Kawartha Trans Canada Trail

The Kawartha Trans Canada Trail will be a 44 kms linear trail that travels east to west between Peterborough County and Region of Durham. This unique four season route of historic and cultural heritage links communities, parkland, farmland and the natural environment by providing opportunities for nature appreciation and interpretation, hiking, walking, cycling, horseback riding and snowmobiling, and preserves the corridor for present and future generations.

The Greatest Challenge in the Kawartha Lakes!

The Kawartha Trans Canada Trail AMAZING Challenge

Come one, come all! Are you up for the challenge? The Kawartha Trans Canada Trail is holding a one day adventure challenge in the Kawartha Lakes. The Amazing Challenge modelled after the hit television success “The Amazing Race” will see participants bike from Victoria Park in Lindsay to Omemee and back along the Trans Canada Trail  stopping at  various checkpoints and complete exciting timed activities and tasks in hopes of completing the challenge in the best time.

There will be a limit of 25 teams of 4. They will be given a starting clue and are required to reach a specific check in point in order to continue the challenge. At each check in an activity that will be timed will need to be completed either by a member of the team or the entire team. This time will be recorded and along with all 7 check- ins the best accumulative time will be the winner. There will be second and third place prizes.

It’s guaranteed to be a day of non-stop adventure and fun. The cost to enter is $60.00 for a team of four and a minimum pledge of $50 per team member. The pledges raised will go towards the operation of The Kawartha  Trans Canada Trail.

So come one, come all to the greatest challenge in the Kawartha Lakes!

More information and Registration will be available on

 wwwkawarthatranscanadatrail.ca

 

Schedule of Events: Saturday July 17^th, 2010

8:00am-8:30am             Registration/ Warm Up 

                                           Welcome/ Review of Rules

9:00am-                                 Challengers Take Position

8:30- 1:30                   AMAZING Challenge

1:30                         Closing Ceremonies  Rib Fest 

February, 2010

 

New sculpture marks Trans Canada Trail in CKL

 

OMEMEE – A sculpture has been added to the Trans Canada Trail in Omemee where the trail borders the City of Kawartha Lakes with Peterborough County.

An inukshuk in the shape of a ‘K’ now welcomes trail users and passing cars on Emily Park Road, about half a kilometre north of Highway 7.

The artwork by Creemore-based blacksmith and sculptor Rene Petitjean was commissioned by the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association using an $8,000 grant from the provincial National Trans Canada Trail Foundation.

KTCT Association president Al MacPherson, his wife Barb MacPherson and Petitjean began designing the sculpture in August of 2009. The construction started in November and was completed this month. 

Members of the Lions clubs in Omemee and Fowlers Corners were on hand with MacPherson this month to mark the completion of the project. The Lions clubs work with the KTCT Association to maintain the portion of the trail that passes through Omemee.

 

 

Facts:

 

The sculpture is made of steel that was hammered to look like stone. It sits on a limestone base. ‘Trans Canada Trail’ and its logo are written on the base. The sculpture is designed to require no upkeep.

 

Rene Petitjean has been sculpting since 1972 and teaches at the Haliburton School for the Arts in sculpting and blacksmithing. His work can be found in public and private collections across North America, including with private collectors in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

 

 

Quotes:

 

“The sculpture lets people on Emily Park Road know we have a trail. It’s like a little billboard.”       - KTCT Association president Al MacPherson

 

“It was fun to make but the guys who work for me are upset because their arms hurt. There were 80 hours of banging.”      - Sculptor Rene Petitjean

 

 

Photo information (2 photos submitted):

 

(left to right) Jack Murphy, director (and Omemee Lions Club member) Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association; Al MacPherson, president Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association; Dave Birch, president Fowlers Corners Lions Club; Bill Hawman, president Omemee and District Lions Club; Sam Pittman, secretary and past president, Omemee and District Lions Club.

 

 

The Board of Directors for Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association would like to thank all the managing partners and volunteers for their effort and time in 2009. Without your assistance we would not be able to manage the Kawartha Trans Canada.

Students from IE Weldon Construction Trades Course build and install a boardwalk from Jack Callaghan Public School to Kawartha Trans Canada Trail to provide access for students to the trail including some students who are physically disabled. 

Students and Staff at Mariposa School carry replica Olympic Torch along section of Trans Canada Trail by their school in a warm up to the arrival of the Torch Dec 16th in Lindsay

Students and Staff at Jack Callaghan School practice carrying the replica Olympic Torch along a section of the Trans Canada Trail. The "real thing" arrives Dec. 16th, 2009 in Lindsay.

Lilac Park- located corner of Lindsay Street South and  Logie Street in Lindsay has had a new trail constructed through the park as part of the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail route.  The trail will be a welcomed addition to the annual Lilac Festival held each year in May.Funds for the trail construction were provided from the National Trails Coalition.

