About Guelph Hiking Trail Club
The Guelph Hiking Trail Club is a member-based, volunteer driven organization that maintains an 80 km trail network on private and public lands in Guelph, Wellington, Puslinch, Milton and Halton.
The GHTC trail network consists of 3 main trails : the Radial Line Trail, the Speed River Trail, and the Kissing Bridge Trail. With Guelph as the network hub, these three trail spokes provide connectivity to the Bruce Trail, The Grand River Trail and the Guelph to Goderich Trailway.
The objectives of the Club as set out in the 1972 constitution are:
- To stimulate an interest in hiking.
- To establish and maintain trails for hiking.
- To encourage awareness of the natural environment.
- To promote the conservation of the environment.
The Club has 5 officers and 7 committee coordinators who manage the affairs of the Club, and holds an AGM to report to its 400 members.
Members can engage with the club through its website, facebook page, newsletter and travel story presentations. More active members lead and/or participate in organized hikes, maintain sections of the Club’s trails, and engage in trail maintenance work parties.
Our Impact
The Guelph Hiking Trail Club develops collaborative relationships with many individuals and organizations to create, maintain and publicize their network of local recreational trails at no cost to the taxpayer. We believe that providing these recreational trails enhances the wellbeing of individuals and the health of the communities through which they pass. Safe access to a local trail system allows residents to gain the mental and physical benefits that interaction with the natural environment provides.
How your gift will be used
The Club will use your gift to propose and develop trail infrastructure and connectivity links for the enhancement of the trail system. Larger infrastructure investments are beyond the scope of the traditional Guelph Hiking Trail Club business model. However, we have found that leading the initiative for major projects of this kind, and backing these initiatives with financial commitment encourages and supports municipalities and institutions to partner in these projects, resulting in recreational opportunities for the community that are delayed, or might never be realized because of the fierce competition for municipal funding.
The Guelph Hiking Trail Club’s “James Street Trail Bridge” project in the city of Guelph, is a 2021 example of the effectiveness of this business model.
