Mountain Biking for Beginners at Larose Forest

Mountain biking at Larose Forest was SO MUCH FUN! But before I tell you more about the experience, I think it’s important you know a few things about me…

Most importantly, I am a chicken. Like a big one. If there’s even the slightest hint of downhill on a paved bike pathway in the city, I am applying my brakes. And a curve in the path? Or a goose? Egads!

But I do really enjoy the feeling of being on a bike, can bike comfortable for an hour or more, and mountain biking has always looked fun FROM A DISTANCE… So recently we headed out to Larose Forest to try mountain biking on their trails, perfectly suited for beginners. Like me!

Also, a huge shout out to the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association for all the hard work they do creating and maintaining trails in the Ottawa area. OMBA does host group rides, some at Larose Forest so if you’re someone looking to add a social aspect this might be a good fit for you.

Quick Facts

Length: Between 2 and 11 km, depending on the route you choose.
Difficulty: Mostly easy, a few moderate sections. (On a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.375808, -75.242177
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes, on leash.
Cell Reception: Good
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Free, but you do need to have an OMBA membership to ride the trails ($25 per year). If you rent a bike from the Mana Centre, they’ve paid the membership fee for you.

Getting There

There are two main trail networks that can be biked in Larose Forest, near where we started, from either P1 or P7. P1 and P7 are really close to one another, with massive parking lots at either trailhead. There are also porta-potties available at the parking lots, a covered pavilion with picnic tables, and garbage cans.

We biked the trails starting from P1. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.375808, -75.242177.

BUT be aware that the main road has washed out. Use the alternate route of Drouin Road to Chemin Clarence Cambridge to Indian Creek Road in order to get there.

Bike Rental

We chose to bike the trails from P1 for no real reason other than that they were closest to the visitor’s centre. This is where the Mana Centre operates out of. We rented two mountain bikes from them for the afternoon. I really liked that we could rent the bikes right there, because strapping a big piece of gear to my car and having to take it somewhere always adds an extra layer of challenge/intimidation for me.

The Mana Centre rented us bikes based on our heights. I’m (obviously) no mountain biking pro but they seemed like really nice bikes! Renting costs between $38-$45 for 2 hours. They have kids bikes too!

If I’m being honest I didn’t change gears the whole time I was riding my bike, but everything seemed to work like a regular bike (gears and brakes). There was also a button to drop and raise the seat which was super helpful for getting it to just the right height. I think more experienced mountain bikers use this when going downhill? Who knows.

The tires were wider than road or hybrid bikes, and riding the bike felt just a little bit squishy, which made it really comfortable!

Choosing a Route

All of the trails in Larose Forest are designated as easy (green) or intermediate (blue), with a few tiny sections designated as hard (black).

The Mana Centre had trail maps right in their shop, so we were able to chat with the staff about which would be the best trails for us to start on.

The trails from P1 are a series of loops connected to one another, so you can decide as you go how short or long you want your ride to be. We also biked the intermediate connector trail in the first loop a couple of times because we found it easy and fun as well.

If you were to bike just the first loop you’d only be riding a total of 2 km. If you biked all of them, your trip would be closer to 11 km!

At each trail junction, there was a map posted that clearly indicates where on the trail you are, so it’s really hard to get lost out there.

Trails for Beginners

Setting out on the trails, I found myself feeling really comfortable. They were definitely the thinnest trails I had ever biked on, but for the most part they were super flat, which was helpful! For the most part the trails were sandy and quite compact, so we didn’t have to deal with our wheels getting stuck or turning in any direction we didn’t want to go. There also were barely any roots or rocks to avoid. It was so nice that we didn’t have that added challenge.

Even the curves in the trail were gentle. My goal for the day was to stay on the trail and stay on the bike, but I actually didn’t ever feel that I was at risk of falling off- huzzah!

Getting Braver

And despite how many people were in the parking lot, we actually didn’t run into too many people on the trails. So anytime there was a hill or a spot that I wanted to pause at, I felt comfortable doing so knowing that I wouldn’t be run over by someone more experienced.

Trails are also meant to be biked in one direction, so with the exception of a few people who seemed to miss those signs, you also don’t have to dodge anyone coming at you.

In a couple of spots there were steeper hills, but for these there was also a trail off to the side that you could use to get around them. I used these consistently. 😊

There were also a few spots where the trail looped off to the side of the main trail. These short loops were a great way to try out “intermediate trail” without having to commit to a long stretch of riding.

I actually didn’t even find the intermediate trail to be too intimidating. The feel of the trail was still the same (i.e. sandy, compact, with few obstacles), with just a few more little hills thrown in. And I’m talking baby hills. Perfect.

Trail Thoughts

We spent about an hour and a half riding the trails and biked 4 out of the 5 loops before heading back. Because of how level the trails were, I actually didn’t feel that I had exerted myself too much. Just enough to stay warm and work up a bit of a sweat.

We also saw quite a few kids out on the trails. So it seems that these trails are great for beginners of all ages!

As we were biking along I felt like we were moving at a nice pace. Looking back at some of the videos we took, we definitely weren’t breaking any land speed records. But I think that’s great! Larose Forest really lets you ride and learn at your own pace.

We had a ton of fun and can’t wait to head back again to bike the rest of the trails in Larose Forest!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the Indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.