Touring - Interest Check on Toronto to Niagara Weekend Ride

I've noticed a couple of threads this past summer on people interested in riding down to Niagara. I was wondering if there is any interest in a Toronto to Niagara return self-supporting trip? Basically, cycle down to there, admire the gushing water, find a bathroom immediately afterwards ;) , camp, head back next day to Toronto? ie. Saturday/Sunday ride.

This would be late September or early October (whenever the trees are changing colour). The route would be the mid-peninsula one which swould have more scenery and, more importantly, fruit stands. :D

We could break it up into a "fast" group and a "slow" group if need be. :)

Also, if you live in various spots along the way, you'll be more than welcome to join up for any part of the ride you like.

PMed

Out of 27 views and only one reply? I'd better check my deodorant. ;)

I'd also like to point out to any oeniphiles that the mid-peninsula route will include a few wineries that you can stop in at. You're responsible for hauling your own goodies though. :D

I'd go with you, if I wasn't so far away! Make sure and stop at Maleivoire winery. Their 2004 Moira Vineyard Chardonnay is supposed to be very good. It's also organic. :)

I'd go with you, if I wasn't so far away! Make sure and stop at Maleivoire winery. Their 2004 Moira Vineyard Chardonnay is supposed to be very good. It's also organic. :)

Yeah, this winery would be on the mid-peninsular route to the 'Falls. So far, i've got one person signed up for this so it's not bad. I'm going to start planning a bit more than simply knowing the route. That's the easy part. :rolleyes:

FYI, no need for anyone to fear that we're going to tackle the Niagara Escarpment. I'm not planning on it but if you want to do it I may be able to point out a short route that will take you to an old working watermill nearby. :)

FYI, no need for anyone to fear that we're going to tackle the Niagara Escarpment. I'm not planning on it but if you want to do it I may be able to point out a short route that will take you to an old working watermill nearby. :)

Which old working watermill are you refering to? The one at Balls Falls or the one at Decew Falls. Just wondering.

Balls Falls
http://www.infoniagara.com/recreation/hiking/balls.html

Decew Falls
http://www.infoniagara.com/recreation/hiking/decew.html

It's the one at Decew Falls called the Morningstar Mill. :)

A good friend of mine has suggested that we could always have an option where people who don't want to do the full trip can take the GO train out to Oakville (or wherever) and meet up there. Or, even, take the GO train back. ;)

So, we're going to try to be very flexible here. He also said to watch out for "macho" riders so if you zoom ahead and become lost you're on your own. hehehe

Hmmm, my wife was wondering about doing this. Do you have a route already? Can you put it on Gmap (www.gmap-pedometer.com) so we can have a look.

And how slow is the slow group? She did a 100km ride this weekend at 16km/h average.

Hmmm, my wife was wondering about doing this. Do you have a route already? Can you put it on Gmap (www.gmap-pedometer.com) so we can have a look.

And how slow is the slow group? She did a 100km ride this weekend at 16km/h average.

Hiya Caspar,

I don't have a route set just yet. I'm thinking that it will be the same as the route that I did a month ago to get into the 'Falls since it does incorporate part of the Winery Tour/Route. But, I am considering altering part of that for a variety of reasons that includes more fruit stands, better road conditions, more wineries, and skirting closer to the Escarpment. I will see if I cannot do some personal scouting this coming weekend of an alternative route. All routes will end up in St Catherines and go from there onto the Welland Canal Path and, then, into the 'Falls' area.

As for speed, loaded down I can only dream of doing 16km/h! :roflmao:

Cheers!

All routes will end up in St Catherines


It's St Catharines with an A, eh? ;)

It's St Catharines with an A, eh? ;)

Oops! I'm not even sure if there is a period after St! :rolleyes:

As an update, I went to the Ontario Tourism office nearby and picked up some materials to help plan out the route so I will get to work on that tomorrow and should have something up on Google Maps for everyone to check out. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask them which weekend are the trees most likely to turn colour. One thing is for certain, this trip will not take place over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. :)

Hi ,I did it about a month ago , just to see if touring is for me, I went to Niagara On The Lake, and then I took the parkway to the falls, it was about 157 KM, becaus I missed a couple of turns....lol... got my self a motel, went to the Casino, and took the bus back to Toronto, I would love to do it again, sign me up.

