Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail official season launch this Monday
By:  Team XC Ottawa   (2017/01/08)

The second season of the Sir John A Macdonald Winter trail has been a huge success, and it’s only early January! XC Ottawa fully supports the trail and encourages everyone to get out and enjoy it. We have added the SJAM to our trail reports (the 1st and 3rd picture in this article are from a January 6 report - thanks Joan Post!), so you can check the status through skier reports or SJAM tweets that the page links to.

Official Season Launch

The Dovercourt Recreation Association invites the public and the media to the official season launch of the Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail on Monday, January 9, 2017, on the trail behind the Canadian War Museum.

For a second season, skiers, snowshoers, walkers and snow bikers have access to a 16-kilometre multi-use winter trail along the Ottawa River Pathway. The winter trail connects the Canadian War Museum with parklands along the Sir John A. Macdonald corridor, all the way to Westboro Beach.

When:  Monday, January 9 at 1:30 pm 

Where: Behind the Canadian War Museum, on the trail (close to the River Entrance and Café)

1 Vimy Place
  Ottawa

Parking is available at the Canadian War Museum.

More about the SJAM Winter Trail . . .

Last year, a pilot by the NCC, Nakkertok Nordic and a community group proved that there is a high demand for a winter pathway. Dave Adams groomed the pathway along the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway for two weekends, and despite little advertising, hundreds enjoyed the experience and the trail was a huge success among cross country skiers.

The trail is back with many improvements, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign! Having this trail is good for the ski community at large. Whether you’re a university student without a car or a young eager athlete, professional looking to get more miles under your belt for the upcoming race weekend; consider the SJAM Winter trail your "Gatineaus in the city."  Dave and helpers will be grooming to Bayview LRT and Dominion stations, which are two major transit hubs.

Here's what you can expect . . .

• 16 km trail network that extends along 6 km of beautiful Ottawa River shoreline.

• From: Canadian War Museum in the East.

• To: Dominion Station in the West.

• Along the way: Westboro Beach, Island Park, Champlain Park forest trails, Remic Park, Lemieux Island crossing, Prince of Wales train bridge.

• All winter long: 3-4 grooming sessions a week from first snow to spring melt.

• Professional standard: main trails will feature parallel machine-groomed classic ski tracks with firm-packed "corduroy" centre.

• Side trails: Smaller trails will snake through scenic parks and forests, and connect the trail with side trails, access points, and transit.

• FREE for the public to use! No permits required. Just strap on your skis and go!

The Sir John A. Macdonald Winter Trail is a grassroots initiative led by the Dovercourt Recreation Association, in partnership with the National Capital Commission, Fresh Air Experience, Bushtukah, and MEC. The Westboro Beach Community Association and Jeff Leiper, City Councillor for Kitchissippi, also provided support and assistance on this initiative.

Follow SJAM Winter Trail on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.