Sunday, July 13, 2014

Fort Whyte Alive / Carolyn Sifton Trail

Fort Whyte is one of those little gems within the city that some people and families take full advantage of, but many others rarely visit. Like most 'Peggers, I know about Fort Whyte Alive but rarely have I ever gone there and I'm not really sure what they have to offer.

After my run yesterday I still don't really know much about it, but I'm sure I will be going back.

For some reason the Winnipeg Trails website doesn't have a proper map of the trail through Fort Whyte, but there is this map:


.. and there are better maps on the Fort Whyte website.

DESCRIPTION:
I parked at the reception centre, which might have been a bit of a mistake. Firstly, there is a sign saying that you need to report to reception and pay $7. I wasn't clear if you needed to pay just to jog on the trail, especially since it's easily accessible from other city trails, but if you don't pay the sign will make you feel guilty. Secondly, it's difficult to find the south leg of the trail from there because there is a maze of boardwalks and paths to navigate. If I were to do it again I would park south of McGillivray and start at the south trail head.

Anyhow, I only ended up running the longer north leg of the path, which includes a scenic loop called the Carolyn Sifton trail. From that loop the path winds northward until it hits the paved trail along Stirling Lyon Parkway. The total trail length is probably about 5 km, but the part I did was about 3.5 or 7 km return.

The trail is crushed limestone and in good condition. It also weaves and winds quite a bit, even in the open areas, making it less dull than many other city trails.

REVIEW:
It can be busy. You will encounter a variety of cyclists and walkers in groups and on their own, moving at different speeds. It didn't cause any problems for me, but just be aware of others.

The trail is very flat, with the exception of the occasional mound which you can run or walk up to view the surrounding area. Part of if passes by the bison enclosure where you can see the buffalo ... not roam exactly, but ... exist. Still kind of cool.

There is also network of boardwalks and other paths that might not be suitable for running on, but might make a nice walk for cooling down

You will also see small lakes, trees and flowers, and wild grasses. It is nice, but it feels a little awkward running and sweating down a trail where families and tourists are sightseeing.

SCORE: 6/10

GOOD STUFF:
  • decent length and condition
  • stuff to see
  • not straight and boring
  • connects to other city trails
BAD STUFF:
  • lots of people
  • flat
  • might cost you $7
My results. (I wasn't in a running groove this day):


Sunday, July 6, 2014

Bur Oak Trail (Mountain Biking)

I didn't run on any interesting new trails this week, but I returned to one of my favourite biking trails: the Bur Oak tail in Bird's Hill Park.

Bur Oak is actually three trails in one: a paved walking path, a short off-road bike trail, and a longer and more technical biking trail. Please do not walk on the bike trail. You may snow shoe in the winter, but if you walk on it in the summer you will be run over.

DESCRIPTION/REVIEW
The bike trail was planned and built by a local bike club -- I don't recall which one, but they did a good job. There is a wide variety of terrain and it makes for an interesting ride, especially if you venture off into the more technical loops.

You will find long, flat straightaways, twisty turny sections with exposed tree roots and rocks, sandy areas, muddy areas (depending on the weather) and some really fun roller-coaster stuff.

You can get a hint of the variety in the terrain from my Garmin stats, if you look at the speed graph. There are some areas where I was zipping along at almost 30 km/h and some where I was grinding at less than 10:


Even though there is only 13 m of elevation change on the course you are going up and down quite a bit in some areas. It's not a super technical ride, but wear your helmet. You could clip a tree with your handle bar or catch a rock the wrong way and go for a tumble.

It's a nice length too. At 6.8 km (4 miles) it's not long, but gives you a good half hour ride. If that's not enough, do the same loop in reverse direction for a good hour long work out -- depending on how fast you ride. If you're a little tired, take one of the short-cuts to bypass the technical areas and shorten the loop.

After you're done, grab a drink from the cooler in your car and walk the paved trail to cool down, or drive to the nearby beach.

It's the best off-road biking trail in the vicinity of Winnipeg in my opinion

SCORE: 9/10

GOOD STUFF:
  • great variety of terrain
  • good length for a morning or afternoon spin
  • possible wildlife sightings
  • beach nearby to cool off and walking trail right there for a relaxing stroll after the ride
BAD STUFF:
  • need a park pass
  • more elevation change would be nice
I don't have any photos from today, but I will post again about this trail. Meanwhile here is a photo from last fall: