Ontario Trails - Waterloo Cross Country Ski Trails, Snowmobile News and Northern Ontario update

7 ways to explore Waterloo Region this winter

Explore Waterloo Region rounds up fun ways to get out and explore

Set Cambridge as My Local news

With the easing of some provincial COVID-19 restrictions as of Jan. 31, Explore Water Region is rounding up a list of fun ways to get out and explore the region's winter offerings.

“We know people are anxious to head out and begin doing things again,” said Minto Schneider, chief executive officer of Explore Waterloo Region in a press release. “Waterloo Region offers lots of safe ways to get out and enjoy the snow and fresh air, as well as indoor attractions you can't experience anywhere else!”

Here are seven things you can do this winter as suggested by Explore Waterloo Region.

Skiing — Mother Nature is co-operating with great conditions on the slopes. Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort is one of Ontario’s most popular ski and snowboard family centres. It offers Discover Programs for new skiers and snowboarders as well as advanced lessons for all ages.

Tubing — The Chicopee Tube Park offers six different chutes, running from 250 feet high and 900 feet long. After hours of playing in the snow, warm up in the Chalet Café and licensed Ranger Lounge.

UNZIPPED — UNZIPPED reopens at THEMUSEUM on Jan. 31 and continues through Feb. 28. This unique exhibit is making its exclusive Canadian debut in Kitchener and takes you backstage with the Rolling Stones. Featuring 10,000 square feet of one-of-a-kind artifacts, this exhibit showcases the art, fashion and performances of the World’s Greatest Rock Band.

Frock On! — Fashion and music have shared a strong connection over the past century, and that is celebrated in Frock On! at the Fashion History Museum. This exhibit covers everything from flappers to rappers, and explores the fashionable looks that have become uniquely entwined with musical genres — and it is a great complement for UNZIPPED.

Winter Patios — It may not be the same as sitting in shorts and sandals under the summer sun, but many Waterloo Region restaurants are offering Winter Patio experiences that celebrate the season. Warm up to our Canadian winter while bundled under blankets, huddled around a fire table or gathered beside a heater. You can find a list of eateries with outdoor dining experiences here.

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Ontario Trails News - snowshoers take Blue Mountain for Cancer

Find your favorite Ontario Trail!

Snowshoers take The Blue Mountains trails at Scenic Caves Romp to Stomp

Romp

Scott Woodhouse

Hailing from the Etobicoke Yacht Club, the Snow Sailors, from left to right, Chris Proctor, Debbie Jeffcoat, Len Proctor and Karen Montazeri, raised $2,500.

nextplay/pausepre3/12

Collingwood Connection

By Scott Woodhouse

They came from far and wide, with crazy names and even crazier costumes, with one goal in mind: to stomp out breast cancer.

Whether they came from Oakville, Collingwood, Toronto or Dundalk, the close to 600 participants in the 8th annual Tubbs Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer were united in showing support for friends and relatives who have battled the disease, by strapping on a pair of snowshoes and trekking through the beautiful trails at Scenic Cave just outside of Collingwood.

The Snow Sailors hail from Etobicoke and admitted they are more at home on the high seas than plowing through snow drifts, but they are all committed to the cause.

"I'm passionate about the cause," said Karen Montazeri. "A lot of my friends and relatives have been affected by breast cancer."

Fellow team member Debbie Jeffcoat noted they not only ask for cash donations but donations of snowshoes as well.

Their crew met at the Etobicoke Yacht Club and the Mimico Cruising Club. This is their second year participating and they are the fourth highest pledge earners. "Last year we raised $1,790 - this year we're close to $2,500 so that's great," said Jeffcoat.

Erika Boone of Toronto was part of Kae's Racketeers, a team named for her good friend and breast cancer survivor, Kae Edwards.

"She's my age, she's a mom and a breast cancer survivor," noted Boone, who has been taking part in the snowshoe fundraiser for three years.