I would love to do it. It would depend on the dates. I have already paid for a trip to visit my daughter in California and go hiking at Yosemite. We will be gone from 9/22 to 10/2. My non-packed cycling speed is comfortably 15-17 mph. I have only gone on supported week long rides, so I don't know how much slower loaded touring will be.

I would love to do it. It would depend on the dates. I have already paid for a trip to visit my daughter in California and go hiking at Yosemite. We will be gone from 9/22 to 10/2. My non-packed cycling speed is comfortably 15-17 mph. I have only gone on supported week long rides, so I don't know how much slower loaded touring will be.

My non-packed speed is about that too. Realistically, I just knock off about 5 km from that. :)

The following is a tentative route using Google's Pedo-Map thingy:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=417363

For most of the peninsula I am working from the VQA's Official Guide to the Wineries of Ontario booklet. The route from Winona to Jordan is exactly the same one that I've used before. There are eleven wineries, including Lolly Pop's suggested Malivoire Winery, within easy reach of this particular stretch. It's almost entirely flat (as in bike flat not car flat) with the exception of at least two steep ravines/valleys just west of Jordan. I'm going to leave the remainder of the route unfinished for now because I want to see if I can ride down there this weekend (not sure since my right ankle has developed a sharp pain since Monday) and check out a road called Pelham Rd. which may be pretty scenic. :)

Stay tuned as I develop the route a bit more but I wouldn't worry too much about it...as I've noted before all roads in the area seem to end up at the 'Falls. :)

Right, I would also like to get some details as to how many people have tents/camping gear/etc. and who will be willing to carry what? Like I said before, the plan is for this to be a self-supporting bike camping tour. Of course, if you want to check in to a motel/hotel, that option is open to you too. ;)

P.S. One last thing, my friend who's done a lot of this, says that participants should NOT drink any wine during the ride itself - not even a glass. Something to do with oxygen and sapping all of your energy. No, it's not because you're drunk. LOL! So, best thing to do is to buy a bottle or two and bring it to the campground. Of course, if you want to test out his hypothesis, go right ahead. ;)

The Hamilton lake trail thing goes all the way through Confederation park and then you get onto side streets and a path that ends at Millen Ave if you want to cut a bit off the Barton Road (8). The curvy "road" at the lakeshore end of Millen is actually the bike path that Google maps has misidentified.

Went to Winona for the peach fesitval 26th August.

The wife and I are interested - we've got a tent, etc all ready from this weekend. That 16km/h was her loaded and on her mountain bike - and walking up the hills.

Iron Mac -- things are moving along! Pelham Road is nice, but only south of Glendale. North of it is narrow and busy. South is rural and scenic.

Have fun at the wineries. The Grape and Wine Festival is on soon.

I agree about not drinking. Get a bottle to go instead.

As for the trees changing colour, you should be okay any time before Hallowe'en. :)

Caspar, yeah, Google isn't perfect which is why I prefer doing "on the ground" site visits. ;)

I missed the Winona peach festival...I think it was because of bad weather and something else. :( I love ripe peaches...what am I saying? I love ripe fruit, period!!! :D

I've also got a couple of tents (2-and 3-person) but I need to test them out first. No, I'm only willing to carry one of them! :P Also have a Whisperlite stove but my cooking set is meant for one hungry tourer so will need more/bigger pots/pans unless we do individual meals one after the other.

Lolly Pop, yeah, it's snowballing fast and so far it looks like we've got 5 people in total and we've still got a couple of more weeks to go before people really can decide. :)

I thought Pelham ran west to east?

