Cycling.
The Algonquin Trail — the eastern segment of the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail (OVRT), built on the former Canadian Pacific Railway corridor — passes through the Town of Renfrew with a town trailhead. The full OVRT runs roughly 296 km between Mattawa and Smiths Falls; the Renfrew section is graded crushed-stone rail-trail suited to hybrid and gravel bikes.
The brief.
The OVRT through Renfrew is a managed, signed multi-use trail under the Ottawa Valley Recreational Trail Association (OVRTA) — graded crushed stone, gentle rail-grade gradients, and consistent signage. Hybrid or gravel bikes are the right tool; road tires are workable on dry summer surface but will struggle after rain.
The Renfrew trailhead has parking. Inside town, Ma-te-Way Park's paved and gravel multi-use loops on the Bonnechere River link the OVRT trailhead to the river-park spine through downtown for a town-and-trail combination ride.
Note: the OVRT corridor is also signed for snowmobile use under OFSC in winter, so the cycling window is roughly May through October. Trail passes / membership and current conditions are on OVRTA.
Today's read.
Cool but comfortable for layered effort.
