With the re-opening of Ontario as part of Step 3, effective Friday July 16, 2021, we looked into the carpooling situation for hiking clubs, and feel confident that our clubs can allow carpooling again, but with some “ride share” restrictions.
To ensure the safety of all hikers, we recommend:- limit of driver and 1 passenger (sitting diagonally behind the driver)- wear masks while in the vehicle- open windows (and avoid re-circulating of air)- wash or sanitize hands upon arrival
However, some people may not feel comfortable carpooling, and so we leave it to individual drivers and passengers as to whether they choose to do so at this point.
Also, while up to 100 individuals can now meet outdoors, it will be the hike leader’s decision as to how many hikers are allowed on the hike, and priority should be given to Ganaraska Hiking Trail members. Space permitting, non-members can also participate. Non-members will have to sign the waiver form.
All the other Covid-19 protocol is still in place – including maintain social distance, wear masks where not possible to be distanced, and don’t attend if you have symptoms. Contact/attendance lists must still be maintained. We recommend pre-registration for hikes as this facilitates keeping the contact list, but also gives the hike leader an opportunity to bring new members/non-members up to speed with regard to our Covid-19 protocol, as well as brief them about hike difficulty, etc.
Happy Hiking to you all
Frieda BaldwinPresident, Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc.
705-245-1005
Category: News
2021.07.03 – Ondago Updated to Show Tiny & Wasaga Beach Trails Now Connected
The Ondago map for Wasaga Beach and Tiny trail sections has been updated to show the two trail sections are now connected. Our thanks to all the volunteers that found the route to close the gap and gathered the information needed to share the updated map with all hikers.
The attached picture is a screen shot of the Ondago map for the area.
Wilderness Section – Black River Road Trail Closure – July 1, 2021
Black River Road east of Lewisham Lane is impassable at 44.801700, -79.131726, preventing assess to Victoria Bridge. Half of the road has been washed out and the remainder is severely undercut.
Covid-19 Update – June 30, 2021
The province has changed the outdoor gatherings limit to 25, which means that the Ganaraska Hiking Club can allow hike group sizes to increase to a maximum of 25. As many hike leaders are uncomfortable with larger groups, we encourage them to limit the size of the group to whatever they feel comfortable with. Otherwise, the GHTA Inc. Covid-19 protocol is unchanged – still no car-pooling allowed.
Crawford Tract Still Closed
We have received an email from the Simcoe County Forest that hikers have been violating the “no trespassing” rule in the Crawford Tract, where logging is now taking place. The original notice of tract closure was posted on December 2, 2020, but it is still current. We risk losing access to these treasured forest tracts if we do not comply with the SCF requirements, so we trust that our hikers will not hike in this tract while the rule is in place.
We will update “Trail changes” when we can again enjoy this tract.
Carol Strickland, for Frieda Baldwin, President, GHTA Inc.
2021.06.15 Ondago App Updated
Click here for the latest updates from Ondago – including tips and new maps!
Oro-Medonte Trail – Caution About Logging Operations (June 2021)
June 2021 – Logging operations are currently active on private property between Lines 4N and 5N on the Ganaraska Oro-Medonte trail. The duration of the logging operation is unknown. Avoid using this section of the trail until a notice is posted that the logging is finished.
2021.05.25 – Tiny Trail and Wasaga Beach Trail now connected!
Great News!!! The western end of the Tiny section of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail has been re-opened. It had been closed a couple of years ago due to a landowner issue and flooding. Both have been resolved, and the trail has been re-blazed. This re-opening will add 3 km to the Tiny section of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail and will re-connect to Tiny section to the Wasaga Beach section at Archer Road and Tiny Beaches Road (less than 100 m to the Georgian Bay shoreline at Allenwood Beach).
Anyone doing an end to end of the Tiny section will need to follow the blazes to Tiny Beaches Road. The entire Tiny section is now approx. 27 kms.
New mapping data is being provided to Ondago, and we hope the new map will be available for mobile device use by end of June.
The T2 map of the 2013 Guidebook is correct (but unfortunately does not show km distances).
Covid-19 Protocol Update May 21, 2021
On May 22 at 12:01 the province will permit outdoor gatherings of up to 5 persons. This means that as of Saturday, we can again offer local (within 1/2 hour) hikes of up to 5 persons, if leaders are comfortable to do so. It is still necessary to maintain physical distance of 2 meters, and if that is not possible, wear masks and resume physical distancing as soon as possible. It is a good idea to carry a mask in your pocket in case of emergencies, such as tending to a wounded hiker, etc. Hikers should pre-register to prevent over-booking of hikes, and if two or more hikes go from the same place, they should be staggered in their meeting times by 1/2 hour minimum. Car-pooling is still not permitted, except with members of your own household. If you should be self-isolating because of symptoms or exposure to someone suspected of having Covid-19, please do not attend a hike.
We will continue to advise of changes in the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc.’s Covid-19 protocol as the changes happen.
Enjoy the new season.
Covid-19 update
This is to update the GHTA Inc. Covid-19 policy, in light of this afternoon’s announcement, for changes to go into effect 12:01 Saturday, April 17, 2021.
As outdoor gatherings are now prohibited except for between members of the same household +/- one member of another household who lives alone, all Ganaraska hikes are now suspended. We are told that the current Stay at Home orders will extend to at least May 20, 2020.
We will update members as the situation changes.
We hope that you are still able to get out into the woods once in a while – the wildflowers are really springing to life right now with the warm spring and rains. Stay safe.
Carol Strickland, for Frieda Baldwin, President, GHTA Inc.