Laurentians' Aerobic Corridor, the greatest multi-purpose trail

My favourite place to ride is the Aerobic Corridor, which is in the Laurentians. The Aerobic Corridor is a multi-purpose trail (biking, running, walking and cross-country skiing in the winter) that spans 58 km between Morin-Heights and Amherst. The Aerobic Corridor used to be a railroad, but in the early 1960s the railroad was discontinued, and in 1996 the corridor was finally created.  

What I like about this long trail is the surrounding landscape. It feels like you are riding through a forest with the trees covering the trail overhead. Also, there are a lot fewer people on the Aerobic Corridor than on the “Petit Train du Nord” (The Little Train of the North), which makes the experience more enjoyable. There are even a few mountain bike trails along the Aerobic Corridor, which makes my gravel bike rides a little more exciting! 

I like to park at Morin-Heights and then go for a gravel bike ride. From the Aerobic Corridor, I can go to several different places that I love to rediscover each time. These are Red River Road to Grenville and Jack Rabbit Road to Sainte-Agathe. Jack Rabbit Road is a gravel trail with a lot of elevation change that is located between Montcalm and Sainte-Agathe, and to get there the best option is to go down the Aerobic Corridor from Morin-Heights. 

Sometimes, I ride to the end of the Aerobic Corridor and then head to Mont-Tremblant and back on the “Petit Train du Nord”. It's a great way to combine the two Laurentian bike paths in the same outing and enjoy long car-free roads.

As a triathlete, what I like to do after my bike ride is to go for a run on the Aerobic Corridor or on the trails that run along the corridor. There are several hiking and trail running trails that are great to discover! I especially enjoy running on this corridor since the surface is gravel, which is much more pleasant than running on asphalt. 

When riding along the corridor, one passes through several towns along the way: Morin-Heights, Wentworth-Nord, Saint-Adolphe d'Howard, Lac-des-Seize-Iles, Montcalm, Arundel, Huberdeau, and Amherst.

In Arundel, there is the sandwich shop, La Maison au coin. It's a nice place to have a coffee or a snack.

Usually, when I ride along Red River Road, I always end up stopping at the sandwich shop to get a little espresso to give me a little boost for the remaining 30 km.

Lastly, I strongly recommend that you discover the Aerobic Corridor!

-Antoine Jolicoeur Desroches, Cycling Avenue Ambassador