Canuck Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 X2 We stayed at Bears Den with SJ and concur. Breakfast on-site and gas station 2 doors down. The 200 metre (sort of like yards, lol) 'goat path' trail to Hwy 17 might be hard to find, but head for Tim Horton's, go through Timmy's lot to Hwy 17 and you'll see the Bear's Den. Stayed there twice and never actually made it to 'downtown'. Everything we needed was right there. If you have the energy, go up into the club trails. There's a separate map for that and it's in mailboxes as you approach the highlands. Pdf of that map below: (from the North Renfrew club website http://www.nrsa.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=25&Itemid=29). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 16, 2015 Author Share Posted January 16, 2015 Thanks for all of your help. Looks like a nice trip with all days about the same mileage. Any comments on the length of each of the days would be appreciated. We haven't done this loop in the past and have never been this far east. Any OC'ers in the area, look for the NY sleds and stop by the local watering hole and I'll buy you a beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PISTON LAKE CRUISER Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Thanks for all of your help. Looks like a nice trip with all days about the same mileage. Any comments on the length of each of the days would be appreciated. We haven't done this loop in the past and have never been this far east. Any OC'ers in the area, look for the NY sleds and stop by the local watering hole and I'll buy you a beer. Sounds like you've got a good plan go'in. Have a great time on your trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viperules700 Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 X2 on the GolfnSki. Great hosts there. X2. They were closed when I went by last year, unless you called ahead to pre book your meals and stay. We made it from pettawa to bonfield in a day. The dinner bell is a great place to stay too. Mattawa has a few places to eat in town too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandos_rob Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 RAP's a fun ride, done it a few times, Mattawa golf and ski (reg and premium gas) and Spectacle lake two favourites. Edgewater at Sand lake good. You really can do it two days if you push it, but side loops and and maybe a few rough trails, better to do in three. Only stayed once in Pembroke, and the run into the hotel was a pain. I'm told bear den better to stay in Deep River instead. The section from west of Pembroke all the way to Mattawa is FAST. Always rode it midweek, but as someone said, west side could be busy on the weekend. On the south west side, make sure to take the Kennisis Lake/Dorset route instead of 101b all the way down to the B. Mixed opinions on the B hydro line that runs diagonally through the bottom part of Algonquin up to Whitney, some prefer the E to the B106 instead. Love the sign outside the transcanada pipeline facility that says "please be quiet, employees sleeping" and the one time near the army base in Petawawa, a attack helicopter doing a "strafing run" 75 feet off the ground coming straight towards us. cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whits-end Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 You can make this trip any length you want. Lots of places to extend the trip via site-seeing on local trails. Last year we did it clock-wise and extended south as far as Calabogie, then back up thru Bancroft to Haliburton. Added a couple more days. Lots of variety in terrain. You could add to the trip west of Algonquin Park, or north. Maybe add the RAN tour. Endless possibilities. Doesn't have to be a race. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleddinscott Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 trophy hunter and I did this trip a few years ago. we took four days but stayed off the main trails, due to some rough sections I am glad for the extra day. we launched from Pembroke stayed in pinestone inn first night. would go back for sure. second night was the silversands in Kearny. it wasn't fancy but price was right and everything was clean. night 3 was golf n ski in mattawa. if you like being treated like a long lost friend this is the place for you. last week in feb we are doing a big trip if anyone might want to join. Pembroke-temagami-Cochrane-canyon loop then to timmins-Sudbury-temagami-Pembroke. 