About Muskoka Trails Council

Presentation on Muskoka Trails Council to District of Muskoka, 2015

Muskoka’s trails got an early start in the 1970s but the larger network of trails dates back to the early 1990s, when Bracebridge family physician David Kent began a campaign to improve the daily physical activity opportunities for local citizens. Committees of municipal councils in Muskoka’s towns began to spring up, to develop trails across the district.

Those municipal committee representatives got together to collaborate on promoting the trails in Muskoka. That regional body has continued in one form or another since, at first meeting informally once or twice a year, and now meeting monthly to drive the trails agenda for all of Muskoka.

The Muskoka Trails Council became an incorporated Not-For-Profit body in 2007, and in 2009 received federal charitable status.

Our Mission:

To advance public health through:

1. The support and co-ordination of the construction and maintenance of a trails system, including areas for pedestrians and cyclists adjacent to public roads and similar locations, for the benefit of the public.
2. Support of a forum for discussion and planning for all organizations engaged in matters affecting trails, including other areas for use by pedestrians and cyclists.
3. Public forums, collaboration and other forms of promotion to educate the public about the availability and use of trails.
4. To advance environmental conservation and protection through educational opportunities afforded by the use of trails and related facilities within the Muskoka trails system.