Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
Two trails off Highway 11 offer good beginner-level hikes
By Dominique Millette
Northern Ontario’s rugged beauty can seem intimidating to visitors who want to appreciate nature at a more leisurely pace. There’s a trail for that! In fact there are several. Two of my favourites are Cooper’s Falls, north-east of Orillia, and the Old Stone Road Trail in Gravenhurst. Both are accessible through Highway 11 into the Muskoka area.
Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
OLD STONE ROAD TRAIL
The Old Stone Road Trail was an original colonization road and once served as an alternate route between Gravenhurst and the town of Bala, due to flooding on the Devil’s Gap Road. It’s hard to picture horses and wagons taking this path today as it seems lost in the woods far from any modern settlement. The Ontario Trails Council rates it as a level 2 out of 5 for difficulty – it’s almost completely flat. After crossing Canadian Shield terrain dotted with pine and spruce it crosses a marsh at the west end. A causeway helps to keep hikers dry. Total distance = a 12-km round-trip. The trail connects to the 6-km Devil’s Gap Trail which has a similar level of difficulty. I went on this trail on a rainy day, not usually something I recommend as conditions are slippery on rocks and boulders, but I had no problems with this hike.
Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
COOPER’S FALLS
Further south and to the east, Cooper’s Falls is part of the Trans-Canada Trail system. It is also a round trip hiking trail (this time at 16 km) and the more scenic of the two. It’s also the more challenging, though still quite navigable at the beginner level with the same difficulty rating as the Old Stone Road.
Cooper’s Falls was named after a ghost town founded in 1864, which once boasted a cheese factory, lumber mill and blacksmith, but now has about 14 residents, the trail passes through Kahshe Barrens Reserve. It passes alongside lakes, ridges, deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, rocky hills and boulders. Hiking boots are strongly recommended to tackle the uneven terrain. Clothed visitors should be warned… they may encounter naturists, or freehikers. During humid days and at the height of mosquito season it takes a strong insect repellent to avoid bites. Also, some users find the trail easy to lose as there are no markers further in, only ribbons, cairns and a few signs. When I hike this trail I usually don’t go the whole route and turn back shortly after the hydro poles when the markers become fewer and farther between. However, the reward for hanging in is some of the most beautiful scenery just south of the Muskoka region.
Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
HOW TO GET THERE:
Old Stone Road
The trail head is quite a long drive along North Muldrew Lake Road, a winding road off Highway 169. It goes past the Muskoka Bay Golf Course. Keep to the right when you see Indian Landing Road. The next fork is at Pinetree Road; stay on the left until signs for the trail head appear.
Cooper’s Falls
There are two entrances: one is off Cooper’s Falls Road (Simcoe 52), off Highway 11 south of Severn Bridge. The 52 becomes Muskoka 6 and passes through the town of Cooper’s Falls. A big visible sign announces the trail head at this end. There’s parking but it’s up a very steep hill, so many park on the side of the road. To start at the other end, stay on Muskoka 6 going east, then north. There’s a parking lot on the west side of the road near Riley Lake Road. The trail head is a bit south of there.
Hiking Trails in Ontario, Canada – Cooper’s Falls and Old Stone Road
BIO:
Dominique Millette is a Toronto-based bilingual author and translator, as well as a freelance writer. She has worked in several weekly newspapers and written and published a novel in French (La Delphinée), one theatrical monologue and several short stories. One of these, “Oomblaug Day”, was published in Parsec magazine. Another, “Better than Elvis”, was published in Maisonneuve magazine. She has also studied with Joan Barfoot at the Humber School of Creative Writing.
