The Trails

**Please note that maps of routes indicated as "proposed" are for illustrative purposes only unless otherwise indicated. All references can change due to natural interferences. The information contained herein is intended to be a guide. Use of this information is at the risk of the user.

NWORTA 5-PHASE TRAIL PLAN (PROPOSED)

Our 5-phase trail plan is projected to connect the existing Trans Canada Trail in the City of Thunder Bay west to Atikokan, east to Nipigon, and south to the Minnesota border. This will provide a trail system to mirror and complement the existing Trans Canada Trail water trail through the area. 

When completed, total available trail distance will be in the 400 kilometre range. Trails will be primarily geared toward hiking, however there will be certain sections conducive to other  users.

We have recently become part of the Trans Canada Trail network, and are super excited about this.

TRAIL BLAZING/WAYFINDING

PHASE I - SHABAQUA TRAIL (IN PROGRESS)

Projected to connect Kakabeka Falls west to Shabaqua, this route was chosen as our first phase trail. This selection was due to it being primarily on Crown lands, as it was anticipated the approval process would be much less laborious than the other proposed trails. Despite delays due to the pandemic, and staffing changes and shortages at the local Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, that assumption was relatively correct. We received our MNRF Trail Work Permit approval on August 14/23, which then allowed us to move forward on establishing the short "connector" trails needed to take advantage of existing old roads and trails to make one contiguous trail.

We have received approval from 2 local townships for access to roads that are critical to the Kakabeka Falls connection. As the route stands now, the official east "trailhead" begins on Highway 590 at Sovereign Road. From that point it travels northwest toward Shabaqua using a mix of township roads, old unused logging roads, existing trails, and new trails. 

As of this writing, the route officially stands at 44.7 km/29.6 mi. in length. Access to/from the trailhead at Highway 590/Sovereign Road to/from Kakabeka Falls will require the unofficial use of Highway 590. This distance is approximately 7.2 km/4.5 mi. from the town of Kakabeka Falls.

Camping is permitted anywhere on Crown land. Although much of the trail is on Crown lands, Sovereign Road and Fleming Road do have private lands abutting them. It is up to the individual to make sure they are on Crown lands when they camp. There are several road access points which will benefit "day" or "section" hikers. We have identified several good campsite locations along the route with water access, but at this point we have not officially designated them as such.

As sections of the Shabaqua Trail become available, we are migrating them to Gaia.gps, CalTopo and AllTrails hiking trail apps. In CalTopo, we have identified several points of interest including campsite locations, cell phone access, heights of land, shared trail use areas, etc. We intend to migrate it to other hiking apps as well. Link to CalTopo NWORTA Shabaqua Trail

Projected to connect to our Shabaqua Trail near Kakabeka Falls, this trail is proposed to extend the existing Trans Canada Trail at Fort William Historical Park on Broadway Avenue west to Kakabeka Falls via Broadway Ave., 25th Side Rd, Rosslyn Rd., Harstone Rd., and Luckens Rd.

Proposed to primarily follow existing City and Township roads, this approximately 30 kilometre route provides hikers and cyclists a safer option rather than the Trans Canada Highway while traversing through the Thunder Bay area.

Campsite locations are available at the gem of the North - Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park in Kakabeka Falls, and Fort William Historical Park in Thunder Bay.

The approval process has been in progress for some time now. Work continues to satisfy Oliver-Paipoonge Township requirements. The City of Thunder Bay has also expressed an interest in extending the existing Trans Canada Trail from Fort William Historical Park on Broadway Avenue to Rosslyn Road.

This 60 kilometre trail is projected to connect our Shabaqua Trail south to the Trans Canada Trail/Path of the Paddle Trail at Arrow River Road southwest of Thunder Bay near the Ontario/Minnesota border. From there, users can access the Pigeon River Canada/US border crossing on Highway 61.

Highlights of this trail include heights of land nearing 600 m./2,000 ft. above sea level. This area also has the second highest elevation in Ontario, Tower Mountain, which comes in at 680 m/2230 ft. above sea level. To put things in context, Mount McKay in Thunder Bay is 480 m/1580 ft.

Closer to the Canada/US border is High Falls on Pigeon River which is 40 m./120 ft. and is definitely one of the main attractions in that area.

We have identified a potential viable route including GPS tracking. We intend to submit this trail for approval by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry this Fall. Subject to available funding, we hope to be able to have at least some of this trail open and operational by Fall of 2024.

We have deferred this trail to the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. This group is much closer to implementation and securing approval and funding of the route. We will likely at some point in the future look at establishing a trail further west of Highway 11/17 and Lake Superior.

This 160 kilometre trail is projected to connect our Shabaqua Trail west to Quetico Provincial Park and Atikokan. It is intended to parallel Highway 11 which will provide cell phone access for much of the trail, as well as easy access for section/day hiking and trail maintenance.

We have begun identifying a potential viable route including GPS tracking.