"Kae had literally just finished her radiation treatment the week before our first event three years ago, and we've been going strong ever since."

Helping their kids get their snowshoes on, Kae's husband Perry sported a wig that Kae wore during her treatment along with a leopard print bra.

"We fought it and we beat it and I got this free wig," he joked as he helped their kids, Christopher, Amy and Paige, get their snowshoes on.

From closer to home, the Grey County Boob Brigade has been taking part in the event for four years.

Organized by Teddi Jones and her daughter Denise, the team was thinking a lot about team member Vanessa Pink's mother as they headed out on the trail.

Pink explained her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 17 years ago. After years in remission the cancer came back three years ago.

"She has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer - which means she will always have it. Right now she's being treated with radiation and hormones."

Team Captain Teddi Jones said they've all been touched by one type of cancer or another.

"I'm involved because if we find a cure for one cancer I think we'll be able to cure them all," she said.

One of the most successful fundraising groups ended up taking part because one of their members won a pair of snowshoes in a raffle last year.

The Toronto Master Gardeners hold an annual Technical Update meeting and Tubbs, who sponsors the Romp to Stomp, donated a pair of snowshoes to be raffled off at the meeting. By the time the meeting was over, Tubbs had offered to provide the entire group with snowshoes as well as entry into the event. In return, the Master Gardeners raised close to $9,000 in 2014. This year they raised close to $7,000.

Since its inception in 2008, the Romp, which is modelled after the Race for the Cure, has raised $270,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The Romp consists of a 3-km snowshoe race and a 3-km and 5-km snowshoe walk, as well as a kids race.

Ontario Trails News - more to enjoy at Toronto Region Conservation!

New Zip Line and Aerial Game Park opens in Ontario

Published: 13-Aug-2013

Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA), in partnership with Treetop Trekking Company, officially opened the new Line and Aerial Game Park on 1 August 2013 at Heart Lake Conservation Area in Ontario, Canada.

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Located in the forested canopy of Heart Lake Conservation Area, the game park features eight courses ranging in difficulty level from beginner to expert, and 10 zip lines including the 900ft longest and 50ft highest zip line. The twin zip crossing right over Heart Lake is the central attraction of the park.

The park offers 75 aerial games including log bridges, cable traverses, balance logs, and Tarzan swings. The space also provides a stand-alone zip line experience for those who do not have the time for the full three hour tour.

The participants with Treetop Trekking at Heart Lake Conservation Area in Brampton will offer activities for anyone aged nine years and above with a minimum height of 4'7" inches and a maximum weight of 250lbs.

The game park is the first park of its kind in Toronto and Region Conservation, and fourth Treetop Trekking park in Ontario.

The park opened on 1 August 2013.

Ontario Trails News - more to know from all over Ontario Trails!

Trail Openings and Events

Saugeen Rail Trail Opening June 29th, 2013

The Ontario Trails Council is pleased to support the folks and trail organizations in Saugeen Shores as they open a section of trail this Saturday. While at Trailhead Ontario we were contacted by Joyce Scammell of the Saugeen Rail Trail Association, and we responded. Best of luck to all on Saturday. Letter posted to member section of OTC website.

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Pan-Am Path and OTC Meeting on Friday

“The Pan Am Path is a multi-use path that connects the city from Brampton, down along the Humber River, along to the waterfront, up the Lower Don, and then up to Scarborough through the hydro corridor,” explains James Gen Meers, one of the founders of Friends of the Pan Am Path, the non-profit that’s formed to champion this project. “It is a trail system that already kind of exists in the city of Toronto, but is missing certain pieces that are required to make it a non-stop continuous path, and that’s what the path is about: leveraging some of the political capital in time for the Pan Am Games to invest in the infrastructure required to make a continuous path.”

