"It wasn’t just, ‘here’s a piece of property, do something with it.’ They took the property and transformed it"

I arrive at Kivi Park, eager to begin my hike into the forests of Long Lake. I have been waiting weeks for this opportunity, so when the editor accepted my story pitch, I threw my snowshoes in the trunk and did a little dance.

I do not actually need the snowshoes; the trail has been packed hard and none of the dozen or so people I meet along the trail is wearing theirs. There is nothing I love more than walking through winter woods, so I begin with camera in hand.

At 312 acres, Kivi Park, along Long Lake Road, is 23 times larger than Bell Park. It is a four-season playground and is only separated from Killarney Provincial Park by a swath of crown land.

"The park is open year-round, so it’s to enjoy all outdoor activities," Melissa Sheridan, the project manager who is overseeing its development, says. "It’s amazing and we’re so fortunate for Mrs. (Lily) Fielding’s contribution and her vision, and the fact she made all this possible. It was extremely generous and she’s still going. She’s still donating and the park is still growing. It’s such an amazing experience for everyone in Greater Sudbury, and for tourists."

Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh, the defacto spokesperson for the park and an enthusiastic advocate for the outdoor playground, says Kivi Park was born on the site of the former Long Lake Public School, which was torn down in late 2015.

Originally, Mrs. Fielding donated $245,000 to allow the city to purchase the 12-acre property on which the school once sat. She also agreed to foot much of the $150,000 bill for the school’s demolition.

In August 2016, Mrs. Fielding celebrated her 100th birthday by donating $1 million for the purchase of 300 more acres of land. She made that donation in memory of her parents, Susanna and John Kivi, as well as the Finnish immigrants who settled in the neighbourhood and helped shape the city. McIntosh says Mrs. Fielding has donated close to $2 million so far to get the park ready for visitors. McIntosh says it is her way of giving back to the community in which she grew up. Mrs. Fielding was raised on a farm in the Long Lake area of the city.

"Talk about special, right? It’s really, really special," McIntosh says. "It’s a wonderful, wonderful gift. It wasn’t just, ‘here’s a piece of property, do something with it.’ They took the property and transformed it, and then gave it to the city."

McIntosh can barely contain her excitement over the phone.

"It’s a beautiful park, when you see it, it is really quite incredible," she says. "Everybody is talking about it because it’s been transformed from bush into a park."

During my hike, I pass through some dense forest, the wind rustling the dead oak leaves and branches of the tallest trees. That is about all I can hear, besides my own breath. I can hear traffic in the distance, but it has become a steady, background hum.

I meet several dogs along the way and stop to pet all of them. They seem to be having as much fun in this winter wonderland as their owners. I even meet an 11-year-old husky, named Nico, who is out for a run with his owner. Apparently Nico, who might be the fluffiest dog I have ever seen, has dropped 10 pounds by jogging along the trails at Kivi Park.

The first time I tried to snowshoe at Kivi a few weeks ago, there were about 80 cars in the parking lot, so I left and went to Naughton. But McIntosh and Sheridan both say looks can be deceiving. Cars in the lot should not deter would-be skiers or outdoor enthusiasts.

"When you’re out there, it doesn’t feel crowded because it’s such a big area," McIntosh says. "You see people off in the distance but it’s not like there are crowds of people around you. It’s a wonderful experience to be able to walk, snowshoe, walk your dog or cross-country ski, or skate on the rink."

The park currently sports two ice pads.

McIntosh says the park offers a way to reconnect with nature. While there is lots of green space in the Long Lake area, it is all privately owned, so there was nowhere for people to gather and enjoy the outdoors.

"We didn’t have any public green space down here at all. It was all owned by someone," she says. "It’s wonderful for the community to have another place to go to where there’s a different set of trails. "¦ Everybody should have something close by so they don’t have to drive 45 minutes to an hour to get there. The idea is you need physical exercise every day."

I do meet a lot of regulars. There are many people from the neighbourhood out walking their dogs and I see a few people carrying skis over their shoulders, leaving the park by foot.

Sheridan says things are moving along nicely.

