Support
Find Answers To Your Questions Below
Instructions & Frequently Asked Questions
GRCA Staff have compiled commonly asked questions, as well as basic instructions, to help you with Forest Memberships, Day Passes and use of the Ganaraska Forest.
If you still require assistance, please visit our Contact GRCA page above.
Membership Help
This is a NEW membership system, only new users will be able to login. Accounts from previous websites are not available in this system.
Please wait for registration to complete before leaving the registration / payment page. Do NOT click the Submit button more once, as it can result in additional transactions being processed.
Login & Forgot Password attempts are limited for your protection. Please contact GRCA Staff is you require account assistance. Continued failed attempts can result in a lockout.
All recreational users of the Ganaraska Forest require a Membership or Day Pass to enter the Forest. Users must have a membership or pass matching the recreational activities they wish to participate in while in the Forest.
Memberships are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Every user must present a membership or day pass when requested by GRCA Staff and / or Enforcement Officers.
Ganaraska Forest membership purchases made between June 1, 2021 and May 21, 2022 have received a one-year extension. If you have not received an extension, please contact GRCA Staff for assistance.
Extensions
Membership extensions are managed manually and you will not be able to use your previous information to log into the updated GRCA Online Store. To update your extension information, please contact GRCA Staff.
Due to a hosting issue, some membership extensions include links to the previous GRCA Store, shop.ganaraskaconservation.ca. A redirect has been put in place to forward these links to the updated URL, store.ganaraskaconservation.ca.
Most browsers are displaying a false security issue (screenshots below) during the redirect process. All GRCA websites and pages are protected by security certificates (SSL). It is safe to proceed to your membership extension document, as long as the email has come from the GRCA.
The easiest solution is to change the link from shop. to store. but browsers also offer an Advanced option, where you can click on a link to proceed to the document from the warning page.
If you have not received an extension or require assistance, please contact GRCA Staff.
Google Chrome warning screen
Click Advanced > Proceed to...
Apple Safari warning screen
Click Show Details > visit this website at the end of the paragraph.
The updated GRCA Store uses a membership system that requires one user, one membership. This means every user must complete their own registration, agree to the terms and conditions of use and provide the required information.
Adults
Every adult user can have up to 2 personal vehicles listed for their membership. This accounts for a personal vehicle and, for some users, a towing vehicle / alternate mode of transportation to the Forest.
For example:
- Personal car for hiking, truck for towing ATV to the Forest
- A couple sharing 2 vehicles
The updated GRCA Store uses a membership system that requires one user, one membership. This means every user must complete their own registration, agree to the terms and conditions of use and provide the required information.
Youth (11 & under)
For youth memberships, an individual email address is required to join. Parental or Legal Guardian consent is also required during registration, where applicable.
The email address requirement provides a unique identifier for every member and allows every account to be contacted directly when necessary. The quickest and easiest way to create an email address is via Gmail.
A parent or legal guardian will need to provide additional contact details for the email account set-up to be completed. Please see Google's support page for additional help.
Parking
Youth memberships also provide for vehicle information and this information should be for a parent, legal guardian or an individual they will travel to the Forest with regularly.
- Visit the corresponding page for Non-Motorized-Use or Motorized-Use
- Click on the type of membership you wish to purchase for yourself and click on the Next link at the bottom of the page
- Here you will be asked to pay for your membership via Stripe, which is a secure, online payment processor that accepts a wide variety of payment methods. There is also a field to enter a Coupon Code, should you have one.
- Once payment is complete, you will be asked to confirm your email address and to complete the registration form.
- Upon completion of registration, you will receive an email prompting you to download your Membership Card and Parking Pass. You can also navigate to My Account to view:
- Current membership details
- Profile details / edit your profile
- Access your Member Card / Parking Pass.
- If you have a membership, log out of the GRCA Online Store
- Visit the corresponding page for Non-Motorized-Use or Motorized-Use
- Click on the type of youth membership you wish to purchase and click on the Next link at the bottom of the page
- Here you will be asked to pay for the membership via Stripe, which is a secure, online payment processor that accepts a wide variety of payment methods. There is also a field to enter a Coupon Code, should you have one.
- Once payment is complete, you will be asked to confirm the email address and to complete the registration form.
- A Parent or Legal Guardian must provide consent during the registration process for a Youth Membership.
- Upon completion of registration, you will receive an email prompting you to download the Membership Card and Parking Pass. You can also navigate to My Account to view:
- Current membership details
- Profile details / edit your profile
- Access your Member Card / Parking Pass.
There are two ways to purchase Memberships of Day Passes for another user. Members must logout to purchase a separate membership or use Gift options through the store.
Gift Memberships allow anyone to purchase a membership for someone else, even if they are not a member. Gift options appear under each of the Membership and Day Pass store pages.
Do NOT use the recipient's information to purchase gifts because they will use the Gift Code you receive via email to create their own account OR to redeem while logged into their existing account.
You will receive the gift code via your email address, which you can share with your intended recipient.
