More mountain biking trails in Lanark County

If you're looking for new places to mountain bike in the Ottawa area, happily there are several more options today than even five years ago. However, for a region that's chock-full of beautiful forests, rocky Canadian Shield, rivers, and parks--all the raw material to become a world-class mountain biking destination--it's still somewhat incredible and disappointing there isn't more single track available to the public. Nevertheless, the Ottawa Mountain Biking Association (OMBA) has worked tirelessly with the National Capital Commission to slowly ease open some trail access in Gatineau Park. Larose Forest has seen the recent and rapid development of a well-regarded trail network for summer and winter riding. Further up the Ottawa River Valley, BORCA and others continue to improve networks at Forest Lea and along the Ottawa River near Beachburg. 

Just 30 minutes west of Ottawa in Almonte, I'm happy to report that the Mississippi Valley Trails (MVT) network I started with a small group of volunteers ten years ago is now enjoying rapid expansion and improvements for summer and winter riding as well. I've now passed over stewardship of the trail network to the Lanark County Mountain Biking Association (LCMBA) which is run by the same group of volunteers. Originally we had the trail insured and organized under the auspices of OMBA, but with the growth of local activity it made sense to form a new, separate trail management organization with its own liability insurance. 

As with any trail network, maintaining access depends on users respecting the landowners and trail rules. This spring we lost access to one section of private lands connecting the MVT section to the Mill of Kintail and Bennies Corners sections. This was unfortunate, because it meant splitting what used to be an almost 30km out-and-back ride into two separate areas with no good connection between them. However, it's understandable why the landowner closed access: a small minority of riders and dog-walkers consistently ignored requests to stay on the trail (or stay off it altogether when the entry was barricaded) and trespassed onto actively farmed lands. 

On a personal note, after ten years of grubbing out single track and wrangling land access, I need a break to deal with other life events and to spend more time actually riding. LCMBA has a good handle on taking the network to the next level. I'm thankful for LCMBA's efforts, and the growing popularity of the trails is proof that things are headed in the right direction for year-round riding. Ten years ago I knew everyone who rode; now it's rare if I run into someone I know. If you haven't checked out the LCMBA network, it's well worth a day trip. Almonte also offers many excellent options for food and drink before or after your ride. You can even jump into the river to cool off at Rock Bottom, the historic swimming hole just downstream of the town along the MVT section. 

As always, please respect the core trail rules: stay on the trail, ensure your pets are leashed, and do not leave litter or poop bags. If you're considerate of the landowners, there will be more opportunities to grow and maintain the network for many more years to come.

Almonte Riverside Trail now open to Mill of Kintail

After complaining about the dismal singletrack options in the Ottawa area in 2010, I got busy solving the problem and am happy to say that there's now 8km of new trail from Almonte to the Mill of Kintail. The main trail (flagged blue) is about 7km one way, and there's a 700m loop (flagged green) in the middle which goes down to a picturesque set of rapids on the Mississippi River. After cutting the first 4km by myself, local rider Phil Maier did a ton of work to help clear and bench the final stretch to Mill of Kintail. There's now a growing group of local hikers and bikers who use the trail every day.

What next? Well, the plan is to extend the trail all the way to Mt. Pakenham and build a trail centre there. This will require the cooperation of many additional landowners and will take at least a few more years. But having the first phase complete is a big milestone and a great local option.

We are also in discussions with the Mill of Kintail to revamp and open their existing trail network to allow (at least partially) mountain biking.

Group rides are typically Thursday nights at 7:00 pm, starting at the Strathburn St. trailhead. Yes, we ride at night, and we also ride all winter. Fat bikes strongly recommended in the shoulder season and on snow. If you walk on the trail, please use snowshoes so you don't create dangerous postholes for other trail users. Skiing is not recommended because the dense bush prevents good snow coverage over many sections.

Singletrack update - more to ride in Almonte area!

Last weekend we did a long day of work on the Almonte Riverside Trail, benching a further 100m or so of new section at the far end and pulling dozens of stumps. It's still pretty rough and needs a lot of hand-work to tune it for riding, but it is rideable and interesting.

This is by far the hardest section of terrain to develop on our planned route to the Mill of Kintail. However, we're almost at the end of the tricky clay ravine section and will soon turn into the next ravine which looks totally different. You go from mature hardwood forest to cedar forest that looks like it's on the West Coast. Extending the trail through this next section should be a lot easier since we won't have many stumps to pull or buckthorn to battle.

Follow along at AlmonteOutdoors.ca. We'll be organizing a trailwork day in the fall once temperatures drop a bit. The plan is to push all the way through to the Mill of Kintail this season, so we can ride our fat bikes in the snow on an exclusive 20+ km return route of single track.

