The Happy Camper: Kawartha’s New Talking Forest Trail
Forget those trail pamphlets or laminated park signs that provide trivia on the trees hikers will see along their walk. There’s now an app for that. And it’s one cool way to learn about the forest you’re walking through.
Ontario’s Kawartha Conservation Area has created The Talking Forest in two of their more popular hiking areas: Ken Reid Conservation Area in Lindsay and Windy Ridge Conservation Area in Omemee.
As you hike through the wooded area, the interactive trail app links to geolocations in the park which triggers your phone. A voice then starts to ramble off a story from the tree you’re standing beside. Each station provides fun facts, historical information and other points of interest in the park. And each tree has its own character. A majestic white pine has an old, aged man, a sugar maple has the voice of a middle-aged woman, and a young beech sapling sounds like a pre-teen.
Ken Reid has a total of 15 talking trees along its 2.2-kilometre trail system, including a hemlock that chats about the benefits of spending time in nature. Windy Ridge has 11 stops along its 1.8 kilometre loop and includes a birch tree that talks about how you can make birch syrup instead of maple syrup.
It’s become a crowd pleaser for sure, and kids are loving the new techy way of learning about the forest they are hiking through.
More Talking Forest Trails are in the works for the Kawartha Region. The Talking Forest app is free to download and is currently available on Android and IOS platforms.