Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby orleansrunner1962 » Thu Feb 21, 2013 3:23 pm

carm wrote:
orleansrunner1962 wrote:
carm wrote:
orleansrunner1962 wrote:
carm wrote:
MikeM wrote:Bumping this thread up for reference since I'm hoping to get in some more trail running once the snow clears in prep for some of my races this year. Hopefully this'll even be the year that I get to the Gats for a few runs. I'll probably be leaning heavily on the Greenbelt trails between Bruce Pit and Kanata that Strider mentioned above though.

Funny, I never did sign up for the Mt Orford race that I mentioned above, although I ran the Fat Ass Trail Run in Batawa that year instead.


I'd like to join you this spring. I'm hoping to do a shorter distance in the Health & Adventure series in early summer and maybe even the Wakefield Covered Bridge 1/2 in early May. :)


Me too, me too!


Sylvie: Did you ever write a RR for your race last year? How was it?


I didn't write an RR - I liked the race a lot .... good organization -- small race..... tough race..... you start off right away with a steep ascent, then some nice trail running, then a paved section for 2 km or so on the paved Gatineau parkway, and then back in the trails..... there are a few pretty decent climbs, so don't expect to PR and at half distance :D I will likely do it again this year if it fits in to the last weeks of my training before Sulphur. I remember that there was some hot chili afterwards as well which was a nice touch. :D


Hmm, maybe another year. I'm looking to do something more in the 2 hour range so a road 1/2 or a 12-15K off-road, I suppose. When will you start trail running for your long runs again?


ASAP -- as soon as the trails are compacted enough to get out there -- with the snow we've been getting, the trails have not been runnable.... will let you know for sure!!
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby NMG » Fri Feb 22, 2013 11:29 pm

Oh man, all this talk of trail running makes me wish Spring was here!!!!!

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Strider » Sat Feb 23, 2013 6:46 am

I'll post back here when I start back on the NCC trails. They are fairly runnable sometimes in the winter, but with the snow/melt/freeze we have had the footing has been a little crappy (rolling ankle crap). We could meet up and I could give you a tour. Come spring I will be kicking ngcaper butt to get out there, so misery loves company.

MikeM, there are always the trails off 2nd line too you can run on. I have gotten in a couple of 2.5-3 hrs snowshoe runs there this winter.

Heading up to Wolf this morning for 2.5hrs, likely be in snowshoes for the whole things (ngcaper, that is why I didn't email you), or microspikes, but that too when there is a lot of foot traffic "could" be run in the winter in trail shoes. Will report back.

Oh and for the record. 13 weeks till Sulphur and 14 Weeks till Kettle Moraine. Yikes! (think that is right)
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby ngcaper » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:07 am

I am waiting impatiently, but a little butt kicking never hurts.

Its uncanny how well Strider knows these trails. I'd be completely turned around and he'd be standing in the middle of a 4way intersection telling me where every direction goes, and what type of trail it is.

I'm about to head out for 35 ugly road km. If I loop this town once more I'll have a permanent path worn into the pavement/sidewalks. I think I know where ever stick, rock, tree, snow flake currently rests. Gatineau sounds more and more pleasing as the winter wears on.

13/14wks to SS & Kettle...wow my schedule still looks so far out, but infact it isn't very far away.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby ngcaper » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:12 am

ngcaper wrote:I am waiting impatiently, but a little butt kicking never hurts. If Wolf is even semi-passable with a set of icetrax I'll be excited. No worries about not pinging. I'd kill myself there on snowshoes anyway.

Its uncanny how well Strider knows these trails. I'd be completely turned around and he'd be standing in the middle of a 4way intersection with no signage telling me where every direction goes, and what type of trail it is. I swear he was navigating by the position of the sun.

I'm about to head out for 35 ugly road km. If I loop this town once more I'll have a permanent path worn into the pavement/sidewalks. I think I know where ever stick, rock, tree, snow flake currently rests. Gatineau sounds more and more pleasing as the winter wears on. I thankfully am heading to Portland then Seattle for 8 days, then back to NYC early March. Hoping to get some runs out there in Forrest Park.