In somewhat related news, my buddy Phil and I recently spent three days riding at Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont. Amazing single track and well worth the trek. The Tallboy performed beautifully and we rode 100+ km and 2400m of elevation gain in the 12 hours of technical riding we did. Good food and beer too. When I have more time, I'll post some pics and vids. There's a group of us going again on September 13-15, so drop me a line if you can meet us there.

Pump Track update - more dirt!

Thanks to Jeff Mills in Almonte, we just scored a few more loads of dirt to enhance the pump track, which admittedly looks a little lame right now. Hey, it was two tri-axle loads of heavy wet clay and that was the best we could do on a hot summer day. No detailed plans yet, but we're going to be busy! Tune in to almonteoutdoors.ca for updates and volunteering opportunities.

Almonte Riverside Trail

After two years of hard work, I'm excited to announce the opening of the Almonte Riverside Trail, a singletrack route for mountain biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing on the edge of Almonte. It's taken months of effort to clear brush, move dead trees, pull prickly ash, dig clay, and build stone bridges over muddy sections. A big thanks goes to the private property owners who've graciously allowed this trail to pass over their land, and to fellow mountain biker Phil Maier who has donated tons of time, materials, and now machinery to carve the trail. With more volunteers now offering their time, we are planning some exciting upgrades and additions to this trail to make it more entertaining for all users.

Even more exciting is the prospect of extending the trail to the Mill of Kintail. I'm in discussions with Mississippi Valley Conservation Area staff and landowners about access over their lands, which if successful could add another few kms to the Riverside Trail.

Check out the map and trail info.

For updates on the trail and more general info on adventure options in the Almonte area, check out our new website. I may move my dualsport updates to Almonte Outdoors so all the fun is in one spot. 

New single track coming soon!

Where does the time go? Somehow I got derailed by work, building a house, and life in general the past two years, and had to pause my single track adventures. So I'm long overdue for something new here, and thought I'd share one of the projects I've been working on since last summer: new single track!

Soon I hope to open to the public a hidden gem of a trail along the Mississippi River just downstream of Almonte. I spent many a long, hot day last summer, fall and (yes) winter hacking through tangled buckthorn and prickly ash, digging up rocks, moving logs, and shoveling loam into what will eventually become some rather buff single track built on the IMBA model. So far I've cleared about 4 km through woods that haven't seen much human traffic in the last hundred years. By the time I'm done, there'll be a 5 km or so point-to-point route from Strathburn Street to James Naismith Way, winding through hardwood and hemlock forest, then sunny fields. The route follows a spectacular limestone bench system along the river valley. I'll be adding a loop in the middle which will give about a 10-12km out-and-back ride or hike from either trailhead, with shorter options for the less intrepid. It's a great route for trail running.

It's not officially open to the public because I still have to create the ends where people can access the main trail without disturbing either of the two private landowners who have generously supported this project. Once that's done I'll be sure to post directions.

Meanwhile, enjoy some teaser-trailer pics of what you'll eventually see along the way.

Oh, and I'm looking for landowner support to help build the next segment connecting James Naismith Way to the Mill of Kintail. Now that would amazing!

New trails

Kinda fell out of the saddle for posts the last while, but I'm back with some good news.

Last year I joined IMBA Canada's Regional Trail Advisory Committee and have been working on developing singletrack opportunities in Lanark County. My vision is to develop a route joining Carleton Place, Appleton, Almonte and Pakenham. While it's an ambitious goal, I believe you need to aim high in these matters and fortunately I've been able to make some great progress in the past few months.

A few weeks ago I presented my idea to the Mississippi Mills Rec Committee and received and encouraging response. It turns out the municipality owns two chunks of land that are open for trail development. One is out in Lavant Township and has just been earmarked for development as horseriding trails. The other is a 1000 acre tract near Mt. Pakenham that currently has no development plan. Council would welcome a proposal to develop walking/biking trails on this land, so that's one thing I'm now working on.

Any proposal for trails would follow the IMBA model of sustainable trail development which is a gold-standard adopted by the likes of Parks Canada. The model covers everything from access issues, liability, master planning, management and trail construction. While it's awfully tempting to just get out there and cut trail, the reality is that part represents only the tip of the iceberg. The real effort is in all the management aspects so landowners and trail users alike are happy with the results.

There are some other exciting trail developments I look forward to announcing once I have more planning in place. Not sure how much I'll get done this summer though. We're building a house and trying to get our current house ready for sale. This and the weather have kept me off two wheels for a while.

Lots more to post but not much time. Stay tuned!

PS, if you know anyone looking for a nicely renovated bungalow in a great neighbourhood of Almonte, contact me!