Nine Creeks Trail and Jim Tovey Conservation Area

Earlier this year, I got a tip from Terry Walsh that a new active transportation bridge was built across the Credit River in Mississauga as part of the Nine Creeks Trail. There was also the Jim Tovey Conservation Area which opened on May 30 and was under construction when biking to Niagara Falls last October. With today being nice out, I took the opportunity to check it out. An idea Jun N also had per his blog post. 😉

I took Bloor, The West Mall, and The Queensway to get to the starting point. On the way, I passed by the Etobicoke Greenway which is expected get a new multi-use path to north of Eglinton Avenue in the future.

The Queensway in Mississauga has a multi-use path unlike in Toronto. The quality is not great at the Dixie intersection, but is considerably better west of Dixie. The arrogance of space is also evident with hydro towers in the middle of the road in some parts.

This is the first time I have come across the Ogden Road pedestrian bridge which goes over the QEW. One which Jun kept a close eye on during construction. Note there’s a multi-use path on North Service Road which goes as far west as Westfield Drive which connects with the Nine Creeks Trail.

The Nine Creeks Trail goes along the Royal Queen Hydro Corridor.

The trail information signs are very thorough.

At Cawthra Road, there is one block which is occupied by Hydro One’s Cooksville Transfer Station. An informal trail exists from Cawthra to Asta Drive, which I wished Hydro One would just formalize already! It would be a lot safer than taking North Service Road and Asta.

The presence of a Bike Share Toronto bike on Asta Drive could be a sign that they should consider adding stops outside of Toronto proper. Something BIXI Montréal has already been doing. 😉

Most of the trail crossings are reasonably safe.

The eastern part of the Nine Creeks Trail ends at North Service Road just before Hurontario Road. I had to take it and Premium Way to get to the new bridge under the QEW.

Work on the future Hazel McCallion Line is currently taking place along Hurontario.

Premium Way has lots of space to work with. Why not use it to complete the trail?

Fortunately, a new multi-use trail has been built on Premium Way starting at Lynchmere Avenue.

A trail crossing is planned at the corner of Premium Way and Stavebank Road, but you can’t access the new trail from that corner. You have to go a bit north to do so.

This gap is open which lets you get to the new bridge. Several benches can be found, along with an information sign about the Queen Elizabeth Way. Really?

This bridge under the QEW has got to be amongst the widest trails I have ever seen! You can easily fit two car lanes in there! However, some archaeological findings are holding up completion of the project.

The views of the Credit River are nice! Also managed to catch a kayaker.

After arriving at Mississauga Road, I took the new bi-directional cycle track under the QEW followed by the trail on the south side of South Service Road.

After turning onto the Nine Creeks Trail, there is some navigating to do along residential streets, but the trail wayfinding is very good.

From Woodeden Drive, it’s a straight shot to Southdown Road for almost four kilometres.

The Southdown and Bromsgrove intersection is where you can find Clarkson GO station. The trail continues on Bromsgrove briefly before veering off road.

The trail ends at Winston Churchill Boulevard which is the Mississauga-Oakville border. There are a couple of benches, a map, and an air pump.

Time to head back via Lakeshore Road and do a slight detour to the Jim Tovey Conservation Area.

Right now, you can’t go through the conservation area due to ongoing development of Lakeview Village. I was informed by the City of Mississauga that Waterfront Park – which will fill the gap – is expected to be tendered for construction later this year with completion expected in 2028.

Even so, this is a beautiful place to hang out with the cool lakeside breeze.

The new conservation area is packed with cyclists. There are several pedestrian trails you can access, but only the main Waterfront Trail allows for cyclists. I wished the bike and pedestrian areas were better marked.

This is the signage you will get if you try to continue west.

Unfortunately, this pier cannot be accessed at this time.

Finally, I got to check out the floating convenience store near the ferry terminal from afar.

Overall, I found the Nine Creeks Trail to be very good with well marked wayfinding and a crazy wide trail under the QEW, though a couple of trail gaps remain. Especially near Hurontario. It could be seen as Mississauga’s version of The Meadoway, while I recommend using Southdown and the Ogden pedestrian bridge to make a loop including the Nine Creeks Trail and the Waterfront Trail.