Toronto and GTA lakeshore cycling paths
September 3, 2022 10:11 AM Subscribe
While on the cycling path in front of Ontario Place, I can head west and get all the way to Oakville. Heading east, I can go about 5 minutes. How can I go further east and further west?
So I cycle most days on the lakeshore (I don't want to be in traffic) and can get to Oakville almost entirely on bike lanes, which then seem to immediately disappear. I'd like to go further West but can't figure out if it's possible.
When going east I can get to Stadium Blvd, which isn't very far at all, even though I've been told I can go as far as Oshawa. How?
Looking at Google Maps doesn't seem to help. Google Maps does show maybe another 5 mins worth of path east but then it dries up.
Is there an online map for the Martin Goodman Trail or Lakeshore Trail? Or an app? Or a GPX I can download and throw into Strava or my Beeline app?
So I cycle most days on the lakeshore (I don't want to be in traffic) and can get to Oakville almost entirely on bike lanes, which then seem to immediately disappear. I'd like to go further West but can't figure out if it's possible.
When going east I can get to Stadium Blvd, which isn't very far at all, even though I've been told I can go as far as Oshawa. How?
Looking at Google Maps doesn't seem to help. Google Maps does show maybe another 5 mins worth of path east but then it dries up.
Is there an online map for the Martin Goodman Trail or Lakeshore Trail? Or an app? Or a GPX I can download and throw into Strava or my Beeline app?
Just zoom in on the interactive maps, I should have mentioned.
posted by warriorqueen at 11:39 AM on September 3, 2022
posted by warriorqueen at 11:39 AM on September 3, 2022
Best answer: When I'm trying to figure out good routes in an area I haven't been before, the two most helpful tools I've seen are the Strava Cycling Heatmap and a similar heatmap in RideWithGPS (requires a free registration to plan routes). Garmin Connect maps can also show a heatmap, if you have a Garmin account.
What those do is tell you where most cyclists ride. So that doesn't guarantee a route that you will be comfortable riding, but it does give you a lot of clues about where to look.
Just for example, it looks like the Martin Goodman Trail continues NE along Queens Quay West as a separated path for about 2.5 miles. From there you can continue along the lakeshore OR turn north to join the various Don River trails.
I mapped that out for you on RideWithGPS just as a guide (or download it as a GPX file). (You can also see the RideWithGPS heatmap on that route map - just click settings and check "Global Heatmap.")
That route is about 25 miles one way (with only a little backtracking) on what looks to me to be 100% trail with no street sections (you do have to cross several intersections along Queens Quay West). It looks like you can go about 12 miles before there is a little awkward connecting section along Leslie Street, and then another 2.5 miles before there is an even longer awkward section along York Mills and Lesmill, and then about another 6 miles beyond that. Both of those problem spots are marked with Caution! symbol that has ideas about how to get around them.
posted by flug at 12:16 PM on September 3, 2022
What those do is tell you where most cyclists ride. So that doesn't guarantee a route that you will be comfortable riding, but it does give you a lot of clues about where to look.
Just for example, it looks like the Martin Goodman Trail continues NE along Queens Quay West as a separated path for about 2.5 miles. From there you can continue along the lakeshore OR turn north to join the various Don River trails.
I mapped that out for you on RideWithGPS just as a guide (or download it as a GPX file). (You can also see the RideWithGPS heatmap on that route map - just click settings and check "Global Heatmap.")
That route is about 25 miles one way (with only a little backtracking) on what looks to me to be 100% trail with no street sections (you do have to cross several intersections along Queens Quay West). It looks like you can go about 12 miles before there is a little awkward connecting section along Leslie Street, and then another 2.5 miles before there is an even longer awkward section along York Mills and Lesmill, and then about another 6 miles beyond that. Both of those problem spots are marked with Caution! symbol that has ideas about how to get around them.
posted by flug at 12:16 PM on September 3, 2022
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posted by warriorqueen at 10:23 AM on September 3, 2022