Kolapore wilderness trails

You may have seen our special edition Kolapore Wilderness Trails 50th Anniversary toques out on the trails. Our first order of 101 toques sold out so quickly that we've made a second smaller order that we expect to arrive by Dec. 10. The manufacturer knows we want to mail them to purchasers in time for Christmas, and they would make a great gift - just sayin'. :)

We've posted photos below, including an inside view.

The hats were made by Sauce, a U.S. company founded by former Canadian national team cross country skier Shayla Swanson to support her racing career. Our anniversary toque is a custom version of their Fleece N' Swift model, a midweight hat with fleece lining on the bottom and a more breathable upper - light enough for exercise but warm enough for the Kolapore trails on most winter days. The design is by artist Sarah Angst, who gave special permission for us to modify her original colours.

We're selling the toques for $40 (no tax) and all profits will go toward trail maintenance.

If you'd like to reserve a toque, please fill out this order form to let us know. Payment is via e-transfer to info@kolaporetrails.org (preferred) or you can arrange to give cash to a Kolapore Trails representative.

Pickup is available in the Collingwood/Blue Mountains area or in Caledon at no extra charge. If you would like your toque shipped, please include your full mailing address with postal code in your email and include an extra $4 per toque with your payment, i.e. $44 for 1 toque, $88 for 2 toques, etc.

It will be a busy time when the toques arrive so if you're OK with sending your payment now, it will save a step for our volunteers later on.

We look forward to seeing anniversary toques in the woods this winter!

Thanks to Collingwood Today for this great article on the 50th Anniversary of the Kolapore Wilderness Trails!

The Kolapore Wilderness Trails network is turning 50 years old this year! As we celebrate together, we'd love to collect photos and stories of your Kolapore adventures and misadventures. 

We've created Dropbox upload links for each decade. If you don't know the vintage of your photos, that's fine - just submit them to the General upload.

If you can, please include some information about your photos. Give your photos meaningful filenames or upload a separate document with captions. Or just let your photos speak for themselves!

We'd also love to receive your favourite stories and memories of Kolapore in Word, text or PDF format. Do you remember your first visit? Why do you keep coming back? What's your favourite thing about Kolapore? Did you ever get lost or break a ski pole? Fall off your bike into a creek? It's OK - you're among friends here.

Note that submitted materials may be shared on Kolapore Wilderness Trails social media, on our website, in a slide show or in a 50th Anniversary publication so please only share your photos and stories that you're willing to let us share with others. Thank you for being part of the celebration!

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Please click on a link to submit your photos.

2020s Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

2010s Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

2000s Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

1990s Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

1980s Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

1970s Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

General Kolapore Trails Photos and Stories

The Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association has been able to find a commercial plowing contractor to clear the main Kolapore parking lot for this winter.  This will be moderately expensive, so we need continued support from members and trail users to be able to pay for this service.  We understand that Grey County has arranged a plowing contractor for the new parking lot at the east end of the County Forest trails, just west of Grey Road 2.  There will be ongoing updates about plowing on the Trail Conditions page.

It is with the deepest possible sadness that we share with the community the recent passing of our dear friend and fellow trail builder, Kevin Walsh. Kevin was a Kolapore-area resident, Kolapore volunteer, Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association Board member, and a keen Kolapore skier and biker.

A gofundme campaign has been started by Kevin's friends to support Lisa, Polly and Lea.  https://www.gofundme.com/f/kevin-walsh-memorial-fund?qid=c7640991900c63c783758b1e95ba371c

The Kolapore Wilderness Trails Association was advised January 17 that logging has been completed in the County Forest, and that the trails can be reopened.

Kolapore volunteers have done an assessment of trail conditions and some trail cleanup, but more will be needed in the spring.  Trails east of 6 and 7 were unaffected by the logging.  Although there was quite a bit of rutting by logging equipment, in most sections of the trail the snow has smoothed out the ruts.  Between 4 and 5 some skiers may prefer the lower, flatter, informal trail. Remediation work will be required in the spring to permanently fix the ruts. 

During the logging, a number of intersection signs and numbers were removed, and won't be reinstalled until the spring.  Temporary numbers will be installed at key intersections.

Just before Christmas, the farmer who has done snowblowing in our parking lots for several years advised the Association that he wouldn't be able to do it this winter because of the cost of liability insurance.  Since then the Association's Board has been looking for solutions.  We haven't found any long term solutions yet.  We obtained one quote but the price was unaffordable.  In the short term a Kolapore volunteer will be doing some plowing in the Kolapore parking lot on Grey Road 2.  We had been expecting to organize snow removal at the Metcalfe Rock parking lot on the 10th Line, but this is unlikely to happen.

The Association is continuing to look for snow removal services that we can afford in the longer term.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  Send them to info@kolaporetrails.org    

The County Forest trails are still closed to public use because of active logging.  The logging operations are currently (Jan 10) winding up, so we hope that the trails will be reopened in the near future.  However, the logging equipment has left significant ruts on some of the Kolapore Trails, and these areas will require a lot of snow to have decent skiing conditions.  We will be working with the County to encourage trail rehabilitation in the spring.  

The Blue Mountains OPP detachment has issued two recent news releases about thefts from vehicles parked at trail heads in December 2020 and January 2021.   These thefts have occurred at a variety of locations, and several of them occurred at Kolapore parking areas.  The thieves have gained access by breaking windows.  The OPP recommends that you lock your vehicle and conceal any valuable items.  Better yet, leave them at home.

The Association pays the full cost of a portable toilet at the main Kolapore parking lot. We need your financial support if this is to continue. You can donate at the donation station beside the toilet, or use the online donation option on our Donate webpage.