Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area

(Tough, demanding climbs, fast downhills, steep gnarly descents, challenging technical sections)(Superior bike-handling skills required. Strong tolerance for pain an asset. Sense of humor necessary.)

________________________________________________________________________

Singletrack
Hardpack with soft, rooty sections
Hard to extreme
Unmarked, unmapped network on the bottom, top and slope of an escarpment 40-meter (131 foot) forested escarpment
Lookout platforms, hemlock stands, varied terain, 80 different birdhouses
Engaging creation

When the Bloomfield Bicycle Club began reclaiming old trails at Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area in 1996, the club members & other local riding enthusiasts gathered religiously on-site, Tuesday nights, to create a highly stimulating singletrack playground.

The conservation area encompasses a 40-meter (131 foot) escarpment in the shape of a question mark. Its slopes are covered in mixed forest, hemlock stands, and cedar groves with the exception of a few cleared streaks in the east where tubing and tobogganing are offered in winter. Threading the park are 11km (7miles) of hiking and cross-country skiing trails. Three main routes stretch the length of the escarpment: along the bottom, the top & middle.

Essentially, Bloomfield Bicycle Club developed up and down transitions between main trails, along with a tightly wound ball of track through hemlock the the bowl of the escarpment's question mark. Bridges were built, traverses were reinforced, and a windchime of bicycle tubes was hung along a series of hairpin turns they call Groovy Tuesday.

While the main trails, which have been around for years, are singletrack challenges in their own right,with roots, rocks and serious climbs, the new trails are nervy. Transitions are steep and deep with gnarly narrow traverses. The maze of track in the hemlock bowl twists over a rattle of roots with quick drops and climbs among handlebar-width tree trunks. Get to the top and you're on a flat, gravel-strewn ridge run though maples to platforms over-looking Picton Bay.

Status: Trails are open to all non-motorized users during daylight hours. Hikers frequent them. More beginner and intermediate trails are planned for development as well as trailhead maps and trail signposts.

Guide Notes

Nearest Community: Picton, Bloomfield, Bellville
Location: From Highway 401, go south on Highway 62 to Bloomfield then east on Highway 33 into Picton. At the east end of town, turn right on Union Street and go 1 km. Park entrance is on your right.
Trail Map: Hiking maps available on-site; they do not include new trails.
Facilities: Parking, picnic tables beside a pond. Nearby camping is available at numerous parks including Sandbanks Provincial Park. Also, a wide variety of hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs are in the area.
Admission: Free
Tips: For the most fun, ask the bike shop for a local guide to show you the trails.
Repair Shop: Bloomfield Bicycle Co., 225 Main St., Bloomfield, 613-393-1060, e-mail bbc@reach.net / Doug's Bicycles, Belleville, 159 College W., 613-966-9161
Tourism Information: Prince Edward County Tourism, 800-640-4717, e-mail pec@connect.reach.net www.pec.on.ca
Land Manager: Prince Edward Regional Conservation Authority, 613-476-7408
Group Rides: Sunday club rides, including Chic Rides, and monthly community rides, with Bloomfield Bicycle Club (see Repair Shop).

NOTE: there have been many upgrades since this article was publixhed ... check out these new articles and our regular Macaulay Mountain page to keep up to date