Wagg's Woods Trail

• The park is 17 hectares (42 acres) with four distinct trails totalling 3 kilometres (1.86 miles).
• The Woodland Accessibility Trail is great for those with mobility issues, mobility devices and strollers.
• Take a break on one of the many donated benches at the rest areas. 
• Stroll through the old growth forest that contributes to Manitoulin Island’s ability to capture and store more carbon dioxide than it produces.
• The forest is home to hundreds of species of plants from towering trees such as yellow birch and many different colourful flowers. 
• On the Fossil Trail you can walk on the dry creek bed which is the floor of an ancient sub-tropical sea that covered the Manitoulin Island area more than 400 million years ago.
• Follow along the edge of the Escarpment Trail and take in views of the park below as you twist, turn and climb your way along the trail.
• Wander the Alvar Trail full of rare plants, rock cracks and glacial erratic rocks deposited during the last ice age.
• Spot wildlife such as a porcupine, a wood thrush or our mascot, the barred owl.

Francis “Frank” Wagg and his wife Elizabeth (née Cooke) were the first Waggs to move to Manitoulin Island. They were both of English descent. They married in Uxbridge, Ontario in 1867 and moved to Manitoulin 10 years later. At this time, it was still only recently that the island had been opened to settlers and the Waggs helped establish infrastructure for the Township of Carnarvon (now part of the Municipality of Central Manitoulin). Frank Wagg became the first Reeve of Carnarvon in 1879. The following year a post office was opened in their home and Frank became the first postmaster. In 1900, Frank Wagg bought the general store from W. J. McKenzie. Frank and Elizabeth donated their land for Mindemoya’s first cemetery. Frank and Elizabeth had nine children: Jesse Francis, Charlotte Emily, Frederick Colman, Walter lsaac, Alma Josiah, Thomas Maxwell, Frances Margaret, Susan Elizabeth and Frank Ernest.

Alma Josiah “A. J.” Wagg was a budding businessman. Against the wishes of his parents, he attended Ontario Agricultural College to study dairying and graduated in 1900. He established Wagg’s Creamery in Mindemoya in the following year. The creamery greatly boosted the local economy as it paid local farmers for cream and livestock, it also created many jobs. Wagg’s Creamery became well known for their milk, butter and ice cream which were of very high quality. In 1907, A. J. took over Frank’s store. Thomas M. Wagg was slated to take it over but unfortunately died in the tragic sinking of the Steamer J. H. Jones in 1906.

Aside from these two businesses, A. J. was active in the community in other ways. He was the Reeve of Carnarvon from 1927-31. He lent his business expertise as a board member to many charitable organizations like the Hospital Board, Sons of Temperance, the Sunday School and Children’s Aid Society. A. J. married Effie Mae Herron in 1907 and they had 6 children. Effie also dedicated her time to volunteering at the Mindemoya Women’s Institute and the Sunday School. A. J. Wagg passed away in 1960 and Effie passed in 1978.

In 1981, Wagg’s Limited was bought by Farquhar’s Dairy. The creamery was closed in 2007. The headerstone was saved and sits on the grounds of the Mindemoya Welcome Centre.

The Wagg Family have always been leaders in the community. Most Wagg family members started their careers at Wagg’s Creamery or Store. The family has dedicated time to volunteering for their church for generations. Walter “W. I.” Wagg was a photographer and owned a store in Providence Bay; his wife Mary was a member of the Women’s Institute. Colman Wagg, brother of Frank Wagg, was a veterinary doctor and the first clerk for Carnarvon. Many Waggs became teachers. Jesse Wagg taught from 1886-1890, Pearl Wagg taught in the 1920s and Wallace Wagg taught in 1948. Douglas Wagg was drafted in the war and specialized in ammunition and explosives. He passed away in Holland in 1944 due to an unfortunate accident while removing landmines from the warzone.

The Municipality obtained the land from the Waggs in order to establish Wagg’s Woods Trail.

For further information please visit the Mindemoya Pioneer Museum at 2207 Hwy 551, Mindemoya ON or contact: Municipal Curator Mnawaate Gordon-Corbiere at curator@centralmanitoulin.ca 705-377-4383.

Wagg's Woods Trail improvements would not be possible without donations from the public, in-kind support and Municipal investment.

For current donation opportunities contact Trail Committee staff member Sarah Galick at sgalick@centralmanitoulin.ca or call 705-377-5726.

Donation Record

2021 Woodland Accessibility Trail

• Municipality of Central Manitoulin $10,000
• Anonymous Donations $3578
• Manitoulin Chrysler Wayne Legge New Entrance Easement Agreement
• Taylors Sawmill $600 in materials
• E.Corbiere and Sons Construction $480 in materials
• James Millette Forestry $200 in materials
• Special thanks to the volunteers John Diebolt, Marcel Beneteau, Dale Scott, Wendy Wiggins, Al Tribinevicius, Katie Gilcrhrist, Chad Pearson, Andre Leblanc, Leslie Philips and Brenda Kozial

2021 Bench Donations

• Cedar Cove Farm – Hal Love $1260
• Jake's Home Centre Adam and Erin Smith $1330
• Madeleine Wagg Becks $1080
• The Island Animal Hospital Steve Fisher and Joanna Paquet, two benches $2290
• Finn's Gas Bar $1000
• Special thank you to volunteers John Diebolt and Dale Scott for assembly and installation of the benches.