Essentially, the idea is to use a small amount of money—the infrastructure costs and initial programming are estimated at $1.9 million—to create a much greater benefit by linking together a bunch of trails that, right now, come close to each other, but are not part of a single travel route. Of the 80-kilometre total, only 5–10 per cent would be new construction. It’s a small number, but filling in those blanks will remake the trails into an entirely new experience for the city, Friends of the Pan Am Path thinks.

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Niagara Trails Committee with OTC Meet Mayor Sharpe -Trail Given reprieve

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Waterfront Trail - Lake Erie Adventure 2013

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Huron County Assessing Issues of Trail Development

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100's of trail stories posted each week!

---

Bruce Trail Opens Two side Trails in Orangeville

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Ontario Trails and Ontario Equestrian Federation launch horse survey

---

Bruce County Promoting Rock Climbing
Bruce Peninsula cliffs bring in daring tourists

Owen Sound Sun Times
County tourism officials will work with the Ontario Access Coalition, a volunteer group that promotes environmentally responsible rock climbing, ...

---

See and feel how good nature is for you by getting out at least once a day

Research has shown that early-morning cardio in a fasted state can burn up to 20 percent more calories; however hitting the grass versus the treadmill provides a number of further benefits that may just surprise you. Fitting in some nature, or vitamin N, may just be the secret to unlocking a better mood, faster metabolism and stronger memory.

1. Beat belly fat 
Research shows that people who live near trees and parks have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva than those who live in a concrete jungle. A Japanese study found that a forest walk can render a 12 percent decrease in cortisol levels, a seven percent decrease in sympathetic nerve activity (which would contribute to anxiety), a one percent decrease in blood pressure, and a five percent decrease in heart rate. The more you can get yourself into a green space, the better it is for your body composition — and sanity, for that matter.

2. Go green to beat the blues. 
Forget retail therapy, try nature therapy. I recently saw an anonymous quote posted on my Facebook page that said, “There’s no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection,” and I couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re having a bad day, or a tough year, seeking out an area with a lot of greenery has been shown to improve both mood and memory in depressed individuals. In one Michigan study, participants exhibited significant increases in memory span and mood after walks in nature versus urban walks. This is perhaps why many people battle the cottage traffic every Friday night to spend a couple of days in the great outdoors before heading back into the city for another week in the grind. If you don’t have a cottage escape, look up some local trails. It’s an inexpensive, instantly gratifying and calorie-free way to lift your mood.

3. Combat brain fog
If you’re drawing a blank with a project at work, a study from Scotland suggests getting outside for a walk in the park. Researchers took volunteers through three areas: a historic shopping district with old buildings and light traffic, a park-like setting and a busy commercial district with heavy traffic while they wore portable EEGs on their heads to relay their brain waves.While the participants were in the commercial area they produced brain wave patterns conducive with frustration versus the parkland that showed patterns similar to meditation. Bottom line: If you can get out for your lunch and head to a park for 20 minutes you may find yourself more productive the rest of the day.

4. Help nurture creativity
Between our iPhones, laptops and tablets we’re continuously plugged in. However, spending time away from battery-operated devices and in nature has been linked to a 50 percent increase in creativity, something scientists refer to as attentional restoration theory. Bottom line: If you’re heading into a green space this long weekend, be sure to leave yourself unplugged for optimal health benefits.

5. Sleep more soundly
If you find yourself doing everything right and still tossing and turning at night, head outdoors for a walk down your favourite nature trail. Researchers found that forest walking improved actual sleep time, immobile minutes, self-rated depth of sleep and sleep quality. And for even better results, according to the study, you should aim to have this walk later in the day versus earlier. Bottom line: With the longer summer days I recommend taking advantage of an after-dinner walk not just to influence your waistline, but also your bedtime.

6. Get green at home
If you live in the city and you can only escape on the weekends, there are many benefits to adding a little greenery around the house and the office. According to researchers at Kansas State University, adding plants to hospital rooms speeds recovery rates of surgical patients. Compared to patients in rooms without plants, patients in rooms with plants request less pain medication, have lower blood pressure, experience less stress, and are released from the hospital sooner. Bottom line: Feeling stressed at work? Add a potted plant and you will find yourself feeling healthier and taking less time off to battle the seasonal cold.