13/14wks to SS & Kettle...wow my schedule still looks so far out, but infact it isn't very far away.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby NMG » Sat Feb 23, 2013 9:21 am

For the most part, I've tended to focus on the Stony Swamp section of the NCC greenbelt trails. I like them because they are very close to my house and I can sneak out for a nice 5-6K loop after work or if I don't have time to do a longer run. There are three trails that I typically run:

1) Jack Pine Trail: You can park at P11 off West Hunt Club or P9 off of Moodie. There are a number of trails in this section, but they are all sort of contained within a loop of around 6K. The trail is pretty flat, with some very gentle rolling sections. You'll see a variety of terrain in this spot. There are spots underneath tree cover as well as lots of open sections, including one alongside a nice marsh in the Spring/Summer (it dries up by the fall). The trail is mainly dirt, but there are also sections where you are running on flat rock and there are a couple of nice bridges as well (the pic in my avatar is from there). The less exposed sections are typical greenbelt trail with exposed rock and tree roots. It's not overly technical, but there are enough obstructions that you still have to pay attention to where you are and you have to watch your footing. I really like this trail because of the varying scenery within the same short run.

2) Old Quarry Trail: For this one you park at P6 off of Eagleson Road, right across from the Hazeldean Mall. This is another loop between 5-6K, but I'd say the terrain is more consistent than the Jack Pine Trail. There is one section where you run on a boardwalk alongside a marsh and at times in the summer it can be deafening from all of the frogs calling. That's pretty neat actually. The trail winds it's way through the forest and you'll also have a section on a gravel access road. This trail is nice in the summer because with the exception of the access road, it's very shaded and you can escape the sun. At dusk this can be a double edged sword though, as it can make it tough to pick up the roots and subtle changes in the trail. Like the Jack Pine Trail, it's not overly technical, but there are definitely sections that can put you on the ground if you aren't careful. Been there and done that, LOL. One highlight of this trail is the wildlife. I'd venture a guess that I see deer 65% of the time I run this trail (they are often within 30 feet of you) and I've also seen garter snakes, porcupines and wild turkey's. It doesn't feel quite as isolated as Jack Pine, but it's still a very nice trail to run.

3) Trail 24: This one you can access via Richmond Road at P6. I don't know if this trail has an actual name to be honest! Anyway, this is a shorter trail than the other two, but it is also the most difficult of the three from a terrain point of view, at least on the trail section. The trail section is narrower, it winds allot and there are buckets of rocks and side hills to tangle you up. It's also very scenic though and there are parts of the trail that just sort of pull you through the forest in a meandering way. I usually find this one too short to run on it's own (it's only 3-4K if memory serves me correctly), but it does let you connect up to the Old Quarry Trail via a larger access road/trail. If you do them both, then you are looking at a roughly 10K loop, which makes for a nice run.

As with most of the greenbelt trails, you could access all these sections as one continuos journey if you wanted to. You would have to go into other greenbelt sections that I haven't ventured into yet, but the connections are there and you just have to cross the odd road to do it. I suspect you could easily do a really nice 20K loop in the West End if you wanted to. Along with more time in the March Highlands (that's a REALLY NICE area) and Gatineau Park, I think I should put that on the to do list for 2013.

This is a great thread!!!!

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Strider » Sat Feb 23, 2013 1:52 pm

Well that didn't go exactly as I had planned only mamaged 13.5km in 2:05 (yikes) 1) The parking lot at Wolf was closed, so I parked at P12 and ran to P13 (1.2km) with Snowshoes. 2) Found out when I got there that the Wolf was closed due to storm damage on Dec 21st. There were some "tracks" so i figured I was there I would see how it went. It was tough. Lots of bush whacking and fallen trees (really sad actually) some parts I was able to run, others were tough hikes. Could only make it so far on either of the two routes up so did a few out and backs. Not much mileage, but lots of effort and climbing so happy with the day. Glad I didn't surrender to the trail.

Video of part of the trail


Image

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby MikeM » Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:37 pm

Strider wrote:MikeM, there are always the trails off 2nd line too you can run on. I have gotten in a couple of 2.5-3 hrs snowshoe runs there this winter.



