THRILLS FOR EVERYONE
Located just minutes off Hwy 401 lies the Village of Batawa, home of the Batawa Ski Hill. Whether you’re a novice or experienced mountain biker, Batawa should definitely be on your biking destination bucket list. It’s a mountain biking (MTB) dream with a pump track, machined gravity trails, technical singletrack trails, rock gardens, wooden bridges, fun climbs and flowy descents.
In 2016/17, Batawa Ski Hill received a Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Grant. The money was used to build multi-use trails adjacent to the ski hill (Batawa South Trails). These are wide machine-made trails that you can ride to the top of the ski hill before following the flowy gravity trails to ride back down.
The Batawa South trails opened in 2018 and were an instant hit with the local MTB community. Directors of the local bike club, Quinte MTB, immediately identified the potential and approached the ski hill to propose a partnership.
COLLABORATION IS KEY
In 2019 the ski hill and Quinte MTB signed an agreement, giving the club stewardship over the existing trails and future trail development. The club hosted weekly group rides, bringing together the local mountain bike community. They also raised funds for trail development/maintenance through memberships and donations.
Shortly thereafter, the club was awarded a Community Small Project Grant from the City of Quinte West, which was used to purchased much needed trail building tools.
BATAWA SOUTH TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS
No trail network is complete without a technical singletrack. In 2019 Quinte MTB started building the first singletrack trail on the south side. The trail, named Wild Turkey, offers a bit more spice than the other trails with tight turns, punchy climbs, root and rock obstacles.
In 2020, the club built a skills area that includes wooden drops and a beginner singletrack creating a loop at a lower elevation for younger riders. As trail upgrades on the south approached completion, the club set their sights on a zone north of the ski hill.
BATAWA NORTH TRAILS: TECHNICAL SINGLETRACK
Many years ago, an unknown group of bikers built unsanctioned trails North of the ski hill but they were never maintained or approved for use. Quinte MTB’s vision was to create a singletrack network of trails on the North side for more advanced riders.
In 2021 Batawa approved trail building on the north side. By adding two new climb trails and two new downhill trails in addition to improving the old trails, the club’s vision came to life in one season.
The Batawa trails offer everything from machined gravity trails, technical singletrack, jumps, climbs and descents ranging from Blue (easiest) to Black Diamond (most difficult). The addition of a jump line and flow trail are currently in the proposal stage—stay tuned!
MORE INFORMATION
The Batawa trails are FREE and open to the public unless posted otherwise. You can find more info including link to digital maps here.
For Trail Updates you can follow @batawaskihill on Facebook or Instagram. Important trail notices are also posted on the Ski Hill website.
Quinte MTB is a registered not for profit that relies on donate – you can follow their Facebook group or donate at quintemtb.ca.
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