Green Belt
Trails Skied: ONSC Trails, Glide Wax: , Grip Wax:
This report is for the new Ski Heritage East trail, which is a shared-use trail that runs along the Ottawa River between the Green's Creek section of the Greenbelt and Petrie Island. This morning I skijored the eastern section from Champlain to just past 10th Line.
Temperature at 8am was -13C, so the trail was icy, hard and fast. With the dogs and fast conditions I barely needed to ski at all, and pretty much double-poled on the skate trail for the entire route. When I tried the classic tracks they were deep and well-formed but very icy. By 9:30 the temperature was up to -8C and sunny, so hopefully the trail will soften up a bit this afternoon and tomorrow.
There is a small parking area at the end of Champlain to access this section of the trail, and you can also get access from Cairine Wilson HS on weekends.
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The National Capital Greenbelt has over 100km of trails and another 25km of recreational pathways, most of which are suitable for cross-country skiing in the wintertime. All of the trails are suitable for beginner and family outings. Some are now maintained by volunteer groomers; OWWT, BWT, SHE, Kichi Sibi.
ONSC grooms The Hornet's Nest (Tauvette street to Montreal Rd), Mer Bleue and Pine Grove Forest (the section off Leitrum Rd). Trails are classic skiing ONLY, no skating is allowed on these trails. The Hornet's Nest is groomed at least weekly and the others as time permits. Updated trail conditions are available at the snow phone; 613-837-SNOW.
