Ask any mountain biker in Ontario what the province’s best mountain bike trail system is, and you’ll likely get a different answer. Some will say Hydrocut in Kitchener Waterloo, others the Don Valley in Toronto.
Ask me that question, and you’ll get Durham Forest. Here’s why!
Why Durham forest?
So, why does Durham Forest offer Ontario’s best mountain bike trails?
While not as built out as Hydrocut or as extensive as the Don Valley, Durham finds a perfect balance of length and variety. This balance, combined with the connections to nearby Dagmar, Walker Woods, and Glen Major, only ups this, letting you link these locations into a nearly unbeatable foursome of varying trail types, topography, and scenery. Put great trail building, continuous trail maintenance, and a bustling riding scene on top of everything, and Durham Forest is hard to beat.
Let’s dive into some more details.
Durham Forest’s Four Standout Features
For starters, the flow.
Simply put, there are 20+ kilometres of continuous singletrack, perfectly linked together, with no interruptions – it’s incredible. No janky doubling back and no awkward intersections and meeting points. Just one trail flowing into the next. And with great signage, you always know where you’re going.
For me, someone that likes to put their head down and grind, this is a dream. I’ve yet to find another trail system in Ontario that links this amount of trails together as well as Durham Forest.
Second, the terrain.
If you’re a climber who likes punchy climbs and tight switchbacks, Durham might not be your favourite (cough cough…check out “Albion Hills: The Complete Ontario Mountain Biking Experience” to learn more about the classic cross country trails there). But if you like to go fast, riding smoothly as you weave through rolling terrain and trails that follow the natural contours of the ground, then Durham is it.
It’s hard to find another area that offers the feeling of floating through the woods, almost like you’re skiing, the way Durham does. It’s a near-perfect combination of handbuilt flow, natural roots and rocks, straightaways, tight chicanes, rolling hills, and sustained ascents and descents. Take your pick of contrasting trail types, combine them, and you have the magic of Durham Forest. Hats off to the trail builders; they’ve figured it out.
Third, the trail material.
Sounds odd, but the trails at Durham are sandy, meaning quick drainage. As we all know, it’s wet a lot of the time in Ontario. Spring thaw, summer thunderstorms, and fall rains wreak havoc on clay or topsoil-heavy trail systems, often leaving them unrideable for days. But with Durham being sandy, the system drains quickly. It is rideable within a few hours, even after the heaviest of thunderstorms and torrential downpours.
So, here is the inside scoop – if you’re looking for a ride after heavy rainfall – head to Durham. It’s one of the only places that will be rideable, and to be honest, it rides the best after heavy rain.
PS! Palgrave is a trail system that also drains incredibly well, providing another options for post-rain rides. You can read my post, “Palgrave Mountain Biking: Riding the Roller Coaster of Caledon” to learn more.
Fourth, the accessibility.
While this could apply to any of the nearby trail systems (Dagmar, Walker Woods, Glen Major), it’s Durham Forest that acts as the centrepiece of the four. With so much accessibility to other trail systems, you can easily take a 20km ride just in Durham Forest and turn it into a 60km, 80km, or even 100km ride across the other systems if you want to get creative. This amount of accessibility from one point is pretty impressive and offers any type of riding day you could dream of.
But the real reason I love the accessibility is that it thins the crowds out. Even on the busiest days, when the parking lots and shoulders of the roads are overflowing, the trails at Durham Forest never feel overly busy or suffocating like many others in Ontario. It’s rare to get stuck behind a group of slow riders or feel like you’re constantly battling through crowds. With four trail systems and 100+km of trails in striking distance, the mass of people gets dispersed quickly, leaving the trails quite empty and your ride relatively uninterrupted.
In the end, it’s truly the combination of these four standout features that lets you start to make the argument of Durham Forest having the best mountain bike trails in Ontario.
After you’re done here, you can learn more about Dagmar by reading my post, “Dagmar Mountain Biking: One of Ontario’s Best Mountain Bike Trail Networks“.
The Best Mountain Bike Trails at Durham Forest
You’ve made it to this point, which I hope means you’re on your way to Durham Forest the next chance you get. So, let’s highlight a few of my favourite trails to make sure you don’t miss them!
Sliders
The best descent trail at Durham Forest, Sliders is a smooth, fast, flowy downhill trail. Starting at nearly the highest point of Durham Forest and descending to the valley bottom, you’re provided with 48m or 157ft of downhill fun. Pedal five minutes back to the top, and you can ride it again!
By the way, if you’re looking for more great descent trails like Sliders, consider visiting Copeland Forest. The descents are 3-5 times longer than Sliders and an absolute blast. You can learn everything you need to know by reading my post, “Copeland Forest Mountain Biking: A Simcoe County Classic“.
