Grade Four Ski School Program 

The Pasadena Ski and nature park purchased skis and snowshoes for grade four schools. The school children were given professional ski and snowshoe instructions. The snow shoeing sessions including nature walks. It was a very successful program and will be offered in the future.

Mountain Biking

 Come bike through ourl rolling trails in our boreal forest. We have over 19 km of trail offering different riding experiences. 

Enjoy the flora and fauna our ski and nature park has to offer. You may even encounter a rare sighting of the Newfoundland Pine Martin!

Snowshoeing

Hiking and Interpretative Trails

Summer and Fall at the Pasadena Ski and Nature Park can be an educational as well as a physical workout. The Botanical Plant and Wildlife Index, created by Henry Mann, Professor of Biology at the Sir Wilfred Grenfell University, can be picked up at the entrance to the lodge grounds to help with some Nature Interpretation during your hike. This excellent guide contains sketches and descriptions of items of flora and fauna found throughout the 6 kilometers of hiking trails.

As you walk through typical boreal forest habitat, you will come upon many different types of flora and fauna. White spruce are commonly intermixed with Balsam Fir, White Birch and Red Maple. In the wetter areas of the forest, Black Spruce and Larch tend to dominate. Also occurring are magnificent specimens of yellow birch. Each of these forest types has its own underlay of shrubs and herbs. There are also the remains of a former White Pine forest especially prized by early shipbuilders. To the careful observer, effects of past logging, fire, disease and insect infestation are also evident..

Other groups of organisms which are easily seen more often in the spring, summer and fall seasons include ferns, mosses, lichens, fungi and insects. Numerous common wildflower species occur along the trails during the warmer seasons such as the beautiful Lady Slipper. The Canadian Anemone (left) - usually thought to be found only in Gros Morne National Park can be seen growing along Snowflake Lane. 

A variety of wildlife inhabits the Park including Moose, Snowshoe Hare, Canadian Lynx, Caribou, Great Horned Owls and the elusive, endangered Pine Marten. Birds, typical of the boreal forest can be found from spring to fall while willow Ptarmigan, ruffed Grouse and Chickadees are regular winter residents.

The Snowshoe Hare was introduced to the island around 1860. They prefer dense stands of young conifers or brushy deciduous growth where there is lots of food and good shelter. Snowshoe hares feed on a variety of deciduous trees and shrubs, (birch, willow, maple), some conifers (white spruce), grasses and wild herbs (raspberry and fireweed). Common predators include the lynx, and the great horned owl . The snowshoe hare goes through what is called cyclic fluctuations about every ten years.  Their large hind footprints can be seen throughout the winter. 

The Canadian Lynx is a native to Newfoundland and Labrador. They prefer old growth boreal forests with dense undercover, but the lynx will live in other habitats where undercover and prey numbers are adequate. They are often found in regenerating forests after a fire - where the snowshoe hare population has increased.

Great horned owls are big and bulky (3-4 pounds), standing 18-25" tall with a wingspan of 36-60" long. Males and females are similar in appearance, except the female is the larger of the two. Their call is a series of deep hoots, from 3 to 8 notes long, and sounds like - "Whose Awake, Me Too", with the "Me Too" part descending in tone. The call of the great horned owl is a classic sound of the wild and can be heard a long way off.

As the name suggests; The Marten Trail has been the location for a few sightings of the rare Pine Marten. They are typically found in mature forests and suitable refuge sites include rocky crevices, disused squirrel nests and holes in trees. Their fur is dark brown to black in color with conspicuous creamy-orange throat patches. They have a pointed muzzle, prominent ears and a bushy tail. From head to tail adults are 64-81cm (25-32 inches) long. They weigh 1.3-1.7kg (2.8-3.7lb).Pine Marten are excellent climbers, and climb with agility in a squirrel-like manner from tree to tree as they search for food sources (such as birds, squirrels, rodents, rabbits, eggs, beetles, berries and even honey). They may also track down food on the ground where they are equally at home as in the trees. Pine marten tracks are regularly seen on winter skies on all park trails. Their footprints are round and cat-like with five toes; claw prints are normally absent as they are only visible in soft ground. The population of Pine Martens was estimated to be between 1500 - 2500 in the early 1980's but recent estimates suggest there are only 300 still around the forests of Newfoundland. Hunted and trapped until 1934 for their extremely fine and soft coats they have almost become extinct here. Groups of them still survive in small clusters on the West Coast of Newfoundland between Main River and Barachois Brook. If you would like to learn more about this beautiful creature and what is being done to protect it from extinction, please visit the Government of Newfoundland's website here.

Canada Anemone - Pasadena Town Flower

JackRabbits

Since their inception nationally in 1980, over 125,000 children have participated in the Jackrabbit Ski League and other Youth programs. There were over 9,000 children, 1,200 leaders and more than 300 clubs participating. This success is due to children’s interest in the sport of cross country skiing and the dedication of many volunteers who make the program happen in your community.

So the program is successful. What is it all about?

From the Child's perspective it is:

From the Parent’s perspective it is:

Essentially it is: