A place for reflection, peace, tranquility, friendship, stress relief and a return to nature.
Blog Posts for Orillia Club News & Events
All Simcoe County Forest logging operations affecting the Orillia Section of the Ganaraska Trail – including the Breedon Tract and Rathburn Tract – have been completed. Also all those logging operations in the many Simcoe Country Forest Tracts in the Bass Lake Side Road East and Line 6 – 7 – 8 areas are completed.
Carol Strickland, President, Orillia Club of the GHTA Inc.
The logging operations in the Arbour Tract that had blocked that section of forest for hiking are now complete. Arbour Tract is now open and available. (west of LIne 7 and Bass Lake Side Road).
Regarding the overhanging branches about 1/2 km west from the parking lot at 1832 Line 8 Oro-Medonte, one has been pulled down, and the other has been bypassed by a short loop around the overhanging branch. The trail is “obstructed” from both sides of the hazard, and a semi-circular trail marked with pink ribbons guides hikers around the hazard. We hope that winter will bring the overhanging brach down, but for the meantime, hikers should use the re-route.
There are two overhanging branches on our trail about .5 km west of the parking lot at 1832 Line 8. They are about 200 meters apart, and one can bypass them by going around the overhanging branch, but hikers probably should not pass underneath them until they are cleared.
Another post will follow when these have been cleared.
Logging has started in the Simcoe County Forest Rathburn tract east of Orillia. As a result, a small section of the Orillia trail is temporarily unavailable for use. It is very important to obey, at all times, the county signs indicating areas that are off limits for hiking. The attached map shows the affected location. An update notice will be posted when we receive notification that logging has been completed and the signs removed.
I will be starting Monday walks on April 3 (weather permitting). These are 1 hour easy walks to places close to Orillia. Participants should call on Sunday evening to find out where we are going. My phone number is 705-329-4835. Ann Kivinen
2023.03.23 Update – Logging has been completed so this section is now open for use. Trail maintenance to clear the trails of any debris from the logging operation is yet to be done, so be careful if hiking through this section in the near future.
2023.01.11 Original Post: Logging operations have started in Simcoe County Forest on the south side of Bass Lake Sideroad at Line 7N in Oro-Medonte. The Orillia Club Ganaraska trail goes through this area, as well as many other trails frequently used by hikers and bikers. It is best to avoid the affected area until notice is given that logging has been completed, and obey all signage indicating restricted areas if on the trails near Bass Lake Sideroad and Line 7N.
Note that the City of Orillia has restricted parking in any of the waterside parks, including Tudhope Park and Centennial Park, for Fridays to Sundays, for the summer season. Only City of Orillia residents may park there. There is a fine of $80 for non-residents who park in these restricted parking lots. It is possible to park away from the water-side in the city, but attention must be paid to no parking signs, or municipal parking lots allow paid parking for several hours.
The snowshoe hike listed on the schedule for Orillia as Jan. 1, 2018, will actually be on Jan. 13, 2018.