Toronto Bruce Trail Hosts Hikes

Sunday, December 26 2010 Urban walk Level II - Toronto Island
LENGTH OF HIKE: 12 km, PACE 4 km/hr, TERRAIN Mostly flat
Dropout at anytime, Hiking boots.
Meet at 10 am inside waiting area for ferry docks at the foot of Bay St. Depart 10:30 am, Ferry Dock.
Larry Haigh, (416) 432-1239 before 8 pm
Ferry $6.50, $4.00 for seniors, $3.00 for children, all return fares. We will catch the 3:15 or 3:45 pm ferry to be back in Toronto about 4 pm. Avoid the Boxing Day crowds. The islands are quiet in winter.

For a full list of places to walk or hike in Ontario see: Ontario Trails Maps

Trails begin to open for snowmobiling - Midland Free Press - Ontario, CA

"A Orillia District Snowmobile Club trail groomer ended up stuck in a swamp Friday in Oro-Medonte, while crews were preparing to open the trail. Better them than a snowmobile though, says club president John Britten.

'The swamp wasn't frozen good enough,' Britten said on Friday. 'If a sled went through there, they would be stuck in there and it would just be a nightmare.'

The Uhthoff Trail running from Holcroft Road in the north end of Orillia to past Coldwater is the only Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) trail open in this area."

OPP, STOP officers to patrol Ontario trails once opened, groomed | International Falls Journal

"OPP Staff Report:Ontario Provincial Police officers will patrol snowmobile trails once they are open and groomed.
In addition, the OPP would like to pass on some safety tips:" see link for more.

Capreol Cross Country Ski Club trails now open - The Sudbury Star - Ontario, CA

"The Capreol Cross Country Ski Club reports that all trails are groomed and double track set.
Skiing conditions are good, the club said in a release.

The chalet is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. through 4 p.m.

Ski rentals are available.

For further information, call the chalet during open hours at 858-0555."

It’s like a cottage in winter | Travel | London Free Press

"Billed at the 'world's largest indoor lake,' this is the centerpiece of the boating show experience.

The Lake is 'an engineering marvel' that takes more than six days to create with more than 4.5-million litres of frigid Lake Ontario water flooding the coliseum, said publicist Tran Nguyen.

This is where visitors can watch professional wakeboarders and wakeskaters perform grinds, tricks and flips or join the fun with lessons offered for the first time."

Boldly go where no man has gone before..., Photos of Ontario, Canada

"There are no limits as to where you can go it really comes down to can you actually cut it. Northwestern Ontario's wilderness is a challenge to the hardiest of of outdoorsman."

Click the link for a fuller listing of trails in Northwest Ontario

City winter guide 2010: skating rinks, trails and more – Toronto Update

"City winter guide 2010: skating rinks, trails and more

If you’re looking for some fun winter activity ideas to work off some of that holiday cheer, Toronto’s public parks and skating arenas are offering affordable and fun activities that can help drive us out of hibernation."

Tell them you think they should join the OTC - after all we list their trails: Toronto Trails

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."