The Twelve Mile Creek is a waterway located on the Niagara Peninsula. The creek got its name because its outlet to Lake Ontario is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Niagara River. The origin of the creek starts in the town of Pelham, and the lower part of the creek flows through Thorold and St. Catharines. The creek was heavily altered by human activity for almost two centuries. The creek is mostly used for agriculture and residential land, at the same time, the creek is also used to generate electricity.

The focus of this tour will be mainly on the lower part of the creek, which is the part that you will be able to see when driving alongside Highway 406. There several trails alongside the bank of the Twelve Mile Creek, for example the Participark Trail, Merritt Trail, the Twelve Trail. The first two trails will be visited during the tour.

Recreational activities such as fishing and rowing are allowed at the creek, since it's a waterway, only water related activities are possible. Howeve you visitors are able to walk or ride on the trails beside the creek, all three trails, the Participark Trail, Merritt Trail and the Twelve Trail allow you to do so. But as far as recreational activities at the creek, fishing and rowing are the only options.

In the period following the War of 1812, Merritt's mills were plagued by low water conditions, especially in late summer when the grain harvest needed to be ground. So, he came up with an idea to divert water from the Welland River to augment the water supply. The original water source for the canal was the Grand River via the Feeder Canal, as opposed to the Welland River. Twelve Mile Creek wasn't the best route for the canal, but it was the location of Merritt's mills, so economic motivation became a factor. In the end the first two Welland Canals were routed via Twelve Mile Creek.

There are many species in the Twelve Mile Creek area, according to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, there are up to 59 species of fish have been identified in this study area. They include Brook Trout, Northern Pike, various Perch, and minnows.

There are also species that are in danger, for example, birds such as the Barn Owl and Yellow-breasted Chat, fish such as American Eel and Redside Dace, mammals such as the Grey Fox, plants including Butternut and Eastern Flowering Dogwood, reptiles including the Eastern Milksnake.

The Twelve Mile Creek is within the Regional Municipality of Niagara, and the creek is under the protection of the Niagara Greenbelt program. The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority will release a report card every 5 years to assess the health of the Twelve Mile Creek watershed.

Since the Twelve Mile Creek is a waterway, so it is not wheelchair accessible, but the trails beside it are fully accessible.

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. (2012). Twelve Mile Creek 2012 Watershed Report Card. Retrieved from https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/livein/resources/Tree-planting-list.pdf

Greenbelt. (n.d.). Twelve Mile Creek. Retrieved from http://www.greenbelt.ca/twelve_mile_creek