Don Valley Trails (Toronto, ON)
   Downtown Toronto is blessed with some challenging two-wheel track, so accessible that it's taking a bit of a beating. The bulkhead of these trails winds through the woods on the west side of the Don River, threading soutwest from Thorncliffe Park, under the Millwood Road bridge, all the way to Bayview and Pottery Road and eventually connecting to the downtown core through the lakeshore trail system.
   Northern extensions from Taylor Creek also offer surprising variety: stomping short climbs that test your traction, tight-winding, clay-based single-track and wide open fields for flat-out fun dodging pines. The northern trails are not as ground down as those further south in the Valley so they're not as slick.
   As with everywhere in downtown's dirt paradise, trail stewardship is essential: don't ride the trail when it's wet! Riding after the rain grinds down the trails, worsening erosion that can make this track disappear.

- Steve Bellerby "Biking the Big Smoke", Toronto Bike Show 2001 Official Program, p12.

Durham Regional Forest (Oshawa, ON)
   About 20 kilometres north of the 401, just off Durham Road 21 on Sideline #4, is a portal to another dimension in offroad endurance riding. Heavy on the hills and packed with pines, the single track goes on almost forever. So much so that the main rider complaints are "confusing trails" or "got lost".
   With dozens of kilometres of intermediate to advance rider trails, free access, and within 45 minutes from Toronto, Durham's Regional Forests are a wonderful place to lay a base for solid fitness. Few roots and fast technical tracks with dozens of short steep grinds alternate with huge strips of wide-open fire road and plenty of opportunities to get a little air. The forest dries out fast, too; the sand and gravel soil absorbs rain quickly and airs out fast in the spring. These trails are often ready when everything else is inundated.

- Steve Bellerby "Biking the Big Smoke", Toronto Bike Show 2001 Official Program, p13.

Earl Bales Park (Toronto, ON)
   An upper midtown paradise strategically placed just off Yonge and the 401, this place is a wonderful workout. Offering trails for all skill levels, you'll dodge unleashed dogs in some sections while screaming downhill on your own in others. The ski hill is the centrepiece, a gut-busting climb for all but A-level athletes, which lets midtown cyclists take on some serious topography, without venturing far. Most trails are unmarked, weaving along the river and jumping up the valley on both sides; the east bank tends to be more technical. Keep your eyes open for tiny footpath-type trails, which wind away from the paved path.
   To the west of Bathurst, there are more trails, but be especially courteous if you venture here. It's private property maintained by the Jewish Community Centre. Head toward the north rim, near the river, as additional paths start there.

- Steve Bellerby "Biking the Big Smoke", Toronto Bike Show 2001 Official Program, p12.

Hardwood Mountain Bike Centre (Barrie, ON) Website
   Named as Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid's mountain bike venue, this full-service cycling centre is open seven-days-a-week from early May until the first snowfall. Winding amidst hardwood and pine forests are 45 kilometres of demanding single-track trails, designed and cut to offer a technically difficult ride. Wider ski-track trails interlace the single track, allowing the less skilled to weave the forests as well.
   The Canadian Cycling Association maintains the National Cycling Development Centre at Hardwood Hills, with skills and safety development atop the agenda. Trails are aimed at all levels of rider skill and a wide variety of fitness levels. Here the emphasis is on rider development, with challenges for the élite athlete, weekend warrior, and everyone in between.
   The on-site chalet and retail bike shop provide an elaborate selection of bike gear, clothing and high-tech rentals, as well as trained mechanics. An adult day pass costs $9 and Wednesday nights are $6 after 5 pm.

- Steve Bellerby "Biking the Big Smoke", Toronto Bike Show 2001 Official Program, p12.

Humber/Etobicoke Creek Trails (Toronto, ON)
   An elaborate but intermittent web of offroad opportunities, these trails almost connect Lake Ontario with Woodbridge, with offshoots to the west as well. Factoring in some jaumts on the paved trails, and short roadway hauls, this area constitutes more than a hundred kilometres of adventure.
   Start wherever is nearest to you, but the focal point is just south of the airport, off Rathburn Road, with lots of free parking. Centennial Park is more than a mound of garbage, it's a giant hill that's hosted Cyclocross Nationals and offers spectacular but short downhills, where riders claim to clock speeds in excess of 80 km/h.
   Trails in the South Humber can be hard to follow because of thick underbrush and lack of maintenance. Northern extremities are more consistent, but here, too, the trails cry out for care and development. Offering single and double track, creek crossings, ravine climbs, and hills, the west end could become Toronto's mountain biking showpiece, with enough rider interest and support.

- Steve Bellerby "Biking the Big Smoke", Toronto Bike Show 2001 Official Program, p12.

Directions: Near Toronto and Etobicoke, the ECT has 20 km of single and double tracks running from Burnamthorpe Road to Pearson Airport. To reach the trailhead from Renforth Drive, follow Rathburn Road west to the dead end.

Kelso Conservation Area (Milton, ON)
   Easy access off the 401, and under 40 minutes from Toronto or Hamilton, this is GTA's Old Faithful, with a new twist. Alternately described as "a little technical" and "some of everything", this place used to be seen as offering only a great deal of beginner stuff and a tiny track of inane rock dodging, with a long, fire road haul up the Escarpment as its main workout.
   Enter the Kelso "X-Treem" trail, unveiled last year. Accessed from the summit entrance, the trail dodges countless rocks, man-made obstacles, logs and extreme drop-offs, for almost five kilometres. Other changes are also in gear at Kelso, with improvements to the "Rim Trail" and new trails in the works for all levels of rider skill.
   Arrive early to beat the hikers - as a great nearby rendezvous for the GTA, this place gets crowded. It's also a great initiation route for newbies, where everyone, it seems, brings their pals for their very first offroading.

- Steve Bellerby "Biking the Big Smoke", Toronto Bike Show 2001 Official Program, p13.