Places to Ski and Snowshoe

By Steve Parfitt

Note: At the time of writing, 22nd Jan 2021, the Ontario government is discouraging travel except for essential purposes.  We are publishing this article for your information only in the expectation that it will be safe to travel at some time in the future.  When that happens, check websites regularly to ensure that you are up to date on and following COVID-19 protocols, including physical distancing and wearing face coverings.

Brendan has written about some of the, let’s say, more likely places to ski.  I’m going to add a few less likely places to ski.  These are all non-commercial ski areas with limited or no facilities.  And that means limited or no trail fees.  You are unlikely to meet many people on these trails which, in these strange times, can be considered an added bonus rather than a problem.

All of these are located in the Grey County area which is west of Collingwood and east of Owen Sound as that’s the area I’m most familiar with.  I’m sure other parts of Ontario have similar hidden gems.

Snowshoe Trails

These areas are all on the Bruce Trail and do not have groomed ski trails.  While you can ski on them, they are more suitable for snowshoeing.

Bayview Escarpment

This is a Provincial Nature Reserve located between Meaford and Owen Sound, close to Georgian Bay.  It borders a large area of land officially called the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre but known locally as the ‘Tank Range’.  Although it’s been a while since any tanks ranged over it, the Department of National Defence takes a dim view of human trespassers:

especially as there may be unexploded munitions scattered here and there.  Deer and coyotes wander around undeterred by fences or warning signs.

Exciting stuff but wait, there’s more: the place is haunted!  One ghost is supposed to be that of a young girl who fell down a well on a nearby farm in 1874.  Occasionally, soldiers training on the Range claim to have seen the ghost.  It’s worth noting that sleep deprivation is a key part of these training exercises. See https://www.torontoghosts.org/index.php/the-province-of-ontario/central/298-meaford-tank-range for all the gory details.

There’s a small parking lot located on St Vincent – Sydenham Townline about 4.8km north of highway 26.  (GPS: 44.637539, -80.733406).  The trail to the left of the parking lot is part of the Bruce Trail proper (white blazes), while the trail to the right is the Bayview Escarpment Side Trail (blue blazes).

The trail is ‘twinned’ with the Lebanon Mountain Trail: 

There’s a longer loop (including the River Kwai Side Trail) that’s about 13.9km or a shorter loop that cuts back along the Bayview Escarpment side trail and is about 4.5km long.   We took the shorter loop.   Parts of it should be quite ski-able but there are some parts on the west side of the loop that have dense trees and may require removal of skis.  This bit also has a number of crevices that you don’t want to fall down.  Snowshoers should have no difficulty.

Sligo

This is in the Beaver Valley section of the Bruce Trail south of Meaford.  It’s located on the western side of Beaver Valley so has some good views out over the valley toward Blue Mountain and of Nottawasaga Bay.  It’s a 3.8km loop and is quite flat and easy.  The only challenging bits are some low hanging tree  branches that may require going on hands and knees depending on the snow depth.  

It should be easy enough to ski this loop; however, one part is along an unpaved road, so if the road is sanded you won’t want to ski on it.  The terrain is quite varied: everything from a beaver pond, wetlands, open farmland and pine forest.

A parking lot of sorts is located on Sideroad 16C (GPS: 44.437418, -80.564526), 1.5km east of 7^th line.

Margaret Paull Loop

This is a 3.5 km loop on the Bruce Trail quite close to Collingwood.  It’s not as well known or accessible as nearby places like Kolapore or Loree Forest, so you likely won’t see many people here.  It’s more suitable for snowshoeing but could be skied if you don’t mind removing your skis in one or two places.

There is a parking lot on 18^th Sideroad near 5^th Line (GPS: 44.4948031, -80.3784017). The trail heads off along an unmaintained road allowance that is the continuation of 18^th Sideroad.  After about 200m, the main trail (white blazes) diverts into the woods while the side trail (blue blazes) continues straight along the road allowance. You can choose to go clockwise (left) or anti-clockwise (right). 

If you are on skis, you are better off to go anti-clockwise as the road allowance has a nice hill in it. You should be able to cover the first kilometre or so on gravity alone.  As you whiz down, you may notice a nice view of Georgian Bay on your right.  You may also notice some strange white domes on your left.  These are neither missile silos nor are they some high-tech farming device but are small observatories belonging to members of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  Why there?  Apparently, it’s relatively dark being away from the light pollution of towns.

When the road allowance turns right, you will go left and follow the blazes along a fence line.  After what seems like someone’s very long driveway, there’s a stile over a fence and the trail heads off into woodland. When the side trail rejoins the main trail, be sure to go left.  If you go right, you will be faced with a steep drop down a ravine!

