MARBLE MOUNTAIN: Officials with the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) recently visited Marble Mountain and gave their final blessing to the community’s access point to the Bras d’Or Lake Water Route of The Great Trail.
The access point was officially opened last summer during the North Mountain Cultural and Recreation Association’s (NMCRA) Family Day, part of the annual Marble Mountain Family Weekend. The TCT’s recent visit took place on October 5.
The vice-chair of the NMCRA, Bill Legge, spoke to The Reporter recently, and he said it’s great to have the access point in place.
“The ultimate goal is to launch kayaks and canoes from Marble Mountain, and they can stop and go at other sites around the lake,” he said. “We see this as a launch and return site. People can come to the beach and go out along the shoreline, then come back to the original location. That’s what people have been doing since August.”
The NMCRA worked in conjunction with the Nova Scotia Trails Federation (NS Trails) and TCT to have the access point built. Funding also came from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Legge said.
A large gazebo is on site, as well as extensive signage and washrooms. Also improved was the road leading to the beach.
“It’s not a lot by some standards, but for a little community like Marble Mountain, we were quite pleased to complete the project on time and on budget,” Legge said.
“We think it will attract people next year who are looking for an approved, safe place to kayak. We’re looking at what else, in our means, we can provide at this site.”
The end game of the Trans Canada Trail organization is – with the help of donors, partners and volunteers – to create The Great Trail of Canada; an epic trail of trails offering a wide range of activities.
By Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, The Great Trail will be the longest and grandest recreational trail in the world and will wind its way through a variety of landscapes – urban, rural and wilderness – along greenway, waterway and roadway.
It will span 24,000 kilometres, link three oceans and connect over 15,000 communities.
The Bras d’Or Lake Water Route is one of three national paddling routes that will be part of The Great Trail. The others are the Sea to Sky Marine Trail in British Columbia and the Chief Whitecap Waterway in Saskatchewan. Both were opened last year.