Markham Town and Trail

The York Region Cycling Tour Map (New in 2016) provides ideas for exploring York Region by bike, from ten tour routes to mountain biking, BMX and family cycling options.  

I intend on biking all ten routes this year, and decided to

 start with the 25 km Markham Town and Trail.

Start your ride amidst the exotic sights, sounds and aromas of Pacific Mall, the largest Chinese indoor mall in North America. Nearby is the gorgeous and quaint village of Unionville. At the eastern end of the loop is the Milne Dam Conservation Park. The water dam and mill attracted mass settlement creating the Village (now City) of Markham. This stretch of lush parkland along the Rouge River Valley offers great migratory bird watching. Or if BMX or MTB riding excites you, take a short detour to Joyride 150, Canada's first indoor bike park.

Ride Rating: Recreational cyclist – mix of trails and quiet streets with mixed traffic on a few busier streets
(Family/leisure option – ride the Rouge Valley Trail from Main Street Unionville (Victoria Street) to Milne Dam Conservation Area)

• Surface: unpaved trail (limestone screenings), paved trail, road
• Possible Starting Points:
• Milliken Mills Community Centre and Park – overnight parking and access to water and washrooms
• Unionville GO Station – overnight parking
• Markham GO Station – overnight parking
• Toogood Pond - parking
• Detailed maps:  RidewithGPS (with Points of Interest)

• Highlights: 
• Main Street Unionville 
• Main Street Markham 
• Markham Theatre
• Toogood Pond
• Milne Dam Conservation Park
• Pacific Mall

Here's the full route captured by my GoPro camera

Here are some more highlights.

Birchmount, crossing under Hwy 407

Approaching Markham Centre, Birchmount at Entreprise Dr

Markham PanAm Centre (site of badminton, table tennis, water polo)

Main Street Unionville

Rouge Valley Trail

New trail crossing at McCowan to Milne Dam Conservation Park

Milne Dam Conservation Area

Main Street Markham

Carlton St

Toogood Pond


Village Parkway

Pacific Mall

It was a pleasant ride with a good variety to see along trail and streets.  Could use some better wayfinding along the trail sections.  I need to go back and spend more time along those Main Streets to sample some culinary treats!

Ninth Line bike lane now open

New bike lanes and paved shoulders on Ninth Line now connect the City of Markham to the Town of Stouffville.  Check out the innovative green markings at the intersections which provide guidance for cyclists crossing the intersections and communicate to turning motorists to watch for people on bikes.

Here's a clip from a 5km ride I did in Markham starting at Major Mackenzie & Ninth Line, covering a range of different facility types.



Route map

More York Region Bike Month highlights

Bike Month 2015 has come and gone, but I had some memorable cycling experiences.  Here are a few more photos from some events in York Region that I participated in.

York Region Pedalpalooza - Tom Taylor Trail in Newmarket

Myles from Spoke O Motion set up some bike demos.  A quality bike makes such a difference in your cycling experience.  I rode my first tandem and fat bike!

Tom from Bike Sports showed off some different types of bikes including an electric bike.  Going faster and further with some power assistance makes me want to use a bike for more trips.  Pat from Smart Commute was there with her new e-bike.

Vaughan Bicycle User Group hosted two rides.  The Napa Valley Bike Lane celebration went from Sonoma Park to McMichael Gallery in Kleinberg.

Hydro Corridor trail south of Sonoma Park

Odette checking the map on the William Granger Greenway

The other Vaughan BUG ride was a Peter Rupert Bike Lane Celebration.  Starting from Walmart at Major Mackenzie / McNaughton, we biked south on Peter Rupert/Confederation to Hwy 7 with a stop for refreshments at McDonald's, and back north on the Bartley Smith Greenway.

I participated in the Toronto Bike Network's Dim Sum Ride.  The ride was led by Fred (who I previously met at Bike to Work Day Newmarket), and had about 10 cyclists.  We started at Finch Subway Station and headed north to Markham for an authentic chinese cuisine near Pacific Mall.

Finch hydro corridor in Toronto

Locking our bikes before lunch

Bike Month York Region had many other events, like bike valets at festivals, charity rides, mountain bike races, and kids bike camps. 

I'm all geared up for more cycling through the summer!

Here's another video to get you inspired to ride your bike.

York Region has a cycling map app

York Region recently released a new 2015-16 York Region Cycling Map.  It shows a better connected bike network and includes other enhancements such as:

• Greenbelt Route (launching Aug 2015)
• Steep hills
• Bike-friendly businesses
• Mountain-biking locations
• Featured routes
• Hiking trails

You can find it in a number of formats:

1) In print at bike shops, libraries, municipal buildings, and chambers of commerce throughout York Region

2) Download the pdf at www.york.ca/cycling

3) View the interactive map online (now mobile-friendly)

4) Try the new app at https://www.pdf-maps.com

PDF Maps is a mobile map application that enables you to download maps for offline use (doesn't use data) on your Apple iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. Use your device's built-in GPS to track your location on the map. Plot and recod information about locations, import and export placemarks, measure distance and area, and even plot photos.

Step 1: Get the app

Step 2: Get the map (search for "York Region Cycling" and download the north and south maps)

Step 3: Try it

Happy cycling!
-Shawn

York Region Bike Month Highlights in Pictures

Bike Month is a celebration of cycling, with events through the month of June.  Here are a few highlights:

Bike lane celebration - Napa Valley community ride (June 4th)

Safe Cycling Campaign Kick-Off (May 14th)

 Bike Rodeo at Family Fun Day (May 23)

Bike to Work Day, Newmarket (May 25)

Grab your bike and explore your city on two wheels!

Check out the My York Region Cycling Stories series for inspiration.