Trails opening for snowmobilers - Mitchell Advocate - Ontario, CA

"Despite a wet autumn and an early snow hindering trail preparation, signing and staking, most snowmobile trails are either now open or opening soon.

Forty years of weather and snowfall patterns and Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Club experience indicates that snow prior to Christmas will not last in much of Ontario, but this year seems to be the exception. The snow and cold temperatures have stayed, allowing area club to finish staking, signing and grooming the trails."

See this page for a fuller list of Trails in the Mitchell Area

Snowshoes a popular option - The North Bay Nugget - Ontario, CA

"Did you get snowshoes for Christmas? Or have a pair tucked away? Or just want to try the sport?

North Bay Nordic Ski Club has the only snowshoe trails in the area specifically dedicated to the sport (no snowmobiles, joggers or skiers to compete with).

At North Bay Nordic's trails, participants get to start and end at the clubhouse, which is equipped with washrooms, changerooms and a snack bar (Try the hot chili, soup of the day or hot cranberry juice for a special treat.)

Signed trails from one to six kilometres in length provide an opportunity for every level of fitness."

Click for a fuller list of winter trails see Near North Region

Where to snowshoe

"Tourisme Outaouais has a downloadable brochure giving details of snowshoe and cross-country ski trails in the region. The brochure includes basic information on the places with trails (location, phone number and website) and lists winter events and hotel getaway packages.

See www.tourismeoutaouais.comand click on 'cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.'"

Click through for a fuller list of Ontario Snowshoe Trails

Ontario Masters Championships

"Ontario Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships
February 4, 5, 6, 2011
Hosted by Georgian Nordic Ski Club, Parry Sound, ON"

Click for a fuller list of Cross Country Ski Trails

TD Waterhouse: Markets > News & Commentary

"The Ontario Greenbelt Alliance (OGA) is pleased to announce that six proposals to expand the iconic Ontario Greenbelt have received approval from municipal councils or committees.  The proposals would connect more than 4.5 million additional residents to the world's largest Greenbelt, now in its fifth year." See Central Ontario Maps for more trails.

Town of Orangeville » News » Unique Jack Pine Canoe sculpture unveiled

"A unique new tree sculpture has been added to Orangeville's Art Walk of Tree Sculptures, thanks to a donation from Linda Stokes-Barth. The sculpture, located on the municipal boulevard at the east end of Broadway, depicts an upright canoe with a Jack Pine tree carved in its interior. The piece, sculpted by Nick Hall, has been donated by Mrs. Stokes-Barth in memory of her husband Jack Barth who was well known in Orangeville for his dry cleaning and coin laundry business and his outgoing personality."

Gowganda/Elk Lake/ Matachewan Area Trails Updates - Ontario Conditions

"Hi Everyone, I am Happy to see all the interest in the Area's trail status already this season... It's awesome to see people are starting to know where Gowganda , Elk Lake , and Matachewan is...
Well I wish we could say we are ready to go , but unfortunatly we have not been lucky enough to receive anywhere close to the snowfall central ontario has."

CottageCountryNow Article: Township updating its business directory

"All this snow sure excites the interests of sledders who eagerly anticipate their first outing on the trails. Al Peachy, of Parry Sound, anxiously awaits the exhilaration of running his newly purchased machine. In fact he was out there Sunday knowing that the Seguin Trail was up and running. Seguin has few lakes to contend with.
Our local Dun-Ahmic Snowriders Snowmobile Club (DSSC) have already valiantly attacked grooming some of the local 800 trails, their part of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) 43,000 kilometres of trails."

Check with OFSC they have revised their km to 32,000km - thx

Collingwood Active Transportation Plan: How design can influence walking to school

"'What the study shows, is that walkable design does influence behavior due to perceptions of safety.'"

Sudbury Sports News - Sports calendar listings

"CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING- Walden Cross-Country Fitness Club’s trails open for season. 3-km lighted trail track set. For updates, phone the chalet at 705-692-2321. Memberships available online at www.waldenxc.com.

SNOWSHOEING- Lake Laurentian Conservation Area snowshoe trail open for season. Located at end of South Bay Road, trail to right of ski cottage. Contact Bioski Cross-Country Ski and Snowshoe Club at 705-522-7967 or www.mysudbury.ca/bioski.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING- Capreol Cross-Country Ski Club open for season. All trails groomed, double track set. Chalet open Monday-Friday, 11 am-4 pm, Saturday and Sunday 9 am-4 pm. Rentals available. Contact 705-858-0555."

