Time to put in a review of my regular stomping grounds and the area which has had a massive influence in shaping the rider I am, Kanata Lakes (KL).
This area to the West of Ottawa (known as Kanata) has changed quite a bit over the years. I first cut my MTB teeth on the previous trail system ‘Dark Side’ before it fell into private hands. The Terry Fox road extension further carved up our play area but the Ottawa Mountain Bike Club (OMBA) persevered and not only managed to build/maintain an excellent trail system, but managed to forge a strong relationship with the city in the process.
Recently they’ve added a new public work bench along with tools. Pretty cool.
So what to expect at KL? Rocks, roots, pretty much non-stop challenging terrain which will likely kick your ass – or give you a hell of a workout trying to survive. This place is as about ‘East Coast’ as you can get, minus maybe the elevation (max 30-40 feet).
If you can master KL, you can pretty much ride anywhere, seriously. The terrain forces you to look ahead and move/work with it to smoothen the ride (and maintain speeds). Those from the GTA can think of KL as somewhat similar to longer versions of Halton Falls’ tougher areas.
There are some smooth patches, but they don’t last long, and are less frequent as you make your way out to the lower-traffic outer loops of Outback and Ridgetop.
For those looking to ease their way into this network I suggest taking Bear Tree, Porcupine, North Dogsled, PWT east-west, then Bailout (if you’ve had enough), South Dogsled, Mario’s Line. If you’re feeling strong on PWT and are looking for more of a challenge, skip Bailout and take Outback and Ridgetop. Expect to double your ride time if you go that option.
Perhaps somewhat ironically, when the snow comes, KL becomes incredibly buffed and fast. The region’s ample fat bikers and snowshoers do an awesome job packing ~10km of trails to give you insanely fast conditions.
