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Logging operations have started in in SCF Breedon Tract which affects the Orillia Ganaraska Hiking Trail between Lines 8N and 9N in Oro-Medonte. Please avoid this area until logging operations are completed.
Logging operations will be starting soon on private land east of Line 11N in Oro-Medonte that hosts the Orillia trail. This section of trail should be considered ‘off-limits’ until the logging is completed and the landowner notifies us that trail use can resume. If hiking in the area, please obey all signs posted on the trail.
The Ganaraska Hiking Trail in Midhurst (part of the Barrie Club trail) is temporarily unavailable due to logging operations in SCF Midhurst Tract. ‘Do Not Enter’ signs are in place both at the trail access point at the Midhurst Community Centre and at the access from Gill Road. Please avoid this area until the ‘all clear’ is announced (date unknown at this time).
Note that the section of the GHTA Kawartha Club hiking trail between Monck Road (KM 63.6) and Buller Road (KM 74.0) remains closed due to damage from the March ice storm. All trail users are asked to avoid this section of trail until further notice. Trail maintenance events are planned for September but the schedule for re-opening the trail is unknown at this time. A future NEWS posting will announce when this section of the trail is once again available for use.
2025.10.03 Update – Logging operations in this area are complete, however trail ‘clean-up’ is still pending.
We have received notification from the Simcoe County Forest Forestry team that logging operations are about to begin in SCF Johnson Tract and will be continuing in the Arbour Tract. These SCF tracts are between Lines 6N and 7N, and north of Bass Lake Sideroad, in Oro-Medonte (see Map #21 for details). A section of the Orillia trail runs through both of these tracts and will be off limits until the logging operations are completed. Please obey all posted signs if you decide to hike in this area.
A 2024.07.01 post announced a ‘temporary’ closure of the section of the GHTA Barrie Trail between the Doran Road / Belmont Cresent intersection and Highway 27 in Midhurst. The detour that was announced at that time is no longer available due to construction activity. For the foreseeable future, trail users will need to stay on Doran Road until it reaches Hwy. 27 and then walk along Hwy. 27 back to where they can rejoin the trail. The attached map (a marked up screen shot from Ondago) explains the new detour. Please take care walking along the Hwy. 27 shoulder – this is a busy road with high speed traffic.
Due to Hwy. 401 construction at Port Hope there is a detour where Choate Rd. crosses under the 401 (km 2.7 of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail (Map 1)).
Hikers travelling north must now proceed straight at the Jocelyn St. /Cavan Rd. intersection (km 2.3) to Victoria St. N. (approximately 1.0 km). Turn right (north) at Victoria St. for 1.5 km to the intersection with Choate Rd. Turn right on Choate Rd. for 0.5 km to the intersection with the unmaintained section of Hawkins Rd.(km 4.3) where you will rejoin the GHT.
Hikers travelling south must turn right (west) at the Hawkins Rd./Choate Rd. intersection (km 4.3) to the Choate Rd. / Cranberry Rd. intersection (0.5 km). Turn left on Cranberry Rd. and travel south to the intersection with Jocelyn Rd. (approximately 1.5 km). Take a left on Jocelyn St. to the intersection where the GHT meets Molson St. (approximately 1.0 km). Turn right (south).
On 2025.08.05 Simcoe County Forestry advised that logging operations were about to begin in SCF Tustin Tract. This tract is between Line 5N and Sugarbush Estates in Oro-Medonte and the GHTA Barrie trail runs through it. The entire tract will be closed until the logging operation is complete. Please avoid this tract and obey all signage if you choose to hike in the area.
The following is extracted from the 2025.08.05 SCF notice for reference.
“We have just been notified that operations will be starting up tomorrow in the Tustin Tract (Oro-Medonte). The operator will be establishing his landing off the Line 5 road allowance.
I do not currently have the exact stands he will be completing the salvage operations in, but as the pine is throughout several stands in Tustin, the entire Tract will be closed for these operations.
Signs will be installed tomorrow morning.”
On 2025.08.06 we received a notice from Simcoe County Forestry that they are conducting road work in SCF Miller Tract and there will be heavy machinery there for “the next week or so”. The GHTA Barrie trail enters the Miller Tract going south from Pinegrove Road. Please avoid using this area until the work is complete and the heavy machinery removed.
To all Ganaraska Hiking Trail users – our trail inspection and maintenance activity for many sections of the overall trail is still focused on recovery from the ice storm earlier this year. This means hikers may find parts of trail where normal trail maintenance activities such as weed control or trimming or minor debris clearing are not yet done. We ask for your patience for getting the entire trail back to our normal standards, and also ask you to be extra careful on the trail – especially be sure to check for ticks if you find yourself hiking through tall grass.