Chelsea Trails

On March 17, 2018, Chelsea residents will have a chance to be part of the design process for the community trail along the railway corridor. The Municipality has hired consultants to hold a design charrette for all residents on Saturday, March 17^th as well as a pre-charrette meeting for residents living adjacent to the trail on March 14th.

SCT has been closely involved in the transformation of this corridor since the beginning. In 2015, SCT presented a vision document to the Municipal council and staff to propose a feasibility study.  Since that time, a lot of research and community consultations have occurred allowing us to refine our original vision. Here is our revised,  fleshed out Trail Vision 2.0  prepared by the SCT board as a contribution to the upcoming design process.

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By John Crook

Despite the inclement rain, freezing rain and icy conditions, on Sunday, February 25, 2018 the Rails to Trails corridor along the Gatineau River was the setting for about 60 stoic cross country skiers, including all ages of participants from the Chelsea Nordiq Ski Club.   They were joined by dog walkers, hikers taking a slightly perverse pleasure in walking in the unseasonal winter rain, along with a handful of fat bikers.  It just goes to show how Chelseaites and their friends can be bonded (sometimes by freezing rain) to the wonderful Chelsea Community Trail along the Gatineau, regardless of the weather.

This was the fourth annual celebration along the Community winter Trail.  The hardy souls participating were served delicious treats, butter tarts, and Camino Camino free trade hot chocolate, by devoted Sentiers Chelsea Trails volunteers at four refreshment and activity stations. The Transcollines bus, which navigated the icy roads to shuttle participants back and forth along the trail, was a lifesaver.

These events would not be possible without the generous support of our corporate trail leaders:  Gazifère, Greg Christie’s Ski and Cycle, Le Pub Chelsea, Le Nordik Spa Nature and Physiosport Chelsea; our groomers Robert Lafleur and Bob Walsh, and  our community event partners:  Les Fougères, Une Boulangerie dans un village and Markhauser Homes. And of course, the Municipality of Chelsea that incorporated the Ski Challenge event into its Winter Fun Day.

Take on the Chelsea Winter Trail Ski Challenge this weekend at the 4th Winter Trail celebration,Sunday  February 25.  The trail is 2 kilometers longer this year so you can ski the full 20 km or even 40 km if you’re keen. Transcollines will offer  shuttle buses between the four major access points.  To get involved, just pick up a card when you arrive at the trail and get it stamped when you visit one or more access points where you can  snack on the trail-side treats provided by Les Fougères and Une Boulangerie dans un village, and enjoy Cocoa Camino hot chocolate provided by Fair Trade Chelsea.

No matter how far you go or whether you’re travelling on skis, your feet, snow shoes or fat bikes, everyone with a card is eligible to enter the draw and win prizes from our sponsors Le Pub Chelsea, Greg Christie’s and Nordik Spa-Nature.  (For more  details on other Winter Festival activities check http://www.chelsea.ca).

35 to 40 mm of rain is expected today and tomorrow Wednesday.

In addition, the trail base is icy.

The presence of skiers/walkers on the Trail during these two days will make it harder for the maintenance team to get the Trail back on track once the cold weather returns on Thursday.

If they use the Pathway during this thaw and rain, users will have two main impacts:

1. Increased use (snow compaction) will create more ice;
2. Footprints will leave an uneven surface will become difficult for the maintenance team to work on.

Since it is important to facilitate drainage of the Trail, we rely on your cooperation to stay away from the Trail for these two days. The objective is to preserve the integrity of the Trail and to encourage the continuation of the season.

Following the Trail condition assessment by the maintenance team on Thursday, we will send you an update this Friday.

Thank you for your cooperation.

The Community Winter Trail is up and running for 12^th ski season.  There will now be close to 21 kilometres of groomed trail reaching from the Morrison Quarry in the north, to chemin Wallace in the south. For this year, the trail ends at Wallace because of safety and stability concerns resulting from the summer washouts which occurred between Wallace and Loretta.

A groomed trail like this could not survive without strong community support from a volunteer force,  our municipal government, the investment and involvement of local businesses through sponsorships and individuals who donate to the Chelsea Trails winter grooming fund. We are proud to say our 6 major sponsors are all back for another year. They include Gazifere, Greg Christie’s , Lafleur, Le Nordik, Physiosport Chelsea and Pub Chelsea. Continue reading →

A dozen volunteers from Chelsea Trails spent 90 hours this fall building a small bridge across a creek on the municipal trail in the Route 105 – Pine Road area. The work was done during three Saturday morning work bees, using materials and tools provided by the Municipality of Chelsea. Heavy rains and a new beaver dam located nearby made for high water, making the job a bit more challenging.