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Events & Hikes

El Camino Maitland

September 19 - September 20

The El Camino Maitland is an annual fundraiser event that takes place each September. Participants challenge themselves by hiking the entire trail, or a distance they choose, over the course of a single weekend, meeting new people along the way. Checkpoints are staffed by friendly volunteers who provide encouragement, snacks and support to help you reach the finish line!

Some Photos from the 2024 El Camino

About the EL CAMINO Maitland

The 2026 El Camino Maitland will be held on September 19 & 20

Registration opens on the Saturday of the May long weekend.

Check back here and follow us on Facebook for regular updates. 

Kids 17 & under hike for FREE and FREE PARKING!

El Camino Maitland (El Camino del Sinuoso Rio Maitland) is a 2-day hike along the entire Maitland Trail (with some minor detours). It’s modelled after the somewhat-more-famous Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage from southern France through the north of Spain to the Atlantic Ocean.

THE HIKE:

The hike is a 2-day hike along the entire Maitland Trail that happens on a weekend in September every year.

The Camino will mostly follow the whole Maitland Trail from the trail head near Auburn to Benmiller on day #1. Goderich to Benmiller on day #2. With the Camino detours, the trail is almost <52km.

You can choose to hike Saturday and Sunday, Saturday only, or Sunday only. At registration time, you will choose your choice of day(s) and your distance for your hiking pleasure.

Saturday Distance Options: <31km, <17km or <11km
Sunday Distance Option: <20km or <12km

The Trail follows the beautiful, winding route of the lower Maitland River, and includes areas of ecological significance. You’ll traverse narrow trails, wide rambling trails, hills both up and down, through forests, past farmland, river vistas, autumn meadows, and towering forests. You may see wildlife – toads, salamanders, snakes, ravens, robins, and eagles. Our trail is beautifully natural. That means that you’re also likely to encounter bees, wasps, spiders, and other prickly stingy things, and possibly rain. Be prepared for a fun adventure.

Hikers under 18 years of age are welcome, but they must be accompanied on the hike by an adult.

Whichever length you choose, your days will look like this:

On Saturday and Sunday morning, you will check in at the Benmiller Community Hall, then be shuttled by bus to the start point. From there you will hike back towards Benmiller where you will check out, so we know you’re safely off the trail.

Along the route there will be check points where water and snacks will be provided. The snacks available may not provide enough fuel for your hike, so make sure you bring enough food to meet your needs for the day. Check points will also have basic first aid equipment.

If you must cut your hike short, you can be shuttled to the next check point or will be shuttled back to the finish area where you will check out. The best part about the check points are the friendly faces who provide sincere encouragement and have a genuine interest in how the hike is going for you. They’re all volunteers who make this event possible. Awesome!

Under no circumstances will hikers be allowed to start the longest hike after 8:30 am.
The Saturday hike finishes at 5 pm, and the Sunday hike finishing at 4pm.

For safety reasons, all hikers must be off the trail by those times. If it looks like you won’t make the cut-off, you’ll be invited to hopscotch to the next check point or to the finish area.

It depends on your pace but based on completion times in previous years:

Saturday: 30.9 km distance may take – 5-10 hours
Sunday: 19.2 km distance – 4-8 hours

This is important: This is a challenging hike with many steep hills and stairs up and down through the valley. Even experienced hikers find it challenging and some people are not able to complete it. Our best advice is this: Prepare for the event and know how long it will take YOU to walk 30.9 km on uneven terrain.

The best strategy is to pay attention to the tools provided:

  • Blazes. Make sure you know how to use them. (Check out our Hike Planning Page). We don’t always follow the standard of a subsequent blaze being within sight of the current one.
  • Signage. Watch for a variety of MTA signs at significant turn points. There may also be orange traffic cones, blue flags, chalk or paint on the ground, Km markers.
  • Refer to the map provided.

  • Water Bottle: (at least one) Some hikers simply require more hydration than others, and warm temperatures can increase everyone’s needs. Refill your water bottle at each check point.
  • Cell Phone: This is for safety reasons.
  • Small Food: Bring more food if you think you’ll need it.
  • Sun hat, sunscreen, bug repellent, after-bite, band-aids suitable for blisters, EpiPen, puffers, etc.
  • Hiking shoes or good supportive footwear. No sandals.
  • Hiking poles or walking sticks for the uneven terrain may be helpful, but are not mandatory.

There will be no refunds after July 31st.

After July 31st, registration fees paid will be considered a donation to MTA and a charitable income tax receipt will be mailed.

All about Goderich

Visit: https://www.goderich.ca/en/index.aspx

Please reach out via email: camino@maitlandtrail.ca  with any questions you may have.

Camping Discount: Hike participants will receive 25% off the camping night portion of their stay at the Falls Reserve Conservation Area Park (located just down the road from check in/out and shuttle bus) during the weekend of the El Camino Maitland hike. This discount does not apply to the $20 booking fee applied to each campsite booking or any other additional vehicle or related fees. To receive the discount: contact the Falls Reserve Conservation Area park office (by phone ONLY) at 519-524-6429 or 1-877-325-5722 to book a campsite based on their camp equipment requirements. You MUST provide your RaceRoster Participant ID# at the time of booking and at the time of entering the park. Registered hike participants will pay for their camping stay at the time the booking is made to receive a booking confirmation with details on park rules and information.

Camping Discount for Camino Participants

Camping Discount: Hike participants will receive 25% off the camping night portion of their stay at the Falls Reserve Conservation Area Park (located just down the road from check in/out and shuttle bus) during the weekend of Sept 20th to 22nd. This discount does not apply to the $20 booking fee applied to each campsite booking or any other additional vehicle or related fees. To receive the discount: contact the Falls Reserve Conservation Area park office (by phone ONLY) at 519-524-2429 or 1-877-325-5722 to book a campsite based on their camp equipment requirements. You MUST provide your RaceRoster Participant ID# at the time of booking and at the time of entering the park. Registered hike participants will pay for their camping stay at the time the booking is made to receive a booking confirmation with details on park rules and information.

Details

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