Buckwallow

This place is closed! Why??

Trails are perfect as always as the owner Mike puts in a huge effort to keep them buffed out and the whole facility in incredible condition. You won't find a cleaner outhouse anywhere. Period. I have a love/hate relationship with Buckwallow because it checks a lot of boxes, but still manages to frustrate me. Trails range from totally flat and twisty smooth single track perfect for beginners to super tech rock sections that are great for advanced skill building, all well labeled, but there is no rhyme or reason to how they are arranged. You go from a "one hoof" trail across the double track and straight into a "6 hoof" er. A new trail was built last year, but there's still only enough for a 1 1/2 hour ride if you're fast. Check it out if you're in the area. Still the best spot in Muskoka.

Great trail to really hone in those skills!!! The rocky terrain is real awesome to ride on...

Perfectly maintained set of 22 trails winding across wider service trails and access roads. Lots of recent rain but well designed runoff channels kept the trail in great shapes/ slightly damp with the odd puddle.

Second thought, lovely view and place for riding.

short trails and not well marked. Crash waiting to happen. But i enjoyed my ride and trails are well maintained.

This is an amazing trail system. It has quite a lot of variety in terms of both trail features and difficulty. There's stuff here for beginners and experts alike. The trails are marked very well and are a fun combination of fast flowy trails and technical challenges. The newer trail is a must-ride for sure as well as Spur Line and West D'Nile, although I'm honestly satisfied with every trail here. Even the double track is enjoyable. Would like to see a little more continuity between the singletrack trails as it sometimes is difficult to navigate all of the double track especially when trying to hit every single trail in a logical fashion. Really had fun here though and will come back over and over!

Definitely sell worth the $12 entry fee...probably worth the drive.

These trails have incredible variety and some really cool features. In my opinion it's the natural rock roll slabs that will get you actually saying "wow" out loud. They're very cool and I think unique to this area.

They are incredibly well kept and the signage is great. They even go to the extent of writing a small description of each trail on the signs.

The rating system of trails runs from 1 to 6 hooves. Average riders will find 3 hoof fun 4 hoof trails challenging 5 hoof trails difficult and 6 hoof trails nearly imposibe. But there is truly something for everyone here despite your level.

My only complaints are that the size of the forest is pretty small and you might max out around 2 maybe 2 and a half hours. I spent an hour and a half and rode all but 2 of 3 trails.

My other complaint would be that beyond some of the trails at the beginning the single track doesnt link up very well so you find yourself riding a lot of double track. That being said... this is no ordinary double track and is a lot more fun than you'd expect so it's not so bad.

Anyway definitely would recommend it and will be going back my self for sure.

Very fun place to ride, worth the $10 fee. Just make sure you have the time to ride for a few hours to get your value since the trails are a bit short. Riding on the shield rock is a blast and unique to this area! Some sections are flowy while others require skill to handle the rock face. My only gripe is the rating system. I can handle 5 hooves without much problem, but then 6 hooves is exponentially harder! I feel like 6 hooves should really be 10 considering the obstacles that are on them. None the less, an amazing place to ride and highly recommend! I will go here every time I'm on my way to Algonquin park, which is only once a year. Damn I wish I was closer!!

Lot of fun for everybody, there are trails for beginners and trails for those who would like to challenge themselves. In fact, some trails are very technical. While there aren't too many long, steep climbs, there are a lot of rocks and roots.

This place is quite amazing. The trails are very technical with each having a (hoof) rating of 1 - 6 hoofs, with 1 being the easiest.

Very well laid out with something for everyone, and definitely worth the experience.

The trails are as unique in personality as the owner. The only things I didn't like is that the trails are almost sterile in nature. It's as if the forest was planted meticulously around the trails.

The other is the lunch time crowd. There's no being alone on some parts here - but maybe that's a good thing.

Will make this a yearly trek, since I drive from T.O.

I visited last weekend based on all the positive reviews. The trails are very well marked and the vibe is great, but there's simply not enough terrain to warrant a drive from Toronto.

The riding is mid-range difficulty, with lots of sections that have Canadian shield sticking out. If you like more trials-style riding this might be up your alley. If you prefer flowy berms, then stay away. The only sections that have any flow are too tight to get any speed going.

Each trail is also quite short. I think the longest one is just over 1km. You really have to link a few to get any flow going. 3, 4, 5 is a good combo, and then 12, 15, 21 works well too.

I'm glad I visited, but I wouldn't go again.

Summary: Fantastic trails and worth the drive from the GTA. Trails are well marked and manicured - Mike has done a terrific job keeping these trails in top condition.

Novel rating system warns riders up front - beginner riders should stay off anything rated 4 hoofs or more.

Very challenging terrain for experts - harder trails are rocky, rooty and twisty. Used to clocking 15km/h average speeds on your home trail system? Here you will be averaging 6-7km/h - that's how challenging it is. Not a ton of climbing, but you will sweat if you push.

Great practice in tougher technical terrain if you are heading out of ON for riding.

Clean well maintained trails. Zigzaggy aerobic up and downs. Not too many burns. Well signalized with funny what to expect at each trail start. Lots of roots and rock slabs. We rode the easier trails (level 1 to 3 out of 6) and we were pretty much at the end of our abilities. Great place to develop skills.

Great track...well kept with some very nice technical sections

I've ridden MTB's on three continents, and these are the best trails for a place with no mountains. Mike makes sure that these trails are in fantastic condition for everyone. The Buckwallow trails showcase Bracebridge as Ontario's Mountain Biking destination. The O-Cup here is consistently the most popular one of the circuit.

Well maintained riding facility, worth the fee. The loops could flow a bit better. You have to het onto the double track at the end of each single track and some of them are pretty short. Not much fun when it's raining due to many big flat rocks strewn throughout the trails.

This place is DEFINITELY worth the drive north from the GTA. Mike, the owner, maintains these trails with an impeccable touch and there's a fantastic mix of trails that would suit just about every skill level. As an intermediate rider, I stuck to the "4 hoof" or below trails and I'm glad I did -- these were classified as intermediate/expert and there were a few spots where I had to dab. The higher-rated trails really are double-diamond tough, but would be fine for those who are seasoned riders who are accustomed to riding rock. Riding on trails on the Canadian Shield is very different than riding on typical Ontarian trails (other than some of the rockier ones maintained by HAFTA).

There's still flow, but your skills will indeed be challenged by the technical nature of the terrain. But isn't that what mountain biking is all about? This is among my favourite trails and one of the few that would drag me away from my beautiful and wild home trail system.

Some nice twist single track with some challenging Candian Shield to ride. Few climbs, nothing drastic. Lots of distance and options. Well signed.

Very diverse network of trails. Suited for all riders. I spent the whole day exploring the area. Some trails you'd want to do over and over like the missing link, i'll be buck and showtime. Some are really tough like the weasel and do drop in. The owner, Mike and his staff are very friendly. There is a KOA just a 100 yards out if you need a place to stay.