Brent Manke says that the books "Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Secret Garden" and the pathways and portals into different worlds or areas has always intrigued him.  "I love the idea of walking through a wardrobe or secret portal and showing up completely somewhere else." And because of that interest, he's spent a great deal of time discovering secret pathways and parks in Steinbach and blogged about it recently. 

"When we think of the map of Steinbach, we think of all the roads, but if you overlay a different way of getting around, like walking and biking, then you start to see all these other places that you didn't even know existed that are kind of just around the corner or just through this little path here."  Brent has found himself entering into a park from a pathway and having to re-orient and ask himself which neighborhood he is in as he says "you almost gets lost for a second in Steinbach."

Erin Unger is another local afficianado of Steinbach's secret pathways and finds herself using them regularly on her daily walks. She's highlighted her love of the pathways on her blog Mennotoba.  "A lot of them are backlanes, but there are also city connector paths that go along the back alleys or along people's yards and gardens. It's kind of fun to stroll these and say hello to people working their gardens and see their flowers and it's a nice walk away from traffic as well."

"Not everyone knows about these paths, which is part of the appeal, that they're hidden or secret.  The entry ways are sometimes hidden, looking like it's a way into someone's yard, not an actual public path." It's also special to Erin because these paths right here at home "there's lots to discover here too, especially in a time where travel is discouraged, there's a lot to learn about the place where we are at now."

In regards to what paths are favourites? Brent's commute to work provides him with a secret pathway between Ellice Ave and Autumnwood. "You start out hearing the highway and then end up in a quiet neighborhood where it almost feels like a change in mental space."  His family explores the pathways and parks on their bikes and during family walks and enjoys the park off Southwood drive and First Street. Erin enjoys the path that goes behind Southwood Drive, "it has a nice bend and old trees that stick out into the path and it's so charming." 

Erins says going on walks in these pathways "is a charming thing to do and I think walking there helps foster even more community because you can look people in the eye as they're in their yards and you get to say hello." So grab your sneakers and check out the map below that Brent created highlighting all the secret pathways and start exploring!