The Fat Bike Trails at Hylands Golf Course- And Inexpensive Fat Bike Rentals!

For years I’ve wanted to try fat biking, but never got around to it.

But before I go any further, for anyone who’s wondering: a fat bike is a bicycle that can be used in winter, on the snow, because it has tires that are super wide (typically wider than 4 inches).

I’ve seen people ripping around on fat bikes in the winter at South March Highlands Conservation Forest and Larose Forest, and always thought it looked like a ton of fun.

But having never ridden a REGULAR bike on the trails, I was somewhat intimidated by the idea of trying fat biking for the first time on them.

So when Hylands Golf Club offered to host us for the day so we could try fat biking, I jumped at the opportunity!

I wasn’t sure if riding around a golf course would be cool, but it turned out it was PERFECT for a beginner like me. They have 15 km of trails that you can bike in loops of either 5, 9, or 14 km, which was a great way to help me feel comfortable I wouldn’t get in over my head.

Plus it was nice and flat, allowing me to go at my own speed and not worry about any hills or curves (too advanced!).

Hylands Golf Course also rents cross country skis and snowshoes too. The trails are groomed for both!

Dogs are not allowed.

Getting There

Hylands Golf Course is right near the Ottawa Airport. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.316511, -75.650106.

We parked in the huge parking lot and headed into the pro-shop (don’t forget your mask!) to pick up our bikes.

There, they provided helmets to us, letting us know that these were fully sterilized in between people borrowing them. They also had some golf clothing and equipment that my husband asked a lot of questions about but I paid no attention whatsoever.

There was a map of the trails inside the pro-shop, and we stopped to snap a picture of it.

The Bikes

Then, we headed out back to pick up our bikes. A friendly staff member helped us figure out which frame size was best for each of us. They had bikes in 3 different sizes.

Right away, I found the bike super easy to use. There were basically only two things I had to pay attention to (3 if you count the brakes). I was able to adjust the seat height easily, and the gears were no problem to work either.

Jumping on, I was surprised by how BOUNCY the bike was. It must be because the tires are so big. The bike had a fun little bounce to it the entire time I was riding it. It’s hard to described- try it and you’ll see what I mean!

Riding the bike was a bit more demanding physically than riding a road or mountain bike in the summer, but the actual skill required was the exact same. If that makes any sense.

The Trails

Before setting off on the groomed trails, we took the bikes for a spin along the 2.5 km paved road that meandered along beside the course. We wanted to make sure we knew exactly what we were doing before setting off on a trail that we would have to finish! Having the road available was really nice to help us feel confident.

Then, we took the bikes out on the trail. On the day that we went it was pretty warm, so the snow was a bit soft. This meant that we had to do a bit more work than we might have otherwise, and by the end of the 5 km loop our quads were definitely feeling it!

The groomed trail was super wide. We stayed away from the cross-country ski tracks, but still had lots of room. The trail was flat for almost the entire length of it. There was one small hill that we went down early on, but it wasn’t steep enough to make me nervous at all.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy riding around a golf course when I’m used to being in the forest, but I ended up thinking it was really beautiful in the winter. The wide-open fields and the big, old trees made for gorgeous scenery as we biked along.

Finishing the shortest loop, we spotted a sign that pointed us in the direction of the two longer loops. But, we decided to bail early, and just finished the short loop. We were tired and happy.

Details

The trails (and office) at Hylands are open 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Equipment rental costs can be located on their website, and they are SUPER inexpensive. It only costs $25 to rent a fat bike and you can use it for as long as you want. XC skis and snowshoes are even cheaper.

The club mostly has military and ex-military as its members, but us plain old civilians are able to rent the equipment too.

There’s a good amount of equipment available, but it’s still a good idea to call ahead to book!

Trail Thoughts

The trails at Hylands Golf Course were beautifully groomed. They were actually re-groomed while we were there, so it was clear that they take really good care of them.

Conditions are best when it’s cold, so make sure to book for those really cold days! Fat biking is good exercise, so you’ll warm up almost immediately.

For someone who feels really comfortable fat biking, the course might feel a bit too tame. But for someone who just wanted to try it for the first time, it was absolutely perfect. I enjoyed the scenery more than I thought I would, mostly because some of the big old trees were just so unique and beautiful.

And I’ve been feeling a little bit “over” winter. So it was amazing to switch it up and try something new!

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

**Our experience was gifted to us by Hylands Golf Club but as always, all opinions are my own.**