Ref: GHTA Guidebook Maps 21 and 22 – When exiting Springwater Provincial Park onto Wilson Road the trail now goes south on Wilson Drive to Seadon Road and then west on Seadon Road until picking the existing trail where it is already on Seadon Road.

This reroute is because of the housing and road development work going on between the end of George Parkway and Seadon Road. Almost all of the trail in this area as shown on the existing maps has disappeared.

The long term plan is to find an alternative that gets the trail off the roads as much as possible but we will likely need to wait until the development work is done before changing things again.

The Barrie Club trail from Line 5N into Copeland Forest is now open (map #19 in GHTA Guidebook). Earlier this year the trail became blocked as a result of logging operations in the area. Debris on the trail has now been removed and blazing refreshed. Thanks to all the club members that worked so hard to make this happen. This is a very enjoyable section of the Barrie trail – it is great to have it open again.

Our original plan today was to drive to the Bruce Trail at Mono Cliffs Provincial Park but weather and road conditions made us decide to hike closer to home. The Ganaraska Trail between Gill Road and Old Second North provided us with a great hike through both hardwood and pine forest with lots of ups and downs to give us a good workout. As you can see in the picture, hiking right after a snow fall provides an extra special experience.

On November 4, 2017 members of the Barrie and Orillia hiking clubs enjoyed a 13km hike in Haliburton Highlands. The Crests of Kennisis and Circuit of Five Viewpoints trails provide a moderate to challenging hike rewarded by great cliff top views of the surrounding forest and lakes. The trail head for Crests of Kennisis is at the Big Hawk Lake historic log chute where there are displays providing interesting information and pictures about history of logging in the area. This hike has become an annual favorite for the group, usually scheduled toward the end of the fall hiking season.

This Hike is Missing from the Spring 2016 News:

Sunday, May  22  <Easy>
Hike for 2 – 2 1/2 hrs  behind the Simcoe County Museum.
Meet in parking lot behind the Simcoe County Museum on left side of Hwy 26, after turning left off Bayfield St. at 10.30 am
Contact:  Norah Stebner @ 705-726-3163 or Min Pinkney @ 705-797-1989

This Hike’s Leader is changed:

Sunday, May 15 <EASY/MODERATE>
Hike in the Barrie area at Ardagh Bluffs. Easy pace for approx. 2 1/2 – 3 hours with a number of short steep hills. Leaving from rear parking lot of Canadian Tire on Bayfield Street at 10am and the Holly Community Centre parking lot at 10:30am.
Contact: Bob Murrell @ 705-456-3163

2015 has been another successful year for the Barrie Ganaraska Hiking Trail Club. We have been following a full schedule of 26 Sunday Hikes, 13 Thursday hikes, 4 Cycle Rides and 2 Trips to Niagara Falls this Spring and Fall.

The Pot Luck was well attended from the Midland and Orillia sections. Although, the Barrie Section takes the lead on the Thursday Hikes we have very good representation from the Orillia Section.

Logging continues in the Barrie and Orillia sections and hikers should be aware that some sections of trail may not be cleared.

Springwater Park continues to welcome Ganaraska Hikers despite a confusing sign at our traditional entry point. The matter has been clarified and we will be posting a small Ganaraska Club sign on the same post as the Springwater Park sign at that point.

The Year In Pictures

Click on any thumbnail photo to start slideshow.