Al MacPherson, Volunteer of the Year

The Trans Canada Trail is one of the largest volunteer projects ever under taken in Canada. Each year we honour a Volunteer of the Year who has made an exceptional contribution to the Trail.

At the AGM, Valerie Pringle announced this year’s Volunteer of the Year –Al Macpherson of Lindsay,ON.

Al has been involved with the Trail since its early years when, as adirector of the Ontario Trail Council, he attended the founding conference ofthe Trans Canada Trail in Banff and helped chart the Trail’s route acrossOntario. Today, he is a member of the Trans Canada Trail Ontario board and adriving force behind a 44-km section of the Trail in the Kawartha Lakes area insouthern Ontario. 

Al has a wealth of knowledge about recreational trails and he is committed to volunteerism and community involvement, which has driven the success of the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail. It has developed an innovative model for community partners to”adopt” sections of the trail.  By involving service and church groups,municipalities and college and schools as “managing partners”, it has close to200 active volunteers and powerful links in the community.

Al is a trail visionary. He believes trails can be much more than physical routes on the ground. : With four primary schools, two secondary schools and Fleming College backing on the Trail, Al is working hard to make the Trail a resource for learning. He has played a pivotal role in the development of primary school curriculum that gets students out on the Trail for physical education, geography and biology classes.

Jim Paterson left and Bill Elliott right were recognized by the Board of Directors of the KTCTA at the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association AGM October 20/09 for their outstanding efforts in the construction of the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail. Al MacPherson President of KTCTA presents a small token of everyone's appreciation for their contribution.

Kawartha Trans Canada Trail is pleased to have received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Trans Canada Trail Foundation, Eastern Ontario Development Fund and the National Trails Coalition.

Although more signs and barriers need to be installed along the west section of the Kawartha Trans Canada trail with the assistance of the Unity Church and Al Bambra all the gates have new signs installed.

Outdoor Adventure Program Students of Fleming College, Fleming Campus working on the KTCT in cooperation with the Heavy Equipment students.

The Board of Directors Invites You To Join Us For The 1st Annual General Meeting of the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail Association Tuesday, October 20, 2009 6:30-7:00 pm Room #158 Sir Sandford Fleming College 200 Albert Street South, Lindsay Refreshments to be provided Please RSVP to Willy Campbell, 705-324-9144 WCAMPBEL@flemingc.on.ca

The construction of the trail from the hwy 7 overpass west to Simcoe St. is now complete and the trail bed is topped with limestone and graded making for a great trail surface. This section is still technically under construction and will not be open for public use until the gates are installed and the bridge over the Mariposa Brook is repaired and decked.  The bridge decking over Mariposa Brook should be completed by the end of the week, September 18th.

The extension of the trail east of hwy 7 overpass to Angeline St. is complete, however this section is not open to the public until the gates are installed.

 The new trail across the campus property of Fleming College was completed on August 28^th.  The trail will not be opened however, until the bridges over the ditch areas adjacent to the roads are built and road crossings are properly controlled and posted with signs.  This work will be done by the college students this fall as part of the Recreation Trails Program.

 The new gates will be installed starting the week of September 14th.  Once the gates are installed the new signs will be posted to identify the trail as part of the Trans Canada Trail and to indentify unauthorized uses.

 To further control unauthorized uses we will be fencing the trail entrances at a number of the road crossings, specifically Station Road and Eldon Road.  This fencing will be contracted out and completed this fall.

 

The construction of the trail from the hwy 7 overpass west to Simcoe St. is now complete and the trail bed is topped with limestone and graded making for a great trail surface. This section is still under construction and will not be open for public use until the gates are installed and the bridge over the Mariposa Brook is repaired and decked.  The new gates will be installed starting this week.  The bridge repairs and decking over Mariposa Brook should be completed by the end of the week, September 11.

 The extension of the trail east of hwy 7 overpass to Angeline St. is almost complete and should be topped and graded by the end of the week, September 4^th. Again, this section is not open to the public until the gates are installed.

 The new trail across the campus property of Fleming College was completed on August 28^th.  The trail will not be opened however, until the bridges over the ditch areas adjacent to the roads are built.  This work will be done by the college students this fall as part of the Recreation Trails Program. Expected to be completed by mid October, 2009.

 

The winner of the I Pod Draw is:

Janice Jones-Skinner Lindsay

Secondary prizes of a pedometer were won by:

Barb Boyd- Lindsay

Stacy Meenan- Lindsay

Thank you to all who submitted a ballot and remember to check this web site regularly and keep using the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail.

Work has started on sections of the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail on Sir Sandford Fleming College property. It is expected that the trail will be completed on their property by end of August.

Barry Devolin MP for City of Kawartha Lakes gathers with trail volunteers on the KTCT near Mariposa Public School to officially annouce funding for the construction of the Kawartha Trans Canada Trail in the amount of $75,450.00