Oak Ridges Moraine Trail shifts

Cramahe Township Council learned on August 11 that the Oak Ridges Trail will take a new path through the municipality.

After hearing from residents, the Oak Ridges Trail Association and the Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation have settled on a new interim course and a proposed long-term preferred tail. The new routes will traverse open and unopened road allowances instead of roadways.

Fred Johnson commented in his verbal report that the moraine group had received a "strong message" from landowners who didn't like the Jakobi stretch of the trail

A section that was proposed for Jakobi Rd. will be moved to Dawson Rd, which Mr. Johnson says is a "wonderful path". New parking will be available at the Castleton Playing Fields, the Warkworth Fairgrounds and the Oak Heights Winery. Walkers will travel from Pine St. in Castleton up Mount Pleasant Rd and on to Dawson and from there on to an unopened road allowance to Russ Creek and the red Cloud School Rd. Fron there it will proceed to Warkworth, ending at the Fairgrounds.

The new route will allow the trail to have two eastern gateways.

The background paper provided by Fred Johnson and Tim Lawley states that the new route will “ provide access to some of the most beautiful parts of the moraine”.

The trail will now be situated largely away from travelled roads.

Mr. Johnson noted that the trail now passes three wineries, adding it does not yet pass a brewery or Tim Horton’s.

Most trails set up by the association are looped or end-to-end sections that can be travelled in less than a day.

After finding that the Warkworth to Castleton leg takes almost a day to walk, Councillor Ed Van Egmond asked about the possibility of camping along the trail, as they do along the Bruce Trail in central Ontario.

Mr. Johnson replied that most people walk sections and not end-to-end.

After hearing the councillor's suggestion that people may take tents and camp in fields, Mr. Lawley replied it will not be condoned.

The path had already been set by the moraine advocates, and approved by Cramahe Council. The group was at council to seek approval for the changes.