About Us
Ontario Pathways is a twenty five mile system comprised of a 23.3 mile multi-use, non-motorized rails to trails pathway with three additional loops for another 1.7 miles of a hiking only trail. Located in Ontario County, the trail is open year round from dawn to dusk and is free to the general public to use.
Our main trail is composed of two “legs” of abandoned railroad corridors, the Canandaigua leg from Canandaigua to Stanley and the Phelps leg from Stanley through Flint, Seneca Castle, Orleans and ending in Phelps. Each leg is approximately 11.5 miles. Our main trail is a multi-use, non-motorized trail open to hiking, bicycling, running, jogging and horseback riding, plus it caters to hobbies of birding, geo-caching, letterboxing and botanical walks. Winter months include snowshoeing and cross country skiing.
The three Loop Trails are reserved for hiking only. All are located on the Phelps leg with distances of 3 tenths, 4 tenths and a one mile trail through the woods along Flint Creek. (see also “Trail Description”)
Ontario Pathways Inc. is a privately owned, 100% volunteer non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Our membership numbers approximately 250.
Funding for our organization comes from dues paying members, our annual fund raiser, The Great Pumpkin Walk™ in October, plus other fund raisers with donations from private individuals, organizations and businesses plus in-kind services and grants.
Ontario Pathways was incorporated in 1994. We were able to purchase sections of the trail either from the current landowners, or from the Penn Central Corporation. On other sections, we were able to attain easements from generous landowners. It was a huge effort to obtain the land for the trail, and then it all had to be cleared and now maintained. It is an ongoing effort!
