ORTA is a non-profit organization that was initiated in 1991 by a group of volunteers. They gathered through the co-operation of STORM (Save the Oak Ridges Moraine), the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Hike Ontario and developed the idea of a system of public recreational trails along the full length of the Moraine, from Albion Hills in the west, to the Northumberland Forest in the East. They then formed The Oak Ridges Trail Steering Committee and following a series of meetings, the Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) was officially inaugurated at a public meeting held at Albion Hills in May 1992. 

The main objective of the Association is to develop and secure the Oak Ridges Trail, “….thereby promoting an appreciation and respect for the Moraine’s ecological, cultural and scenic integrity, with the aim of retaining a trail corridor in its natural state.” – Oak Ridges Trail Guidebook 1997

Efforts to establish a trail along the Oak Ridges Moraine first began in 1973. At present about 275 km of main trail, plus various side trails, have been completed. The trail starts in the west at a junction with the Bruce Trail, southeast of Mono Mills (Hwy #9 & Airport Road), and extends eastward through Peel, York, and Durham Regions and Northumberland County before splitting to two gateways at Castleton and Warkworth.

ORTA is governed by a Board of Directors who have responsibilities for managing the various aspects of the organization. Directors on the Board are elected at an Annual General Meeting. Our Mission Statement is “To build and maintain a public hiking trail system on the Oak Ridges moraine, off-road where possible, and To organize and promote hiking on this trail system, and To encourage responsible stewardship of the Moraine’s natural environment.”

ORTA offers a membership at nominal cost to those individuals who would like to financially support the organization. ORTA in turn, organizes hikes on the trail and makes available to its members a quarterly newsletter in which activities of the organization are communicated to its members. Non-members are also encouraged to participate in the Association’s hikes. We have now grown to over 700 members and ten chapters, namely: Caledon, King, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Uxbridge, Scugog, Clarington, Hope-Hamilton and Northumberland grouped into three regions. Each chapter is responsible for a section of the trail, and each region has a member on the Board of Directors.