Trail Trekkers: Running an Inclusive Hiking Program 

A conversation with Rainbow Routes 

Inclusive Trail Trekkers is a program run by Rainbow Routes, a Sudbury, Ontario-based organization that helps to maintain and enhance trails across Sudbury, including sections of the Trans Canada Trail. Rainbow Routes runs several programs aimed at active living and growing community connections: English Conversation on the Trail, Nature Hikes, and more. Today, we’re taking a look at their Inclusive Trail Trekkers program, which they run in partnership with l’Arche Sudbury, a local community organization who describes themselves as “a passionate community dedicated to creating inclusive spaces where people of all abilities belong.”  

We spoke with Rachel Mantas, Rainbow Routes’ Executive Director, about the program: who it’s for, why it came about, and how it helps to build and support community in the Sudbury area.  

A hiking program that started with a grant and was sustained with volunteers 

Rachel explains that the program came out of an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. It kicked off in the summer of 2023 and has been running monthly since then. Initially, the grant supported funding a staff member, who enjoyed hosting the hikes so much that she continued in a volunteer capacity for over a year after the funding was up. 

“That volunteer is finishing her last hike with us later this month, because she’s leaving the area,” Rachel says. “She felt so connected as someone who had just moved here for schooling that there was such a program through Rainbow Routes. She decided to stick around, even though she was not an employee any longer. It was really a testimony to  how much we try to welcome people through our different programs.”

Short, slower-paced hikes on Sudbury trails that are open to anyone in the area 

While the Inclusive Trail Trekkers program was originally limited to people who were affiliated with l’Arche Sudbury, it has since opened up to include anyone in the community who feels they’re a good fit. The hikes generally take place in Bell Park, along the City of Greater Sudbury – Bell Park Walkway section of the Trans Canada Trail.

While the hikes were paused last winter, the organization has recently come across a wonderful volunteer who can run the hikes during the upcoming winter months, so they will continue to run monthly this year. “One of the biggest concerns during the colder season is a lot fewer programs are in place; people get into hibernation mode. If you’re a highly mobile person, you have that option to get up and go and say like, yeah, I’m going to go out and walk, walk around the mall or I’m going to go walk on that trail today. But some people may need extra motivation. Or they may need to feel supported or safe when they’re going out on a trail because they prefer to hike in a group. We want to continue to offer that during the winter months,” Rachel explains.  

Overcoming the ‘intimidation factor’ 

Rachel uses the example of going to the gym to describe the “intimidation factor” among some trail users. “You’ve ever heard of people going to the gym and thinking, ‘Okay, I can’t use that piece of equipment. I could never do that,’” Rachel says. In her view, going out on a trail and a hike might not seem quite as intimidating, but for someone who doesn’t feel potentially safe hiking alone, providing a community program like this empowers people in two ways: “First, you have the option to get out in the community, feel safe and get your bearings. Second, we always try to provide a free map to participants, to provide them with a tool to help them move outside of their comfort zone,” she explains. 

The next Inclusive Trail Trekkers program is scheduled for January 2025. Stay up to date on Rainbow Routes’ events page.  

Rainbow Routes is always looking for new hike leaders to sustain their programs and were recently granted funding for training hike leaders. Learn more about volunteering with Rainbow Routes! 

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