Author: John Sloan

Temporary closure of section of Oro-Medonte trail in Copeland Forest.

Posted on by John Sloan

A portion of the Oro-Medonte trail in Copeland Forest will be temporarily closed due to spring seasonal wet conditions. The trail section is just north of the Oro-Medonte and Barrie trail junction near sign post 5 and continues north to sign post 4 – approximately 1 km in length. There is an alternate trail that can be used to the east of the Oro-Medonte trail (see attached map).

Signs will be installed at the end points of the closed section (sample attached). Please do not try to use the closed section – walking around the wet sections on the trail can cause damage to environmentally sensitive areas in the forest. We are lucky to have access to the Copeland Forest trail system so let’s do our part to make our trail system sustainable. 

There will be a follow-on notice when the trail is re-opened. 

Mad River Trail Section Affected by Vandalism

Posted on by John Sloan

Hikers of the Mad River section of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail should take note that Ganaraska Trail blazes have been vandalized and hikers will need to refer to the Ondago App for trail location.  The small section of trail impacted is located south of the Village of Glen Huron and runs east from Concession 8 Nottawasaga Road (formerly County 62 Road) alongside a corn field and an apple orchard up to the forest edge.

2023.10.29 – Midland Trail Alert

Posted on by John Sloan

Hikers of the Midland section of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail should take note of the fact that at approx. km 11, there is a safety underpass that the trail goes under while bridge construction on Old Fort Road is taking place above. As hikers descend down to the orange fence, note that the fence has been cut to allow passage for hikers. See pictures.

Also, at approx. km 2.5 the Midland club is undertaking a reroute to by-pass a very wet area, probably caused by a beaver. A new pedestrian bridge has been installed, as well as stepping blocks but the new route has not been blazed as yet, until we know for sure that the route marked with pink ribbon will be confirmed as the new route. A group of Orillia, Medonte and Midland club members were the first to test the new bridge. 

2023.10.26 – Trail Blocked on Heather Dalton Memorial Side Trail Loop (Barrie Section)

Posted on by John Sloan

Earlier this summer high winds in the Midhurst area brought down a lot of trees in Simcoe County Forest Midhurst Tract. Of those that affected the Barrie Ganaraska hiking trail through this area, almost all have been cleared or removed from the trail. There remains, however, a spot on the Heather Dalton side trail that is completely blocked. It is possible, but not particularly easy, to go around the blockage through the forest. This situation will not be resolved in the foreseeable future so this notice is to make trail users aware of the situation.

2023.10.12 – Work Begins to Develop Rail Trail Between Stayner and Angus (Mad River Club Trail)

Posted on by John Sloan

A recent local news report announced that work has begun to remove railway ties and rails on the abandoned railway line between Stayner and Angus as a first step in the conversion of this corridor to a recreational rail trail. The work to remove the ties and rails is expected to be complete mid-December this year, but the total conversion project will last until late 2025.

Starting immediately, sections of the Mad River Club trail that follow the rail line will be inaccessible where work crews are active. Signs will be posted preventing access to work zones and in some situations there will be a ‘watch person’ to prevent access.

As the work will be intermittent and section-by-section this stretch of the Ganaraska trail will not be closed but all hikers are advised to follow the instructions of all posted signs and avoid areas where work crews are active. Also, hiking this section of the Mad River Club trail is not required to earn a Ganaraska End-to-End badge for the foreseeable future.

2023.10.07 – Logging Operation in Simcoe County Forest in Orrock Creek North Tract

Posted on by John Sloan

Logging operations have started in Simcoe County Forest in the Orrock Creek North Tract. This is between Old Second South and Gill Road. Our trail runs through this tract, but does not run through the area being logged – so hiking can continue. However, anyone hiking in the area on trails other than the Ganaraska trail needs to watch for, and comply with, all warning signs that are posted about the logging operation.

WARNING – WILD PARSNIP on MAD RIVER TRAIL

Posted on by John Sloan

Wild Parsnip has been noted along the Mad River Hiking trail section in the Glencairn Conservation Area  (this area is found at KM 25.3 on both the Ondago mobile app and Map 25 of the downloadable Trail Guide). Take caution when hiking through this area.

Wild parsnip is a member of the carrot/parsley family, and like giant hogweed, produces sap containing chemicals that can irritate human skin.

Further information on this plant can be found on the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) webpage.

Wild Parsnip Fact Sheet. www.nvca.on.ca/Shared%20Documents/Wild%20Parsnip%20Factsheet.pdf

2023.04.28 – Notice of Non-Maintained Section on GHTA Mad River Trail

Posted on by John Sloan

The section of the GHTA trail from the junction of the railway line and Brentwood Road (44.35386, -79.96300) to the junction Concession 3 and the railway tracks (44.35384, -7996378) follows an abandoned railway line.  Railway ties and considerably overgrowth of shrubs tangled with vines makes numerous sections of this portion of trail very difficult to hike.

Maintenance of this section of trail is planned for the future, with the County of Simcoe considering transformation of the abandoned railway line into a multi-use trail (hopefully in the not-too distant future).

This trail section remains open for use, but the Mad River team wants hikers to be aware of the difficult hiking conditions.

2023.04.21 – Logging has resumed in Simcoe County Forest Strachan Tract.

Posted on by John Sloan

Logging operations have started up once again in Simcoe County Forest Strachan Tract, completing work that could not be done during the winter. The notice from the county forestry organization states “We have a contractor starting up in the Strachan Tract (Oro-Medonte) today. This is a continuation of a cut to complete areas that were inaccessible in the winter. Following this, they will be crossing over Bass Lake Sideroad into the North section of Strachan to complete that cut”. Until further notice please avoid the area and obey all posted signage.