- About ORTA
Enhancing the trail
One Moraine. One Trail.
Between August 4 and October 12, 2026, the Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA), in collaboration with the Greenbelt Foundation, led the first major public engagement process about the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail in more than two decades. The public engagement process included three community workshops and an online survey, and the feedback shared will shape the Trail’s route and experience. The team at ORTA and Greenbelt Foundation are currently reviewing the feedback shared and preparing a What We Heard Report, which will be publicly available when ready.
Why connecting the Trail matters
The Oak Ridges Moraine Trail has the potential to become one of Ontario’s signature trail experiences – connecting communities, nature, and the landscapes that make the Moraine unique.
Today, the 268 km Trail includes road sections and gaps that can make it challenging for people to experience it as one connected journey. Improving connections along the Trail can create more opportunities for people to explore the Moraine, spend time outdoors, and build meaningful connections with this important landscape.
Goals of the engagement process
The goals of the engagement process were to:
- Hear from a wide range of people including regular trail users, people discovering the Trail for the first time, nearby residents, private and public landowners, First Nations, and others who care about the Oak Ridges Moraine.
- Better understand how people experience the trail today and what they’d like it to become.
- Increase awareness of the Oak Ridges Trail and the role it plays in connecting communities and natural landscapes.
- Build awareness and excitement about the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail and the experiences it can offer.
- Build a shared vision for its future.
What happens next:
Greenbelt Foundation, ORTA, and others will use the feedback to help demonstrate community priorities and advocate for funding and resources needed to support one of the province’s most significant trail systems. The results of this work will be shared in early 2027.
This project is part of implementing the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail Strategy:
The Trail’s Optimum Route was developed by ORTA staff and volunteers in 2003 through discussions with municipalities and conservation authorities. At the time, a key objective was to move the trail from private lands onto publicly owned lands wherever possible. More than two decades later, much has changed. Growth and development pressures, evolving community needs, changing recreation trends, and the recent release of the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail Strategy have created an opportunity to revisit the route and consider a broader range of perspectives and priorities.
Project Contact:
If you have any questions about the “One Moraine. One Trail.” project, please contact info@oakridgestrail.org.