Winter Trail Walking in Norfolk
Off the Beaten PathWinter is here! There is actually snow on the ground, so where should you go for a great winter walk in Norfolk County? The trails we explore with our dog during the winter are usually good for walking or snowshoeing – some even for cross country skiing. So let us tell you about some hotspots!
Hopefully by now you have tried many of our “official” trails such as the Lynn Valley Trail and Waterford Heritage Trail plus connecting trails of Sunrise and Delhi. A favourite in the west end of Norfolk is the Garfield Weston tract on East Quarterline Road (turn left off of Hwy #24 just past the St. Williams Forestry Station). Parking is a short way down and trails go off into the forest from the parking lot, or you can cross the highway and enter a network of trails which are part of the Backus system. There is good mapping here.
There are also great open trails behind the Forestry Interpretive Station itself. If you turn right instead of left off of Hwy #24 onto the East Quarterline Road, you can then turn right onto Concession 6 which is a dirt road. Continue down the concession until you see the trails branching off on both sides of the road. This has horse, bike, and ATV trails which are all available for walkers.
Moving closer to Simcoe, Hay Creek has several trails, short or long. There are maps at both entrances on Ryerse Road, just off of Radical Road. The cemetery in Simcoe is full of history. At the end of Potts Road where the cemetery begins near St. Joseph’s School, there are a network of trails in and out of the woods called the Eva Brook Donly Trails. They all eventually come out on the Lynn Valley trail but sometimes you wonder where you are! The Delhi Rail Trail and Quance Dam Trail are both nearby as well. Our next Pathways Winter Walk will be held at Quance Dam On Sunday, Feb 24th, so come out and explore!
Take your cell phone, water and warm clothes and have a fun and healthy time exploring Norfolk County’s hidden treasures.
Submitted by Joyce and Keith Flexman
Causeway Rehabilitation Update
The Causeway Rehabilitation Project has a few more hurdles before work can start. According to county staff,
“The project conclusions have not changed. In their review of the Project File, the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks (MECP), noted that for the estimated value of the bridge, we should have an additional Public Information Centre (PIC) to meet the requirements of the Schedule “C” Class EA. We are still proposing 2019 resurfacing of the Causeway, pending completion of the PIC and approval of the 2019 budget. Note that budget deliberations were originally scheduled for December, but were moved to January by Council.”
The public information meeting is on January 17th at the Port Rowan Community Center was very well attended.
Submitted by Dave Cameron
Lynn Valley Trail Association
A Moment of the Trail – 25th Anniversary Photo Contest
As part of the 25th Anniversary celebrations, the LVTA held a photo contest. The entries were numerous and amazing and it was very difficult to pick winners. Fortunately, Kathleen Picard and Larry Monczka, two local photography experts, volunteered their services to be the judges. Stacy Bradshaw presented the winners with their cash prizes at the AGM – two firsts, two seconds, and two thirds.
Honourable Mentions to: Bill Lloyd, Ryan Fox, Jeffrey Hiebert, Mac Curwain, Christine Van Goethem, and Cori Veri. Further contest details and images can be found on the website at: lynnvalleytrail.com.
Kilometers for Community
Work is currently underway on establishing this special volunteer initiative for individuals, groups, students (a terrific way to accumulate community service hours), and workplaces who want to give back to the trail. The trail will be divided into one kilometer sections with each section under the management of different groups. Each section will have a group identification marker, similar to the maintenance signs you see along the highway. Volunteers are to go along their group section 3-4 times during the trail season, cleaning up any debris and trimming back small intrusions from plants (using small shears, nothing larger) and reporting any bigger issues to the board. Details will be posted to the LTVA website on how you can get involved.
2019 LVTA Executive
- Past President Paul Beischlag;
- President Dave Challen;
- Secretary Karen Davis; and
- Treasurer Anita Cosley
If you are not yet a member… Consider purchasing a membership or making a donation to help keep the trail safe, beautiful and accessible. Join and/or donate at www.lynnvalleytrail.com/donate.
Submitted by James Christison
Trail Talk Winter Walk
We hope that you will join Pathways for People for a winter walk in Delhi on Sunday, February 24th. The walk will begin at the Delhi Arena at 2:00 pm. We will be walking in town, enjoying Quance Dam and Lehmans Dam. Our partner for this event, the Delhi Tobacco Museum, will be hosting refreshments at the museum until 4:00 pm. For more information, check out our website at www.norfolkpathways.ca. Hope to see you there!
Norfolk County invites you to enjoy our many trails throughout the County. Discover Norfolk is a friendly, recreational walking group open to all. Walks are co-ordinated by Norfolk County staff and held each Thursday from May to October, 6:30-7:30 pm. Schedule available in the spring and summer “in Norfolk guide” or at www.norfolkcounty.ca.
Waterford Trail Walk
P4P sponsored a Waterford Heritage Trail Walk on October the 21st, the coldest day of the month. I met 70 enthusiasts on the Black Bridge and after a brief (for me) introduction we set off.
I met people from Port Dover, locals, first timers to the Black Bridge, a son of one of the trail’s founders and people wanting memberships, memorial benches and Km sponsorships. For WHT it was a very successful walk.
At P4P we discussed this success and concluded that
- we held the walk on a day without competing events,
- we used a greater social media presence and,
- we partnered with the Waterford Agricultural and Historical Museum.
James Christison, curator of WHAM, hosted us warmly with cider and cookies and it was the perfect end to a brisk Sunday afternoon walk.
We are applying our findings to our next walk in Delhi on Feb 24th. We will be partnering with the Delhi Museum and Heritage Centre and walking in the Quance Park area which like WHT is a Long Point World Biosphere Amazing Place in Norfolk County.
P4P will be contacting you later with further details but don’t let the wait stop you from marking it on the calendar.
Submitted by Frank Woodcock