Trailhead Study
Grey County is home to many outdoor spaces that are owned and managed by various landowners, which include provincial and local government, conservation authorities, trail organizations and private businesses. There continues to be a growing demand for trails and outdoor areas as trail user numbers increase and user types diversify. Infrastructure developments and additional amenities are needed to accommodate the number of users and user types. Tourism infrastructure and amenities such as parking areas, signage, public toilet facilities, and garbage receptacles contribute to sustainable management practices while allowing users to explore the County’s natural landscape in a safe and enjoyable way year-round.
Trailhead Study
Download StudyAbout the Study
In 2022, the County undertook a parking and amenity needs assessment for high-use outdoor areas. This parking project consisted of a phased study where properties were identified and ranked based on eligibility for parking and/or amenity upgrades in effort to create infrastructure plans for these high-use spaces. This project will set the infrastructure roadmap required to sufficiently meet visitor demand of the County’s natural areas. Grey County’s abundant greenspace and network of trails are an important recreational and economic asset. There is a growing and diverse user base, who wishes to access natural areas in a wide variety of ways. The development and maintenance of day use parking are necessary to achieve continued social and economic benefits to the region, while recognizing environmental values. Complimenting the County’s day use areas with the appropriate infrastructure will increase the number of properties available to visitors, helping to disperse people throughout the County to alleviate overcrowding in certain hot spot locations.
About the Outdoor Management Group
Grey County Outdoor Management Group (GC OMG) is a group of regional partner organizations dedicated to sharing information and collaborating on projects with the goal of developing and maintaining trails and outdoor areas through sustainable management practices. This will contribute to overall benefit of outdoor recreation and tourism across Grey County and support individual mandates of member organizations. A key focus is to work collaboratively to implement Grey County’s vision for trails: “a complete, continuous and connected network of high-quality trail routes to accommodate varying user types of all ages and abilities and opportunities to explore the County’s natural landscape in a safe and enjoyable way all year-round.”