We have to schedule the weekend of this tour against Thanksgiving and the Toronto Fall Bike Show (need new gloves, tires, etc.). I'm not even going to consider Oktoberfest! Although, if this tour works out, then, maybe next year a trip to Kitchener/Waterloo for Oktoberfest and its attendant fatty foods. :D

Right now, only worried about the weather. Hate for this to be rained out. :( Maybe if they say 30% chance of rain we will still shoot for it although I ended up taking those odds a couple of months back and ended up with enough rain that it was puddling two inches high on the bike path. :eek:

Good luck Iron Mac! Hope you get the perfect weekend with those crinkly crispy leaves on the trail, dry of course. I miss the fall weather there so much!

Good luck Iron Mac! Hope you get the perfect weekend with those crinkly crispy leaves on the trail, dry of course. I miss the fall weather there so much!

Thanks Lolly Pop. I thought that Ireland had that sort of weather too? I've got a friend who's touring right now over there. He's on Arran's main island of Inishmor or is he now in Gallway? I'll have to check his email again. :rolleyes:

Hey IronMac - drop me a line if you need any suggestions. I live in St. Catharines (St. Kitts) and ride the area quit a bit, many different routes to take pending your like/dis-like for traffic.
Just a few notes regarding the above posts:You will have to tackle the escarpment to get to the Nia Falls but depending on the route it's not too bad. Balls Fals and Decew Falls are great sites to see - both are on top of the escarpment though. Pelham Road does run E-W. The Grape and Wine now called the Niagara Wine Festival runs from Sept 22 to Oct 1 - Montebello Park in St. Kitts has a lot of vendors set up for vino and food and the parade is on the 30th. The Confederation trail is OK but can be very busy with peds, the N Service Road from Stoney Creek all the way to St. Kitts has a bike lane but the route is along the QEW and not the most scenic except for the lake. Travelling the Regional Road 81 is OK but it has no bike lane and is a narrow road with ditches and very little shoulder in some areas.
As a suggestion you could travel the N Service Road from Stoney Creek all the way to Pt Dalhousie (the northern part of St. Kitts), then take Lakeshore Road to Nia-on-the-lake (NOTL). Lakeshore Rd is scenic and has a bike lane once you get on the East side of the Welland Canal. Travelling along Lakeshore you will go by fruit stands and wineries. From Nia-on-the-Lake you go south on the Niagara Parkway (road) or on the paved trail that travels along the Niagara River from NOTL to Ft. Erie and the trail goes right through Nia Falls. This will be a more direct route but everyone likes something different. FYI from the N Service road you can ride south up to the wineries (such as Maloviere) that are dotted along reg Rd 81 - depending on where you are it's only a couple miles one way. There are approx 60 wineries in the Nia Peninsula, not all of them are on the wine route map - any route you take will run you by wineries and vineyards. Harvest is just starting so you may see your share of harvesters.
Let me know if you need any help or suggestions and if you let me know the dates I might come ride with you for a while.
jim

Hi jisaak,

Thanks for the suggested route and you're more than welcome to join us on part of this tour. We could take the route along Niagara-on-the-Lake on the return portion or vice versa. I don't seem to have really encountered the escarpment on my rides with the exception of Decew Falls that one time. When I rolled into the 'Falls, the only big hills I saw were near Jordan and Glendale(?) road.

FYI everyone concerning the date for this; it will be on the weekend of October 14-15 which is the weekend after Thanksgiving and the weekend before the Toronto Fall Bike Show. :) I'm hoping that the colours should be good at this time.

I've yet to narrow the camping accomodations but almost all of the campgrounds in the area end their season on Oct. 31st. Problem is that they all have shockingly onerous cancellation policies. I'm leaning towards the KOA or the Jellystone campgrounds because the loss would be only $10 per campsite for cancelling 48 hours ahead of time with full loss of course after that. They're both closely situated southwest of the 'Falls and are easy to get to.

You are gonna have such a good time. That is the perfect weekend to go. Have a blast!

You are gonna have such a good time. That is the perfect weekend to go. Have a blast!

Thanks Lolly Pop! The only fly in the ointment is the possibility of rain and the fact that you can't make it!

