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Honda to Park to Park
Parry Sound North Star | Jun 29, 2011
As published in Parry Sound North Star
 Park-To-Park Trail Association manager Peter Searl, left, gets a few instructions form Derek Verheyen, Honda team lead for the region, and Larry Lamanna, Honda's district sales manager, earlier this spring outside the company's new distribution centre in Markham. Honda Canda donated two TRX500PGB Rubicons to the non-profit trail association. Park-to-Park Trail, which manages more than 250 kilometers of trail stretching from Killbear Provincial Park north of Parry Sound to Algonquin Park, will use the ATVs for trail maintenance, inspection and to monitor the trails to ensure riders cary valid Park-to-Park Trail passes.
Park-To-Park trail system finished
Sarah Frank | Jun 24, 2011 - 10:09 AM
As published in cottagecountrynow.ca
PARRY SOUND - The trail system that connects Killbear Provincial Park to Algonquin Provincial Park is finished. The Park-to-Park Trail Association is now working on a strategic plan detailing marketing and enforcement for the trails.
Peter Searle, Park-to-Park manager, said there is one final piece in Carling that needs a little "shining," but based on the trail association's original plans, the trails are ready for biking, skiing, hiking, snowshoeing - just about anything.
ATVs, however, don't have access to the whole system. Sections in Huntsville and Parry Sound, which use municipal roadways to connect trails, don't allow ATVs.
Searle hopes to eventually see the entire trail system taken off-road.
"That's a dream for further down the road," he said.
For now, the association is looking at ways to monitor and control the use of the trails, making sure users have a trail pass, and cars and trucks aren't entering the system.
"I've heard reports of people hauling trailers down the trails and camping," said Searle, who noted Park-to-Park will also create new partnerships for trail maintenance. Searle said part of the marketing initiative will include new, detailed trail maps.
Hosting a recreational event on the trail, like an adventure race, has also crossed Searle's mind.
"We may entertain something like that on our own," he said. "It could be a mixture of biking and hiking from Killbear to Algonquin. Something unique to us."
The association is also forging private sector partnerships and now patrols and inspects the trail system with two new Honda ATVs donated to the non-profit organization by Honda Canada last month.
Park-To-Park has been working on creating the trail system since 1998, with the idea of linking up Parry Sound and Huntsville.
The trail currently provides connections to several provincial parks including Massasauga, Arrowhead, Ragged Falls/Oxtongue River, Algonquin, Killbear, and Oastler Lake.
The trail is 230 km in length and passes through numerous lakes, rivers, streams as well as forests, fields and wetlands.
Park-to-Park asking for municipal support
Alison Brownlee | May 25, 2011 - 9:12 AM
As published in cottagecountrynow.ca
 HUNTSVILLE – One group is asking the town to help the region cash in on recreational tourism.
The Park-to-Park Trail Association approached Huntsville town council and asked it to help maintain a 220 km trail that crosses 10 municipalities and links Killbear Provincial and Algonquin parks.
Steve Alcock, past-president of the association, told council that in 1997 Huntsville held a joint council meeting with the Town of Parry Sound and discussed how the two communities could strengthen their relationship.
"One of the things that was suggested was that we need to create more of an east-west linkage and perhaps we could find a way of strengthening, and putting in, a trail system, utilizing that to join the two communities," said Alcock during a May 16 council meeting.
"Such a simple thing turned into such a long period of gestation and I would say that not only did the town talk the talk, but it walked the walk. Money from the very beginning came from Parry Sound and Huntsville, which strengthened existing trails and added new sections to what ultimately became a very ambitious project," he said.
Alcock said volunteers had spent the last 14 years upgrading the trail and linking individual sections together.
More than $2 million in capital has been invested in the project, he said, including $600,000 spent on trail resurfacing.
Another $1.2 million was spent on bridges in the last six years, with about 25 of them having been replaced since 1997, said Alcock.
