Ready to Ride with KATVA
It’s that time of year, the trails are officially opening May 1st for motorized vehicles.
Whether you hike, cycle, ride a horse, dirt bike or ATV, spring is here and that means it’s time to get out and enjoy the trails. While the ATVs and dirt bikes don’t get to enjoy the trails until May 1st, everyone else has been taking advantage of some of the nice weather we’ve enjoyed recently.
If you have never tried the trails in Kawartha Lakes you’re missing out. A great place to start is the village of Fenelon Falls. If you’re riding into town on your ATV you can park at Garnet Graham Park and enjoy the beach park amenities, or continue into the village and check out the shops and restaurants. Lock 34 is one of the busiest locks in the Trent Severn Waterway. Take a break and watch the boats go through the locks while enjoying an ice cream from one of the local Kawartha Dairy vendors. The village of Fenelon Falls has something to offer everyone and they welcome ATV riders with open arms.
When you leave Fenelon Falls and head north on the Victoria Rail Trail, you’ll see why we love this trail so much and fight so hard to keep it multi-use. This is one of the most beautiful sections of trail in Kawartha Lakes. About 2kms up the trail you get past all the cottages and the trail opens up to the most wonderful views of Cameron Lake. There are very few places in Ontario where you can ride your ATV along the trail with this type of landscape, a lake on one side and natural foliage on the other. Watch out for walkers and joggers. This section of trail is used by many local residents and cottagers, so be sure to obey the rules and share the trail.
Once you leave this area and continue north for about 30 kms you’ll come to the village of Kinmount, home of the famous Kinmount Theatre and Kinmount Fair. Kinmount was built along the shores of the Burnt River and just before you arrive at the village you will see the river start to appear along the trail. As you enter the village area you will be greeted by a beautiful park and greenspace along the river. There’s a covered shelter where you can park your ATV and enjoy your lunch by the water and a small playground for your kids to enjoy. If you go a little further up the trail you will find the Austin Sawmill which is a must see for everyone visiting the area. It’s a beautiful display of the heritage of this small community. You will also see the dam just behind the sawmill.
There are restaurants in town if you want to stop for a bite to eat and take a break from your ride. Make sure you park in the “recreational vehicles only” parking area. The community was generous enough to give us a place to park our ATVs along the trail without the worry of other larger vehicles being too close by. Kinmount is a quaint little village with some of the friendliest and most welcoming people you’ll come across in your travels. It’s the central hub of our trail system. Once here you can decide whether to continue north into Haliburton, head east to the 6 points or go back down a bit and pop into the Somerville Forest. Whatever you decide, you’re sure to enjoy your day on the trails.
Kawartha ATV Association,
PO Box 21, Lindsay
705-328-0931 www.katva.ca
