Hikes to do in 11 hours and 6 minutes

The Lake Laurentian Conservation Area trail signs

The Up Here 5 Spotify playlist takes us through an 11 hour and 6 minute set list of every artist who will join us in Sudbury this August. If you don’t already live here, I hope you’re going to arrive in Sudbury early, leaving you some time to explore what the city has to offer outside of the festival. World-renowned for our regreening efforts over the past four decades and home to 330 lakes, Sudbury has countless natural sights to discover. If you’re up to the challenge, these hikes add up to approximately the amount of time it takes to listen to the playlist from beginning to end.

These first two hiking itineraries take you through the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area, a 2415 acre natural, protected, green space. Access points with free parking are available at the Nature Chalet, the BioSki Cross-Country Ski & Snowshoe Club, or at Moonlight Beach.

The first set of hikes range from easy to moderate and provide you with both forest and water views, with several places to stop, sit, and turn up the tunes.

The Running Biking Trail (3 km one way, 1.5-2 hours, Easy) + Beaver Pond Trail (1.5 km, 1-1.5 hours, Moderate) + Chickadee Loop (1km, 45 minutes, Easy) + BlackBird Swamp Loop (500m, 20 minutes, Easy) = 4.75 hours

A bird’s-eye view of the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area

The Lake Laurentian Loop is a 10 km, 3-4 hour, more difficult hike.

Taking you all the way around Lake Laurentian, this trail brings you through forested areas with a beautiful picnic stop halfway through. 

Rainbow Routes is another great organization that tracks trails that are more urban! The paths below are mostly boardwalks and can be accessed from the parking lot on York St.

Bethel Lake (1 km) + Ramsey Lake (2 km) + Bell Park (2 km)+ Lily Creek (0.3 km) = 1.5 hours 

Find some friends, pack lots of water and snacks, lace up some sturdy shoes, download the playlist, and get to the trails.