From http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-nature/

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Feature Destination Lennox & Addington County Trails

Offering 12 well mapped and signed road routes with plenty of paved shoulders, there are over 600km of great cycling around and north from theNapanee area.  While these trails have been available for a number of years, the folks at L&A have created a new promotion for 2013 called 'Do the Dozen Challenge'. Cyclists are invited to go anytime, cycle at their own pace and check into way-finding points along the way. Once complete, their name will go down in history and they become eligible to win a prize pack worth $500. www.lennox-addington.on.ca

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New urban park, waterfront trail to be centrepiece

of Ontario Place Revitalization

National Post
The shuttered Ontario Place will get a new urban park and waterfront trail, Ontario's Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan announced on Wednesday. Mr. Chan told a Wednesday morning press conference on the former tourist attraction's now-empty ...

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Trail Questions

1) Capital Funding for Trails - Please take a minute to complete the capital funding section of our survey. A s many communities head into the budget cycle other communities want to get an idea of the relative and comparative amounts communities of similar size are investing in their trails. Please go to:

Ontario Trails Council Trail News - Trail Openings, PanAm Path, Rock Climbing and more all about Ontario Trails!

Trail Openings and Events

Saugeen Rail Trail Opening June 29th, 2013

The Ontario Trails Council is pleased to support the folks and trail organizations in Saugeen Shores as they open a section of trail this Saturday. While at Trailhead Ontario we were contacted by Joyce Scammell of the Saugeen Rail Trail Association, and we responded. Best of luck to all on Saturday. Letter posted to member section of OTC website.

---

Pan-Am Path and OTC Meeting on Friday

“The Pan Am Path is a multi-use path that connects the city from Brampton, down along the Humber River, along to the waterfront, up the Lower Don, and then up to Scarborough through the hydro corridor,” explains James Gen Meers, one of the founders of Friends of the Pan Am Path, the non-profit that’s formed to champion this project. “It is a trail system that already kind of exists in the city of Toronto, but is missing certain pieces that are required to make it a non-stop continuous path, and that’s what the path is about: leveraging some of the political capital in time for the Pan Am Games to invest in the infrastructure required to make a continuous path.”

Essentially, the idea is to use a small amount of money—the infrastructure costs and initial programming are estimated at $1.9 million—to create a much greater benefit by linking together a bunch of trails that, right now, come close to each other, but are not part of a single travel route. Of the 80-kilometre total, only 5–10 per cent would be new construction. It’s a small number, but filling in those blanks will remake the trails into an entirely new experience for the city, Friends of the Pan Am Path thinks.

---

Niagara Trails Committee with OTC Meet Mayor Sharpe -Trail Given reprieve

---

Waterfront Trail - Lake Erie Adventure 2013

---

Huron County Assessing Issues of Trail Development

---

100's of trail stories posted each week!

---

Bruce Trail Opens Two side Trails in Orangeville

---

Ontario Trails and Ontario Equestrian Federation launch horse survey

---

Bruce County Promoting Rock Climbing
Bruce Peninsula cliffs bring in daring tourists

Owen Sound Sun Times
County tourism officials will work with the Ontario Access Coalition, a volunteer group that promotes environmentally responsible rock climbing, ...

---

See and feel how good nature is for you by getting out at least once a day

Research has shown that early-morning cardio in a fasted state can burn up to 20 percent more calories; however hitting the grass versus the treadmill provides a number of further benefits that may just surprise you. Fitting in some nature, or vitamin N, may just be the secret to unlocking a better mood, faster metabolism and stronger memory.

