Heyden, Ontario

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Heyden, Ontario, population 204 (1997), is located in Aweres Township, Ontario, about 14 km (9 miles) north of Sault Ste. Marie at the intersection of Ontario provincial highway 17 and Ontario provincial highway 556. The Heyden Ski Hill, a popular hangout for the youth of Heyden and Sault Ste. Marie, is located at this intersection. Although not as big or as popular as Searchmont Ski Hill, it provides a venue for less advanced skiers to nurture their skills.

Heyden is a popular starting point for many snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts as it provides access to many of the groomed trails maintained by the Sault Trailblazers. There are many lakes in Heyden (Heyden Lake, Upper and Lower Island Lake, Redrock Lake, Finn Lake and Trout Lake) which are too isolated to have large fishing and other aquatic traffic as they are not as large as nearby Lake Superior and connected by small streams and rivers which makes it necessary to portage. These lakes do not offer much in terms of fishing as they are not stocked regularly. They do, however, provide a calming oasis for the many families who reside on these lakes.

Heyden has one public school, an elementary school called Aweres Public School which opened in 1963 to meet the growing population's demand. The school is a medium-sized (2,407 square metres or 25,910 square feet), single storey building and it serves students from both Heyden and Searchmont. Heyden is home to one restaurant/motel, "The Mountain Ash Inn", and one gas station. Because of its proximity to Sault Ste. Marie, the remoteness of this Northern community has never been a problem for its residents, of which the vast majority work in the city.