Coulson Hill is located at Highway 400 and the 11th Line, 30km south of Barrie. It is across the road from Joe Magani Park and there is a sign that reads "Hardball Diamond #3" where the parking lot is located. It is a Simcoe County Forest which means there is not cost to ride the trails.

I went on a Tuesday and the parking lot was empty when I arrived. According to the bench in the parking lot, they hold a race every Wednesday evening. It would be interesting to know how many riders they get out on a weekly basis.

Coulson Hill has about 10km of trails - most of that being singletrack but with some doubletrack thrown in the mix. There is not a lot of elevation change but the trails are nice and twisty. Arrows are placed at most intersections to tell you where to go. Some are knocked down but they're not really necessary as you can always hear the sound of the 400 and it would be difficult to get lost. There is also a bunch of north shore style man-made obstacles to tackle if are into that type of riding.

I rode for an hour and a half and didn't hit all of the singletrack. It was a lot of fun exploring new trails and I would definitely go back.

Silent Lake is an Ontario provincial park located just south of Bancroft. I camped there this past Canada Day weekend and had an opportunity to ride their mountain bike trail.

Before I talk about the trails, I want to mention that like most provincial parks, the camping at Silent Lake is superb. The majority of sites are of good quality and nicely spaced apart from one another. The lake itself is beautiful and lives up to its name thanks to the ban on motorized boats.

The mountain biking at Silent Lake consists of three loops-7km, 12km and 19km. We rode the 12km loop as it was raining. (Yeah, I know, excuses.) I would describe it as wilderness riding much like the Minnesing Trail in Algonquin Park but not as difficult. Silent Lake is less rocky and I was able to stay on my bike the whole time unlike the Minnesing where walking is required in a number of sections. It is not singletrack. The trails are cross-country ski trials in the winter so are more like doubletrack. There is a small section of singletrack near the campground that is a lot of fun but it is over too quickly.

The trails are well marked but we had some difficulty because we started our ride in the campground and went in the wrong direction, ending up in the main parking lot where the trail actually begins. It all worked out fine though because that was the only singletrack section and we would have missed it otherwise.

The ride was fun despite the cool, wet conditions. If I had been there solely for the mountain biking, I probably would have been disappointed. However, the camping was the primary activity (which was great) and the mountain biking was a nice bonus.

Not many provincial parks in Ontario have mountain biking. Silent Lake is a nice option if you want to camp for the weekend and have an afternoon of decent wilderness riding.

Apparently, a new planning consultant has been selected to take up design duties for the proposed free ride park in Kitchener.

According to a news post on the Waterloo Cycling Club website, there is a town meeting being held on July 11 (pdf) for interested parites (ie. riders) to go out and hear what the planners have to say, show support for the project, and provide feedback.

Let's hope this project keeps moving forward.

As reported by Pedal Magazine and the local media, Hardwood Hills has been sold to the County of Simcoe for 2 million dollars.

The County owns a landfill next door and the owners of Hardwood filed a lawsuit in 2002 claiming the dump was having a negative impact on business and polluting the water table. I can attest that you can smell the landfill when you ride certain trails at Hardwood and it does diminish the experience.

The current owners are continuing to operate Hardwood Hills for the 2007 season and the County is looking for a new investor to run the 300 acre property going forward.

I really hope the land is still used for mountain biking in the future but I'm going to ride there a few times this summer just in case.

I came across this YouTube video that shows some bike messengers racing through the traffic filled streets of New York City. The camera is located on one of the rider's helmets and gives a great first-person perspective. I know this isn't dirt riding but these dudes are crazy and can really handle a bike.

Orillia City Council has voted against running a sewer line through Scout Valley, according to the Packet & Times.

This is a big win for Bob Bowles and the Friends of Scout Valley, who petitioned against the sewer line plan. Here's a well-deserved tip of the hat to them for all their efforts.

Thanks also to Tony W. for giving us the scoop on this issue.

[UPDATE 2007-04-03] I don't understand the vagaries of the Orillia council system, but it sounds like the decision not to put a sewer line through Scout Valley was (somewhat) finalized last night.