Oak Ridges Trail
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The Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) is an incorporated charitable organisation whose purpose is to develop, maintain, promote and expand the hiking trail system across the
Oak Ridges Moraine The Oak Ridges Moraine is an ecologically important geological landform in the Mixedwood Plains of south-central Ontario, Canada. The moraine covers a geographic area of between Caledon and Rice Lake, near Peterborough. One of the most signif ...
in south-central
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. ORTA has ten chapters, each of which maintains a section of the approximately 250 km of trail. The Oak Ridges Trail is connected to the
Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...
, Ganaraska Trail, Nokiidaa Trail and
Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the A ...
. ORTA is governed by a board of directors who have responsibilities for managing the various aspects of the organization. Directors on the board are elected at an annual general meeting. ORTA Mission Statement is "To build and maintain a public hiking trail system on the Oak Ridges moraine, off-road where possible, and To organize and promote hiking on this trail system, and To encourage responsible stewardship of the Moraine's natural environment."


History

Efforts to establish a trail along the Oak Ridges Moraine first began in 1973. The Ontario Trail Riders' Association established the Great Pine Ridge Equestrian Trail located primarily along existing roads and road allowances. In 1991, a group of volunteers gathered through the cooperation of
STORM A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmos ...
(Save the Oak Ridges Moraine), the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and
Hike Ontario Hike Ontario is a non-profit organization founded in 1974 devoted to promote hiking and walking activities in Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Mississauga, and it was previously based at ''The Gate House'' of the Seneca College King Campus ...
. These volunteers developed the idea of a system of public recreational trails along the full length of the moraine, from Albion Hills in the west, to the Northumberland Forest in the east. The volunteers formed an Oak Ridges Trail Steering Committee and following a series of meetings, the Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) was officially inaugurated at a public meeting held at Albion Hills in May 1992. The main objective of the association is to develop and secure the Oak Ridges Trail "...thereby promoting an appreciation and respect for the Moraine's ecological, cultural and scenic integrity, with the aim of retaining a trail corridor in its natural state." ak Ridges Trail Guidebook 2004 ORTA now comprises over 700 members and extends across the Oak Ridges Moraine with a main trail and various side trails. From the eastern terminus of
Warkworth, Ontario Warkworth is a community in the municipality of Trent Hills, Northumberland in Central Ontario, Canada. Originally known as Percy Mills (1851 Census), the village of Warkworth was incorporated in 1857, and became part of Trent Hills when the latt ...
and
Cramahe, Ontario Cramahe is a rural township located in Northumberland County in central Ontario, Canada. It is situated just off Ontario Highway 401 approximately 140 km East of Toronto. It was named for Hector Theophilus de Cramahé, who was Lieutenan ...
past Rice Lake toward
Campbellford Campbellford is an unincorporated place and former town in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada, in the township municipality of Trent Hills. It lies approximately midway between Toronto and Ottawa. It is situated on both the Trent-Severn W ...
; to its present western end past Palgrave toward
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park Mono Cliffs Provincial Park lies within the rural town of Mono, in southern Ontario, Canada, along the Bruce Trail. It is part of the Niagara Escarpment Parks System, and the escarpment Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wi ...
and branching south to
Caledon, Ontario Caledon (; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 76,581) is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. From a shortened form of Caledonia, the Roman name for North Britain; Caledon is a developing u ...
. ORTA offers a marked trail and side trails, a detailed guidebook, quarterly newsletter, and a program of group hikes - over 300 hikes, snowshoe or ski outings per year.


Funding

ORTA receives funding from both private and corporate donations. In the past grants were received from the
Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation The Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation (ORMF) is a non-profit organization based in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 2002 as a governing body dedicated to the enhancement and preservation of the Oak Ridges Moraine as a healthy and vibrant e ...
and Ontario Trillium Foundation Ontario's 2005 Greenbelt Act and associated Greenbelt Plan have brought a measure of financial assistance to attempts to preserve the environmental integrity of this natural resource. Funds are also derived from the memberships annual dues and their signature event Moraine Adventure Relay via team entry fees.Adventure Relay]
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Further reading

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References


External links

* {{Canadian Trails Oak Ridges Moraine Hiking trails in Ontario