Finally tried those this morning. Only ran about 5k/30min on an inner loop for today but I'll be back for many more runs throughout the summer and fall.

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Strider » Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:35 pm

MikeM wrote:
Strider wrote:MikeM, there are always the trails off 2nd line too you can run on. I have gotten in a couple of 2.5-3 hrs snowshoe runs there this winter.



Finally tried those this morning. Only ran about 5k/30min on an inner loop for today but I'll be back for many more runs throughout the summer and fall.


So nice that there are trails signs up there now. I hope to be back on them in a couple of weeks. You can get a little turned around in places, but most of the time is it only for a couple of km's. I ran there in a hard rain once and got totally fracked up, no idea where I was and nothing looked "right".
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby MikeM » Wed Jun 05, 2013 10:03 am

Strider wrote:
MikeM wrote:
Strider wrote:MikeM, there are always the trails off 2nd line too you can run on. I have gotten in a couple of 2.5-3 hrs snowshoe runs there this winter.



Finally tried those this morning. Only ran about 5k/30min on an inner loop for today but I'll be back for many more runs throughout the summer and fall.


So nice that there are trails signs up there now. I hope to be back on them in a couple of weeks. You can get a little turned around in places, but most of the time is it only for a couple of km's. I ran there in a hard rain once and got totally fracked up, no idea where I was and nothing looked "right".


I was impressed with the amount of signage. I just need to look at the name of the bigger loop on the map for next time.

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby ngcaper » Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:33 am

Were are said trails on 2nd Line...I thought 2nd Line ended at Cabin Road outside of Osgoode, and I drive by there frequently and see no trails anywhere. I'm guessing there's another 2nd line in the city I don't know of. This city confuses me some days...I guess it's the amalgamation of many areas carrying historic road names.

Oh to be a paramedic/police/fire that needs to run to a scene when there's multiples of the same name. Not as though their jobs aren't tough enough already.

If I go east of where I'm located it goes in order...4th line, 3rd line 1st line, 2nd line, 5th line and so on...hehehehe. Figure that out.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby MikeM » Thu Jun 06, 2013 11:51 am

ngcaper wrote:Were are said trails on 2nd Line...I thought 2nd Line ended at Cabin Road outside of Osgoode, and I drive by there frequently and see no trails anywhere. I'm guessing there's another 2nd line in the city I don't know of. This city confuses me some days...I guess it's the amalgamation of many areas carrying historic road names.

Oh to be a paramedic/police/fire that needs to run to a scene when there's multiples of the same name. Not as though their jobs aren't tough enough already.

If I go east of where I'm located it goes in order...4th line, 3rd line 1st line, 2nd line, 5th line and so on...hehehehe. Figure that out.


This is the 2nd Line between the new Terry Fox extension and Old Carp Road in Kanata.

http://ottawamba.org/cms/march-highlands-map/

Street names in Ottawa are definitely a mess in places. They seem to be working on it though. DW's sister lives on what used to be 9th Line in Carlsbad Springs but is being renamed Thunder Road. Tempting spot for a Springsteen fan, if I ignore the crazy long commute and the fact they may put a dump down the street :).

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby ngcaper » Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:34 pm

NICE...another spot a bit closer than Gatineau. So who wants to volunteer to show me around? Strider/Mike/someone else? Both? All of you? :)

If I could find a nice 20-30k route it would be awesome to add another spot to the list. March Rd doesn't come with the added Quebec cheap beer options...but it saves me gas so its a wash.

It appears if you started at Klondike and did the outter most loop you can get in a good long run. I particularly want to go to Dogs Breakfast :)
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Nicholas » Thu Jun 06, 2013 2:52 pm

MikeM wrote:This is the 2nd Line between the new Terry Fox extension and Old Carp Road in Kanata.

http://ottawamba.org/cms/march-highlands-map/

Just need to watch out for the mountain bikers that inhabit that area in full force..and not getting lost in the woods out there.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Strider » Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:22 am

ngcaper wrote:NICE...another spot a bit closer than Gatineau. So who wants to volunteer to show me around? Strider/Mike/someone else? Both? All of you? :)


Give me a couple more weeks recovery and I'll drag you around there. Trail head/entrance is about a 4km from my place, we can run from our front door and with the out and back, get in a good 30km no problem. Outback is the longest, most technical loop. Also it is best that you get to know it in the summer because we'll be doing a few long snowshoe runs there this coming winter :). We can talk next Saturday.

