Registration for Training Participants.

30min

Lobby

Welcome remarks with Town of Gravenhurst, Kyla Bruce and from Canadian Trails Federation and Ontario Trails, Patrick Connor

15min

Lobby

Ontario Trails facilitates trails tourism, by showcasing trails, developing trails product and working on trail best management practice. As Destination Ontario is to Ontario's trails, so too, Destination Canada should be to Canada's Trails. What is this, with the how and why we need synchronized tourism policies and practices that values and supports trails tourism.

60min

Coffee served

15min

Lobby

Destination Trails - Canada – A study of trails best practices in trails tourism from across the country profiling: The East Coast Greenway, New Brunswick Mills, Mines and Trails, The World Class Mountain Bike Experience of Carcross Taglish, with input from Banff National Park and Parks Canada Experiences Program.

45 min

The Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail Development Experience If you’ve ever wanted to travel off-road in an award-winning region, the time is now. The opening of the Ottawa Valley Rail Trail (OVRT) in Lanark County has created a transportation corridor for pedestrians, cyclists, four-wheelers, and snowmobilers traveling from Carleton Place to Mississippi Mills, and beyond. With a multi-purpose, year-round use, the OVRT will connect three of Lanark County’s prettiest towns – Carleton Place, Almonte and Pakenham. The OVRT has been an ambitious, multi-year project to repurpose a section of the former Canadian Pacific Railway line running from Carleton Place to Mississippi Mills, part of a larger 296-kilometre corridor between Smiths Falls and Mattawa. The railway line rehabilitation project involved partnerships between Lanark County, the County of Renfrew, and the Township of Papineau-Cameron, spanned several years. As a transportation route, the OVRT is a one-size-fits-all trail, offering users stellar scenery and world-class views along its roughly 30-kilometre route. A safe, level, gravel-or-paved trail for cycling, walking, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles makes the trail desirable for all users. The OVRT will allow users to travel between communities for day trips or longer getaways. Traveling by bike from Carleton Place to Almonte on the OVRT will take approximately 40 minutes, each way, while adventurous cyclists can choose to extend their journey to Pakenham, for an additional 45-minute ride, one-way. Cyclists and pedestrians, in particular, will enjoy traveling on a trail that is separated from vehicular traffic, creating a safe and pristine natural environment for people of all ages looking for outdoor recreation and leisure opportunities. Families with young children will enjoy traveling on a route where young people can experiment with riding a bike in a safe area. In winter, the OVRT will open options for snowmobilers to travel off-road and separated from larger vehicular traffic. Close attention has also been paid to ensure the OVRT will be accessible for everyone, including persons with disabilities. The Lanark County OVRT will connect to the longest recreational trail in the world, the Trans Canada Trail, at its trailhead in Carleton Place. In the Ottawa Valley, the connection to the Trans Canada Trail will provide even greater access for pedestrian and cycling transportation, effectively creating a corridor running from Ottawa to Mississippi Mills where travelers never need to step foot on a roadway. Webinar Presentation

60min

Open Lunch on the Wharf

45 min

The Signature Trail Project is a concept that helps you market 'Signature Trails', higher profile significant rails that act as a draw to tourists to seek out and explore you region. Webinar Presentation

60 min

The revitalization and re-development of product lines takes both a strategy and fortitude. In the face of opposition and resistance sometimes community trails tourism development takes fortitude and an idea that your community can be better through supported product lines. Ms. McCullough will talk to the experience of improving small town rural trails, on and off crown and in a four season destination; through strategy and partnership development. What the community assessment tells us so we can improve the trail, while at the same time improving the functional linkages to

• Resorts
• Outfitters
• Trip Planners
• Trail Users
• Consumers

Webinar Presentation

30min

Coffee Served

15min

Trail Branding and Marketing

• Representatives from Parry Sound, Algonquin Park, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville talk to their local and regional inputs to trail branding and marketing stratagies. Providing local uniqueness with 'Muskoka' impacts. - 10 minutes
• The Signature and Trillium Recreational Trail Designations – 20 min

90 min

30min