Marten River Provincial Park
Marten River, ON P0H 1T0
[two_third_last][/two_third_last]
Marten River’s Transition Trail is sold as three trails in one. Each loop joins the next so if you were to do longest one, you would see the outside of all three trails.
We made the mistake of trying to hike this trail in the early evening. The days were so hot (30 – 36° C + humidity) while we were at Marten River, that it was unwise to try to hike much during the heat of the day. In the evening we were hoping to check out the trail while not bursting into flames.
Marten River Transition Trail Head Sign
You can see the overlapping loops of the three trails on the sign. It is called the Transition Trail because each section is suppose to show a transition between landscapes.
The trail was very narrow and fairly overgrown. There was barely enough walking space for Maya without her legs getting tickled by the foliage.
The three different colours of the trails were brightly marked. There is no way you are going to get lost on this trail, you just have to remember which colour you are wanting to be on.
Had the day not been so hot, if the bugs hadn’t been so aggressive and if the trail had been slightly groomed, I’m sure the trail would have been very enjoyable.
The ferns were encroaching on the trail the most. Perhaps they had a lot of rain followed by heat recently?
On a different day, while I was waiting for a load of laundry to dry, I decided to quickly hike the red trail – the Old Growth Trail. It was 3.5 kilometres and I set my Fitbit to the time of the dryer. I had to jog parts of the trail to be back in time to fold the clothes before they wrinkled. Along the trail were some boardwalks that needed repairs but I did come across this very fairly new and informative sign.
Along the red trail you will find several large white pines that you’ll want to stop and look at. Unfortunately I only had my cell phone with me, so the pictures were too dark to post.
Overall, I think this trail, if it was better maintained, has the potential to be a great hike while at Marten River.
