A jewel for decades, Hiawatha Highlands ‘as popular as ever’

Hiawatha Highlands is a jewel for Sault and area residents who love cross country skiing, snowshoeing and, in more recent years, fat biking.

The cross country skiing facilities at Hiawatha Highlands have been available for locals and tourists for 65 years.

The area boasts 50 kilometres of winter beauty on its Crystal, Pinder and Red Pine trails, and since 2019, the Farmer Bob loop for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking. 

Hundreds of children are introduced to cross country skiing annually by Hiawatha instructors through working with local school boards, with many of the youngsters catching the skiing bug.

“It’s just as popular as ever and we still see that same effect where we have kids throughout the week and on the weekend we see some of them come back with their parents. That’s awesome because we know they’ve had a good time,” said Jordan Reinke, Hiawatha Highlands weekend manager and ski school instructor in an interview with SooToday.

Reinke has worked at the Highlands for 16 years. 

“I enjoy being an instructor. It’s nice to see the progression from the time the kids start out on the skis and by the end of the day they look like they’ve been doing it for a year.”

The facility offers daily rates, ‘six packs’ of five ski days with a sixth for free as well as season passes, differing in price according to age group.

“We give them tips and guide them into learning how to cross country ski because it can be intimidating for people when they first get out there. They don’t know what to do at first so we give them proper instruction at the beginning and it becomes an enjoyable experience for them,” Reinke said.

“We have some people come back right away or sometimes we see people come back five or six years later who said they learned with their school group, so it’s cool that way because you see a lot of people coming back to it at different points in their life.”

Staffing at Hiawatha Highlands has grown over the years, expanding from a manager, one trail groomer and a call-in ski instructor to approximately 15 people and a dedicated team of volunteers.

“The sport of cross country skiing has grown more than ever. When things were closed down during COVID lockdowns a lot of people were trying out skiing for the first time,” Reinke said, because cross country skiing was one of few activities people could enjoy outdoors while being told to socially distance.

The Highlands were open during COVID, the organization's building offering curbside service.

Tourists love the area, Reinke said.

“We’ve seen quite a few people from the U.S. coming this year simply because they’ve been having issues with lower than normal snowfall like us but even more so because they’re further south.”

“It’s been challenging this year with the limited snow and the warmer weather,” Reinke said.

“But, we've been able to stay open. The best advice I can give people is keep an eye on our website because sometimes we have more snow on the trails than what you would see in town looking out the window.”

“I enjoy it here,” Reinke said.

“It’s one of those places where even though there’ve been some small changes over the years a lot of it still feels the same as when I used to ski here as a kid, learning how to ski through the Jackrabbit program. It’s cool to see the same kind of activities getting passed down to younger generations.”

Hiawatha Highlands has attracted interest from many newcomers to the Sault, Reinke said.

“They want to get out and try cross country skiing. The area is very available because we’re open in the evenings. We have a lit trail and we’re so close. You can be here from most places in the Sault in 10 to 20 minutes. Aside from getting out and trying sports you can also find lots of good spots to take photos.”

“Fat biking is one of the newer sports that are available. We have fat bike rentals as well for people interested in trying it. That’s a sport that has really picked up a lot more. Snowshoeing had its big surge 10 years ago and I think fat biking is the next upcoming sport. It really started taking off around 2020 because people were looking for something new to do outdoors.”

Within the Highlands lies the home of the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club.

The early club members were Finnish immigrants who wanted to create a sense of community in their new homeland. The Canadian Finnish Club was founded in 1953, changing its name to the Soo Finnish Club in the early 1960s before the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club was incorporated in March 1991.

The club offers cross country skiing season passes, lessons and hosts competitions.

The Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club will be hosting the Ontario Youth Championships on March 2-3.

More information on Hiawatha Highlands is available online.

More information on the Soo Finnish Nordic Ski Club can be found on the club’s website.