Shaw Woods Outdoor Educational Centre in Eganville: Trail Report

Shaw Woods Outdoor Educational Centre in Eganville: Trail Report

No mirage. The large tug boat is there. It’s Shaw Woods Educational Centre inserting another teaching point along the trail. Albeit a big point. Ha ha. There’s historical context and a beautiful new sign explaining it all. With 6 trails, a nature centre, lookout points, and interpretive signs - this is an easy family win.

Suggested Stops

The Cottage Cup, Forth Chute Falls, Fifth Chute Coffee, Bonnechere Caves, local beaches (like Golden Lake).

Important Insights

Shaw Woods now has a robust wheel chair that you can borrow! Contact them directly to verify and see about availability. Straight from their trail guide, Shaw Woods states: “Please note that motorized vehicles, bicycles, horseback riding, overnight camping and open fires are not permitted. In order to protect sensitive habitats, visitors must remain on trails and dogs must be on a leash.” Kindly adhere to their request while accessing these trails.

Land Acknowledgement

These are the lands of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ and Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin) people.⁠ It is important as avid hikers and stewards of the land, to acknowledge and understand the full story our surroundings along with the people that care for her, both past and present. As sourced from native-land.ca, if there are corrections please send to victoria@girlgonegood.com.

Land Management

Shaw Woods Outdoor Educational Centre is self-managed by Shaw Woods. The Shaw Woods Outdoor Educational Centre is a registered charity and has the kind of mission statement that we can all get behind: “To foster an ethic of responsible environmental stewardship, by providing educational programming and self-directed learning to educational groups, community organizations and the public at large. In conjunction with the foregoing, to teach sustainable forestry practices which manage the social, economic and ecological values provided by forests.“

GPS Coordinates

45.633441210686634, -77.06713911513047

Street Address

2065 Bulger Rd, Eganville, ON K0J 1T0

Directions

Take Hwy 417 West. Stay on the 17 West towards Arnprior at the split (right lanes). Continue on the 17 West driving past Arnprior, Renfrew. Once in Cobden, take County Rd 8 South. In 13kms turn right on County Rd 9. Drive 10kms at Shaw Woods parking will be on left.

Parking

Large parking lot at trailhead.

Cell Reception

Yes

Washrooms

Outhouses located at the parking lot.

Accessibility

No

Trail Details

Entrance Fee

Hours of Operation

All seasons. Open dawn to dusk daily.

Trail Map

Trailhead

Located across the road from the parking lot.

Number of Trails

6

Total Distance (km)

14

Elevation Gain (m)

60

Cell Reception

Yes

Features

Woodlands, Interpretive Signs, Picnic Area

Activities

Hiking, Birding, Nature Centre, Geocaching

Dogs

Permitted on-leash.

Trail Description

The trails are well marked with wooden signs at the intersection and easy to follow. They are 1 person wide for the most part, and thankfully clear from side overgrowth (poison ivy is in the area). There are six trails total and they are divided between the east and west section. The bet part is that the trail system is a combination of shorter trails meaning that you can control the distance that you’d like to hike. West Side: Four main trails varying from 600m to 1.6kms. Includes old growth forest, pine plantation, and a gully (wetland). East Side: Two main trails that are 1.6km and 1.9 km each. It’s on Johnny’s Lookout Trail that you have 60m of elevation gain to the lookout. There is a long section of trail that runs beside snake river. It’s an easy understanding that the main feature of these trails is the educational component thanks to interpretive and historical signage along the pathways. There’s also a large open area near the west side parking with different educational stations which I found interesting. Beyond that, there’s the small dam between Shaw Pond and Snake River, the tugboat, the pine plantation, and of course, the lookout. The lookout on Johnny’s Trail is beautifully done with a large wooden observation deck and a beautifully carved dedication bench to rest on. It gives a good view of Shaw Pond. The deck is also exposed, and out from the woods meaning that in the summer, you get a break from the bugs.

Other Hiking Trails