Mara Canyon Hike (Cinnamon Ridge)
Every year in spring we hike through Mara Canyon, starting at the new trailhead in the gravel pit and following the canyon trail to the wide open area below the summit, then we climb to the top of the ridge on the east side and descend the RidgeTrail (Cinnamon Ridge) back to the start. Over the years we have done this hike about 50 times. In the mid 1970s there was just a rumor of a route and there was no trail. We explored various routes and found a good loop route. Now it is inside a Provincial Park and there are signs and a well-established trail. Some hikers call this the Hoodoos Trail since there are many hoodoos on the hillsides. With some additional scrambling there are even more to be discovered. It is an unique and memorable route. The loop route can be be a bit demanding or hikers can take a left turn on top of the ridge and go to the top of Mara Mountain and back. On this early April Day we hiked the shorter loop route in about 2.5 hours.
The trailhead is at the end of Ord Road, a side road that crosses the tracks (1 km past the golf course) and ends up in a gravel pit on the east side of the trail, a safer and legal way to access the trail.