Participark Trail and The Twelve Trail are in an urbanized environment. Although it is inside the city of St. Catharines, this trail is often overlooked by visitors looking for hiking in the area. The trails runs parallel to 12 Mile Creek and can be easily accessed from the Marsdale area of town. This is a great area with lots of different directions to take from the central parking lot. The parking lot is accessible by taking Old Glendale road off of Glendale Ave. The two trails follow the creek on both sides. Pictured below is The Twelve Trail going downstream towards Lockhart Drive.

The trails in this area provide local residents with an escape from the hustle and bustle of St. Catharines and Niagara Falls, while still being easily accessible in the city. Locals use these trails for all kinds of activities; some go biking along the path, others walk their dogs and I have even seen a few people magnet fishing in the creek for anything interesting they can find. This is also a great spot to see wildlife while still being inside city limits (while I was there taking photos, a group of white tail deer were in the woods walking beside me).

About halfway down the trail the forest around you starts to change. Before this, the ground was littered with smaller plants and vines and the such. But now the ground floor of the forest is relatively bare, creating a unique look in the fall because going at the right time you will have a wonderful transition into the oranges and reds of fall. This portion of the trail also becomes mirrored by quite a challenging and well-used looking bike trail. Watching bikes come roaring down these trails brings some excitement to the hike. The fact that the bike trail is also separated from the walking trail means that the bikes can go fast and walkers can feel safe that a bike won't plow them down.

The trail leads us towards Lockhart Drive. Iit is a wonderful walk that gives way to great views from the clearing at the end. The escarpment is right beside you at the end of the hike, giving a great view of the Decew Falls Generating Station #1. This unnamed park is a wonderfully overlooked park in the area. If you're looking for a quiet place to go exploring, this is the place for you.

The parking lot off of Old Glendale Rd is a great middle point for the hike. One way that locals hike these trails is to arrive with two cars. The easiest way doing this is either parking the second car at the end of Lockhart Drive in the parking lot there or on Renown road at the other end of the trail. This ease of access allows this trail to be tackled in no time at all.