It’s time for another Photographic Tour.

This time, we are going to explore the Loop Trail in St. Mary’s, Ontario.

The entire trail is 13 kilometers long and these signs help you navigate it either way.

I decided to follow the green arrows because I wanted to get to Sparling Bush quicker.

There are several historical plaques and places of interest along this route.

I wasn’t sure exactly where this run would take me. So far, I’ve run along the waterfront, down a road, passed a ball park, and down this grassy section.

So far, I am 3 kilometers into the run and I have to say that I am not impressed.

I want to run through nature, not through neighbourhood sub-divisions and suburbia.

Finally, I am at Sparling Bush. I’m really looking forward to this section of the Loop Trail.

But this loop is ridiculously small and I’m find myself back at the start of it almost immediately.

And then things really get strange. I have to run between headstones and through the cemetery before the trail rejoins the side streets.

I went off of the loop trail around the 6 kilometer mark because I recognized exactly where I was. Instead of going down Church Street, I made my way back to the waterfront portion of the trail.

I’m glad I took the short cut because I really wasn’t interested in running the entire 13 kilometers of this trail. I was a little disappointed with the run. When I run, I want to commune with nature a little more than was possible on this route.

More Running Trails

• Photographic Tours Archive (50 trails and counting) 
• Angus McKenzie Trail (St. Thomas, Ontario)
• Coldstream Conservation Area (Ilderton, Ontario)