A trail explored over a lifetime

This site is dedicated to the exploration of the abandoned Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway bed that has become known, in part, as the Seguin Trail. There are no preferred users of it — hiker, hunter, ATV rider, cyclist, birdwatcher, berry picker, naturalist, dirt biker or camper.

Since I was a kid in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I have been attracted to the railway bed. I remember the first time I walked from my family cottage with my father to the trail, down to a spot that has always been known to us as “Bridge Out.” This was where the railway crossed the Seguin River over a high bridge. Where the trail met South Seguin Estates Road there had always been, as long as I could remember, an old faded barnboard sign that read: Bridge Out.

As I got into my early double-digit years, I walked farther in each direction from the cottage, breaking new ground each year. I yearned for a mini bike so I could extend my search of this amazing path through forest and solid rock, with its many flooded spots. I was sure an undiscovered ghost town lay just out of reach. I watched the ground for slag, railway spikes and old ties.

When I reached my teens, friends began coming to the cottage and our exploration went farther down the trail. Seguin Falls is technically a ghost town, although to us then it simply looked like a very run-down town. One point of interest was the King George Hotel, with its old-style tall gasoline pump and glass cylinder. The hotel burned to the ground years ago; only the stone fireplace and chimney remained.

As I got older, I explored the trail with amphibious vehicles, dirt bikes and ATVs. That greatly extended my range and made it possible to explore the many side trails along the way. I have followed the railway bed from Depot Harbour toward Algonquin Park on many occasions. In some areas, such as around Kearney, the old route can be extremely difficult to follow.