Off of highway 7, on Old Norwood Road in Peterborough lies Harold Town Conservation Area – a growing and diverse network of mountain bike trails. The trails are an old school mix of tight passes and switchbacks, coupled with an ever-increasing number of man-made features that complement the natural terrain.
A top-tip for riders heading to Harold Town and its frequently narrow trails – leave the 780mm “mandlebars” at home! There are many tight switchbacks and trails that dart between narrow gaps in the cedars that are a challenging fit for the widest bars.
The network has something for most intermediate and above riders. There are over 9 different trail segments with lengths ranging from 250 meters to over 2km. In general terms, tight and steep switchbacks bring you up the hills and snaking, flowy downhills bring you back to the bottom. Trails are suited to multiple abilities with 2 “easy” runs, 4 “moderate” runs and 3 “difficult” runs. However take note – absolute beginners may find the steep climbs and tight turns intimidating.
Harold Town, the parks’ namesake, was a Canadian abstract painter and illustrator who lived in Peterborough. In 1994 his estate graciously donated the land to the Otanabee Region Conservation Authority. It wasn’t until sometime around 2012 that the trails were opened up to the public as a mountain-bike destination however many of the trail offshoots are older than that. Today, one month after the official re-opening of the park, there are more than 10km of marked trails.
Riders begin on a trail segment named the Kessel Run (some say that a brave soul once completed this section in 12 parsecs, but that was pre-strava so we’ll never know for sure), which is a flowing 2km across largely flat ground that brings you to the base of the hill. Then comes Uptown, an intermediate trail that works its way up the hill on a pathway reminiscent of the coils of a boa constrictor draped over a tree branch.
The remaining trail segments, which are linked by a doubletrack loop circling the hill in the centre of the park, criss-cross the fall line and make their way up (and down) the available elevation. Riding at a decent pace most riders will be able to explore all of the trails in around one and a half to two hours. Our suggestion for first-timers is to hit, in order, Kessel Run, Uptown, Funyon, Barfa Lounger, Scrumpy (reverse), Laundry Chute, Honeymoon, Pot Shot and then Shack Wacky. On the way out, make sure you make rip back to the parking lot via Screaming Trees; a fast downhill with perfectly constructed berms.
Harold Town trails adhere to International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) standards for fun and sustainability. In other words the trails flow where they should flow, are technical where they should be technical, and are unnecessarily dangerous never. Each trail segment is clearly marked with professional looking signage and difficulty levels are noted. Keeping a trail map handy (either legacy paper or stored on a smartphone) is a good idea, but only to ensure that you are able to properly explore all of the trail segments without duplication. You are not likely to get lost in the Harold Town trails.
Rider: Gordon Wilson; Photographer: Gordon Wilson
The forest itself is beautiful, and a great place to be. A luscious mix of vibrant greenery forms a canopy of blissful isolation over loamy singletrack. An orange blanket of fallen cedar leaves surrounds most of the trail in all directions. Observant trail-users will note the large piles of blue and red colored fluff piles that appear at seemingly random places in the woods. According to local legend, these are remnants of archery targets that were abandoned many years ago.
Rider: David D’Agostino; Photographer: Gordon Wilson
Some of the more technical trail features include piles of fist-sized and larger stones; painstakingly gathered and arranged in formations that will challenge intermediate riders and can easily be incorporated into the flow of more advanced riders. Where the builders found those stones, we will never know – you won’t see them outside of the built features. There are also several man-made wooden features that incorporate large boulders in the trails, as well as some beautiful berms.
Rider: David D’Agostino; Photographer: Gordon Wilson
Harold Town is, at least for the near-term, free to ride. However like all free trails it only exists because of the hard-work of volunteers and donations. If you do ride these trails (and if you are ever in the Peterborough area, you should) reflect on this and perhaps make a donation to the cause. The following link takes you to the Otonabee Conservation Fund – select Harold Town Conservation Area from the pull-down menu and give till it hurts! – https://www.canadahelps.org/dn/18803
TRAIL STATS
Trail Length
10+ KM
Trail Level
For all levels
Trail Type
Single track
Trail Map
Durham Forest trail map:
HaroldTownConservationArea_Trails-Legal Size.pdf
Access fee
No Cost
LOCATION
Closest Town
Peterborough
GPS
Latitude : 44.321544,
Longitude: -78.265134
Weather
Peterborough
MAP
CONTACT INFO
Name
Durham Mountain Bike Association
Phone
n/a
Email
n/a
Website
http://durhammountainbiking.ca
HOURS / SEASONS
Hours of Operation
24-7
Season
Open year round
Riding Feels Good has compiled this information and ensured its accuracy to the best our ability at the time of posting (see date at top). We recommend contacting the facilities directly prior to a ride to ensure it is up to date. We will do our best to update it as regularly as possible but rely on users like you to monitor it and provide corrections and any additional information.
If you have something you would like to add or see a correction that needs to be made, please contact us.
If you have ridden here, please share your experience with a comment bellow.
Happy trails.
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