I'm looking for a great bike ride in Southern Ontario
September 11, 2014 10:58 AM Subscribe
I'll be in Detroit next Saturday for the Tour de Troit bike ride. I'd like to cross over into Ontario for some Canadian biking on Sunday. Can anyone suggest some good rides that start near the border? I'll be on a road bike, so paved roads are a must. Ideally the route would be around 100km.
It looks like Pelee Island is a fairly populating cycling destination in the area. However, it seems kind of small, and most of the pictures I can find show cyclists on gravel roads. Are there also paved roads? Is there good road biking on the island?
It looks like Pelee Island is a fairly populating cycling destination in the area. However, it seems kind of small, and most of the pictures I can find show cyclists on gravel roads. Are there also paved roads? Is there good road biking on the island?
It's a shame your range isn't greater because now would be a spectacular time to visit the Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley on Lake Erie but that is about 187km one way. If the weather is right you could see thousands of raptors kettling.
posted by srboisvert at 11:32 AM on September 11, 2014
posted by srboisvert at 11:32 AM on September 11, 2014
Best answer: I guess it's a little far round trip, but Point Pelee National Park is a beautiful spot. Don't follow the google bike directions, though, I just put them in and they sent you around Lake St Clair. It's about 70 km each way, so you might just try heading along either Lake Eerie or Lake St Clair to make a big loop. It looks like there may be more bike-friendly roads along Lake St Clair, but someone who bikes more locally will hopefully chime in.
posted by ldthomps at 12:36 PM on September 11, 2014
posted by ldthomps at 12:36 PM on September 11, 2014
Best answer: I can't speak to Canadian bike routes, but you'll have to drive your bike into Canada, there's no way to cross the border on bicycle or foot, or even on the tunnel bus with a bicycle.
As far as bridge v. tunnel; generally the tunnel is faster because you don't have to compete with truck traffic, but then you have to navigate from downtown Windsor to wherever you're going, whereas the bridge provides a somewhat-faster connection to Toronto. I'd take the tunnel if I were you - it's really only slow during weekday rush hours.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 1:51 PM on September 11, 2014
As far as bridge v. tunnel; generally the tunnel is faster because you don't have to compete with truck traffic, but then you have to navigate from downtown Windsor to wherever you're going, whereas the bridge provides a somewhat-faster connection to Toronto. I'd take the tunnel if I were you - it's really only slow during weekday rush hours.
posted by wikipedia brown boy detective at 1:51 PM on September 11, 2014
Best answer: The road around the outside of Pelee Island is mostly paved, but there are sections that are only gravel. You'd also have to circle it 3-4 times (at least) to get to 100km. It's quite a lovely spot, but it's really not what you're looking for.
The waterfront from Windsor south is quite nice, as you head towards Amherstberg then towards Harrow. I would suggest doing something in that direction.
posted by scrute at 4:13 PM on September 11, 2014
The waterfront from Windsor south is quite nice, as you head towards Amherstberg then towards Harrow. I would suggest doing something in that direction.
posted by scrute at 4:13 PM on September 11, 2014
Response by poster: I'll have a car... it would not have to be exactly 100km from the border crossing, that's just how long I would like the bike route to be.
posted by steinwald at 6:39 PM on September 11, 2014
posted by steinwald at 6:39 PM on September 11, 2014
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posted by steinwald at 11:03 AM on September 11, 2014