Shoal Harbour Valley Cooperative

The Shoal Harbour Valley Cooperative is a collective of local volunteers that have organized an effort to create an outdoor nature/recreational park. They have reclaimed a pit/old dump site on crown land, with the permission of the town, creating an outdoor space for the public to enjoy a hike, stroll, skate, bike, snowshoe or slide.

The walking trail around the small pond was the first phase of the project which took many hours to develop. Extensive landscaping took place with the use of shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, chainsaws and excavators to create the 300 metre path capped with donated class A stone.

The second phase was the sliding hill, which is just 100 metres north of the walking trail. They cleared a 100m by 300m area of trees and brush and have recently installed lights and a fire pit so families can gather and watch their children slide.

The third phase was the hiking trails connected to the pond loop is a 2 km hiking trail that takes you past the sliding hill to the lookout overlooking the lower part of shoal harbour valley and the estuary. Some preliminary work is already done to incorporate the existing river trail to produce a network of 15 km of trails for hiking/biking and snowshoeing throughout the valley.

All this would not be possible without the support of local businesses and organizations providing equipment, materials and funding.

Also, to preserve this area for the future they applied and have been granted by Forestry to move the domestic cutting zone from 100 metres from the river to 300 metres encompassing the entire north slope of the shoal harbour river valley, a crucial step in preserving this special place for future generations to enjoy.

Emergency Contacts
RCMP: 466-3211
Fire Department: 466-7777
Ambulance: 466-3468
Hospital: 466-3411
Poison Control: 1-800-722-1110
Mental Health Crisis: 1-888-737-4668

Photography by Paul Tilley.