In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, we invite EVERYONE to hike any part of the Rideau Trail (main or blue trails) in 2017!
Participants who hike 150km on the RIDEAU TRAIL this year will earn a special, limited edition badge. Non-members who complete the challenge will also be rewarded with an honorary one-year membership!
Want to hike with your FAMILY? Awesome! Family members can combine their kilometres to complete the challenge together to earn a family membership (2 people + children under 18). How does this work? Well, if 3 relatives hike 50km, you will jointly have completed the Rideau Trail Canada 150 Challenge!
Remember to log your hikes (DOWNLOAD A LOG SHEET) and feel free to post photos to Instagram and tag them with #RideauTrail and #Canada150! Your log sheet should look something like this:
| Date | Area hiked | # of KMs | Who did you hike with? | Map # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2017 | 12F to 13E – Smiths Falls to Merrickville | 15km | Sally Smith | 12 & 13 |
| May 15, 2017 | 04A to 05C – Gould Lake & Frontenac Park | 25km | Sally Smith & Ahmed Alam | 4 & 5 |
| June 23, 2017 | 05C to 06D | 30km | Richard Cortez | 5 & 6 |
| July 1, 2017 | 17D to 18E + Lime Kiln Loop Stony Swamp | 17km | Joan Kim | 17 & 18 |
| July 10 & 11, 2017 | Buck Lake Loop + camp @ Skycroft | 40km | Sally Smith | 5 & 6 |
| September 1, 2017 | 15E to 14A Marlborough Forest to Burritts Rapids | 23km | Joan Kim | 14 & 15 |
| October 1, 2017 | 01E to 03C K&P Trail | 22km | Joan Kim | 1, 2 & 3 |
150 Challenge Rules
- Hike 150 km on the Rideau Trail anytime in 2017 and obtain our special edition Canada 150 badge. The Challenge is open to RTA members and the public at large. If you’re a member and plan to take on the Challenge, we encourage you to bring a non-member to join you! Maps of the Rideau Trail are available online at www.rideautrail.org/maps which you can use as well as information in a Text PDF to help calculate your distances. You may find that using a GPS device (i.e. mobile phone or wearable fitness tracker) to track distance is also helpful.
- Send your completed logs and any questions not answered below to 150challenge@rideautrail.org or call Sharen at 613 449-2808. The deadline to submit your logsheet is January 15, 2018.
FAQ
Q. Can I apply the kilometres I hiked as part of the winter end to end toward the 150 Challenge?
A. Absolutely! Any kilometres you hiked on the Rideau Trail in 2017 will be honoured.
Q. Can I repeat any sections of the trail to reach the 150 kilometre goal?
A. Yes. You can hike whatever sections of the Rideau Trail you want, and as often as you want, to reach the 150 kilometres. Simply indicate on your log the days and the kilometres hiked, as shown on the website.
Q. I have two children and I heard we can hike as a family and combine our kilometres to get a badge. Is that true?
A. Yes! We want this Challenge to encourage families to hike together and get children active in nature! Receiving a badge may interest your children in keeping a family log. How would it work? For example, if 3 of you walk 5 km together, that’s 15 km to add to your log. Repeat that hike 10 times and you will have completed the Challenge! You’ll be awarded your badge and, if you are not a member of the Rideau Trail Association, you will also get an RTA membership for one year.
Q. Let me get this straight – If I am a non-member and I submit my hike log, I will not only get a badge but I’ll also get a free one-year membership?
A. Yes! Not only that but new members are encouraged to come on our hikes. Our three clubs offer hundreds of organized outings each year. There’s really something for everyone!
Q. Do I have to go on sanctioned hikes with the clubs to complete the Challenge?
A. Nope! …But you can! You are welcome to hike on your own but to make the Challenge easier, we will offer Rideau Trail hikes throughout the year and you are encouraged to join those. View the schedule for your local club on our website! As long as you hike 150 km anywhere on the Rideau Trail (main or blue trails between Ottawa & Kingston), you can complete the challenge and earn the badge! Good luck!
I’m in
So if we complete one of the sections while doing the 150 goal, can we get the section badge too considering we get a 1 year membership?
Thanks
Hi Trevor! That’s right! If you hike the distance for one of the Club badges while completing your Cananda 150 Challenge, you can earn two badges! The distances are 150km for Kingston, 67km for Central and 110km for Ottawa. For more info, visit our page about badges: https://www.rideautrail.org/discover-the-trail/badges/
My husband and I are interested in hiking 150k during the last 2 weeks of June to arrive in Ottawa in time for Canada Day. Is this something that other are interested in?Can you offer an suggestions for the starting point and possible accommodation locations?
Hello Jane! You can earn the Ottawa Section badge by hiking 110km from Rosedale Road to Ottawa Locks. To complete final 40km required for the Canada 150 Challenge, you can repeat some sections or perhaps start in Perth. Please consult this page for more info on overnight accommodations. Some B&Bs may be able to shuttle you to and from the trail.
https://www.rideautrail.org/discover-the-trail/overnight-accommodations/
For more information on the different badges you can earn, please see our Badges page here:
https://www.rideautrail.org/discover-the-trail/badges/
Good luck!
Hello, Bonjour,
We are actually a group hikers (RTA’s members and non members) planning to hike an End-to-End in July 2017. Actually we are still finalizing our hike and all the related matters, etc.
If you are interested, you can join us for the complete hike or only for some stages.
Contact RTA, Rideau Trail Asoociation for our email and contact numbers.
A+
Gunhild and I finished our 150 today. We saved one of our favourite sections for the finale: Andrew Haydon Park to the terminus. Midway along, we decided to hike halfway to Island Park Drive and double the section back to our car to get our 16 km. And just to make sure, we tacked on the 0.7 km stretch form Andrew Haydon to Holly Acres.
Spectacular day to wrap up our 150 Challenge in our beautiful Nation’s Capitol and quaff a celebratory ale!
Hi There,
I am just wondering about the “Family” Challenge. My Son and myself are frequent hikers. If we both do 75km, does that count towards a combined 150km ? Or would we both have to hike 150km ?
We have done quite a few km’s of trails this year already around the Frontenacs, and hike regularly in the Adirondacks. We’d love to give this challenge a go, so just want to be 100% on what’s expected of us.
Thank You.
Hi Paul! Great question. Yes, if you and your son hike 75km each, you can submit that combined 150km to the Canada 150 Challenge! All blue trails, including Slide Lake Loop and the trails at Gould Lake count towards the challenge too!
So, just to clarify………..
If my Son and I have hiked 75km each of trails we qualify for the badge ?, and would that be one or one each ? And am I right in thinking the slide lake loop (Blue) trail in the Frontenacs counts towards it, as well as the blue trails around Gould Lake ?
Thank You.
Can one run a section of the Kingston waterfront paved path regularly to make up the 150km submitted for the badge?
Thank you.
Hi Dan. If it’s part of the Rideau Trail, it counts! This includes paved paths and even roads. And yes, you can repeat sections. Hope this answers the question. Good luck!