OVRT (Algonquin Trail):
Petawawa to Chalk River – and beyond - is open!
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| The new section of trail through Garrison Petawawa |
Last December, the next twenty-eight kilometre section of
the OVRT (Algonquin Trail) was opened, from the Petawawa River to a point seven
kilometres north of Chalk River. The official opening took place on May 9th. I biked it yesterday, as far as Chalk River.
It wasn’t what I had expected. This new trail does not follow the route of
the old railbed. Instead, it detours
around the Petawawa Garrison, following a wide, straight tree-lined corridor
for fourteen kilometres, on the north side of Highway 17, before crossing the
highway and rejoining the rail route. Especially
at the northern end of this corridor, the trail becomes a switchback, with
several short, blind hills.
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| A roller coaster ride |
It's a magnificent, lonely route along the edge of the Garrison. There are no public roads along this section of the trail. At one remote point, an ATV stood guard at the entrance to a forest trail, presumably an access point into the Garrison. On my way back along the trail, an army helicopter flew overhead.
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| Back on the old railbed |
There’s not much to see at Chalk River, although the bench outside the front of the Library made an ideal spot to relax and enjoy a snack. There’s a large area of open ground which looks to be some sort of staging area for snowmobiles and ATVs. Luckily I only met a handful of ATVs on the route, and they (perhaps reluctantly) slowed down as they passed by. I saw only one other cyclist.
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| Chalk River |
The surface of stone dust made for enjoyable riding on my bike. It seemed that the trail slopes very gently eastwards, so that my return journey was a speedy one. It might have been harder going on a windy day, but there was not even a gentle breeze today, under the bright sunshine. Faint indications of fall colors were hard to find, especially as the corridor was entirely made up of conifers (or so it seemed).
Many thanks to the County of Renfrew, the Petawawa Garrison,
the snowmobile groups, and several other stakeholders for creating this
exciting next stage in the goal to reach Mattawa (or beyond). I look forward to the next section being
completed – luckily it should be a much less challenging project, assuming that
the trail now continues north along the old railbed. And
thank you for remembering the cyclists in your planning – we really appreciate
it.
A awesome new section of trail - THANK YOU!
The Passionate Hiker (or biker!)
13 September 2025
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