Ogre and Out
Ogre and Out provides a ton of variety packed into a 6-minute trail. Open and fast sections, tight and twisty sections, a few technical climbs – gravel, sand, pine straw – it has it all.
Knotty But Nice
A one-of-a-kind trail at Durham Forest, Knotty But Nice is filled with wooden features like elevated boardwalks and bridges. These unique features and proximity to Ogre and Out make it a can’t-miss trail!
The 5 Bs
The 5 Bs isn’t a trail itself but rather the collection of four trails: Little Butter, Big Butter, Bowes Too, and Burnt Toast – Bowes II. No section of Durham Forest links trails together better than here, and with the hilliest terrain in this section of the forest, you really get to enjoy the trail building and its use of the terrain’s natural contours. Since it’s a group of trails and not just one, this is a must-ride if you’re visiting Durham Forest. Click on the trail names above to discover each of the four.
Bonus: Superfly Alley
Superfly Alley is a bonus entry simply because it isn’t for everyone. Still, if it is your type of trail, it may become your favourite at Durham. The system’s most technically challenging trail is a contrasting mix of steep downhills and extremely punchy climbs. Where most trails bench cut across the valley wall, Superfly Alley dives down and jumps back up, like a rollercoaster carving its own path through the forest. If you’re not a confident rider, proceed with caution – I’ve come across many people walking their way out of this one.
By the way, Durham Forest’s entire trail network is rideable in the winter on fat bikes! To learn more about fat biking and everything it has to offer, read our post, “What is a Fat Bike? Plus 12 Pros & Cons of Fat Biking!“
My Recommended Route Through Durham Forest
Sure, you can jump onto Trailforks and try to find the most popular routes around Durham Forest. But that’s time-consuming and not a surefire way of finding a good ride. So, let me share with you what 50+ rides at Durham Forest have taught me regarding which route is the absolute best!
Starting Point
I prefer to start at the main parking lot off Concession Road 7, just south of Goodwood Road. While it can be busy and finding parking isn’t always a guarantee, it provides the quickest access to the trail network. I also enjoy the buzz of people milling around, each excited to get out and ride.
Sometimes it’s nice to start a ride in peace and quiet, but other times it’s fun to enjoy the atmosphere that comes with a bunch of people loving the same thing you do. Also, regardless of what direction you ride, the trails start with a nice climb, providing a great warm-up that gets the blood flowing and your body ready for the rest of the ride.
Alternative Starting Points
If you are looking for a less busy/more peaceful starting point, or simply want to switch up the start of your ride, you can consider these alternative entrances.
Trail Hub
The opening of Trail Hub has added an abundance of parking to the area. The lot is on the north side of Chalk Lake Road, roughly 5 km south of the Concession Road 7 lot. Parking here adds a bit of distance to the southern trail entrance, but it does give you direct access to Trail Hub and its many amenities. So, if you’re looking for a cold beer, hot food, or bathroom facilities before and after your ride, I’d recommend starting your ride here!
Walker Woods/Houston Road Entrance
Just south of the main lot, this is another good starting point. It can be nearly as busy as the main lot, so don’t always expect it to be empty and quiet. That said, it essentially provides you with the same riding route as the main parking lot entrance, so if you have a route you want to follow that starts at the main lot, but there’s no parking available, this is a good alternative starting point.
Buzek Lane Entrance
Although not accompanied by an official parking lot (you’re more just parking at the end of the road/on the shoulder), this is a great entrance at the very southern end of Durham Forest. It’s typically very quiet and a great place to park if you want to hang out before or after your ride.
East Gate Entrance
A secondary lot on the east side of the forest, the east gate entrance is lesser-known and therefore less busy than the main lot. It provides direct access to Ogres and Out, one of my favourites, so if you’re looking to get right into your ride with an enjoyable trail, this is an excellent place to start your ride.
Clockwise or Counterclockwise?
Durham Forest, sans COVID-19 restrictions, lets you ride the trails in both directions (short of a few one-way/primarily downhill trails like Sliders). If you’re just starting out at a trail system that offers two way trails, the question usually becomes what direction to start in? In Durham Forest’s case, that means do I go clockwise or counterclockwise?
Personally, I prefer the counterclockwise direction. It links up better than going clockwise and provides better flow overall. Additionally, you get a really nice climb off the start (follow Poison Ivy to Scratchy S to Oakie-Dokie), followed by some rewarding downhills like Sliders. The trails then ebb and flow for a while before you get to the end of your ride, consisting of the 5Bs, some of the best trails in the network. I always like to finish on a high note, so ending with the 5Bs is my preferred finale before getting back to the car.
That said, it all comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer clockwise, some counterclockwise, and some prefer switching it up and alternating. If it’s your first time at Durham Forest, I recommend going counterclockwise. If you come back a second time, try clockwise and see if you prefer it.
I’ve learned not to get too stuck on riding trails in specific directions or orders – switching it up is fun. Trails ride entirely differently depending on the direction ridden, which can add a lot of variety to your rides.
Additional Riding Options
I won’t go into too much detail about all the alternative options you can add to your ride, or else I would be here forever. Still, here are some great options you can add to your ride.
Walker Woods Add-On
Walker Woods offers smooth, fast, flowy, and relatively wide doubletrack trails. This is a good option if you’re looking to get some fun, wide-open downhills into your ride. The quickest way to get to Walker Woods from Durham Forest is via Bell Tower trail.
Glen Major Add-On
Just south of Walker Woods, Glen Major offers a great variety of trails, with some unique, picturesque climbs and twisty, technical downhills too. If you’re already in Walker Woods, continuing south into Glen Major via multiple connector options is an easy choice.
Dagmar Add-On
Walker Woods and Glen Major are great options that offer a ton of fun, but they are mixed-use trails not specifically built for mountain biking. On the other hand, Dagmar features purpose-built mountain bike trails and offers better trail building, flow, and technical features than Walker Woods or Glen Major. If you’re going to add-on one area to your Durham Forest ride, it should be Dagmar.
Coming from Durham Forest, the quickest way to Dagmar is via the connector trail to Buzek Lane followed by a quick ride west on Chalk Lake Road to the entrance of the Chalk Lake Road Access trail.
My Favourite Ride at Durham Forest
So, what does my favourite ride through Durham Forest look like? It looks like this!
*Strava preview used because it looks better. Use Trailforks to follow the route!
Want to follow along next time you’re at Durham Forest?
If you have Trailforks downloaded on your phone, you can click on this link to follow my route.
Don’t have Trailforks downloaded? You can find download links for both iOS and Android here.
Follow my featured ride and let me know if you think these are the best mountain bike trails in Ontario. I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Trailforks
I highly recommend downloading Trailforks and using it during rides at new and unfamiliar trail systems. Even with great signage, which direction or trail to turn onto next isn’t always clear. By having Trailforks, especially if you’re following a predefined route, that problem disappears and you’ll quickly know where to go during your ride.
Strava
If you don’t know already, Strava is a fantastic app if you’re interested in tracking your rides. It not only lets you compare yourself to your previous rides, but it also let’s you see how you stack up compared to others riding the same trails as you. For those of you that are competitive, this is a lot of fun. You can download Strava here.
My Final Thoughts
I’ve ridden a lot of different trail systems throughout Ontario, yet I find myself drawn back to Durham Forest time and time again. Why? Because it’s always a good time and that good time isn’t hard to find. With great trail building and maintenance, a bustling riding scene, and100+ kilometres of varying trail types accessible from a single starting point, all you have to do is get yourself to the parking lot and onto your bike. From there you loose yourself to the trails, immersed in everything the forest and its surroundings have to offer. For many of us who ride to get away from it all, this is the ultimate testament to a trail system, and its the reason why I think Durham Forest offers the best mountain bike trails in Ontario.
– Garrett
Pros
+ Great variety of trails
+ Unbeatable flow
+ Disperses traffic well
+ Top-notch trail building and trail maintenance
+ Lots of accessibility to other trail systems
+ Drains well
+ One of the best mountain bike trails close to Toronto
Cons
– Trails can become overly sandy during prolonged dry conditions
– Parking can be hard to find during busy days
– Trails being mixed use can lead to run-ins with hikers and equestrians
Stats
Singletrack Length: 20+ KM
Doubletrack Length: 20+ KM
Total Trails: 91
Trail Type: Fast and Flowy
Average Trail Rating: 4/5 Stars
Trail Difficulties: Doubletrack (16), Green (33), Blue (37), Black (5)
Best Trail: Ogres and Out
Max Elevation Change: 64M or 210ft
Terrain Type: Sand Mix
Skill: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Facilities: Parking Lot, Map Boards, Directional Signage
Cost: Free
Local Association: Durham Mountain Bike Association
Other Info: Watch out for hikers (especially in the fall when the leaves are changing), dogs, and horses on the trails – everything is shared.
Great article. Durham is my favorite too. 76 year old on a 20 year old bike and still loving it.
Hey Jim, thank you! That’s incredible – wishing you many more years of great riding!