2200 kms of pure bliss. btw along the north part of the rap make sure you ride the 190 trails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 We stayed @ the Edgewater last year & enjoyed it. On our RAP tour we ran the lakes from Big Hawk Lake to get to the E (south of Eagle Lake) on that trip. Not impressed w/ the amount of bare road running from the hydro line south to Moose Lake, also a crappy road south to E. Down to sand and pavement. If a person's route doesn't include Haliburton, I would recommend the lake route. Last winter on our RAN tour we took the B trail south from Big Hawk to B103. It was a Fri' & was in good shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guppy Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 A good place to start would be the Haliburton forest and wildlife reserve, they have accommodations, restaurant ,gas, lots of space to leave tow vehicles. It would also be worth a days ride on their own trail system, if you have not been there before. They have 50,000 acres of private land, with own well maintained trails, nice countryside. from there, you can ride the RAP in either direction, to the east, take the B up to Whitney, a usually well maintained trail, From Whitney on, it is mostly old rail bed , along the river, very scenic, to Barrys Bay, and more rail bed on the way to Pembroke. Best Western is on trail in Pembroke, others not so accessible. Going to west, you could make North Bay first day. What day are you arriving? could meet up. Thanks for the stickers you sent me, need any info on the area, pm me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 RAP's a fun ride, done it a few times, Mattawa golf and ski (reg and premium gas) and Spectacle lake two favourites. Edgewater at Sand lake good. You really can do it two days if you push it, but side loops and and maybe a few rough trails, better to do in three. Only stayed once in Pembroke, and the run into the hotel was a pain. I'm told bear den better to stay in Deep River instead. The section from west of Pembroke all the way to Mattawa is FAST. Always rode it midweek, but as someone said, west side could be busy on the weekend. On the south west side, make sure to take the Kennisis Lake/Dorset route instead of 101b all the way down to the B. Mixed opinions on the B hydro line that runs diagonally through the bottom part of Algonquin up to Whitney, some prefer the E to the B106 instead. Love the sign outside the transcanada pipeline facility that says "please be quiet, employees sleeping" and the one time near the army base in Petawawa, a attack helicopter doing a "strafing run" 75 feet off the ground coming straight towards us. cheers. Thanks. Looks like the Kennisis route isn't quite open yet. We'll run it if it opens by next weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 A good place to start would be the Haliburton forest and wildlife reserve, they have accommodations, restaurant ,gas, lots of space to leave tow vehicles. It would also be worth a days ride on their own trail system, if you have not been there before. They have 50,000 acres of private land, with own well maintained trails, nice countryside. from there, you can ride the RAP in either direction, to the east, take the B up to Whitney, a usually well maintained trail, From Whitney on, it is mostly old rail bed , along the river, very scenic, to Barrys Bay, and more rail bed on the way to Pembroke. Best Western is on trail in Pembroke, others not so accessible. Going to west, you could make North Bay first day. What day are you arriving? could meet up. Thanks for the stickers you sent me, need any info on the area, pm me. We/ll arrive in Haliburton this Thursday and start our ride on Friday. There are only 2 of us this trip, Look for sleds from NY; green and white 4 stroke RR Cat and a black 1200 Ski Doo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 trophy hunter and I did this trip a few years ago. we took four days but stayed off the main trails, due to some rough sections I am glad for the extra day. we launched from Pembroke stayed in pinestone inn first night. would go back for sure. second night was the silversands in Kearny. it wasn't fancy but price was right and everything was clean. night 3 was golf n ski in mattawa. if you like being treated like a long lost friend this is the place for you. last week in feb we are doing a big trip if anyone might want to join. Pembroke-temagami-Cochrane-canyon loop then to timmins-Sudbury-temagami-Pembroke. 2200 kms of pure bliss. btw along the north part of the rap make sure you ride the 190 trails We're doing a big loop the same weekend, I'll post our trip here as well. We probably won't start this one near Algonquin but we will be up in Cochrane, Hearst, and then to Hornepayne. Maybe we can meet for a ride or a few beers somewhere along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowowl Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 An alternate to Bears Den or Best Western Pembroke is the Quality Inn in Petawawa. Right on the trail and a nice restaurant next door, along with several gas stations nearby. Clean and relatively new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJG Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Amazing info from the forum. Only advice, as many have pointed out, get a night in at Spectacle Lake Lodge for sure if your doing the RAP. First class place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowTouringGuy Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Pinestone is great for your Haliburton stop and Northridge Inn is dandy for your Sundridge stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAM Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 What the time to do Pinestone to Northridge? