The Passionate Hiker: On the K&P: Kingston north to the Cataraqui Trail

Wed. 17 June: On the K&P: Kingston north to the Cataraqui Trail

Kingston City Hall and K&P Railway Station

Last week I completed my bike journey up the northern section of the abandoned Kingston and Pembroke (K & P) railway line, from Sharbot Lake to Renfrew, roughly ninety kilometres. Now my plan was next to complete the slightly shorter southern section, starting in Kingston. There is a gap in the trail immediately south of Sharbot Lake, so I will have to see how far I can get.

The K&P Trail is popular, and well-travelled, even on a mid-week morning, as I discovered today. Apart from the scattered cyclists, there were mothers pushing prams, dog walkers, joggers, and even horse-riders. It might get a bit crowded on a sunny weekend. The start of the trail is on the northern edge of Kingston, at Binnington Court, just to the south of Highway 401 with its frantic rushing traffic.

But the K&P railway line once continued for another seven or so kilometres right into the heart of Kingston, beside Lake Ontario in front of City Hall. I would bet that hardly anybody has tried to follow the route of the old line into town. I did today, as my next blog will describe.

Having successfully explored the line into town and back out again, I now started off up the formal K&P Trail. Near the trailhead, a small bridge, newly erected, carries the pathway over Cataraqui Creek. This simple structure was built on the old concrete railway parapets, which were dated 1929.

I travelled north for about twenty two kilometres, to the point where the K&P meets the Cataraqui Trail, east of Harrowsmith, before speeding back to the start. The line rises from 269ft (82m) at Kingston Station to 621ft (159m) at Cataraqui Trail, so it was not all flat. It has a couple of nice sweeping bends along the way, but also has some long sections straight as an arrow. The surface was perfect for a hybrid bike, and I could make good speed the whole way, particularly on the “downhill” return journey.

It was unspoiled countryside the whole way: open fields, woodlands, a swamp just south of Highway 401. For long sections, the Rideau Trail follows the K&P. I had travelled this way last year. It was a much quicker journey today! At the intersections with the quiet country roads, interpretive signs had been erected to tell the story of that particular stretch of line. I learned today that the first station north of Kingston was at Unity Road, in the middle of the countryside. It was called Glenvale, but there is no sign of a station today.

By the time I reached the Cataraqui Trail junction, west of Sydenham, I had travelled close to thirty kilometres up the line from Kingston Station. My next journey should take me north to Verona and beyond.

The more fanatical railway fans, or perhaps anyone who knows Kingston, might be curious to read my next blog entry, for an account of the “lost” section of line within the city.

Note: single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately

Statistics:

Total Distance: 61.1 km (bike)

Height Gain: 626 ft.

Time on Trail: 5 hrs. 19 mins.

Binnington Ct: 6.46 am

City Hall Stn: 7.23 am

Binnington Ct: 8.35 am

McIvor Rd: 9.05 am

Orser Rd: 9.56 am

Cataraqui Tr: 10.38 am

Binnington Ct: 12.05 pm

Temp: +13C rising to +20C