"The system that we inherited 15 years ago was at the end of its lifespan. It had been shut down at least twice by the Ministry of Natural Resources over safety concerns," he said.
But with the help of individual, provincial and federal partners the trail has been successfully rebuilt, he said.
The association has three revenue sources, said Alcock, which include municipalities, trail pass sales and grants.
He said partners are needed to maintain the trail.
Peter Searle, general manager of the association, said without the association, the trail would deteriorate, since the Ministry of Natural Resources is not mandated to maintain it.
The loss of the trail would also mean the loss of about $17 million in snowmobile revenue and the inability to capitalize on increasing all-terrain vehicle activity, according to the association.
Alcock said the contribution by organized snowmobiling to Muskoka is about $50 million annually, according to economic impact studies, while increased all-terrain vehicle use could strengthen the year-round recreational tourism industry in the area.
The association is now working on a strategic plan with a focus on marketing and expanding the user base, he said.
It is also looking for new partnerships, he said, to support trail development in order to boost tourism.
And the municipality can help, he said.
"One of the successes of Park-to-Park is that we're viewed as a regional system with a very strong municipal presence," Alcock told council.
"There has always been a large number of municipal appointees on our board and because of that we've been able to access funds that are often not available to one group or another who are interested in trail activities."
In the future, Alcock said, there are three things the association would like to see, including the re-instatement of a $10,000 grant the town used to provide to the association for its work.
He also asked that the town appoint a representative, possibly a council member, to the association's board, and that the town consider allowing all-terrain vehicles more access to municipal roadways to facilitate trail use.
Several town committees, especially public works and protective services, have been discussing all-terrain vehicles and road access. Councillors say many of their constituents have been asking about expanded access and council is considering opening conversations on the subject.
Coun. Fran Coleman commented during the council meeting that using certain sections of municipal roads as linkages to trails may be an option.
Coun. Tim Withey focused more on bicycles using the Park-to-Park trail and asked how cycling would be balanced with increased all-terrain vehicle traffic.
Association president Jack Tynan, who has biked the entire trail with his son, said stakeholders such as abutting property owners have also raised concerns about increased traffic on the trail.
But he said he recognizes the all-terrain vehicle industry is growing and developing trail-use guidelines aimed at riders is the best approach.
Trail permits are another option, he said.
"ATVers are using any trail they can find, they're causing damage to the trail, and we're going to create a revenue through the ATVers to maintain those trails," said Tynan. "They're out there in growing numbers and we need to create revenue to off-set their impact."
In response to Alcock's grant request, Mayor Claude Doughty commented that the budget was set for the year, though there may be funding opportunities through the Huntsville-Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, which partnered with the town for tourism revenue purposes.
He also said he would canvas for a potential association representative.
Getting trail users through the town
By Sarah Frank | Apr 29, 2011 - 3:31 PM
As published in cottagecountrynow.ca
PARRY SOUND - The trail system that connects Killbear Provincial Park to Algonquin Provincial Park has a hole. The section of Park-to-Park trail that would connect Carling Township to Seguin Township is missing one crucial piece of the puzzle - Parry Sound.
The trail association is looking to gain permanent access on Parry Sound roads to provide the missing link in the trail system, something that Parry Sound council has previously told Park-to- Park they don't allow.
Missing link
"Right now, there is basically just a big blank zone," said Peter Searle, office and operations manager for Park-to-Park.
The town does, however, grant temporary access on roads for Spring Jam, Canada's largest ATV jamboree- a weekend-long event that kicked off last night at the Foley Fair Grounds.
According to Searle, the issue was talked about a few years back, but he plans to bring it before council once more.
Road access
While Searle said in the best case scenario, there would be road access dedicated to the trail, "if worst comes to worst, at least having a route marked through town would be beneficial."
According to Searle, each municipality has to pass their own regulations for access through their towns, so while other towns may have already signed on, it is not an obligation for Parry Sound council.
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