and scarlet tanager. An osprey nest is usually active on a hydro platform during the nesting season.

Fall migrants will include literally dozens of species that are both local and from farther north. Winter birds are represented by red-tailed hawk, possibly rough-legged hawk, snowy owl, common raven, and also crossbills such as red and white-winged.

Trail Affiliation: Grand Valley Trail