Cayuga Grand Vista Trail

Cayuga, ON.

RECREATIONAL  //  ECOLOGICAL  //  TRAIL DEVELOPMENT 

IDA Design Awards | Silver Winner | 2018

Architecture MasterPrize Award Winner | 2019

DNA Paris Design Awards Winner | 2020

The Cayuga Grand Vista Trail is the first step toward a more connected Haldimand County. The 1.2-kilometer trail has reclaimed a disused CN Rail bridge across the Grand River as a community amenity that promotes health and wellbeing, connection to nature and understanding of local history. The trail is not only a connection for active transportation, however. It has also been designed as a place to stop and rest, experience the Grand River, and learn about Cayuga’s history. Two cantilevered viewing platforms have been constructed along the bridge’s length, oriented to the curve of the river and supplied with surface-mounted benches that invite lounging. These have been placed outside of the path of travel, which not only ensures safe circulation for cyclists and pedestrians passing by, but also creates a sense of discovery, as neither lookout is immediately visible from the ends of bridge.