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Day 1. Haliburton to Deep River: Trails in an around Haliburton were less than just bad. Choppy and hadn't been groomed in quite some time. Outside of Haliburton to Barry's Bay the trails were very good. Some long flat straights with sweeping curves, I may have hit 50 kmhr once or twice. The trails from Barry's Bay to Petawawa were terrible. We took some club trails, 125 and 127, a more direct route to Petawawa; what a joke. These "trails" were awful, unsafe and not trails at all. If keeping trails like this open are contributing to the closure of "Top" trails; we should all be ashamed. The trip from Petawawa to Deep River was okay, again-mostly choppy. Given it was a Friday; I was disappointed, I would have thought the clubs would have been preparing for the weekend. There wasn't much more traffic than I typivally experience in the north and the trails were much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 AO, not making excuses, but this part of the province just hasn't been getting the snow like the Parry Sound & Muskoka regions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadian nytro Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Ya I agree with revrnd worst year out of the last 10 that I can remember for the Ottawa Valley just not getting any snow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Akron Orange, Sorry to hear about your 'adventures'. From Deep River, once you get to Mattawa, you'll have two choices - A112A above (Mica mine) or TOP A below the highway. Hopefully sledders at the Mattawa Valois hotel will fill you in on the preferred route. I've probably run North Bay to Mattawa 6 times and always took A112A. Every time we've asked, TOP A has 'issues' and we've had great success with A112A. The groomers turn around at the Mica mine, so even if one is 'off', the other is usually 'on'. I recall that you spent some time in North Bay last year. If you ventured south you'll recall that the section around Powasson has MEGA kms of road rash if you stay on the Top Trail. Heading southbound, you'll see a sign warning you of that and a recommended side trail (SR 700?). I haven't been up there this year but imagine that you want to avoid the road route if it hasn't recently snowed. Others with local knowledge can pipe in. I'm reluctant to provide trail advice from a computer in Toronto. I have a sense of what's ahead of you, however, and the road rash on the TOP Trail can be brutal. If you see a sign that says ".... km of road ahead" - it's a warning that's there for a reason". Again, local riders/club exec can assist better and I hope I'm steering you in the right direction (no pun intended). Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revrnd Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Ya I agree with revrnd worst year out of the last 10 that I can remember for the Ottawa Valley just not getting any snow! In '09 I remember the ground being bare between Killaloe & Barry's Bay on my way home from the oval races in Eganville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 AO, not making excuses, but this part of the province just hasn't been getting the snow like the Parry Sound & Muskoka regions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Rev, There is marginal snow in most of the areas we rode. I recognize that. There just does not seem to be any effort to maintain what is there. We rode 197 miles today, saw maybe 20 sleds and zero groomers and rode one no freshly groomed trails. I don't imagine that Monday to Thursday experienced more traffic each day. The 127 trail into Petawawa had some logging activity, the trail was rerouted and there wasn't any signage, we needed to figure out which of the logging roads was also the trail. After we did get on the right trail, 127 approaching Petawawa was beside a road, the trail jogged on and off the road going around ditches and mailboxes. You get the picture. It was a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomo Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Akron Orange, I recall that you spent some time in North Bay last year. If you ventured south you'll recall that the section around Powasson has MEGA kms of road rash if you stay on the Top Trail. Heading southbound, you'll see a sign warning you of that and a recommended side trail (SR 700?). I haven't been up there this year but imagine that you want to avoid the road route if it hasn't recently snowed. Others with local knowledge can pipe in. I'm reluctant to provide trail advice from a computer in Toronto. I have a sense of what's ahead of you, however, and the road rash on the TOP Trail can be brutal. If you see a sign that says ".... km of road ahead" - it's a warning that's there for a reason". Again, local riders/club exec can assist better and I hope I'm steering you in the right direction (no pun intended). Good luck. This picture and post from last year - Canuck's advice - might come in handy with regard to road running on the Top Trail south from North Bay. http://ontarioconditions.com/forums/index.php?/topic/12627-parry-sound-to-north-bay-tips/ Have good trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkronOrange Posted January 24, 2015 Author Share Posted January 24, 2015 Thanks to everyone for all your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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