Guests
Guest users do need to complete a simplified registration process to purchase Gifts for other users. This allows GRCA staff to provide assistance with transactions and purchased gifts, should you require it.
Members
Members can purchase gifts for others.
Purchasers of Gift Memberships or Day Passes will receive an email that includes the unique Gift Code generated for their purchase.
This code can only be redeemed once, so it is important to provide the code directly to the individual you wish to redeem it — think of the code like a gift card, once it is gone, it is considered redeemed by the system.
The easiest approach is to forward the email with the gift code to your recipient directly. GRCA staff can assist purchasers with their gift codes.
The GRCA recommends you print or save a digital copy of your Membership Card to your mobile device. Parking passes should be printed and displayed on the dashboard of your highway vehicle when parked at the Ganaraska Forest.
Printing
We recommend you print copies of your Member Card and Parking Pass at 40% (landscape) or 60% (portrait), via your browser / printer's settings.
If you wish to use your Member card digitally, please make sure it's available on your mobile device to present to GRCA Staff or enforcement officers.
Accessing Member Card / Parking Pass for printing
- Under My Account, click on the Member Card / Parking Pass tab and click on the PDF icon in the corner of each.
- A new tab will open and the PDF will be generated by the system, using your account's unique information.
- Depending on your browser, click on File > Print > More settings or near the bottom of the page > Scale and change the number from 100 to a manageable size. This will output the card / pass at a reasonable size and you can easily trim them from there.
The GRCA recommends you print or save a digital copy of your Membership Card to your mobile device. Parking passes should be printed and displayed on the dashboard of your highway vehicle when parked at the Ganaraska Forest.
There are many businesses that offer printing services at a reasonable cost and may also offer lamination services, should you wish to protect your pass.
GRCA Staff can also assist with simple printing, please contact us.
Day Pass Help
Day Passes entitle users to participate in their selected activity for a single day in the Ganaraska Forest. Purchasers select the kind of day pass they wish to purchase and then select the date they wish to use the day pass during their registration.
Day Passes Should NOT be purchased more than 7 days in advance — Day Passes are removed from the system on the 8th day.
The Gatehouse Kiosk at the Ganaraska Forest Centre is also available for purchasing Day Passes.
Day Passes should not be purchased online more than 7 days before you intend to use them.
Day pass accounts are automatically deleted 8 days from the time of purchase, removing all of the account's details. After 8 days, a user will need to complete another purchase and registration for a new Day Pass.
The Gatehouse Kiosk at the Ganaraska Forest Centre is also available for purchasing Day Passes.
You must have a copy of your Day Pass while in the Forest, either printed or saved to your mobile device. Day Passes purchased online are only valid on the Day Pass Date chosen during registration and displayed on their day pass.
The Parking Pass must be printed and displayed on the dashboard of your highway vehicle when parked at the Ganaraska Forest.
The Gatehouse Kiosk at the Ganaraska Forest Centre is also available for purchasing Day Passes.
The GRCA recommends you print or save a digital copy of your Day Pass to your mobile device. Parking passes should be printed and displayed on the dashboard of your highway vehicle when parked at the Ganaraska Forest.
You must download a copy of your Day Pass and Parking Pass within 7 days of purchase. Users are responsible for obtaining and displaying their Day Pass and Parking Pass while at the Ganaraska Forest.
The Gatehouse Kiosk at the Ganaraska Forest Centre is also available for purchasing Day Passes.
Ganaraska Forest Rules
All recreational users of the Ganaraska Forest (both members and day pass holders) must agree to and follow the Ganarasaka Forest Rules & Guidelines, which can be read here (PDF).
Additional information about Recreational Use of the Ganaraska Forest can be found on the GRCA website at: https://grca.on.ca/content/recreation-users
You must have a copy of your Membership or Day Pass while in the Forest, either printed or saved to your mobile device.
Day Passes purchased online are only valid on the Day Pass Date chosen during registration and displayed on their day pass.
The Parking Pass must be printed and displayed on the dashboard of your highway vehicle when parked at the Ganaraska Forest.
Available trails can be found on the GRCA interactive map here. Staff will update trails throughout the season and the interactive map is the only place to find this information.
Please Note: Previous paper or PDF maps are no longer valid for use. The GRCA does not recognize the use or displayed trail data of third party mapping applications. The Ganaraska Forest is open from dawn until dusk each day.
Conservation Officers, local and provincial police services and GRCA Provincial Offences Officers patrol the Ganaraska Forest. GRCA Staff can also request to see your membership.
If you are stopped while in the Ganaraska Forest, please comply.
Before entering the Forest, ensure you have the following:
- Your Forest Membership Card or valid Day Pass (printed or saved on your mobile device)
- Government issued identification
- Proof of ownership / registration for any ORV in your possession
- License plate affixed to your vehicle in accordance with provincial legislation
- Your Parking Pass should be displayed on your highway vehicle's dashboard while parked at the Ganaraska Forest.