Dagmar Mountain Biking: One of Ontario’s Best Mountain Bike Trail Networks

Amongst the vast network of Durham Region mountain bike trails is Dagmar, a true gem of the area and arguably one of the best mountain bike trail networks in all of Ontario.

Let’s take a look at what makes Dagmar special and why it’s quickly become a favourite riding destination for many Ontario mountain bikers!

What Makes the Dagmar Bike Trails So Good?

After years of uncertainty, the Dagmar bike trails (officially known as the “Dagmar North Trails”) finally re-opened in 2015.

Thanks to DMBA – that’s the Durham Mountain Bike Association – and hundreds of volunteers, Dagmar was once again offering mountain biking, adding another area to the vast Durham Region trail network. 

The opening of the Dagmar bike trails (officially known as the “Dagmar North Trails”) was a welcome moment for Ontario mountain bikers and met with a lot of excitement amongst the mountain bike community.

Why so much excitement, you ask? 

Well, unlike many other trail networks in Ontario, the Dagmar bike trails were designed specifically for mountain bikers by mountain bikers, with little-to-no accommodations made for hikers or equestrians (the ones on the horses). 

This meant trails were built for maximum fun on a mountain bike, offering a completely unique riding experience and one that is far from the norm of most Ontario mountain bike trail networks.

In essence, the trails are tighter than normal, twistier than normal, and have more features than normal – all a welcome sight to mountain bikers but features that may be less appealing to those hiking or riding a horse.

The Dagmar bike trails are great for the same reason The Hydrocut trails in Kitchener Waterloo are great – they are 100% purpose-built for mountain bikers and mountain bikers only. No doubletrack for horses or unnecessary grade reversals for hikers, just pure mountain bike goodness!

Beginner or experienced, any mountain biker can appreciate that, and it’s a huge contributing factor to why Dagmar mountain biking has become so popular.

Riding the Dagmar Bike Trails: An Overview

Alright, you’re stoked. You’re about to ride Dagmar for the first time and can’t wait to get out on these fantastic purpose-built mountain bike trails. Great!

Having ridden the network 30+ times, here are a few pointers to help you make the most of your day.

Where to Start Your Ride

First things first, where do you start your ride from?

Dagmar has two entrances, one on Concession Road 7 here and one on Chalk Lake Road here.

I recommend starting at the Concession Road 7 entrance. It’s a much better ride into the heart of the trails, offering a true singletrack experience that skirts you along the edge of a ravine and has the classic valley side/off-camber trail style with fun side hits and lots of pumpy ups and downs. 

The Chalk Lake Road entrance is essentially a doubletrack trail along the side of a field. Not nearly as fun and really only recommended if you’re looking to add Durham Forest into your ride (if you are, make sure to check out my post, “Durham Forest: The Best Mountain Bike Trails in Ontario?” for everything you need to know).

Where to Park Your Car

The parking options are basically the same regardless of whether you want to enter on Concession Raod 7 or Chalk Lake Road (the two entrances are only a few minutes apart).

The options include:

• Concession Road 7 Trailhead Entrance
  • This is located right at the entrance on Concession Road 7. It’s not an official lot, more of a bump out on the side of the road. It fills up quickly on weekends and only has enough spots for ~15 vehicles. That said, it’s the best access to the Concession Road 7 trailhead and the first spot I check when visiting.

• Chalk Lake Triangle
  • Roughly ~30 seconds north of the Concession Road 7 lot is the Chalk Lake Triangle. Again, it’s an unofficial lot and simply a gravel area between three roads (hence the triangle name). It’s small as well, only holding ~10 cars, but again it’s very close to both entrances and easily accessible. 

• Trail Hub
  • The opening of Trail Hub has added an abundance of parking to the area. The lot is just east of the Chalk Lake Triangle and ~0.5 km north up the driveway. Parking here adds a bit of distance to the trail entrances, 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, I’d recommend parking here.

