Eastern Canada - Niagara Circle

Just returned from biking the Niagara Circle (http://www.regional.niagara.on.ca/government/initiatives/gncr/default.aspx). Took 3 days (I have heard some do it in 2 or even a single day but this was cruising -- stopping lots and taking it easy). Pictures here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/briansullivan/sets/72157605891200013/detail/).

Great trip!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2623149376_83ab741994.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/briansullivan/2623149376/sizes/m/)

Thanks for the posting. I never knew about the Niagara trail. I'll have to look into it. Your pictures look great!

Nice trip Brian,
I have done parts of that trip several times while on tour. The niagara area also offers many great road cycling routes as well as the trail system. I don't know why the Niagara region doesn't do more to promote cycling tourism, it is one of the best kept cycling areas in Ontario.
If you notice my avatar is a picture of me in front of the falls while on tour a few years back as part of a Lake Erie trip. The falls area seems to be a spot where many cyclists touring seem to cross through. Of interest to people in Toronto VIA Rail runs a bike train to Niagara.
http://www.biketrain.ca/

Happy cycling!

Hey, thanks for the link and nice pictures!

I was already planning a trip for this weekend that was similar in length and was almost in the same area, now I'm going to do this circle instead :D. Was there a lot of road riding? And wow, that would be impressive to do in one day...I'm leaving friday after work(4.30) and I have to bike back to Grimsby when I am done so I doubt I can make it all that night.

Of the official 139 km of the circle I am guessing less than 10km is not paved multiuse trail -- basically through the towns of Niagara on the Lake and Ft. Erie and little in Niagara Falls. Even those are pretty quiet roads with low speed limits.

Nice pics. We happened to be on the Niagara Parkway yesterday in a car driving guests around to see the sights, and the road was incredibly busy with motor vehicle traffic. The roads we went on also seemed really rough and beat up...wouldn't be much fun on a road bike, either away, I imagine. Though I did see a couple of them.

There is a parallel bike path -- we were not actually on the Niagara Parkway from Ft. Erie to NOTL Not sure how it would be for a road bike on the road itself at higher speeds -- but I do see lots of them on the road itself and as far as I know it is a very popular route.

I don't know why the Niagara region doesn't do more to promote cycling tourism, it is one of the best kept cycling areas in Ontario.
Well, we do, you see:
http://www.regional.niagara.on.ca/exploring/cycle/bikemap.aspx

The Niagara Parkway from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Fort Erie is approx. 120km in length, and (in most sections) very well paved. The section from Niagara Falls (at Chippawa) to Ft. Erie is sparsely travelled, flat, and scenic. The section from the 'Falls to NOTL is gently rolling with one small hill, and more usually travelled by cars. Lots of picnic tables, pull offs, and historical markers etc. This is my daily "bus wrestlin' " route.

The "parallel trail" is the Niagara River Recreational Trail, and though gently rolling and well paved, is more suitable for pedestrians, rollerbladers, wheelchairists, and dog walkers. The nature of the trail makes it ill suited to road bikes, as the sight-lines are poor at speed, and trail barely four pedstrians wide. Yes, they do.

I've gone from Port Weller to Welland twice. Last time was this past May.
One of my favourite area's to bike in the area.

How can you go wrong.The trail runs beside two Great Lakes the Niagara River and the Welland Canal.

Old thread, however just wanted to post a link to a video I took today. Went along a small stretch of the Canal trail.
Wasn't anything special, just had to get to the other end of the city, so I decided along here to take a video of it.

http://thecitycyclist.blogspot.com/2009/04/video-along-welland-canal.html