Category: Tuesday Hike

OSSCC Hike: Natchez Woods, Kitchener
Tuesday, March 14, 2023 

Contact: Email Bett Fitzpatrick, bettfitzpatrick@gmail.com, or text 519-208-3408 if you plan to join us.
Please add cell # to your phone contacts in case of delays or last-minute cancellations.

 Time: 10:00 am

Hike Location: Park at the M.R Goodman Family Trailway at the end of Otterbein Road, Kitchener.
From the intersection of Ottawa St. and Lackner Blvd, continue straight through on Ottawa Street which turns into Keewatin Avenue.
Turn right onto Misty Street and right again on Otterbein Rd. Follow Otterbein Rd to the M.R. Good Family Trailhead parking lot around the curve and to your left.

Duration:  2 hours or less.  Come join us! 

General Description:
Enjoy this approximately 4km loop trail near Kitchener, Ontario. Generally considered an easy route, it takes about an hour to complete.
If interested, we can add on a section of the Walter Bean Trail which runs between Natchez Woods and the Grand River.

Come prepared!
Layer for winter weather, wear sturdy footwear with good grip; bring drinks and snacks for elevenses. A backpack is useful to stash extra mittens and such.  As with any winter hiking, icers are recommended

Bett Fitzpatrick

There will be NO cancellation email notice for hikes.
Please register with Bett.
She will send cancellation/update notices to those who have registered, should it be required.

OSSCC Hike: Sandy Hills Regional Forest
(nature preserve north of Elmira)
Tuesday, March 7, 2023 

Contact: Email Bett Fitzpatrick, bettfitzpatrick@gmail.com, or text 519-208-3408 if you plan to join us.
Please add cell # to your phone contacts in case of delays or last-minute cancellations.

 Time: 10:00 am

Hike Location: Sandy Hills Regional Forest, 390 Sandy Hills Dr/Township Rd 3, Elmira. We’ll begin the 5 km hike at the southern section of the woods. If driving through Elmira to Sandy Hills Drive, there is angled parking off the road on the right at the trailhead.  

Duration:   Betty Dyck is leading this approximately 2-hour hike.
Come join us! 

General Description:
The Sandy Hill Regional Forest consists of two tracts of land on either side of Sandy Hills Road at the extreme northern tip of the Region of Waterloo. It is a large complex of conifer plantations some of which were established as far back as the 1930s on wind-eroded sandy soils. Some of the older stands are now quite mature and have some of the attributes of conifer forests much further north. From 1957 to 1974, the federal Departmentof Forests had a research station within a clearing in the southern block to study forest insect pests. The conifer stands support a number of bird species (Golden crowned Kinglet, Ovenbird, and Pine Warbler) which prefer this type of habitat for breeding. One Scots Pine stand in the northern block is in poor condition, but is now being converted to Red Oak. The southernmost part of the forest is a cedar swamp.
( https://regionofwaterloo.ca)

Come prepared!
Layer for winter weather, wear sturdy footwear with good grip; bring drinks and snacks for elevenses. A backpack is useful to stash extra mittens and such.  As with any winter hiking, icers are recommended

Bett Fitzpatrick

There will be NO cancellation blog posted for hikes. Please register with Bett, she will send cancellation/update notices via emails received

OSSCC  Hike: Economical Insurance Trailway (part of Walter Bean Trail), 326 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener
 Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Contact: Email Roseanna Rigo roseannarigo@gmail.com  or
text 705-898-3284  if you plan to join us.
Please add cell # to your phone contacts in case of delays or last-minute cancellations.

 Time: 10:00 am

Hike Location: Park in the Economical Insurance Trailway parking lot at 326 Riverbend Drive, Kitchener, by the Grand River. 

Duration:  2 hours.
This is an out-and-back approximately 2-hour hike along the Grand River towards Bingemans and back. 
There are some hills and it may be icy, so icers and hiking poles are recommended.

Come prepared!
Layer for winter weather, wear sturdy footwear with good grip; bring drinks (maybe a hot cider or hot chocolate) and snacks for elevenses. A backpack is useful to stash extra mittens and such.
As with any winter hiking, icers are recommended

Roseanna Rigo 

Please advise if you plan to hike: roseannarigo@gmail.com  or
text 705-898-3284

(There will be NO cancellation blog posted for hikes. Please register with Roseanna, she will send cancellation/update notices via emails received) 

OSSCC Hike: Iron Horse Trail  
Kitchener/Waterloo,  Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Contact: Email Bett Fitzpatrick, bettfitzpatrick@gmail.com, or text 519-208-3408 if you plan to join us. Please add cell # to your phone contacts in case of delays or last-minute cancellations.

 Time: 10:00 am

Hike Location:  Park in the big parking lot at 70 Caroline St. South, behind the King Street Liquor Store and Starbucks.

Duration:  2  hours.
Bruce  is leading this out-and-back approximately 2-hour hike on a wide, snow-cleared, paved trail. You may turn back at any time. Come join us!

The Iron Horse Trail is a multi-use urban rail trail which connects the cities of Waterloo and
Kitchener.  It runs from Erb Street West in the north near Uptown Waterloo, to Ottawa Street South in Kitchener to the south. It covers a distance of 5.5 kilometres.

Come prepared!
Layer for winter weather, wear sturdy footwear with good grip; bring drinks (maybe a hot cider or hot chocolate) and snacks for elevenses. A backpack is useful to stash extra mittens and such.
As with any winter hiking, icers are recommended

Bett Fitzpatrick

Please advise by email if you plan to hike: bettfitzpatrick@gmail.com  

(There will be NO cancellation blog posted for hikes. Please register with Bett, she will send cancellation/update notices via emails received) 

OSSCC Makeup Hike: Elmira Lions Lake Trail
(also known as Floradale Dam), Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Contact: Email Bett Fitzpatrick, bettfitzpatrick@gmail.com, or text 519-208-3408 if you plan to join us. Please add cell # to your phone contacts in case of delays or last-minute cancellations.

 Time: 10:00 am

Hike Location: Parking is at the intersection of Ruggles Road and Floradale Road, to the side of Bonnie Lou’s Cafe’ and next to Canagagigue Creek, a tributary of the Grand River, which flows through the village.

*** Lunch at Bonnie Lou’s Café, 2238 Floradale Road!

Duration:  2 hours.
You may turn back at any time. Come join us!

This hike is a 7-kilometre loop around the Woolwich Reservoir. The trail passes through some private property and a maple bush. It was developed in 1980 by the Elmira Lions and is a favourite spot for cycling, hiking, fishing, and picnics.

Come prepared!
Layer for winter weather, wear sturdy footwear with good grip; bring drinks (maybe a hot cider or hot chocolate) and snacks for elevenses. A backpack is useful to stash extra mittens and such.
As with any winter hiking, icers are recommended

Bett Fitzpatrick

Please advise by email if you plan to hike: bettfitzpatrick@gmail.com  

(There will be NO cancellation blog posted for hikes. Please register with Bett, she will send cancellation/update notices via emails received)