A spectacular view from Menesetung Bridge

The bridge and the trail is spectacular in all seasons looking out over the Maitland River, the harbour and the town but winter gives the vista a wonderful elegance with layers of snow and ice covering the river and trees.

Who could have imagined, nearly 30 years ago, that one of the most spectacular views in Huron County would be from an abandoned railway bridge, rescued from the scrap heap. When CP Rail abandoned its line running from Goderich to Guelph, the company planned to demolish the trestle that had carried its trains high over the Maitland River. Some forward-thinking local residents, however, thought this bridge should be retained and citizens formed the Menesetung Bridge Association to purchase it and convert it into a walking bridge and trail. Hundreds of people rallied for the cause, donating money to help with the preservation and conversion. If you look down, you can see the names of donors on the planks that now carry pedestrians where heavy loads of road graders, salt and grain once chugged along.

The view is spectacular. You may look down and see seagulls actually flying beneath you. To the west you can see the harbour and Lake Huron and to the east the Maitland Golf and Curling Club. The noises of the town and the highway traffic are muffled and the loudest sounds are often the sighing wind and the cries of the gulls.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was a relative latecomer to the area, arriving only in 1907. It carried passenger traffic until 1961 and 80 years after the first train was welcomed, the railway was seeking governmental permission to pull up the tracks.

After you cross the bridge you can follow the three-kilometre long trail east to the grave of Tiger Dunlop, who founded Goderich and helped open up the Huron Tract. The tomb is set in a small park with commemorative plaques, and some great photo ops of the Maitland River valley and the town of Goderich with its church spires marking the horizon. You can go all the way to Auburn on the Goderich to Auburn Rail Trail (GART), and for the adventurous you can carry on even further along the rest of the Goderich-to-Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail, a 127-kilometre trail through Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington Counties all the way to Guelph. 

To get to the Menesetung Bridge take the North Harbour Road in Goderich from Highway 21.