Important update, July 30 – Tomorrow’s run at the Hydrocut is postponed due to the forecast of rain. Not that running on muddy trails isn’t fun, but our friends at WCC take great care of these trails for mountain biking, and it is very important to respect this rule. We will explore both ends of Hydrocut in upcoming weeks. Instead, we are recycling our Homer Watson trail run. See you there at 9:00am tomorrow!
Our Summer Trail Tour continues, as local runners share their favourite trails with the community. The Sunday following each feature, Health and Performance will lead a run on the trail for anyone to join. Read more about the Summer Trail Tour.
This week, Luke Hoyt shares one of the region’s favourite trails, The Hydrocut, which is such a robust system that we are actually turning this into two different runs. Stay tuned for the second run there in August.
Group run at The Hydrocut
Date: Sunday, July 31, 2016 (Postponed – stay tuned for an upcoming date)
Time: 9:00am
Meet: Glasgow Street Parking Lot
Length: 8-12 KM of trails
More details: All paces are welcome. The main group moves approximately 6:00/km. Runners have the option of turning around at any point to cut the run to their preferred distance or time.
Photos from The Hydrocut
The Hydrocut Trail System – Lower Section – “Landfills and Stinky Girls”
The Hydrocut is an outstanding network of around 25km of singletrack trails on the west side of Waterloo. The trails are exceptionally managed and maintained by the Waterloo Cycling Club and are well signed. Though primarily used for mountain biking, the trails are free to the public to use for hiking and running as well. There is a continuously updated and very informative website that has a map, trail condition updates, forum for discussion and plenty of other info at your disposal.
The trails consist of two sections joined together by the hydro corridor. The easternmost and lower section is the Landfill or Glasgow side, so named for its proximity to the landfill and entry from Glasgow Street. About a kilometer from the entry info kiosk you’ll find a gathering point where you can choose to head up the corridor to the western section, less than 2km away, or stay on the landfill side. Trails like “Stinky Girl” and “Frankenstein” live up to their names and give you a great idea of the challenges and fun you can expect from the rest of the network. You’ll encounter lots of roots, turns, moderate hills, boardwalks and plenty of spiderwebs if you’re lucky enough to be the first one out that morning.
Entire Trail Map
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Trail features
Access: The main access for the lower section is from the Glasgow Parking lot
Surface: Multi-surfaced, including board walks and bridges, switchbacks and “armoured” walls, with technical features.
Full length of the trail: 25 KM
Trail system: The Hydrocut trail system is consistently ranked as one of the top mountain bike destinations in Ontario and is recognized across Canada for its 25 km of continuous singletrack that see nearly 40,000 visitors per year. The trails are open and free to the public.
More information: can be found here.
Join Val, Luke and the group at West Side Trails on Sunday!