"We have a variety of different trails that are open. For hiking, biking, snowshoeing and fat-biking, we have the 1-km, 3-km and 5.5-km trails that are open," she says. "Currently, the 7-km trail is still under construction. And then, the bulk of the cross-country ski trails are open."

I see several people gliding through the woods on skis. I have not cross-country skied in many years, but I notice as I watch those at Kivi that there is something elegant and beautiful about the sport.

Sheridan is especially excited about the park’s wishing tree, which looks like half a wish bone or half an upside down heart. You can even sit on this tree to make a wish and the area around it would be an excellent spot for a picnic during the warmer months, or a proposal.

"The wishing tree has been a very popular attraction for visitors to the park," Sheridan says (there is a signpost showing walkers where it is). "It’s bent and Native Americans used to use them to mark their paths years ago."

Sheridan says the two most popular snowshoe trails are the green trail (3 km) and the red trail (5.5 km). They traverse the wintry forest of the 312-acre park and the longer trail follows a ridge, which allows for some spectacular vantage points. The red trail has several look-out points.

I meant to walk the 3 km trail, but I make a wrong turn along the way – I have always been directionally challenged – and end up walking the longest trail, which takes me up the side of the ridge to the top. None of the hills at Kivi Park are especially steep – the ridge ascent uses a switchback trail – but the walk up is a workout and I need to stop a couple of times to catch my breath. From the top, I look out over Kivi Valley and Long Lake and I can even see the smokestack in the distance. You can really see how green and wooded Sudbury has become. We are no longer the moonscape of decades past.

"Every trail has a different experience so whether you’re on the cross-county ski trail and you ski by Kivi ridge, you get a different view. It’s the same with the snowshoeing and hiking trails as you make your way up to the different ridges," Sheridan says. "It’s a very peaceful and serene experience. It’s in a very natural setting. You’re close to town, but isolated. You don’t hear the traffic, you don’t hear the noise you would if you were on any of trails within the City of Greater Sudbury. That’s what makes Kivi a popular destination for tourists and visitors. You’re close to town – you’re 10 minutes from the Four Corners – but you still get that natural, outdoor setting."

While you will not have to climb mountains, none of the trails are flat. They all include a few inclines to get the heart pumping.

"The cross-country ski trails are more advanced and difficult," Sheridan says. "Obviously the red trail (5.5 km) is longer and more challenging than the 1 km trail, (but still manageable)."

McIntosh says the park is still a work in progress, with more surprises to come.

"It’s not done yet," she says. "We only took the school down a year ago in October and look what’s happened already. If you drive by on the weekend, it’s just packed. It’s amazing how quickly it’s evolved and it’s not done yet. There’s more coming. Stay tuned. You’ve got to keep checking back. Every time I go out there, it’s different."

This 21st century park has a strong online presence, with Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as a website (kivipark.com) with downloadable trail maps. The park has already built a solid fan base on Instagram, with more than 1,800 followers.

More than 110 people showed up for the first volunteer call, which took place a couple of weeks before Christmas in the park’s rink shack. Needless to say, it was at capacity. Since then, the park team has recruited about 30 more people.

"Since then we’ve had such an overwhelming response of people contacting us through social media to sign up," Sheridan says. "We’re close to about 147 volunteers now. It’s amazing. The feedback from the volunteers and the public has all been extremely positive. Everyone who has had the opportunity to visit the park and access the trails has nothing but praise."

Sheridan says there is a grooming team – all of whom are volunteers – that prepares the cross-country ski trails, as well as other volunteer groups that take care of other matters.

"It’s the main reason the trails are so popular and we’ve had the best response to them," Sheridan says. "They’re some of the best trails in Northern Ontario. A couple of weeks ago we had some of the best corduroy ever that they had laid down, which was amazing. It brought in so many visitors to the park that weekend."

I saw no corduroy – the trails were well-trodden by the time I arrived – but it was an excellent afternoon of feeling my heart pump (loudly at times, it seemed) and enjoying the chill on my cheeks. And the view from the top of the ridge was supreme. I cannot imagine how lovely it will be when October rolls around and the trees sing with their colourful chorus.

mkkeown@postmedia.com

Twitter: @marykkeown

705 674 5271 ext. 505235