1. Beat belly fat 
Research shows that people who live near trees and parks have lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their saliva than those who live in a concrete jungle. A Japanese study found that a forest walk can render a 12 percent decrease in cortisol levels, a seven percent decrease in sympathetic nerve activity (which would contribute to anxiety), a one percent decrease in blood pressure, and a five percent decrease in heart rate. The more you can get yourself into a green space, the better it is for your body composition — and sanity, for that matter.

2. Go green to beat the blues. 
Forget retail therapy, try nature therapy. I recently saw an anonymous quote posted on my Facebook page that said, “There’s no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection,” and I couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re having a bad day, or a tough year, seeking out an area with a lot of greenery has been shown to improve both mood and memory in depressed individuals. In one Michigan study, participants exhibited significant increases in memory span and mood after walks in nature versus urban walks. This is perhaps why many people battle the cottage traffic every Friday night to spend a couple of days in the great outdoors before heading back into the city for another week in the grind. If you don’t have a cottage escape, look up some local trails. It’s an inexpensive, instantly gratifying and calorie-free way to lift your mood.

3. Combat brain fog
If you’re drawing a blank with a project at work, a study from Scotland suggests getting outside for a walk in the park. Researchers took volunteers through three areas: a historic shopping district with old buildings and light traffic, a park-like setting and a busy commercial district with heavy traffic while they wore portable EEGs on their heads to relay their brain waves.While the participants were in the commercial area they produced brain wave patterns conducive with frustration versus the parkland that showed patterns similar to meditation. Bottom line: If you can get out for your lunch and head to a park for 20 minutes you may find yourself more productive the rest of the day.

4. Help nurture creativity
Between our iPhones, laptops and tablets we’re continuously plugged in. However, spending time away from battery-operated devices and in nature has been linked to a 50 percent increase in creativity, something scientists refer to as attentional restoration theory. Bottom line: If you’re heading into a green space this long weekend, be sure to leave yourself unplugged for optimal health benefits.

5. Sleep more soundly
If you find yourself doing everything right and still tossing and turning at night, head outdoors for a walk down your favourite nature trail. Researchers found that forest walking improved actual sleep time, immobile minutes, self-rated depth of sleep and sleep quality. And for even better results, according to the study, you should aim to have this walk later in the day versus earlier. Bottom line: With the longer summer days I recommend taking advantage of an after-dinner walk not just to influence your waistline, but also your bedtime.

6. Get green at home
If you live in the city and you can only escape on the weekends, there are many benefits to adding a little greenery around the house and the office. According to researchers at Kansas State University, adding plants to hospital rooms speeds recovery rates of surgical patients. Compared to patients in rooms without plants, patients in rooms with plants request less pain medication, have lower blood pressure, experience less stress, and are released from the hospital sooner. Bottom line: Feeling stressed at work? Add a potted plant and you will find yourself feeling healthier and taking less time off to battle the seasonal cold.

From http://www.chatelaine.com/health/wellness/health-benefits-of-nature/

---

Feature Destination Lennox & Addington County Trails

Offering 12 well mapped and signed road routes with plenty of paved shoulders, there are over 600km of great cycling around and north from theNapanee area.  While these trails have been available for a number of years, the folks at L&A have created a new promotion for 2013 called 'Do the Dozen Challenge'. Cyclists are invited to go anytime, cycle at their own pace and check into way-finding points along the way. Once complete, their name will go down in history and they become eligible to win a prize pack worth $500. www.lennox-addington.on.ca

---

New urban park, waterfront trail to be centrepiece

of Ontario Place Revitalization

National Post
The shuttered Ontario Place will get a new urban park and waterfront trail, Ontario's Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan announced on Wednesday. Mr. Chan told a Wednesday morning press conference on the former tourist attraction's now-empty ...

---

Trail Questions

1) Capital Funding for Trails - Please take a minute to complete the capital funding section of our survey. A s many communities head into the budget cycle other communities want to get an idea of the relative and comparative amounts communities of similar size are investing in their trails. Please go to: