The Passionate Hiker: BREAKING NEWS! K&P Trail

Fri. 19 October: BREAKING NEWS! K&P Trail – exciting developments

BEFORE.....

...and AFTER !!!

Miracle-Makers: Robinson Excavating & Trucking

Readers of this blog will be aware that this author has been tracking the development of the K&P Trail, north of Tichborne, for some time. Recent news articles had suggested that the missing link between Tichborne and Sharbot Lake may take years to complete, due to lack of funding. Not so!

Today I was exploring the trail by bike, travelling south from Sharbot Lake. Just south of Vinkle Road, I had expected to reach the swamp, better known as the “K&P Canal”. I was surprised to find a truck coming up the trail. The friendly young guy from Robinson Excavating & Trucking Ltd. proudly told me that they had just dumped a hundred and fifty (I think that was the figure) truck-loads of fill into the swamp, and the trail-bed is once more above water.

Sure enough, I completed the journey south to Bradshaw Road on a packed surface – right through the area which just a short while ago was quite impassable – except for someone in a canoe (or a crazy passionate hiker with bike). They are now busy laying the finished surface of gravel, partly complete.

This is excellent news, and worthy of a real celebration. The official opening ceremony for this section of trail took place a long time ago, back in the summer of 2017, but now they have cause to pop a few champagne corks. It is now possible to bike along the entire K&P Trail from Kingston to Renfrew (approximately 167 km) with no major obstacles.

There is still one section beside St. George’s Lake, measuring about 2.4 km in length, where the trail currently is forced onto the main road (Hwy 38). But I was informed by my friend in the Robinson truck that all the properties along this section of the route have been purchased, and it’s just a matter of completing construction work through there.

The rest of the route from Sharbot Lake to Tichborne is completed and I was able to travel the whole way (roughly 14 km) with no problems, using my road bike with hybrid tires. After relaxing a short while beside the Tichborne village sign at a convenient scenic bench, I flew back north to Sharbot Lake with the wind at my back, anxious to share this exciting news.

Congratulations to Robinson Excavating & Trucking, and the Township of Central Frontenac, for finding a way to fill in the “canal” within their budget. Truly miracle-makers. My guess is that the job will be finally done by next summer – but I’ve been wrong about this trail before!

Starting off from Sharbot Lake Station to check out the K&P Trail

Nice new surface south of Sharbot Lake

The trail follows Hwy 38 for a short distance

Crossing the small lake north of Tryon Road

Embankment above another swamp

Here just south of Crow Lake Road the old rail line runs into private property.
Apparently the land is purchased and the trail will soon be completed through here.
In the meantime the K&P follows Hwy 38