Steve Alcock never stopped believing that Hunters Bay Trail would one day extend all the way to the other side of Highway 11, although he occasionally had doubts.
He’s been an advocate for local trails for decades, sitting on both Muskoka’s Park to Park Trail Association and Huntsville’s Parks and Recreation Committee. And he’s been part of a committee working since 2003 to have Hunters Bay Trail extended past Orchard Park. That extension will be complete within the next few weeks and Alcock had the opportunity to step onto the pedestrian bridge at its start for the first time this week. His grin said it all.
“I’ve been holding myself back,” he laughed. “This has been a long time dream of the trails committee and myself and we’re so close!”
Getting it this far required dogged persistence, political will, patience, and some good timing. “Four councils kept on supporting the push, four mayors,” said Alcock. “This project could not have existed without a broad base of support and vision from some, political support, and a large public understanding that trails have a place in our plans and our future.” In particular, he singled out Don McCormick as another long-time supporter of the project.
One of the most important pieces that had to fall into place was funding for the project. “Council would never have on their own been able to move forward on this,” said Alcock. But thanks to a legacy initiative following the 2015 Pan Am Games, there was suddenly a boost in funding to close the gaps in Ontario’s portions of the Trans Canada Trail (now called The Great Trail). The Hunters Bay Trail extension was one of those gaps.
“We were one of the 12 projects in Ontario that they felt had to be done,” said Alcock. Add to that additional funds from the Trans Canada Trail organization, District support, and Huntsville’s parks reserve, and the project went from pie-in-the-sky to doable. “When such a large amount of funding is coming from other places, it’s hard not to look at it.”
Despite cost overruns due to Ministry of Transportation (MTO) requirements – the trail is within the Highway 11 corridor, which wouldn’t normally be allowed under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act – Huntsville’s council decided earlier this year to proceed with the project.
Alcock couldn’t be more pleased that they did, and hopes to see more such decisions in future.
I think it’s incredibly important that the public domain be protected and expanded. Trails are linear parks… In the case of Hunters Bay, what is so unique is it’s waterfront. We all know what’s happening in terms of the cost of waterfront and the way it’s being driven out of the reach of people who live in Huntsville. For me, the creation of waterfront trails was the creation of waterfront parks. We now have five kilometres of continuous waterfront park with a trail that goes through. That public domain is something we won’t lose, no one will take that away from us.
Steve Alcock
Just two decades ago, the Hunters Bay trail system was still a dream, noted Alcock. “Avery Beach was 220 feet across and that was it.” It took years to negotiate and acquire all of the pieces of shoreline needed to make the trail a reality. But he doesn’t think it should stop now.
“I think future councils and generations will continue to make this whole area accessible to the public. One of the backbones will be this trail,” said Alcock.
He also sees other gaps in Huntsville’s trail system – the need to link the end of Fairy Vista Trail through to Deerhurst Resort, for example – but he’s ready to pass the torch to others. “I think I need to step back a bit,” he laughed. “This has been a long project and I don’t have an immediate plan for the next trail, but I can always be surprised.”
But in looking back as a way of gauging the future, Alcock suspects Huntsville will continue to look for more such opportunities.
“Huntsville has taken some fairly bold steps in terms of some of the things it has done. That is one of the great joys of Huntsville as a community,” said Alcock. “It’s a real pleasure that we have a town which has been progressive and looked at bold initiatives. I would hope that we keep up that type of work.”
The trail extension won’t officially open until the spring, but once work is complete it will be available for use for a short time before it must be closed on November 1 as part of the agreement with the MTO in anticipation of winter plowing operations on Highway 11.
Related stories:
Hunters Bay Trail extension to open in September
Hunters Bay Trail expansion will cost an estimated $757,000
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Roger Simmons says
This is absolutely amazing and a long time coming. Congratulations are deserved all the way around to the town and to the volunteers.
Henk Rietveld says
The trail completion is a great achievement for all those who put heart and soul into it. But was the utterly superfluous chain link fence to protect the highway from stray trail users necessary, MTO? A waste of time and taxpayer dollars!!
Jan Nyquist says
Steve. You are a great visionary. Your efforts and contribution to the town of Huntsville have been significant. All members of our community are fortunate to have people like you contributing to our town; for so many years. Huntsville is a better place because of you.
Jan Nyquist.
Terry Clarke says
Wonderful…..but when and where was the first trail developed in Huntsville??? Not many remember…..Huntsville was ahead of many !!! Hint: it started at the Locks
Bill Beatty says
Remember going to Queen’s Park with you to plead the case to get under the Highway way back. Been a long time coming but we’ll worth the many hours…..Great work Steve .
John Rivière-Anderson says
Steve, Don and all the other volunteers and supporters, congratulations on the remarkable trail work you have done over so many years!
Brian Tapley says
A truly unique and wonderful section of trail is finally completed. I hope a lot of people will make use of it and enjoy it.
The one thing I have wondered about all this time is that one of the key words in MTO is “transportation” so I’m curious why in their minds transportation only seems to include vehicles? I would have thought walking along the highway corridors would be perfectly acceptable and I’ll probably be forever puzzled by the question of why the trail could not have been placed further along the land, with a little less of the cost of the floating portion. I’m with Henk in wondering about the need for such a jail like fence too but I suppose there is some rule somewhere in the MTO about this kind of thing………..
To be fair the same comments could be applied to the railroad as the trail could just as easily have followed the rail line under highway 11. This I could see needing some chain link fencing and it would have been nowhere near as scenic but it would have taken the trail across the highway with a safe grade separation.
Emmersun Austin says
excellent addition & link 2 local trail. now we need more trail & cycling additions added to the local network. & yes a trail down the centre of hwy 11 is one of them. + hopefully other communities help to connect the whole deal coast 2 coast 2 coast.