Most of our guests are here for one or two nights. They want a place to walk in the morning, or a quiet hour after a long drive.

Here are the trails we send them to. All within fifteen minutes of the front desk, ranked by how much you actually want to be outside.

If you want quiet pavement (30 minutes)

Mud Creek Path is the easy one. Fully paved, accessible for strollers and wheelchairs, runs along the creek. Ducks. The occasional heron. About ten minutes from us by car. Good for a short loop before checkout.

Maple City Walkway follows the Thames River through downtown. Paved the whole way. Connects to Phil Carney Park on the south bank. Best at dawn or dusk; the river is the point.

If you want a longer walk (an hour to two)

McKeough Floodway Trail is the one to drive to if you have time. About twenty-five minutes north toward Wallaceburg. The trail system is over five kilometres of paths through Carolinian forest around the W. Darcy McKeough Dam, with a separate seven-kilometre channel walk along the floodway berms that's worth doing if you're feeling ambitious and have a couple of hours to spare. Bring water; there's no shop on-site, and the wildlife viewing is good if you're patient.

If you want birds and quiet

St. Clair National Wildlife Area is nineteen kilometres west, about twenty-five minutes by car. Marsh that runs from Mitchell's Bay to the mouth of the Thames. If you're a birder or you want to feel like you've actually left town, this is the spot. Sturdy shoes; some sections are wetter than they look.

A few things worth knowing

• All of these are free. McKeough has parking but no entry fee. The wildlife area is federal: no fee, no shop, no washrooms in winter.
• The Thames River trails flood every spring. If we've had a wet week, check the Chatham-Kent trails site (chatham-kent.ca) before you go, and skip the riverside paths.
• Bug spray May through August. The marsh is worth it; the mosquitoes are real.

What's at the front desk

Trail maps for the McKeough and the Mud Creek loops, free, at the desk. Ask if you want one.

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