2022 Escarpment Trail and Alvar Trail Creation

• Municipality of Central Manitoulin tree maintenance and trail building supplies $1870
• Volunteers John Diebolt, Dale Scott and Marcel Beneteau trail layout and clearing
• Special thank you to Brenda Koziol for geology and interpretive signage consultation.

2023 Owl Nesting Box Project

• Manitoulin Nature Club Owl Nesting Box Donation
• Manitoulin Tree Service Owl Nesting Box Installation

2023 Trailhead Signage

• Municipality of Central Manitoulin trailhead signage costs $4600

PDF Version of Wagg's Woods Map 

• Motorized vehicles are not permitted except for personal mobility devices.
• Bicycles are not permitted.
• Keep dogs on a leash.
• Don't litter. Please take your garbage with you.
• Leave fossils and other natural assets in place.
• Camping or fires are not permitted.
• Be mindful of trail conditions. If a trail is too wet or muddy, save your hike for another day. Using a muddy trail can be dangerous and damage the trail and surrounding ecosystems.
• Use the trail system at your own risk.
• Sections of trails may be closed in winter months due to ice and snow. The Fossil Trail is closed during the spring runoff.
• The trail will be closed annually during rifle season. 

Woodland Accessibility Trail

• Very Easy
• 530 m (1739 ft) one way.
• The trail is fully accessible and great for those with mobility issues, mobility devices and strollers. Take a break on one of the many donated benches at the rest areas. Wagg’s Woods is an old growth forest that contributes to Manitoulin Island’s ability to capture and store more carbon dioxide than it produces. This forest is home to more than a hundred species of plants from towering trees such as yellow birch and many different colourful flowers. You might even spot other wildlife such as a porcupine or a wood thrush.
  
  Accessibility Specifications
• Length of Two-Way Trip: 970 m (3,182 ft)
• Surface: Hardpacked limestone screening
• Average Width: 1.83 m (6 ft)
• Minimum Width: 1.52 m (5 ft)
• Maximum Running Slope: 1:24
• Maximum Cross Slope: 1:20 (7.6 cm over 1.5 m/3 in over 5 ft)
• Edge Protection: 182 m (600 ft), minimum 5 cm (2 in) high.
• Edge protection is primarily on north side of trail with a drop-off of 15 cm (6 in) or greater.
• Pull Offs/Turnarounds: Every 97 m (318 ft)

Fossil Trail

Easy
520 m (1706 ft)
Walk on the floor of an ancient sub-tropical sea that covered the Manitoulin Island area more than 400 million years ago. Discover evidence of the incredible diversity of corals, sponges and other animals that lived in the warm waters south of the equator.
Please leave the fossils in place so others can enjoy discovering them!

Alvar Trail

• Moderate
• 1340 m (4396 ft)
• Wander and alvar full of rock cracks and glacial erratic rocks deposited during the last ice age.
  
  About Alvars
• Based on a limestone plain
• Stressed habitat supports a community of rare plants and animals.  
• Lichen and mosses are common species.
• Trees and bushes are absent or severely stunted.

Escarpment Trail

• Hard
• 480 m (1575 ft)
• This trail is for the adventurer. Follow along the edge of the escarpment and take in views of the park below as you twist turn and climb your way along the trail.  The escarpment is part of the larger Niagara Escarpment that runs through New York, Ontario, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The escarpment formed over millions of years through a process of differential erosion of rocks of different hardness.

In 2020, the Municipality created a Trail Committee comprised of five residents and two council members.  The committee has worked steadily towards a goal of enhancing the park into a destination for residents and visitors.

The park now contains:

• A new trailhead and sign at the corner of Forest and Thorne streets. The new entrance allows for access to the majority of the park south of the seasonal creek bed. The creek bed was a barrier to accessing parts of the park from the old entrance.
• A new 10 car parking lot on Forest Street
• Half of a kilometre hard packed accessibility trail good for mobility devise and strollers.
• Half of a kilometre trail along the escarpment.
• Over one kilometre of trail on the alvar on top of the escarpment.
• An owl nesting box.
• Four pull offs ad a hub for resting and relaxing.
• Six donated benches on the accessibility trail.
• Tree aging, particularly on the Escarpment and Alvar.

Future plans:

• Signage to direct visitors to the park on the nearby streets.
• Interpretive signage for geology, plants and animals.
• A lookout tower.
• Recreation programs 
• Guided hikes with experts in the fields of geology, flora and fauna.

More information:
Economic Development Officer, Sarah Galick at 705-377-5726 or email sgalick@centramanitoulin.ca.