Regional Trail Network

A Regional Trail Network

The CRCA is working with local municipalities, hiking groups, snowmobile clubs and other interested individuals to build a regional trail network. The proposed network would consist of the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Waterfront Trail, the Cataraqui Trail and the K&P Trail.

The Waterfront Trail

The Waterfront Trail now stretches along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River from the Niagara Region to the Quebec border. In this area a group of enthusiastic local volunteers called The Eastern Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Waterfront Working Group, or WWG, worked on the section of trail along the eastern part of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The WWG encouraged municipalities and community groups to locate the trail as close as possible to the waterfront. Since their work was completed, this group was disbanded in 2007.

The Waterfront Trail is very different from the Cataraqui Trail. It is not owned by one group or organization. Instead, it follows existing roads, road allowances and public lands. The Waterfront Trail is only located on private lands if the owner is in agreement. Permitted uses include walking and cycling.

For more information about the Waterfront Trail click here.

The K&P Trail

The K&P Trail extends approximately 180 kilometres from the City of Kingston through Frontenac, Lanark, and Renfrew counties. Frontenac County owns and manages the 55 kilometres of the trail from The City of Kingston boundary to the village of Sharbot Lake. The K&P Trail is operated to a variety of standards depending on the owner and manager of the Trail.

The 75 kilometre stretch of the K&P Trail between downtown Kingston and Shabot Lake is a fully developed stone dust rail-trail with stops in the communities of Tichborne, Godfrey, Verona, and Harrowsmith along the way.  This section is also part of The Great Trail, also known as the Trans Canada Trail. Once in Sharbot Lake more adventurous users can connect to an existing trail system that continues north, east or west from there.

The County of Frontenac facilitated a trails planning committee to develop a plan for the Trail examining such aspects as design standards, permitted uses, funding, management and promotion.

The Trans Canada Trail (AKA The Great Trail)

Initiated in 1992 as a project to celebrate Canada’s 125th year, the Trans Canada Trail is one of the world’s longest networks of multi-use recreational trails. Once fully connected, it will stretch nearly 24,000 kilometres from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans, through every province and territory, linking Canadians in nearly 1,000 communities. The goal is to connect the Trail as a continuous route from coast to coast to coast by 2017, the 25th anniversary of the Trail and Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.

The Trans Canada Trail is made up of nearly 500 individual trails, each with unique and varied features. This section uses the northern portion of the K&P Trail which intersects with the Cataraqui Trail at Harrowsmith. It continues eastwards along the Cataraqui Trail for 81 km, to Smiths Falls.  From Harrowsmith the TCT follows the K&P Trail north to Tichbourne and eventually to Sharbot Lake.

For more information on the Trans Canada Trail sections in Ontario, see http://www.tctontario.ca

The Rideau Trail

The Rideau Trail is a 387 km network of hiking trails between the City of Kingston and the City of Ottawa located in the general area of the Rideau Canal and its tributary waters. Part of this trail intersects and uses the Cataraqui Trail from km (?) to km(?) before veering south and joins again from km (?) to km(?) before heading north.

For more information on the Rideau Trail, see http://www.rideautrail.org