A recent local news report announced that work has begun to remove railway ties and rails on the abandoned railway line between Stayner and Angus as a first step in the conversion of this corridor to a recreational rail trail. The work to remove the ties and rails is expected to be complete mid-December this year, but the total conversion project will last until late 2025.
Starting immediately, sections of the Mad River Club trail that follow the rail line will be inaccessible where work crews are active. Signs will be posted preventing access to work zones and in some situations there will be a ‘watch person’ to prevent access.
As the work will be intermittent and section-by-section this stretch of the Ganaraska trail will not be closed but all hikers are advised to follow the instructions of all posted signs and avoid areas where work crews are active. Also, hiking this section of the Mad River Club trail is not required to earn a Ganaraska End-to-End badge for the foreseeable future.
Category: Club News
WARNING – WILD PARSNIP on MAD RIVER TRAIL
Wild Parsnip has been noted along the Mad River Hiking trail section in the Glencairn Conservation Area (this area is found at KM 25.3 on both the Ondago mobile app and Map 25 of the downloadable Trail Guide). Take caution when hiking through this area.
Wild parsnip is a member of the carrot/parsley family, and like giant hogweed, produces sap containing chemicals that can irritate human skin.
Further information on this plant can be found on the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA) webpage.
Wild Parsnip Fact Sheet. www.nvca.on.ca/Shared%20Documents/Wild%20Parsnip%20Factsheet.pdf
2023.04.28 – Notice of Non-Maintained Section on GHTA Mad River Trail
The section of the GHTA trail from the junction of the railway line and Brentwood Road (44.35386, -79.96300) to the junction Concession 3 and the railway tracks (44.35384, -7996378) follows an abandoned railway line. Railway ties and considerably overgrowth of shrubs tangled with vines makes numerous sections of this portion of trail very difficult to hike.
Maintenance of this section of trail is planned for the future, with the County of Simcoe considering transformation of the abandoned railway line into a multi-use trail (hopefully in the not-too distant future).
This trail section remains open for use, but the Mad River team wants hikers to be aware of the difficult hiking conditions.
2023.03.15 – Logging Operation Affects Orillia Trail (2023.07.28 Update – Logging Operations Completed and trail can be used.)
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.
2023.03.23 Update – Logging Operation Affecting Barrie Trail Completed
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.
2023.02.10 Original Post: There is currently an active logging operation in Simcoe County Forest that affects the Barrie trail east of Gill Road (the Orrock Creek South tract). Please avoid this section of the trail and stay out of the areas indicated by the county signage in the forest. An update to this notice will be posted when logging is completed.
Trailblazers look to close loop of Ganaraska in Penetanguishene
Local hiking association seek North Simcoe permissions to bridge trail gap from Martyrs’ Shrine to Tiny Trail at Conc. 12
by Derek Howard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association looked to Penetanguishene council recently with a trailblazing request to close the loop at the northern ends of the 500-km trail which nearly loops within Simcoe County.
If you’ve ever wanted to meet modern trailblazers, North Simcoe might have your solution.
Representatives from the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association (GHTA) approached Penetanguishene council during the recent regular meeting, seeking permission to blaze trails through the Midland, Penetanguishene, and Tiny Township areas to attach the unconnected ends of a popular trail system.
GHTA president Frieda Baldwin gave a presentation to council regarding the proposal.
“It’s a hiking trail 500-kilometres long from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay,” Baldwin explained. “It passes through the Peterborough area, Orillia, Barrie, Wasaga Beach, Midland, Penetanguishene, and so on. The trail is maintained by volunteers; there are nine clubs and members of each club maintain the trail.”
The hiking trail originated in the early 1960s for naturalists to enjoy unspoiled lands across the province, and by 1968 the Ganaraska hiking trail was officially opened from Port Hope to Lindsay. Shortly after, more sections were added to the overall coverage.
However, the trail was never fully connected in its Simcoe County portion. The western trail ends at the Tay Shore Trail beside Sainte-Marie among the Hurons outside Midland, while the eastern trail ceases at the Tiny Trail and Conc. 12 E. junction in Tiny Township.
