Forest Lea Trails Association receives maintenance boost from … – Pembroke Observer

Forest Lea Trails is benefitting from a donation from the Water and Dirt Festival.

The $1,375 donation from the festival will go towards trail maintenance at the popular trails which are used for trail running, mountain biking, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The first annual Water and Dirt Festival took place last August. This new 10-day festival in the Ottawa Valley is held in partnership with the Town of Petawawa, Township of Laurentian Valley, City of Pembroke, and North Algona Wilberforce Township. The festival was born out of the popular Upper Ottawa River Race and Paddle Festival but added land-based outdoor adventure races to the already popular water-based sports. Two events were hosted in Laurentian Valley at the Forest Lea Trails by the Forest Lea Trails Association: The Forest Lea Enduro and the Forest Lea Trail Run.

The Forest Lea Enduro was a mountain bike event that consisted of 10-km and 25-km routes. These trails are renowned in the region for being some of the best riding around. Forest Lea is considered a technical riding course with some fast-paced runs and corners. The event welcomed 41 riders on Aug. 7 and was sponsored by Roseburg Pembroke MDF.

The Forest Lea Trail Run consisted of a technical singletrack running race on a similar course to the Forest Lea Enduro, where participants had three distances to choose from: an entry-level 3km, medium-distance 10km, or longer 28km. The event welcomed 87 runners on Saturday, Aug. 6 for a morning of great competition.

Both events raised funds for the trails and Colin Coyle, recreation program co-ordinator – Community Services for the Town of Petawawa and main event organizer for the Water and Dirt Festival recently presented the cheque in the amount of $1,375 to Forest Lea Trail Association volunteers.

“The funds raised from these events will go into trail maintenance and development. In order to ensure the trails are groomed and safe, we require to purchase equipment, gasoline to run the machines, materials to maintain and build bridges, clearing tools and more,” said association members Margo and Mark Johnson. “In the past, volunteers used to supply materials as needed but now with the formal association being created and with fundraising efforts, we will be able to alleviate that burden from our members and formally create a plan.”

About Forest Lea Trails

Located in the heart of Laurentian Valley, Forest Lea Trails is a trail system that lies on crown land and consists of over 32 km of single-track trails that are tight, technical, rocky, and rooty. The trails are used in the warmer months for hiking, trail running, and mountain biking. In the winter, it is used by the Pembroke and Area Cross-Country Ski Club with an extensive trail system that is groomed and partially lit, snowshoers, and fat biking.

About the Water + Dirt Festival

The Water and Dirt Festival is scheduled again for August 2023 and is in the early planning phase. The response from the first year was overwhelming and positive and participants can anticipate more events, more activities throughout the festival, and more celebrations. To find out more visit www.wateranddirt.ca or join the Facebook and Instagram pages. The Forest Lea Enduro and Forest Lea Trail Run will be back and the trail association said it is looking forward to another successful year.