Best Places to Fat Bike in Ontario This Winter

A fresh bed of snow doesn’t mean you can’t get out for two-wheeled fun. With dedicated trails groomed and a fat bike with giant tires that can power through snow, year-round biking is now possible, especially in Ontario.

There are fat biking opportunities province-wide, but since Northern Ontario is one of the snowiest regions in Canada, you’ll want to head north to experience the best winter biking. Each year, more parks and ski hills are grooming special trails made especially for fat biking, making this a great time to get into this growing winter activity.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about fat biking in Ontario.

A fresh bed of snow doesn’t mean you can’t get out for two-wheeled fun. With dedicated trails groomed and a fat bike with giant tires that can power through snow, year-round biking is now possible, especially in Ontario.

There are fat biking opportunities province-wide, but since Northern Ontario is one of the snowiest regions in Canada, you’ll want to head north to experience the best winter biking. Each year, more parks and ski hills are grooming special trails made especially for fat biking, making this a great time to get into this growing winter activity.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about fat biking in Ontario.

What to know before you go

What to wear fat biking

Your fingers and toes will get cold first, so make sure you have good gloves and feet protection. I recommend pogies, which are special gloves attached to the bike handles, and toe covers made of neoprene. Or, try two-finger gloves called lobster gloves.

Wear layers. Avoid cotton as your first layer because it absorbs sweat and keeps it next to your skin, making you cold. Merino wool wicks away moisture, keeping you warm. Depending on the weather, you might consider a fleece layer on top of the wool. Next, the outside shell should be wind- and water-proof. Ventilation zippers under the armpits are great for opening when you get a little warm. 

Ski goggles are another consideration as they keep your face warm and protect your eyes.

Wearing layers is important for most winter activities, allowing you to shed layers as you warm up. You want to try to avoid sweating as once you stop moving and your body starts to cool down, your sweat will make you even colder.

Conditions for fat biking

Despite the impulse to grab the fat bike and head out after the first fluffy snowfall, wait! Trails need time to accumulate snow and pack down for optimal riding. If the snow is too soft, the trails get mushy and rutted. A good guideline: if you have to get off and push your bike, the snow is too soft and you should avoid the trails.

Remember: the best kind of snow is a bit hard and crusty—just like your grandpa!

What type of bike to ride

Winter cycling tires must be wider than 3.5 inches and tire pressure must be less than 10 psi for good traction and to minimize trail damage. Regular bike tires create ruts and holes in the trail. Do not ride a regular mountain bike on a fat bike trail. 

Where to go fat biking in Ontario

North Bay

North Bay isn't only a summer cycling destination—the city and surrounding area is brimming with amazing spots to fat bike in the winter. To start, the City of North Bay grooms sections of the Kate Pace Way trail that runs through downtown North Bay.

Next up, the ski trails at Nipissing University are wide-groomed for fat biking.

Located within Mattawa River Provincial Park boundaries, the Stepping Stones trails provide 20 kilometres of fat biking fun, thanks to the hard work of volunteers who maintain the trails. This is also the location of Remedy Rides’ guided fat bike tours. Ride across Canadian Shield and frozen lakes for a true north adventure—they even have a campfire lunch! They also rent fat bikes for self-guided adventures.

The Laurentian Escarpment mountain bike trails are groomed in the winter—check the North Bay Mattawa Conservation Authority website before heading out as trails are maintained by North Bay Mountain Bike Association volunteers.

The trails at Laurier Woods Conservation Area are not groomed, but are still great fun for outings. The trails are multiuse so expect to share with snowshoers, hikers and skiers.

Wheelhouse, Cycle Works and Cheapskate Sports serve the bike community in North Bay. Of these, Cycle Works offers fat bike rentals. For repairs only, head over to Cycle Alley.

Barrie

Located in the snowbelt, Barrie is a surefire destination for fat biking if you’re looking for great conditions. There are two local well-established ski hills that offer groomed fat bike trails.

On weekdays at Hardwood Ski & Bike, fat biking is permitted on the ski trails, snowshoe trails and dedicated fat biking trail. The dedicated fat biking trail is appropriately called Phatty and is seven kilometres long; this is the only trail fat bikers are permitted to ride on weekends. Rentals book up fast, so reserve early. Also, fat biking is weather-dependent. Hardwood posts trail conditions at 6:30 a.m. daily.

Horseshoe Valley Resort has 8.5 kilometres of groomed trails throughout the birch trees in Copeland Forest. Bike rentals are available and day trail passes are required.

Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay is an epic place to ride. For beginners, Centennial Park is a good place to start. Experienced riders will love the thrill of technical riding on the Shuniah Mines trails managed by the Black Sheep Mountain Bike Club.

For incredible scenery, try biking the 50 kilometres of shared cross country ski trails in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.

No fat bike? No problem. You can rent at Rollin’ Thunder or Fresh Air Experience.

Ottawa

Over the past several years, fat biking has seen some explosive growth in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. A favourite is the multiuse trail along the Ottawa River shoreline on the groomed Kichi Sibi Winter Trail. Running between Lebreton Flats (west of Parliament Hill) all the way to Dominion Station, this trail is a self-guided tour of our country’s capital.

Located downtown and near the trail, Escape Bicycle Tours offers bike rentals and even a three-hour fat bike tour. 

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