I might have some beer, hot tub, and pool for post run too.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby ngcaper » Fri Jun 07, 2013 6:37 am

SOLD!!! Although with beer, hot tub and pool I may struggle to even leave your place :)
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby NMG » Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:10 am

I did a couple of runs in that area last year and it was awesome. I almost broke my ankle the first time out, but what the heck, LOL. It's simply gorgeous in there and I was really surprised by the terrain and some of the elevation changes. It's an awesome spot for sure.

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Postby Strider » Fri Jun 07, 2013 12:05 pm

NMG wrote:I did a couple of runs in that area last year and it was awesome. I almost broke my ankle the first time out, but what the heck, LOL. It's simply gorgeous in there and I was really surprised by the terrain and some of the elevation changes. It's an awesome spot for sure.


Yeah there are some pretty technical sections (rocks and roots and twists and turns) - You learn to pick your feet up for sure.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby MikeM » Mon Jun 10, 2013 12:51 pm

Strider wrote:
ngcaper wrote:NICE...another spot a bit closer than Gatineau. So who wants to volunteer to show me around? Strider/Mike/someone else? Both? All of you? :)


Give me a couple more weeks recovery and I'll drag you around there. Trail head/entrance is about a 4km from my place, we can run from our front door and with the out and back, get in a good 30km no problem. Outback is the longest, most technical loop. Also it is best that you get to know it in the summer because we'll be doing a few long snowshoe runs there this coming winter :). We can talk next Saturday.

I might have some beer, hot tub, and pool for post run too.


I'm probably not the guy to show you around (based on my accidentally turning a planned 45-60 min run into 1.25 hrs this morning but I'd love to come with you guys if you're heading out there (just trying to invite myself for the run, not the beer :) ).

I ran out to Ridgetop/Cannonball Run this morning and might have done part of Outback too when I got turned around. I didn't see as much signage back there.

NMG, I jammed my ankle a couple of times on my first run in there too. Luckily nothing serious. :)

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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby jes » Mon Jun 10, 2013 1:11 pm

Me too, me too!!!

(as long as you'll wait for me at major intersections of the trail so you don't lose me entirely :)
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby NMG » Mon Jun 10, 2013 6:46 pm

It sounds like we need to organize a trail run meet up at the March Highlands! I'll volunteer to bring the first aid kit :lol:

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Postby ngcaper » Mon Jun 10, 2013 7:07 pm

I'm in as well...anyone care to join 20k on Sunday? My schedule calls for 35 Saturday, 16 Sunday but not sure I'm ready to try that distance yet until I'm 100% on the knee...so thinking 25/20 for the weekend. With 25 on Osgoode trailway Saturday morning with the misses yelling mush mush behind me on her bike, and the 20...well it'll either be NCC trails at Old Quary or this.
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Strider » Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:45 am

ngcaper wrote:I'm in as well...anyone care to join 20k on Sunday?


After BBQ Saturday? Sunday is Father's day too BTW. I'm am in for some of it. Not sure if I will have 20km in me yet. But I know my way around and can loop back.
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Postby ngcaper » Tue Jun 11, 2013 6:27 am

I'm game for anything...but maybe before BBQ? If I have a beer at BBQ and stuff my belly it may be tough to run.

Ps. That is one intense looking picture...was that at the 99k mark :)
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Re: Gatineau Park & Ottawa area trail runs - Add yours!

Postby Strider » Tue Jun 11, 2013 7:01 am

ngcaper wrote:I'm game for anything...but maybe before BBQ? If I have a beer at BBQ and stuff my belly it may be tough to run.

Ps. That is one intense looking picture...was that at the 99k mark :)


BBQ is your place Saturday, isn't it? We won't stay late so you have to digest and hydrate.

Actually the picture was at about 35km after the first pass through the Open Meadow Sauna...tough day
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