“The purpose of this deputation is to ask permission from the town… to blaze a trail through Penetanguishene. We are not going to build any new trails – we are not asking permission for that – just to blaze the trail,” said Baldwin.
In blazing a trail, path markers measuring two-by-six inches are put onto visible waypoints for the purpose of navigation, whether through paint or by installing material like PVC. Blazes can be found on trees, various posts, bridges, rocks, and hydro poles among the many available options.
For the request, Baldwin offered the preferred off-road route between the Wye River to Tiny Conc. 12 through the following connections: from the Midland waterfront trail to the Mid-Pen link at Murray Rd.; to Thompson Rd. W. over to Thompson Rd. E. and along the multi-use trail; through the Thompson/Martin Valley county forest to Overhead Bridge Rd.; and using a new Kingfisher trail to arrive at the Tiny Trail.
“In 2010, we actually obtained permission from the town of Midland,” Baldwin told council, “but the other municipalities… we were not making much progress.”
Approval for the Tiny Township portion had been previously granted, according to Baldwin, with a $2,500 budget allocation for stairs to the Tiny Trail postponed until 2023. She added that the GHTA had also sought trailblazing permission from Midland council and was waiting for approval.
The request was put forward through Mayor Doug Rawson to the recreation and community services section to be explored by staff for consideration.
The Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association deputation, with slides and further information, can be located on the agenda page of the Town of Penetanguishene website.
Meetings of Penetanguishene council are held on the second Wednesday of each month, and can be watched live on Rogers TV cable 53, or on the Rogers TV website.
Archives of council meetings are located on the Town of Penetanguishene YouTube channel.
2023.03.23 – Logging Operation in Simcoe County Forest Affecting Orillia Trail Completed
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.
New Bridge in Pine Ridge Section
The Ganaraska Trail follows a former railway between the 4th and 5th lines of Hope Township. Most of the trail is pretty well level, but there is one spot where the railway crossed a creek. The old trestle bridge had been taken out years ago and hikers needed to navigate two sagging, slippery cedar logs to get across that creek. There was a 25’ horizontal cedar tree next to the logs for holding on to. To make matters worse, the trail down to the bridge and up the other side was steep and treacherous.
On December 2, 2022, life got easier for trail hikers and dog walkers. 5 Pine Ridge Hiking Club members installed a new 20’ bridge a short distance downstream from the old crossing. Both access trails were moved and hand-shovelled to be easier to traverse. Congratulations to Jimmy Edwards, Stan Muldoon, Jay Sherwin, John Ambler and bridge designer, Ted Van Netten.
2022.11.29 – New Side-trails on Barrie Section
On June 6 of this year we announced changes to the Barrie main trail between the parking lot on Gill Road and the Midhurst Community Centre. Due to a new landowner request we had to move a portion of this trail onto Gill Road. There are now two new side trails to recapture some of the best features of the trail section that had to be moved. From the Gill Road parking lot, the Bear’s Creek side trail provides a 3.6 km loop that goes over a picturesque creek and runs along an interesting (and hilly) ridge beside the creek. In the middle of the forest the Heather Dalton Memorial side trail provides a 1.3 km loop (also with hills) that has multiple tree mounted memorial displays for a local person that loved to hike the trails in the area. Ondago has been updated and our website downloadable maps will be updated soon. Try them out.
2022.09.27 – Logging Operation Affecting Barrie Trail Now Complete & Trail Is Open
On 2022.07.23 we made the announcement posted below. As of today the Simcoe County Forestry map does not show any activity logging operation in this area. There will likely need to be some clean-up and re-blazing (to be done asap) but the trail is open – enjoy.
Previous Announcement: We have received notice from the Simcoe County Forestry organization that logging has started in the Orrock Creek South tract. This means that there is an unusable section of the Barrie trail between Old Second South and Gill Road, as shown in the attached map. Hiking in this area from either the Old Second South parking lot or the Gill Road parking lot would still be possible, but it would be necessary to turn back as soon as the logging operation signs are reached (do not hike in the signed area even if the logging operation isn’t active when you get there). The duration of the logging operation isn’t known, but a future posting will announce when the trail is fully open again.
