Municipality of Central Manitoulin, Trail Committee and local Mindemoya businessman Wayne Legge work towards a severance to add to A.J. Wagg Memorial Park (Wagg’s Woods) to create a new accessible trail head
The Municipality is putting in a 10 car parking lot on Municipal property on Thorne Street and a new trail head entrance at the corner of Forest and Thorne streets in Mindemoya to the south of the seasonal creek that runs through the park. Putting a new trail head to the south of the creek makes the park more accessible to all users, as the current trail head has to cross the creek bed. The seasonal creek bed has long been a barrier to enhancement and promotion of the park. A bridge that would cover the creek and its seasonal flood plain has been deemed impractical and too cost prohibitive. Phase one of enhancement was carefully planned out by the Central Manitoulin Trail Committee, slated to start in the summer of 2021, will see 485 metres (1591 feet) of hard packed trail at average 1.5 metres (5 feet) wide, one hub, three major pull offs for passing and resting as well as a turnaround at the end of the trail. The hard packed trail section, with minimal slopes will be ideal for people with mobility issues, mobility devices and families with strollers.
The Municipality would like to thank Wayne Legge of Manitoulin Chrysler for the new trailhead entrance easement. We are also working towards a severance of the south part of that lot the easement is on to be donated and added to the park. Wayne and the Municipality have been working together for a while to make the new trailhead and accessibility trail section a reality. We all realize the park is such an under-utilized natural asset that benefits the whole Central Manitoulin community and visitors alike. It’s also really nice to see a good balance between local business, the economy and the environment.
This municipal 42 acre park will provide recreational opportunities which encourage healthy lifestyles and thus enhance the quality of life within the community. In the future, the new hub that is 400 feet in from the new trailhead will branch off to different future trails, including a creek bed fossil walk and a highly anticipated escarpment trail that goes up to the bulk of the park, which is about 2/3 of the 42-acre park above the cliff face. This new trail will offer some views and a new adventure opportunities for "Wagg’s Woods." Most people don't realize how big the park really is, because the traditional beaten path trail that most of us use is below the escarpment. All of this new enhancement planning really wouldn’t have been possible without the new trailhead location and we thank Wayne for that.
The Trail Committee has volunteer opportunities available for upcoming work.
Media Contact
Marcus Mohr
Community Development/Outreach Coordinator
Municipality of Central Manitoulin
Phone: 705-377-5726
Fax: 705-377-5585
centralecdev@amtelecom.net
Pictured below is the proposed phase 1 enhancement plan.