IronMac - FYI there is hostel in Niagara Falls if you want to avoid the rain when camping. It's located north of the falls on Bridge street.

jim

Thanks Jim!

Anyone think that it might be a good idea to simply show up at one of the two aforementioned campgrounds and see if they have a couple of spots? I know that provincial parks usually have some unreserved spots for tenters who simply show up.

U$23 a night for the hostel. Per person
Cdn$32 for Jellystone camp site. (and their off season ends Oct 15th) How many two person tents to a tent site? Or do you have to pay per tent? (never camped with other people before :-) I should think that the last weekend of the season there shouldn't be a problem just showing up. Hopefully :-)

What times were you thinking of riding? Do you start from Toronto really early? I've just started doing night shift - by 14th Oct I should be used to it and have figured out what my sleeping patterns are going to be. I will be working 9 pm to 7 am, so switching to days for the weekend might be a bit hard if you come through Burlington too early :-)

From looking at the various campgrounds' websites, it's one tent per campsite with the expectation that it's two people per tent. Obviously, they will charge more per person per site. ;) I also don't think that it would be that big of a deal just showing up. There is also a choice of three other campgrounds in the vicinity that we could call up if our first choice falls through.

I was thinking of leaving Toronto around 6 or 7 am; with an average speed of, at best 20 km/hr, should arrive in Burlington at around 10 am. The GO train is also an option that I am considering.

Just came across your post and it sounds like fun...how many are going now? also is anyone interested in indoor accomodations?

Just came across your post and it sounds like fun...how many are going now? also is anyone interested in indoor accomodations?

I think that we're up to 5 in total. I don't think people are going to make any serious plans to join up until the first weekend of October.

Ok, folks, this is still on. :) This coming weekend I would like people to confirm whether or not they're going to join up on this tour. Need to get details down as to who is bringing what, cooking together or separately, average speed, times of departure, breaks, etc.

Bumping this thread. :)

Well, has anyone else decided to do this?

Last week I was thinking it was going to be a bit cold for camping, but it seems to have warmed up again.

We stop for coffee!

ok am in

Ok, so far, it looks like there will be four people in total. I will finish the Google map route later today with a final destination campground in mind. It's definitely going to be chilly overnight but it will make you appreciate the hot tea and oatmeal in the morning even more. :)

For those still on the fence, if you're not sure that you can do 160 km in one day, you can always take the GO train out to Oakville or Burlington and back which will cut at least 45 km out of the day's mileage. The pace will be relatively easy at not more than 20 km an hour and there can be frequent stops. Fingers crossed that there will be lots of fruit available along the way! :)

Ok, here is the updated route with the final destination campground being the KOA at 8625 Lundy's Lane, Niagara Falls.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=477875

It's a distance of about 135 km to the KOA and, then, probably another 10 the 'Falls themselves. I figure that we can arrive at the KOA in the afternoon, find our campsite and, then, dump our gear before heading over to the 'Falls or save the 'Falls themselves for the morning after.

So far, two people want to go out to eat dinner instead of making it at the campground. There are tons of restaurants on Lundy's Lane itself so eating dinner out is no problem although I will probably make my own. :)

A couple of people have mentioned to me that they might want to check into a motel since they don't have the gear. That's not a problem since Lundy's Lane is touristy along its entire length and so finding a motel/hotel would be a snap. I've got all the gear for this but I'm normally a solo tourist so I will be staying at the campground.

I did a ride down to Beamsville (205 km round trip from Toronto) yesterday afternoon and the colours were just turning. I would say, depending on location, that about 80 percent of the trees have yet to start changing their colours. 15% have started to varying degrees and 5% are bare (or they're dead but I'm not an arborist). If the weather holds, I believe that next weekend we should be in the midst of the change or catching the tail end of it. :)

Excellent day for a ride yesterday and I'm planning another one (hopefully longer) for tomorrow. :D

BTW, the cherries have given way to peaches and pears which, in their turn, have given way to apples, pumpkins and mums. Lots and lots of mums...

