Kichi Sibi Winter Trail
Very windy at the pink hour, white caps on the Ottawa river, the wind from the west pushed me easily up the hills. For classic the conditions were excellent. I used my good skis, wax was perfect, glide was amazing. Surprisingly the classic tracks were the best I have used on the SJAM so far this winter. Some drifts to ski through. However the snow on the wide walking path was hard packed and unforgiving. Very firm the centre lane for skate ski was very hard due to traffic and wind had blown the fresh snow off the trail as our SJAM groomers had captured this morning on Twitter.
The Kichi Sibi Winter Trail is a groomed multi-use winter trail that stretches along the Ottawa River Capital Pathway, from the Lebreton Flats just west of Parliament Hill to Dominion Station. The trail welcomes all users whether they are walkers, skiers, runners, snowshoers or fat bikers.
Two tracks are set for classic cross country skiers. Between these tracks, the trail is groomed for snowshoers, walkers, runners, skate skiers and bikers. The walking track follows the existing pathway’s route. Serpentine loops increase the distance to the ski track at the Selby Plains and Remic Rapids greenspaces and at open lands adjacent to the War Museum and Champlain Bridge, for a total trail length of more than 16 kilometres. Points of interest along the trail include the Westboro Beach tobogganing hill, the John Ceprano rock sculptures and the café at the War Museum.
The trail is easily accessed. Running parallel to the O-Train Confederation Line, convenient connections to public transit are available at: Pimisi, Bayview and Tunney’s Pasture stations. Buses run to Dominion Station (future Kìchì Sìbì LRT station) as well. Parking spots are located at Westboro Beach, Champlain Park and the Canadian War Museum.
