After the fire the Lime Kiln Technical Trail was fenced off and Trail Closed signs were put up. Since then the trail has been re-opened and the trail closed signs removed, though remnants of the fence remain. As well most of the fire roads have been closed and re-naturalized and one section of trail not near the fire site has been abandoned, overgrown and no longer exists.
This remapping reflects the trail system as it is today.
The Lime Kiln Trail System includes trails of varying degrees of difficulty. However, this is the trail system that includes the trail I put off riding for over a season due to it's reputation as the most technical trail in the Greenbelt, The Lime Kiln Technical Trail. Indeed the first four or five times I rode it I endoed or crashed at least once. Finally, before the fire, I was able ride the whole trail, though not without dabbing or stopping and restarting a few times. The fire has exposed more rock along the trail and made the technical trail even more difficult.
The Lime Kiln Trail System can be accessed from the other side of P6 on Richmond Road or from P8 and P10 on Moodie Drive or from a gravel trail on Richmond Road south of the McDonald's. Please do not park in the Wild Bird Care Centre parking lot on Moodie Drive.
The Maps
The Trails
This trail system includes a section of the main Rideau Trail and a secondary section of the Rideau Trail, as well as the famous unofficial Lime Kiln Technical Trail, as mentioned above.
We will start our description of the trails at the closest point to home, in Bridlewood, at the entrance across from NCC Parking Lot P6 on Old Richmond Road and try to keep as logical a geographic progression as possible after that.
The Rideau Trail continues on the other side of P6, starting out rocky then turning parallel to Old Richmond Road where there is a chronic muddy section during spring and into summer. There is a walk-around. Please walk it as riding it tends to turn it as muddy as the trail. After that the trail is flowy until it turns left at 25F (on NCC signpost). The trail becomes rocky again as it gets closer to the Lime Kiln Bridge at 25E. Intersections 25D and 25E are essentially the same intersection on either side of the short bridge. The Rideau Trail then crosses over the bridge to 25D and continues south over some slightly rooty sections to 25C. It then follows a wide trail to 25B and goes right following the wide gravel fire road to Old Richmond Road where it continues along Old Richmond Road.
At 25F if you continue straight (south) you will follow a relatively flowy trail that goes through fields and forest, Be aware that there is lots of vegetation right alongside the trail as it is very narrow single-track and you will make contact with the vegetation.
This trail intersects with the Rideau Trail at 25C. There you can join the Rideau Trail in either direction or turn left and continue straight on another slightly rooty trail that goes through forests and fields and past an old overturned outhouse.
This trail ends at the “mulch trail”, one of the fire roads created to fight the fire, that is now covered with wood chips. The wood chips created a very soft trail that is not particularly enjoyable to ride on but it is becoming more packed and better to ride on each year.
The “mulch trail” is part of a secondary trail of the Rideau Trail that goes from NCC Parking Lot P10 on Moodie Drive then goes to the right after the Lime Kiln (at an unmarked intersection), continues to 25E where it goes north and over a bridge and past 28G, 28H, 28J and 28K to NCC Parking Lot P8 and continues across Moodie Drive.
The “mulch trail” starts at an unmarked intersection along the wide gravel fire road that runs between NCC Parking Lot P10 (Lime Kiln Parking Lot) and Old Richmond Road southwest of the Lime Kiln. It includes (obliterates) parts of the Lime Kiln Technical Trail on its way to 25E. At 25E it follows the path of (obliterates) a previous really enjoyable single-track trail until it ends at the bridge at the start of the Wild Bird Care Centre trails (Trail 28). These trails, the Chipmunk Trail and Beaver Trail, are wide easy dirt trails.
The official parking lot for the Lime Kiln is along Moodie Drive, NCC Parking Lot P10. P10 is the start of a wide dirt trail that goes over two bridges (one short, one long) and leads to the Lime Kiln. After the bridges the trail becomes a wide gravel trail (fire road) and continues to Old Richmond Road.
The most famous trail in the system, the Lime Kiln Technical Trail, starts at the Lime Kiln, 25A, and goes for approximately a kilometre to 25E at the Lime Kiln Bridge. It has been broken into three sections by the “mulch trail” (fire road) that obliterates short sections of it. This trail is very technical and also features some very interesting geology. Since the fire more rock has been exposed and, IMHO, the trail has become more technical and difficult.
This is another trail system that includes many intersecting trails and many unofficial trails that are not on the official NCC map. Although including the famous Lime Kiln Technical Trail, this trail system includes trail of various terrain and degrees of difficulty. Please remember these are shared trail so please respect other trail users.
GPS gpx Files
The gpx file for this trail system (and other trail systems) can be downloaded by clicking the link below:
If you do download the gpx file please email me at richardw.woodley@gmail.com and let me know so that I have an idea of how many people are downloading and using the files.
Photos
I hope to add photos in the future.
Posted 2015-09-04
