Greenbelt Route launches Aug 16th: York Region highlights

Last week, I was fortunate to join 130 cyclists from cities across North America to participate in the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure - Greenbelt Edition.  The Greenbelt Route, a 475 km cycling route from Northumberland County to Niagara Region, has now launched.  I rode the two days through York Region and had a fantastic cycling adventure exploring the countryside and it's communities along the way.

"After three years of planning alongside the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and in collaboration with 27 partner communities, the official launch of the Route is a spectacular milestone. More than 1,100 signs are up, the Route is mapped, the website is live, and all in time for last week's inaugural six-day ride celebrating 10 years of Ontario's Greenbelt." 

http://www.greenbelt.ca/greenbelt_route_making_headlines_2015

• Learn more about what the Greenbelt Route in York Region
• Tales from York Region: Five things to do along Greenbelt Route
• Landmark sign erected along Greenbelt Route in King
• Tips for riding the Greenbelt Route

Here are a few highlights:

Whitchurch-Stouffville

• Right in the heart of Memorial Park is the Whitchurch-Stouffville Leisure Centre (a good rest stop)
• Stouffville Main Street offers many shopping opportunities as well as food stops like the Earl of Whitchurch Pub
• Galluci Winery is directly on the Greenbelt Route, on Ninth Line, as is Timber Creek Golf and Family Fun Centre
• The Route passes Musselman's Lake with a ice cream shop, Belgian Chocolates as well as Fishbones Restaurant, with a patio overlooking the lake.

Aurora

• As you cross Hwy 404 along St. John's Sideroad, look for the horses roaming the fields
• As you approach Industrial Parkway, the Nokiidaa Trail continues south past the Aurora Arboretum.  This is where the Greenbelt Route intersects with the future Lake to Lake Route.
• As you pass by the provincially significant McKenzie Marsh wetland on the Nokiidaa Trail boardwalk link, look for turtles, herons, and other wildlife.

Newmarket

• Take a detour north along the Tom Taylor Trail another 2km for the historic Main Street Newmarket with lots of shops and restarants such as Cachet or Hungry Brew Hops, or cool off in the fountains at Riverwalk Commons.
• Cross Yonge Street along Savage, and connect with the John F. Smith Trail to Mulock.

King

• Be prepared for some hills along 19th Sideroad between Bathurst and Keele.  You'll pass by Thornton Bales Conservation Area as well as the Koffler Scientific Reserve at Jokers Hill.

• I stopped for lunch at the Kettleby bakery.  A sleepy and picturesque little community with a great park at the end of the main street.  Holland Marsh is directly to the north.
• Round the Bend Farm is a short detour on Jane St, south of Lloydtown-Aurora Road.
• In Pottageville, I recommend a stop at Pathways to Perrenials, which is like an oasis.  The Blossom Cafe is open from 11am - 3pm and is staffed by a professional chef.

• Schomberg has a nice Main Street with some unique shops and restaurants.  Sheena's Kitchen, the Schomberg Pub, and the Grackle Coffee Company are among them.

A few more photos: http://www.waterfronttrail.org/pictures-from-2015-gwta-day-3

Cycling in the Greenbelt allows you the opportunity to enjoy its beauty and bounty:  Rolling hills, scenic landscapes, farm fresh food, and welcoming people.  Adventure awaits!

Testing the Greenbelt Cycling Route

The Waterfront Regeneration Trust has received funding from the Greenbelt Foundation to implement a new cycling route connecting communities throughout the Greenbelt. The project will create a signature provincial cycling route from Northumberland to Niagara (460 km) using existing infrastructure, and is expected to launch in late summer 2015.

I was fortunate to be one of the over 200 people who participated in the Greenbelt Route Mobile Workshops from May 5-10. The Workshops were a great opportunity to hear presentations from visiting and local experts on cycle tourism, cycling infrastructure and services; network with other cycling, tourism, business and Greenbelt leaders; and, most importantly, experience and evaluate the route.

Here are some of the highlights of the 63 km York Region segment of the route from the mobile workshops on May 7 and 8, 2014.

Greenbelt Route Mobile Workshop from Shawn Smith on Vimeo.

Cycling the Nokiidaa Trail - Newmarket Section

Named for an Ojibway term meaning "walking together", the Nokiidaa Trail System follows the Holland River from Aurora to Holland Landing.  The Nokiidaa Trail was initiated in 2000 as a Special Millennium Partnership project connecting the neighbouring municipalities of Aurora, Newmarket, and East Gwillimbury.  With a trail connection in Aurora complete in 2011, there are now over 20 kilometers of continuous trail that link the three municipalities. 

According to the Town of Aurora's website, the vision and foresight for the connection of trails came from Newmarket’s resident Mr. Ernie Crossland, who worked to make the trail a reality and a recreation treasure for the residents of all three Towns.

Earlier this month I cycled the Newmarket section (called the Tom Taylor Trail) with my family.  It was a great ride and I highly recommend checking it out.  Most of Newmarket's section is paved, while Aurora's and East Gwillimbury's are crushed limestone screenings (still very rideable).

Most road crossings go under the road, like this one at Mulock.  The exceptions are at Davis Dr (bridge currently under construction, so there's a detour through the Tannery parking lot), and Water Street in front of Riverwalk Commons, which is a busy unsignalized crossing, so use extra caution.

West side of Fairy Lake.  There are plans to pave it in the future.  The route on the east side of the Lake is already paved.

Newmarket Riverwalk Commons - there's a great farmer's market here on Saturdays and many events throughout the year

We found that the trail had hills that were too steep for my 6 year old, so we put his bike away and pulled our kids on our trail-a-bike and chariot.

I found this trail flyer that covers the entire route:
https://icreate.newmarket.ca/230515_TownOfNewmarket/en/resourcesGeneral/NokiidaaTrailFlyer.pdf

 

Love your commute

On Fridays through the summer, I often cycled the 70 km roundtrip from my home in Maple to work in East Gwillimbury.  Though it was a long distance, it was an invigorating start to my day and I always felt great after doing it.  It improves my fitness, saves me money, and is a thrill.  I would have biked to work more often if it not for family commitments and the extra time it required.  It takes me about an hour and twenty minutes each way (which is about double the 40 minutes it takes to drive).

Boulevard path on Vandorf Sideroad east of Bayview

I tried different routes, and what I found was that most roads were more bike-friendly than I thought, with paved shoulders and only a little traffic.  I eventually settled on the route shown in black (north on Keele Street, east on 15th Sideroad / Bloomington, north on Yonge Street, east on Industrial Parkway/Vandorf Sideroad, and north on Woodbine).  One of the biggest route determining factors was avoiding the hills.  There are some thigh-burning climbs!  19th Sideroad between Keele and Bathurst, and St. John's Sideroad between Yonge and Bathurst come to mind.

Try it.  Bike to work.  Dust of that Schwinn and hit the ground pedaling.  You'll use all of your senses.  You'll notice things, like the smell of Fall, the birds chirping, the wind in your face, the swoop of each turn.  You'll feel alive, and it's wonderful.

Paved shoulder on Keele Street

Boulevard path on Bloomington

Crossing Hwy 404 on St. John's Sideroad

Crossing Hwy 404 on St. John's Sideroad

Bike lane on Keele Street at McNaughton

Beautiful vistas

 https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zMmshogRacy0.k7WKDn0mvbtA