CBC Ottawa’s Creator Network is a place where young digital storytellers from diverse backgrounds can produce original video content to air on CBC and tell stories through their own lens.
Get in touch to pitch your idea, or check out our other Creator Network stories at cbc.ca/creatornetworkott.
Over the last decade, he’s visited more than 30 countries via plane, train and automobile. But when 33-year-old Gab Vaugeois was forced home to Gatineau, Que., by the COVID-19 pandemic, he says he fell in love with his own backyard thanks to what’s become his preferred mode of travel – the bicycle.
Now, starting at this home base he often cycles hundreds of kilometres, documenting his journeys, such as from Ottawa to Montreal in a day, on his YouTube channel.
One of Vaugeois’s top trails is a former railroad track that takes you from Bells Corners to Carleton Place, Ont., and beyond. (Gab Vaugeois)
For CBC Ottawa’s Creator Network, he takes the viewer on a ride of his top trails in his own backyard.
“There’s a reason why I want to show you all these trails. It’s not just about the ride. It’s about discovering the region in a complete different way,” exaplained Vaugeois, adding he’s convinced the Ottawa Valley is by far one of the best places in Canada to bike.
WATCH | Discover Gab Vaugeois’ top trails:
Ottawa-Gatineau’s bike paths are the best, and here’s why, according to Gab Vaugeois
World traveller and content creator Gab Vaugeois takes you on a tour of his top path picks in the capital region, on two wheels, for CBC Ottawa’s Creator Network.Home unexpectedly
Before COVID, Vaugeois worked as an SEO marketer while travelling North and South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, documenting his journey with his wife Maya Dib. Then the pandemic hit.
“COVID was kind of hard for me, honestly, because I had to stay in one place,” he recalled, though his frustration soon lifted as he began to explore.
Vaugeois and his wife Maya Dib travelled together for years before the pandemic forced them back home to Gatineau, Que. (Submitted by Gab Vaugeois)
“At some point I sat down and said, ‘Hey, I’ve been in 30 countries, I’ve been gone for the last five to six years, I’ve never really been in my homeland,” he said.
“Nowadays, it’s more like I want to see more, I want to go there.”
Vaugeois, pictured here in Chile and Morocco, spent much of his 20s travelling the world. (Submitted by Gab Vaugeois)The ‘Eiffel Tower’ of Ottawa
In his video, Vaugeois shows off what have become his favourite trails, starting with what he calls the “Eiffel Tower” of Ottawa: the paths along the Rideau Canal.
“Essentially, you haven’t seen Ottawa for real if you haven’t been on the side of the canal,” he explained.
On the Quebec side, newer paths like the Voie Verte in Chelsea make the list, as well as other converted rail trails that could eventually take you as far afield as Toronto or Mont Laurier, Que.
He argues the capital region is the best of both worlds — French, English, not too big, not too small, and a bit of everything.
“You’ve got urban areas, you’ve got riversides, you got mountains, you’ve got back roads in the country,” said Vaugeois. “Honestly, I love it here.”
Vaugeois, pictured here as a child with his mom in 1992, says he was ‘born with a bike in his hand.’ (Submitted by Gab Vaugeois)Paths crossing
That’s in part because of the people you meet along the way, says Vaugeois, including other bike enthusiasts like Pierre Chiasson.
Chiasson says that during the 40 years he’s lived in Ottawa he’s seen the number of bike paths grow exponentially.
“You can literally live on your bike and go everywhere you want, and it’s really enjoyable … you have this perfect combination of nature and city,” he said.
Vaugeois, right, is pictured here with his father and grandfather, on the P’tit Train du Nord trail north of Ottawa and Montreal in 2007. (Submitted by Gab Vaugeois)
Newer to town is Callum McMurchie, who says he’s still discovering his own favourite spots.
“I’ve had some great fun right along the waterfront taking some long rides across the pedestrian bridge, stopping at a few bistros,” he said.
“I love riding around those trails, seeing the little geese, a couple of little tortoises and animals and things here.”
Vaugois, who walked Spain’s Camino de Santiago trail in 2012, 2014 and 2019, extols the virtues of human-powered and slow travel because he says it allows you to discover more along the way. (Submitted by Gab Vaugeois)
For Vaugeois, who’s also walked Spain’s famed Camino de Santiago trail — it’s all about human-powered travel and enjoying the journey.
“This type of way to travel teaches you how to slow down and get out of the beaten track and just enjoy life, right?” he said.
“You discover places, small villages you would have never seen in Lonely Planet, and that’s the whole point. You don’t have to exile yourself to Europe or anywhere else to have fun…. You have all you need here.”