We’ve been to (and raved about!) the Ferguson Forest Centre before. For us, it’s so close to home that it’s the perfect spot to get outdoors when we want to head somewhere familiar, quick, and easy. Add to that the fact that the trails are super well marked, open year round, and dog friendly, and you really can’t go wrong. Plus, since the trails are right in Kemptville, it’s easy to stop afterwards for lunch, a coffee, or some groceries!

There’s a really great dog park at the centre, with fenced, forested (and separate!) areas for big and little dogs. I brought my daughter with me to snowshoe the Alf Campbell Trail a few days after we had that huge snowfall in February. I wasn’t sure how long the trail would take with all that snow, and my dog is pretty short, so I left her at home for this particular trip.

The Alf Campbell Trail is named after, well, Alf Campbell. Mr. Campbell is no longer with us, but the decades of work that he put into supporting the reforestation of this area (as well as Limerick Forest) will no doubt be appreciated for generations to come.

The Alf Cambell Trail is a fitting one to honour Mr. Campbell, because with the exception of a few short stretches, the majority of the trail winds thru dense forest. It’s a fairly flat trail, and at just over 4 kilometres long, it’s perfect for a low key half day trip out to the woods.

Getting There

Ferguson Forest is south of the city, so grab a coffee and hit the road! There are a few access points that can get you into the Ferguson Forest Centre. I chose to park right behind the fire station on County Road 44. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.027042, -75.657744. While there are lots of ways to access the Alf Campbell trail, parking here got me started right at the trailhead. None of the parking lots at the Ferguson Forest Centre require you to pay. Hooray!

There was a bit of a snowbank to traverse from the parking lot being plowed. So, I strapped on my snowshoes before even leaving the parking lot.

The Trailhead

The trailhead was really easy to find. Facing away from the fire hall, it was to my left, and marked by a nice big sign with the name of the trail. There was also a map of the area on the sign.

The trail had us entering the forest immediately. That’s always such a great feeling- just a few steps and you can already feel like you’re getting away from it all. Plus, the trail markers started almost immediately as well. The trail markers for the Alf Campbell Trail were orange circles with little arrows that pointed in the direction the trail was taking. I could tell early on that this was going to be a well-marked trail.

The Trail

The Alf Campbell Trail is a loop, although it has a few offshoots because it can be accessed from various points. Leaving the trailhead, we hiked through the forest for only 200 metres before reaching the split in the trail that forms the loop. For whatever reason, I decided to hike the trail counter clockwise. So, I turned slightly to my right at this point on the trail.

A few hundred metres beyond the split, we found ourselves crossing over the Link Trail. It was really easy to tell what direction we needed to head in because there was a sign at this point that showed us we had to re-enter the forest. Not too long after, we crossed over a snowmobile path. Fortunately, we heard a snowmobile coming from a little ways off. This is not a path to cross slowly, and it’s important to keep your eyes and ears open here to make sure you’re crossing safely.

Despite the crossings, we had spent the majority of our time in the forest. So far, the trail wound gently through the trees, with a few little hills thrown in for good measure.

The trail MIGHT be wide enough in most places to walk side by side in the warmer months. But I honestly couldn’t say for sure because there was so much snow. It seemed like there had only been cross country skiers out ahead of me, so the tracks left behind weren’t very wide.

The Turtle Trail and Some Minor Confusion

The next crossing was over a road (Honour Way), but once again we were immediately back in the forest. At each crossing so far, there had been little snowbanks. The snowbanks at the side of the road were a little bit bigger, and we decided to scale them sideways.

Just over half a kilometre past the road, we reached another split in the trail. Here, if we had turned to our right, we would have eventually reached the Turtle Trail. The Turtle Trail is a great little trail that runs alongside the Kemptville Creek.

At the split, the link to the Turtle Trail wasn’t indicated on the sign. Instead, the sign there instructed us to head to our left to get to the parking lot and back to the tree nursery. That was actually a little bit confusing because having hiked the Turtle Trail before, I knew it would ALSO bring me back to a parking lot and to the tree nursery. Plus, there was a random sign that said “the FMT Extension Trail,” which I had never heard of. But I had taken a good look at the map before leaving (and, okay, I had a screenshot of it on my phone), so I was confident in heading to my left after resolving this minor confusion.

Hiking ALL the Trails

300 metres beyond the split, we crossed BACK over the road. Hiking another 300 meters had us turning to our left and following the Settlers Trail, as the two trails joined together for a short time. The Settlers Trail was quite wide and well groomed. I couldn’t tell if it was also used for snowmobilers, but I didn’t take any chances. I stuck close to the left hand side. We followed this trail for only 100 metres before turning to our right and ducking back into the forest. Once again, it wasn’t my brilliant navigational skills that kept us on track. There was a prominent sign that signaled it was time to return to the forest, and we happily followed its directions.

The Alf Campbell Trail ran parallel to the Settlers Trail thru the forest for just over 300 metres before rejoining it for a very short stretch of the trail. When the next sign directed us to turn to our left, the Alf Campbell Trail joined the Link Trail for roughly 400 metres. Then, we turned to our right and headed back into the forest.

Only 200 metres of easy hiking later, we joined up with the Maple Trail. Once again, the trail was really well signed and we knew exactly when the two trails joined. We started to see new signs, with pictures of horses on them, and different distances printed on them as well. I had no idea what these signs were all about, so despite my curiosity, I ignored them.

After a very short time together, the Alf and Maple Trails split again. Going straight would have kept us on the Maple Trail. Instead, we jogged slightly to the left to stick with Alf.

Almost There

Finally, near the end of our hike, my daughter woke up to enjoy it. We found ourselves crossing a small bridge not too long after. It was hard for me to tell what this bridge might be helping us cross. I can only assume this section would be wet and/or muddy in the warmer months.

We continued our walk thru the forest, following the trail for a few turns here and there, and then arrived where the trail had split originally.

Within a few minutes, we were back to the parking lot and I was taking off my snowshoes!

Distance and Time

From start to finish, our GPS tracker recorded the Alf Campbell Trail as being 4.2 kilometres in length. The official documentation from the Friends of the Ferguson Forest Centre lists the trail as being 3.9 kilometres in length. Regardless of a few hundred metres here or there, it took me an hour and twenty minutes to hike the trail.

I think part of the reason it took this long was because there was so much new snow that hadn’t been packed down yet. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to “break trail,” then you know it takes a bit longer and can be way more tiring. In the warmer months or on a day where the trail had already been packed down by other snowshoers, I likely could have hiked this faster.

I really enjoyed the Alf Campbell Trail! It’s not too often in Ottawa that you get a trail with fresh snow all to yourself. And if driving out to Kemptville is what it takes to experience such a privilege, I’ll gladly do it! Plus, despite a few trail and road crossings here and there, we were able to spend the majority of our time in the forest, and I always love that. We’ll definitely have to come back to check out this trail in the summer.

Map

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear I Brought