What Direction to Ride In

The Dagmar bike trails are multi-directional, and with that comes the question of which direction to ride the trail network in.

My recommendation is to ride the network in a counter-clockwise direction. In my opinion, it flows much better, and based on Trailforks’ directional data, is the way most ride the system as well (90%+ in most cases).

This means less chance of head-on collisions and a better riding experience as those who have ridden the network for years have decided that direction is the best.

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What Trails to Ride

The entire Dagmar system essentially rides as one continuous trail thanks to great trail building by DMBA and the heavily mentioned fact that the whole network focuses on mountain bikes.

As such, you will ride nearly every trail in the system simply by following the flow. That said, here are some of my favourite trails at Dagmar that you should keep an eye out for!

Skin & Bones

Skin & Bones is Dagmar showing off its mountain bike prowess. It is a downhill-only trail, with technical rock rolls and skinnies at the top, followed by jumps and steep and winding downhills towards the bottom. It’s the trail people most frequently ask for directions to and one you should undoubtedly ride.

By the way, if you ride Skin & Bones and love it then definitely consider making the trip to Copeland Forest. It has some of biggest vertical of any mountain bike area in Ontario, with several descent trails lasting 3-5 minutes. You can read my post, “Copeland Forest Mountain Biking: A Simcoe County Classic” to learn more!

Biopace Blowout

Right next to Skin & Bones is Biopace Blowout. Unfortunately, that means they don’t connect, but it does make for a fun session to ride one, pedal back up, and then the other.

I actually prefer Biopace Blowout – it’s longer, better built, and to me, offers an all-around better riding experience than Skin & Bones. So, give it a shot and ride it at least once!

Twist and Shout

The name describes this trail exactly – a twisting mess of turns that make you want to shout! It’s a simple trail with no crazy elevation changes or features, but it’s so much fun.

It’s high-speed and super flowy, leaving you with the feeling of floating as you race through the pine forest. I look forward to riding this trail every time I visit Dagmar, and it might be my favourite trail there.

Seven

Every trail network has “that” trail; for Dagmar, Seven is it.

It’s simply your good old classic mountain bike trail – great flow, great dirt, beautiful views, old-growth forest, punchy switchbacks, speedy downhills – it has it all.

What Facilities to Expect

There are no facilities at Dagmar, so don’t be expecting any sort of wash stand, bathrooms, or repair tools. 

It’s pretty bare bones, with a simple map board at the Concession Road 7 entrance and little signage throughout the network. 

As such, I recommend downloading Trailforks if you haven’t already to help you navigate the system.

Trail Hub, a short bike away, offers many of these facilities. So, if you’re looking for more than a quick in-and-out of Dagmar, stop by and check things out!

Other Mountain Bike Systems in the Area

Surrounding Dagmar are three other incredible trail systems: Durham Forest, Glen Major, and Walker Woods.

As such, you can easily ride Dagmar and then move on to any of the other locations to get a full day’s worth of riding in.

As mentioned, my post, “Durham Forest: The Best Mountain Bike Trails in Ontario?” goes into much more detail about Durham Forest and what you can expect riding there. However, it also discusses Glen Major and Walker Woods, providing some unique insights into each of those locations as well. 

I highly recommend reading that post before visiting Dagmar, as it gives an even better overview of Durham Region mountain biking and what you can expect.

That said, here is my preferred ride if I decide to link up the four networks (Durham Forest, Glen Major, Walker Woods, and Dagmar). This ride should give you a sense of how everything flows together!

My Final Thoughts on Dagmar Mountain Biking

Simply put, Dagmar offers a non-stop mountain bike experience. No filler, no double track, and no sharing with others – just a network of pure mountain bike trails seamlessly flowing into one other, magically transporting you through the forest.

This feeling of floating and losing all sense of what’s around you, being completely in the moment, is why I love mountain biking so much and is what Dagmar does so well.

It’s a massive testament to the trail builders and a loud call to all mountain bikers who have yet to visit to come as soon as they can.

– Garrett

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