I was just in Paris, Ont and the colours around Burlington are brilliant. This is a great time of year to do this ride. Even Hamilton looks beautiful! I'm in insofar as the weather holds up (120km+ in cold, windy rain is a real dealbreaker).

I'm in insofar as the weather holds up (120km+ in cold, windy rain is a real dealbreaker).

If the weather turns nasty or if The Weather Network says that there is a 30% or greater chance of rain for the Niagara region by Thursday evening (so as to give everyone time to make alternative plans for the weekend) I am going to cancel the trip.

Myself, I may still do it. It will be a challenge but I enjoy challenges. :rolleyes:

Besides, darkly-wet roads carpeted with colour, the hint of woodsmoke in the air, and the sounds of water smattering through the leaves are emblematic of autumn for me. :)

Ok, so far the list of people confirmed for this trip (unless weather turns nasty in which case it may just be myself, me and I):

- Moi (that stands for "me" for those unilinguals) (campground)
- Caspar and wife (motel)
- qqy (motel)
- sanlevrier (motel)

There are still at least two or three more to confirm. Remember folks, we are going to leave around 7 am from Toronto (Yonge & Dundas). A pace of about 18-20 klicks an hour with stops every 10 or 20 kms unless there is a vineyard or fruit stand that everyone wants to check out. Please, no drinking before hitting our destination(s), a friend who has done this sort of group tour has told me that drinking really saps your oxygen level or something like that.

Would everyone please tell me what they are thinking of doing for Saturday night supper and Sunday morning's breakfast? Caspar and wife are thinking of going out for dinner but no idea for breakfast. I was thinking, if it's just me, to eat at the campground for both meals. (soup mix with extra pasta and sausage for dinner and oatmeal with rooibus tea for breakfast)

So far, two people want to go out to eat dinner instead of making it at the campground. There are tons of restaurants on Lundy's Lane itself so eating dinner out is no problem although I will probably make my own. :)


If you are going to Lundy's Lane, you should go to the Flying Saucer Restaurant!!

On second thought, recent reviews suggest their standards have dropped. There is a pancake house near there that is really good, however, if you don't feel like cooking breakfast.

I am so jealous! You are going to have such a good time!

:) Right now, I'm still waiting for one other person to confirm. No one's said boo about meals yet, though.

Right now, watching the Weather Network for St. Catharines (NOT Toronto). The final decision to go will be made at 8 am EST Thursday night.

Ok, the trip is a go!!! The forecast for St. Catharines, according to the Weather Network, is:

Saturday:
High - 12
Low - 7
Variable cloudiness with a 30 percent chance of precipitation.

Sunday:
High - 14
Low - 9
Isolated showers with a 30 percent chance of precipitation.

It'll be an easy opportunity to see whether or not modern-day materials really do keep you warm when it gets wet. ;)

Have fun!

sorry, I have to work , am out :mad: :crash: :cry:

I'm afraid that I'm going to cancel the tour. The weather is just too extreme for most, if not all, participants. There is currently a wind warning for the area until midday tomorrow and there will also be snow on the ground in some areas. Maybe next year. :(

I'm afraid that I'm going to cancel the tour. The weather is just too extreme for most, if not all, participants. There is currently a wind warning for the area until midday tomorrow and there will also be snow on the ground in some areas. Maybe next year. :(

Aww...I feel your disappointment. If you try to reorganize for another time, I'll definitely be interested in hearing the details!

Aww...I feel your disappointment. If you try to reorganize for another time, I'll definitely be interested in hearing the details!

Thanks sharrison. I have all of my gear out here ready to go along with my camera and slide film for the colours. Next weekend is out of the question because there's the bike show and the City of Toronto's auction.

The weekend after that will probably have all of the leaves fallen already. *rats*

Thanks sharrison. I have all of my gear out here ready to go along with my camera and slide film for the colours. Next weekend is out of the question because there's the bike show and the City of Toronto's auction.

The weekend after that will probably have all of the leaves fallen already. *rats*

What if you tried a different route this weekend? Somewhere away from the snow belt. You could even comprise with a day trip and still get some great photos.