South March Highlands a thrill for mountain bikers of any skill
BY TONY HOGEVEEN PHOTOS BY DAVID NESBITT
Rock and root, wood and meadow, lake and stream, the South March Highlands are a rugged landscape on top of a Canadian Shield foundation. It’s beautiful and rare and it will steal your heart when first you set foot and wheels in it. It can challenge, and yes, frustrate you, but once you’ve been there, you wouldn’t have it any other way.
The highlands, on the outer edge of Kanata, are a designated conservation area – everygreen and deciduous forest, marshes and beaver ponds – on land owned by the City of Ottawa. The Ottawa Mountain Bike Association has maintained the trail system here for years while working with the City to make the club the official steward of the
highlands and its trails. It has
something for everyone: from
beginners who want to enjoy great rides and hone their skills, to advanced technical riders who want
20 ottawaoutdoors To get there, take March Road north from the 417
to Klondike Road, and turn west to where Klondike ends at Second Line Road. That’s “K2,” the main trailhead.
to challenge their abilities. The trails are arranged in a
“stacked loop” system – the easier trails are near the trailhead, and get progressively more difficult the further in you go.
Here’s a description of the trail
system. You can follow along on the map.
Bearclaw is technically an easy
trail, but has its challenges – flat, with plenty of rocky twists and turns. Rockhopper Jr. is easy, short, and
rocky, passing through grassy areas and connecting to the start of Fast Out. Fast Out has a fast, smooth, easy
nature, with the exception of 30 metres of rough rock armour at its centre. Keep pedalling to maintain your speed and momentum, and you’ll blast through in no time. M-Line is fast and smooth
with a few smallish features
that are a perfect practice area for beginners and fun for more advanced riders to cruise up and over. Near the end of M-Line is a tough rocky descent and climb just before it connects back onto Fast Out. Rockhopper Extension is a fast
smooth descent with one little rock bridge and rooty area – a great trail for beginners.
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