Cycling.
The Algonquin Trail — the eastern segment of the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail (OVRT), built on the former Canadian Pacific Railway corridor — passes through the Town of Arnprior with a town trailhead. The full OVRT runs roughly 296 km between Mattawa and Smiths Falls; the Arnprior section is graded crushed-stone rail-trail suited to hybrid and gravel bikes.
The brief.
The OVRT through Arnprior is a managed, signed multi-use trail under the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail Association (OVRTA) — graded crushed stone, gentle rail-grade gradients, and consistent signage. Hybrid or gravel bikes are the right tool; road tires are workable on dry summer surface but will struggle after rain.
The Arnprior trailhead has parking. From the trailhead, road riding through downtown links the OVRT to Robert Simpson Park and the Ottawa River waterfront for a town-and-trail combination loop.
The OVRT corridor is also signed for snowmobile use under OFSC in winter, so the cycling window is roughly May through October. Trail passes / membership and current conditions are on OVRTA.
2. places.
- 01
Algonquin Trail / OVRT — Arnprior trailhead
Town access point on the former CPR corridor; eastward to Smiths Falls, westward to Mattawa.
- 02
Robert Simpson Park (Arnprior waterfront)
Road-ride connection from the OVRT trailhead to the Ottawa River downtown.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.