PickAxe Loop, top portion north Barry's Bay, clockwise or counter-clockwise direction? | GTAMotorcycle.com

PickAxe Loop, top portion north Barry's Bay, clockwise or counter-clockwise direction?

Dunc

Active member
Looking for a report....
Have not run the very top portion of the pickaxe loop.
I understand it is a few Km's of a blown out snowmobile trail, Paugh Lake.
Anyone have a say on which way to run it is better? clockwise or counter-clockwise?

Thanks
 
Thanks for the search link!!
My assumption that something this small would not be indexed online has been correctted. I will search better next time.
Skipped that section before due to hearing guys talk about spending 1 hour walking bikes. This year it won't be skipped :)
 
My partner and I rode the Pickaxe loop last year on our Groms. I'm a decently experienced dirt biker and she's a complete noob. If you watch this video, we did the Paugh Lake section all up to the 16:13 mark. I did have to help her get her bike up one of the really rocky climbs close to the beginning. I was having a blast, but she fell in some sand and wasn't feeling up to keep going. Seeing as we had no idea what lay ahead, we hooked a right at that intersection and went back to the road.


 
Did the a couple of the easier lower sections last week, head up to do the whole thing in the next couple of week with a friend of mine.
So please post your experience, I'd love to hear how it goes before heading up.
Thanks for the links and video above everyone.

Did a video on one of the roads myself... ...just getting started with the channel.


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If you're looking for a slight adaptation of the pickaxe loop, you could try Barry Lake Trail/Arcol Rd from Calabogie down to Ompah. Last year it was somewhere between a gravel road and an atv/4x4 track. Easily manageable on a KLR or V-Strom. FYI, Arcol Rd requires a road access pass from North Frontenac Parklands. $12.50 for the day. No permit required if you have an OFTR membership.
 
If you're looking for a slight adaptation of the pickaxe loop, you could try Barry Lake Trail/Arcol Rd from Calabogie down to Ompah. Last year it was somewhere between a gravel road and an atv/4x4 track. Easily manageable on a KLR or V-Strom. FYI, Arcol Rd requires a road access pass from North Frontenac Parklands. $12.50 for the day. No permit required if you have an OFTR membership.
Thanks, will do this on my next day-ride.
 
My partner and I rode the Pickaxe loop last year on our Groms. I'm a decently experienced dirt biker and she's a complete noob. If you watch this video, we did the Paugh Lake section all up to the 16:13 mark. I did have to help her get her bike up one of the really rocky climbs close to the beginning. I was having a blast, but she fell in some sand and wasn't feeling up to keep going. Seeing as we had no idea what lay ahead, we hooked a right at that intersection and went back to the road.


Damn…I’d be doing that at 10-15kph. Always thought I’d enjoy that type of riding…turns out I dont!
 
If you're looking for a slight adaptation of the pickaxe loop, you could try Barry Lake Trail/Arcol Rd from Calabogie down to Ompah. Last year it was somewhere between a gravel road and an atv/4x4 track. Easily manageable on a KLR or V-Strom. FYI, Arcol Rd requires a road access pass from North Frontenac Parklands. $12.50 for the day. No permit required if you have an OFTR membership.
I think I did Barry Lake trail today. I turned into Arcol and came out onto Tatty Hill Rd which brought me out to the 511 across from Calabogie Motorsports Park Rd. Where Arcol ended there was a road to the right that led to a Hydro line area (gravel road) where trucks dropping off boats were parked and to the right a short road that ended at a nice boat launch area. So I turned around and where my gps told me Barry Lake trail started was a rocky hill (not terrible but rocks large enough you had to pick a path that didn’t bottom you out) and a bit past that was a big water hole. I didn’t have the proper gear for that so I turned around and at the base of the “trail” went back down Arcol maybe a hundred meters and found another road going in the direction of Calabogie so I went down that. That’s the one that came out eventually on Barry Lake Trail and Tatty Hill. So don’t know if I turned off Arcol at the right spot but there’s nothing that shows on the gps as other trails where Arcol stops.
 
Looking for a report....
Have not run the very top portion of the pickaxe loop.
I understand it is a few Km's of a blown out snowmobile trail, Paugh Lake.
Anyone have a say on which way to run it is better? clockwise or counter-clockwise?

Thanks
I’ve did it 10 years ago on a 50 year old Triumph 250 scrambler. It’s not difficult as long as you have at dirt tires - I’d say at least 70/30. A capable rider would do the sections in the video that follows at 30+kmh on a big adv, 50+kmh on a smaller dual sport.
 

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