Ottawa by Bike

Bikepacking to The Opinicon

2023-07-22 Distance: 134.76 km Time: 8h 10m (6h 18m moving) Avg. Speed: 21.34 km/h Elevation: 456 m

Decided to go for a weekend one-nighter, visit The Opinicon, and camp at The Rideau Locks. I also got to explore some of the Cataraqui trail.

I got a bit tired of the train trails so I detoured to the road. Today I’ll go back home by a different route.

I couldn’t arrive on time last night, so I’ll try eating at the opinicon today. I also forgot my sleeping pad at home, so I ended up sleeping on the grass. It was less bad than I thought, I fucking love my quilt.

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map of Bikepacking to The Opinicon
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About Ottawa to Carleton Place and Smith Falls:

This route combines some segments of the Trans Canada Trail to provide a very straight gravel experience. This is a great ride for anyone getting started with long distance gravel, since it avoids roads. It's built on previous rail roads. It can get a bit dull at times since it's so straight, so make sure to bring a podcast, some suncreen, and maybe a gatorade!

🍦 I highly recommend stopping for some ice cream in Stittsvile at Jo-Jo's Creameria (no association, but really good ice cream!)

The map provided is 85 km total, one way. The idea is to mix and match however you want. You can get your first century ride going to CP and back, or make a significant step towards it by riding from CP to Smith Falls.

Long distance enthusiasts: If you want a weekend adventure, you can Bikepack to the Opinicon, stay at Chaffey's Lock, and ride back to Ottawa through Merrickville next day.

TCT Segments:

NOTE: Many of the pictures below are part of a longer trip, continuing on the Cataraqui Trail. Sorry about that!

Thanks to Danny Brisson for suggesting this route!

Tour: Bikepacking to The Opinicon

↩ go back to Ottawa to Carleton Place and Smith Falls