The trail winds along the top of some deep ravines that contain various tributaries of Indian Brook.  Look out for some ‘flowerpots’ and crevices.  There are some benches overlooking waterfalls – a good place to stop for a snack.

Finally, there’s a stretch of open fields before the trail heads back into woodlands and a short, steep climb up the escarpment.  This is likely too steep and narrow for skis, so you will probably have to take them off for 100m or so.  A short meander along the top of the escarpment brings you back to where you started, just below the parking spot.

Ski-Only Trails

These are trails that are maintained by various ski clubs for the purpose of skiing.  With the exception of Kolapore, they all have tracksetting.

Beaver Valley Nordic

This club maintains and tracksets about 8km of trails at the southern end of Beaver Valley.  It intersects with the Bruce Trail, but the ski tracks are separate.  They ask you to pay a day-use fee of $10 per adult.  You can pay via their website.  The ‘Register Now’ button lets you pay the day-use fee without actually becoming a member.  Facilities are just about zero, other than very good maps that are posted at each trail junction and also on their website.

The entrance is a little tricky to find.  Go to the very end of the Beaver Valley downhill ski parking area on Windy Lane past the equipment yard (GPS: 44.3622154, -80.5562603).

The trackset trails are not suitable for snowshoeing.  However, some adjacent ‘multi-use’ trails (i.e. dog-walking trails) can be used for snowshoeing and, of course, the Bruce Trail is close by.

See https://beavervalleynordicskiclub.ca/ for more info.

Massie Hills

Perhaps this should be called ‘Massie Hill’ as there’s only one hill … and it’s not too challenging at that.  It’s located between Meaford and Owen Sound, south of Highway 26.  Although it intersects with the Bruce Trail, most of the ski trails are separate from it.

There are about 10km of trails that are trackset for classical.  Much of it is double tracked or one-way ‘side-by-side’ trails.  The trails are maintained and groomed by the non-profit, volunteer-run Owen Sound Cross Country Ski Club.  Payment is on an honour system: there are locked boxes at the two entrances where you can leave $10 per person (or $20 per family of 4).  You can snowshoe but not on the groomed tracks!

There are no facilities other than a portable toilet at each of the two entrances.  There are some benches situated along the trail.  Parking is along the roadside; however the road is plowed wide and there’s plenty of room.

See https://massiehills.com/ for more info.

Glenelg

This is another volunteer-run ski club that maintains, grooms and tracksets a network of about 25 km of trails.  It’s located near the villages of Markdale and Flesherton (GPS: 44.2768959, -80.6728203), close to Highway 10.  The area is a mix of private property and county forest lands.  It’s not close to the Bruce Trail.

Although this is a relatively flat part of Ontario (i.e. west of the Escarpment), the trails do have some definite ups and downs.  Most of the trails are single tracked but ‘two-way’, so you’ll have to watch out for oncoming skiers.  Snowshoeing does not appear to be encouraged

At the entrance, there is a cleared parking lot and portable toilets.  The fee of $10 per person can be left in a lock box along with the obligatory waiver (children ski free).

See http://www.glenelgnordicskiclub.org/ for more info.

Kolapore Uplands

A well known area at the south end of Beaver Valley, it has a network of 50 km of trails.  These are not groomed or trackset but are maintained and sign posted.  Because the trails are often narrow and winding, skating is not practical.  Snowshoeing, biking, walking and dogs are explicitly discouraged on the trails in wintertime.  There’s plenty of room for these activities on the Bruce Trail, which runs just to the north of the forest.

The Uplands have a wide variety of terrain including hardwood, softwood and cedar forests, rivers, beaver swamps and open meadows.  There are no major hills but lots of ups and downs.  Most trails have whimsical names: some, such as ‘Wild Mouse’, make sense when you ski them; others, like ‘Mount Dhaulagiri’, not so much.  ‘Red Death’ may be inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe short story in which Prince Prospero attempts to avoid a dangerous plague.  Just like the story, this trail is short … and scary!

Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association does not actually charge a trail fee.  They ask that you buy their map, become a member or simply donate to their organization as a way to help fund their trail maintenance costs.  And with 50km of trails spread across 60 square kilometres, it’s a good idea to have a map.

There are several entry points.  The most popular is on Grey County Road 2 (GPS: 44.4211475, -80.4054136) where there is a parking lot and a portable toilet.  Be warned that this lot can be busy even in ‘normal’ times.  In pandemic times, especially on weekends, this lot has often been full and people have parked illegally (and dangerously) on the shoulder of Road 2.  There’s another parking lot on the west side near Metcalfe Rock entrance (GPS: 44.4141457, -80.4415901) and a smaller entrance on the unpaved Osprey-Blue Mountains Townline (approx. GPS: 44.3818754, -80.4209775) with shoulder parking.

See http://www.kolaporetrails.org/ for more info.

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