GHTA Clubs
ABOUT US
The Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc. is a registered charity dedicated to the conservation of our natural resources. The objectives of the Association are:
• to establish and maintain a hiking trail for public use from Port Hope to the Bruce Trail near Collingwood,
• to develop and maintain side trails and loop trails with the objective of accessing places of scenic interest or to connect with other trails, and
• to promote the conservation and appreciation of nature.
Ganaraska – What does it mean?
The name Ganaraska is thought to originate from ‘Ganaraské’, the name of a Cayuga village which was located at the current site of Port Hope at the mouth of the river on Lake Ontario. The Cayugas were part of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee) or League of Peace and Power of the five nations (Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and later Tuscarora). The name in Iroquois may mean ‘spawning ground.’ Subsequently, the area was taken over by the Mississauga, an Obijwa people, who called the river Pematascutiang and their village beside it Cochingomink meaning “the beginning of the portage”.
Originally used for the name of the river, Ganaraska is now used for the area along the river, the forest, the conservation authority, the hiking trail, the hiking club, trail bike clubs, several businesses, art studios, music groups, and resorts in the Port Hope area.