Hiking.
The 8 km Ridge Trail off 1242 North Shore Road is the longest single line in the township network, while the Frost Centre Hiking Trails at 20130 Highway 35 N stack 1–11 km loops on the former Frost Centre education site. Add the 6 km Crests of Kennisis at 1584 Big Hawk Road and the 5 km Circuit of 5 Viewpoints at 2029 Little Hawk Road, and ten named municipal networks together total about 40 km of back-country hiking across rolling Canadian Shield terrain.
The brief.
Trails are walk-up and free, maintained by the Township; the operational base is the Algonquin Highlands Trails Office at 20130 Highway 35 N. Terrain is shield — rolling, rocky, mixed-hardwood — not destination peaks.
The longer routes (Ridge, Crests of Kennisis) are rated challenging by the Township; the 1.3 km Beech River and 0.7 km Alven Ferguson sit at the easy/moderate end. The 1.5 km Dorset Tower trail behind the heritage museum and the 500 m Log Chute Trail at 1584 Big Hawk Road double as heritage walks.
May through October is the maintained window; winter use is possible on packed routes but not groomed for hiking specifically.
10. places.
- 01
Frost Centre Hiking Trails
1–11 km stacked loops, easy to challenging, access at 20130 Highway 35 N (former Frost Centre site, south of Dorset).
Map ↗ - 02
Ridge Trail
8 km linear, challenging, access at 1242 North Shore Road — the longest in the network.
Map ↗ - 03
Crests of Kennisis Trail
6 km linear, moderate–challenging, access at 1584 Big Hawk Road.
Map ↗ - 04
Circuit of 5 Viewpoints
5 km loop, moderate–challenging, access at 2029 Little Hawk Road.
Map ↗ - 05
Dorset Scenic Lookout Tower Trail
1.5 km loop, challenging climb to the 30 m tower behind the heritage museum.
Map ↗ - 06
Beetle Lake Trail
Two 2.5 km loops, challenging, access at 1035 Algonquin Outfitters Road in the Oxtongue Lake area.
Map ↗ - 07
James Cooper Lookout Trail
1.5 km loop, moderate, access at 1065 North Shore Road.
Map ↗ - 08
Beech River Trail
1.3 km loop, easy, access at 1053 Dominion Road.
Map ↗ - 09
Alven Ferguson Trail
0.7 km, moderate, access at 1317 McPhail Road.
Map ↗ - 10
Log Chute Trail & Interpretive Site
500 m loop, easy, access at 1584 Big Hawk Road; heritage interpretive walk to the operating historic log chute.
Map ↗
Today's read.
Cool but comfortable for layered effort · light winds.
By the book.
- 01The Township maintains "about 40 kilometres of back-country hiking and walking trails" across ten named networksSource ↗
- 02The Hawk Lake Log Chute on the interpretive trail has been continuously located on the same site since 1861 and is on the Township's Municipal Register of Cultural Heritage PropertiesSource ↗
