GORE BAY—The Town of Gore Bay has opened a new walking trail, thanks to its partners in the project, a local service club and a property owner in town. The new Lodge Trail is adjacent to the Renie Noble Nature Trail, off of East Street, on property owned by the Douglas A. Smith family.
“The newly created Lodge Trail is open and was created through a partnership with the Smith family and the Gore Bay Rotary Club,” stated Gore Bay Mayor Ron Lane, last week.
“The planning for this trail started in the fall of 2021,” said Mayor Lane. “I just thought that something needed to be in place to compliment the Noble Nature Trail. I knew the semblance of this (new) trail existed. So, I talked to the Smith family and they were agreeable to us having access to the property for a trail, as long as it was not on the rest of the land and didn’t disrupt the Gordon’s Lodge business.”
Mayor Lane said the town had funding left over from a grant it had received for its boardwalk trail rehabilitation project to help create the trail.
“And the Rotary Club stepped forward to help out by brushing out the area for the trail this spring so we (town) could build the trail,” said Mayor Lane.
Jack Clark, president of the Rotary Club said the brush was cleared for the trail in May and the club was approved for a grant in 2022 to assist with the purchase of a bench and picnic table, both of which are now in place on the trail.
“The Lodge Trail is one kilometre long,” said Mayor Lane. “When you get to the bottom of the trail you can look over the town harbour and the breakwall. And in the spring, you can see the Harold Noble Lookout. The trail entrance is on East Street and hikers will see the escarpment on their right and the waterfront once they get down the trail.” There is no exit at the end of the trail, which has a bench located about two-thirds of the way down, and a picnic table at the end of it. Once hikers get to the end of the trail, they retrace their steps back.
“We will be creating a parking lot adjacent to the East Street trail entrance, while the road is going to be paved,” explained Mayor Lane. “A walking trail to the entrance will be created on the left side of the road up the hill and room for snowmobiles will be created so as not to tear up the paving the town is going to be doing on the road. As well, vehicular traffic will be blocked off.”
“We also need to get better signage in place, to direct visitors to the trailhead,” said Mayor Lane.
“We hope people will enjoy the new trail and our other trails as well,” said Mayor Lane. “What is unique about this new trail is you will walk below the escarpment and have a good view of the bay and eventually down the trail will be at the lake. There will be two locations where people can look at the waterfront.”
Local residents Kurtis and Kyle Noble have donated a gazebo to the town to be located at the end of the trail. “The gazebo will go at the north end of the trail where people walking the trail can rest and have a nice view of the bay,” said Mayor Lane.
It was pointed out by Mayor Lane for the former Noble Trail, “Randy Noble had asked if the name of the trail could be renamed the Renie Noble Nature Trail in memory of his mother.” This trail traverses from the East Street entrance to the Harold Noble Lookout and was opened in 2015 and was a collaboration of the Noble Family and the town of Gore Bay.