TheSpec - Boxing Day will be for the birders!

"Birds don’t like blustery winter weather and will take cover, hampering efforts to count them. But Environment Canada is forecasting a mix of sun and cloud for Dec. 26, with the temperature hovering around zero, which should make it ideal for counting. No snow is predicted.

“That should be good,” says Tom Thomas, a member of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club who has been running the Christmas bird count for about five years.

“Ideally, we like a smooth lake. If it’s not windy, people can count thousands of ducks. I always have my fingers crossed.”

About 80 birders will take part in Sunday’s count, which will cover the area within 12 kilometres of Dundurn Castle. In 2008, 94 birders counted 66,923 birds and 104 species across Hamilton."

SO...Outdoors Hiking Blog: Brantford – A Treasure Trove of Outdoor Activities

"When we think of outdoor activities like hiking, camping, fishing, paddling, and cycling our minds usually tend to wander to remote vistas and wilderness solitude. You know the old saying, 'Perception is reality!' Well, the reality is that you often don't have to go very far to find the perception of wilderness solitude. In fact the City of Brantford is one such hidden Southern Ontario gem."

Become a trail guardian - The Lindsay Post - Ontario, CA

"If you have someone on your list who is hard to shop for, or perhaps know someone who likes to keep fit, preserve green spaces and tread lightly on the planet, consider donating to the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association (KTCTA) in honour of that special person.
The KTCTA is a volunteer not-for- profit charitable organization.

One hundred per cent of your donation will go directly to the development, operation, protection and promotion of the Trans Canada Trail in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Your unique, in-honour gift will benefit Canadians locally and nationally, both now and into the future."

Canadian Underwriter - An ATV in B.C. is not an "automobile" under Ontario law: Ontario arbitrator

"An all-terrain vehicle (ATV) driven in B.C. does not count as an 'automobile' under Ontario law, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has determined.
In Alana Bray and ING Insurance Company of Canada, Alana Bray was injured in June 2001 as a result of falling from an ATV she was operating in British Columbia, near the Whistler Ski Resort.
As a dependent of her mother, Bray applied for accident benefits from her mother's insurer, ING Insurance Company of Canada.
ING denied benefits, saying the ATV in B.C. did not fall under the definition of an 'automobile' under Ontario's statutory accident benefits scheme."

GuelphMercury.com - Life - E-bike benefitting economy and environment

"We are all too painfully aware that manufacturing in this country, particularly in this province, has been hard hit.

However, in the personal transportation sector, one Ontario manufacturer is performing exceptionally well. Sales have been up for the past three years showing two and three hundred per cent increases."

For a full list of places to ride your e-bike see:

Improving Recreational Facilities Creates Jobs In 2010

"With the support of the province more than 170 recreational infrastructure projects were completed in 2010, with more than 560 projects currently under construction."

This includes in part the 84 the National Trails Coalition also completed on trails specifically in Ontario!

Provincial Park Visits On The Rise In 2010

"Ontario's provincial parks received almost 100,000 more visits in 2010, with a total of close to 10 million Ontarians and visitors enjoying the natural beauty the province has to offer. With at least one of Ontario's 329 provincial parks within a two-hour distance for most Ontarians, they offer an accessible and affordable range of outdoor activities to families, seniors and to visitors from around the world."

By showcasing trails in parks OTC helps out!!

Ontario Trails on Flickr

Created a flickr account for easy share of photos, although if you aren't into flickr we appreciate e-mailed photos too.

Cross Country Skiing | Ontario's West Coast

"Huron County offers a great diversity of cross country skiing opportunities. There are County Forests, natural areas, river banks, golf courses,cemeteries, abandoned railway corridors,snowmobile trails and portions of the Maitland Trail. The trails listed below are generally cleared and pruned. (For your safety, please check hunting season regulations and required authorizations)."


For a fuller list of Ontario Cross Country Ski locations see: http://www.ontariotrailsmap.com/ontariotrails.html?cat=4&icon=xcountry.png

TheSpec - New controversy, old debate

"The deer hunt on Hamilton Conservation Authority land is far from being the first time rights of natives have rubbed up against those of recreation lovers, residents and sport hunters who are not permitted to kill wild game in the area.

It’s also not the first time a government body has given its blessing to natives for temporary and exclusive deer hunting rights in a public park-like setting."

This happens all over Ontario, OTC encourages understanding of when hunting is occurring and that all users respect and expect other users.