Great Places to Cycle

Explore the breathtaking scenery of the Haliburton Highlands through a network of on and off-road cycling routes. With over 600 lakes, numerous rivers, and the rolling hills of the Canadian Shield, there is ample topography and scenery to enjoy. Cyclists can also explore the area's flourishing artist studios and charming villages.

The city of Ottawa has a vibrant cycling culture and now boasts over 980 km of multi-use pathways, bike lanes, off-road paths and paved shoulders, as well as thousands of bike parking spaces making sightseeing stops around the city easy. While visiting Ottawa, cyclists shouldn't miss the opportunity to explore the Capital Pathway network, which offers scenic routes connecting world-class museums, art galleries, and other attractions.

Hamilton is a cycling-friendly community offering a vast selection of scenic bicycle routes and trails that combine off-road, multi-use paths and on-street dedicated bike lanes, with varying terrain, hills and degrees of difficulty. The Niagara Escarpment ('The Mountain') and surrounding Greenbelt areas offer incredible landscapes just minutes from Hamilton's city centre. And with the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail passing through the city, cyclists can explore on day trips or multi-day trips the beautiful Hamilton waterfront, and beyond to Burlington and Niagara. Whether you are looking for forested trails, scenic waterfront paths or urban routes that lead to stunning lookouts, you find great cycling in Hamilton and the surrounding region. And with excellent GO Train and bus access from the GTA, it makes the perfect destination to explore car-free.

Northumberland County is a humble superstar of a cycling destination in Ontario. Stellar, in fact. But quiet about its natural beauty. Its marked cycling routes and trails will take you along the shores of Lake Ontario and Rice Lake, into gently rolling hills for epic views – or to historic small towns and friendly communities to relax and refuel. The region is crossed by the Trans Canada Trail from Hastings to east of Campbellford and also has hundreds of kilometres of mountain biking in the Ganaraska and Northumberland County Forests.

Whether you are an avid road cyclist, recreational rail trail fan or adventurous mountain biker, Simcoe County has a large variety of cycling routes and activities to fill first time visits and countless return trips. Centrally located an hour north of Toronto, once you are in Simcoe County many quiet roadways connect smaller communities and larger centers.

Grey County offers cyclists a chance to experience spectacular views and scenery combined with a variety of communities, small towns, and unique businesses well acquainted with welcoming visitors of all types, including those on bike. Enjoy a peaceful ride through flat waterfront trails along Georgian Bay or challenge your legs with off-road trails or steep roads up the Niagara Escarpment.

York Region has a number trails suitable for cyclists across the region. On road cycle touring and training routes are popular and attracting growing number of urban cyclists looking for quiet and more scenic paved routes. Additional attractions including mountain biking trails and Canada’s first indoor bike park and quaint villages.

Peel Region and Greenbelt areas (including Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon) have a number excellent cycling destinations and off road bicycle trails attracting a variety of cyclists.

Durham Region has a number excellent on-road regional and cross-regional trail systems and routes. Road cyclists are a common site along the scenic and quiet country roads, some with more challenging hills and others flatter following agricultural farmland in and out of pretty hamlets. Butter tart stops, country corner stores, bistro dinning and city eateries are some of the tastes available.

Cycling in and around Toronto is a fun and fast way to visit unique neighbourhoods, attractions and enjoy nature in the city. Visitors to Toronto will be pleasantly surprised by its large bikeway network with 753km mix of bicycle lanes, off-road trails and signed routes. The relatively flat and grid-like layout of the city makes getting around by bike easy. Want to avoid the city streets? Days can be spent riding trails through parkland and forested ravines, following heritage watershed rivers and discovering the waterfront on the Martin Goodman/Waterfront Trail that covers 56km as it crosses the city from east to west. Access by bike into Toronto is easy! -Cycle in and out using the Waterfront Trail -Hop on a bike-friendly GO Bus or Train -Or leave your bike at home and use Bike Share Toronto, the city’s public bike sharing system. -Bike rentals are also available at a number of bike shops. Want to shop for bike gear? Toronto has over 100 independent bike retailers in the city, so there are plenty of shopping opportunities too!

The County of Perth and the two independent municipalities of Stratford and St. Marys within its census division are a quaint agricultural area in southwest Ontario where cyclist can find scenic countryside routes passing through farmlands and along the Avon River as well as idyllic and charming communities filled with local culture and small businesses that warmly welcome visitors.

Finding quiet rural roads for cycling in Waterloo Region is never a challenge. While exploring endless kilometres of rolling hills or flatter landscapes, cyclists will experience rural rides dotted with charming villages, meandering rivers, as well as a rich cultural heritage of past and present. Head north of Kitchener-Waterloo to the Township of Woolwich, which has 13 on-road cycling routes or head south and explore six neighbourhood cycling routes that can be found around Cambridge, offering recreational cyclists shorter loops in and out of the city.