Bruce County Cycling Routes
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bannock, and Ojibway crafts. Ojibway and bannock, Sydney Bay Store and Café includes Indian tacos, tacos, Indian includes Café and Store Bay Sydney birds, bring binoculars to spy on the flocks in adjacent Wingfield Basin. Wingfield adjacent in flocks the on spy to binoculars bring birds, a boardwalk and canoe rentals. At its entrance, entrance, its At rentals. canoe and boardwalk a and gallery lie awaiting at the end of the road. If you’ve got an eye for for eye an got you’ve If road. the of end the at awaiting lie gallery and ruralgardens.ca) on your way back to Wiarton. Wiarton. to back way your on ruralgardens.ca) it’s a gorgeous campground with nature trails, trails, nature with campground gorgeous a it’s The historic Cabot Head Lighthouse with its interpretive trails, museum museum trails, interpretive its with Lighthouse Head Cabot historic The lakes and the ‘Rural Rootz’ garden (www. garden Rootz’ ‘Rural the and lakes Park. With the Niagara Escarpment as its backdrop, backdrop, its as Escarpment Niagara the With Park. America. Bruce Rd 13 takes you past picturesque picturesque past you takes 13 Rd Bruce America. For a side trip, take Park Rd down to Cape Croker Croker Cape to down Rd Park take trip, side a For chute. chute. which offer some of the best kite surfing in North North in surfing kite best the of some offer which Bay and a small trail scrambles uphill to the remains of an old log log old an of remains the to uphill scrambles trail small a and Bay beaches of Howdenvale, Red Bay, and Oliphant Oliphant and Bay, Red Howdenvale, of beaches Sydney Bay. Sydney At a culvert with a small waterfall, Gillies Lake empties into Georgian Georgian into empties Lake Gillies waterfall, small a with culvert a At with Sunset Drive and roll on south to the protected protected the to south on roll and Drive Sunset with Park provides a break on a cliff edge overlooking overlooking edge cliff a on break a provides Park before you reach Pike Bay Rd and go west. Connect Connect west. go and Rd Bay Pike reach you before climb, all the way to Boundary Rd, but Bayview Bayview but Rd, Boundary to way the all climb, the 45-m-high escarpment framing the way. the framing escarpment 45-m-high the There is a 4 km stretch of gravel on Daddy Weir Rd, Rd, Weir Daddy on gravel of stretch km 4 a is There Where the road climbs, forest takes over. It’s a long long a It’s over. takes forest climbs, road the Where along Cabot Head Rd. The road winds right along the water’s edge with with edge water’s the along right winds road The Rd. Head Cabot along On the way back, head west on Barrow Bay Rd. Rd. Bay Barrow on west head back, way the On immersed in Ontario-rare grassland habitat. habitat. grassland Ontario-rare in immersed The highlight of this route is the final 10 km stretch from Dyer’s Bay Bay Dyer’s from stretch km 10 final the is route this of highlight The On the return, Sydney Bay Rd will have you you have will Rd Bay Sydney return, the On harbour at Lion’s Head. Head. Lion’s at harbour can occasionally be seen soaking in the sun on the asphalt. asphalt. the on sun the in soaking seen be occasionally can just 14 km further to the welcoming beach in the the in beach welcoming the to further km 14 just powered by electricity. by powered fields across the street, and the threatened Massasauga rattlesnake rattlesnake Massasauga threatened the and street, the across fields prepared for a tough climb back out. From here its its here From out. back climb tough a for prepared the first in Canada to have its fog plant and light light and plant fog its have to Canada in first the of nowhere is St Margaret’s Chapel, built in 1925. Buffalo roam in in roam Buffalo 1925. in built Chapel, Margaret’s St is nowhere of great beach, cliffs, and Bruce Trail access, but be be but access, Trail Bruce and cliffs, beach, great and ends with a view. The lightstation itself was was itself lightstation The view. a with ends and The large, exquisite limestone church that marks a spot in the middle middle the in spot a marks that church limestone exquisite large, The For a side trip, Hope Bay is a quaint place with a a with place quaint a is Bay Hope trip, side a For The road to the lighthouse cuts through forest forest through cuts lighthouse the to road The and a government dock extending into the bay. bay. the into extending dock government a and it’s a twisty, turny, up and down cardio romp. cardio down and up turny, twisty, a it’s ruralgardens.ca). There’s a beautiful stretch along the lakeshore lakeshore the along stretch beautiful a There’s reason why it’s called Forty Hills Rd. Through farmland and cedar bush, bush, cedar and farmland Through Rd. Hills Forty called it’s why reason and pass the Living Carpet rural garden (www. garden rural Carpet Living the pass and the lakeshore, then pedaling inland to Forty Hills Rd. There’s good good There’s Rd. Hills Forty to inland pedaling then lakeshore, the of Bruce Peninsula Mountain Bike Adventure Park, Park, Adventure Bike Mountain Peninsula Bruce of and homemade pie. pie. homemade and Touch the lighthouse at the Lion’s Head Marina and you’re off, tracing tracing off, you’re and Marina Head Lion’s the at lighthouse the Touch of the village. You’ll pass the fat-tire playground playground fat-tire the pass You’ll village. the of sometimes has traditional food, fresh white fish fish white fresh food, traditional has sometimes Onwards is upwards with a long climb back out out back climb long a with upwards is Onwards as the police station. All R’s Gas Bar and Restaurant Restaurant and Bar Gas R’s All station. police the as beach and quaint lodging and dining options. dining and lodging quaint and beach steep descent into the village of Colpoys Bay. Bay. Colpoys of village the into descent steep of Nawash Reserve. An old stone building serves serves building stone old An Reserve. Nawash of under the white cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment. There’s a lovely sand sand lovely a There’s Escarpment. Niagara the of cliffs white the under Don’t let the view distract you too much on the the on much too you distract view the let Don’t Coveney’s Rd is a fun downhill into the Chippewas Chippewas the into downhill fun a is Rd Coveney’s place to return to. The setting is gorgeous on the blue Isthmus Bay Bay Isthmus blue the on gorgeous is setting The to. return to place to visit Patrick’s Paradise (www.ruralgardens.ca). (www.ruralgardens.ca). Paradise Patrick’s visit to Lion’s Head is a great launching pad, mostly because it’s a wonderful wonderful a it’s because mostly pad, launching great a is Head Lion’s and spiral staircase on the Niagara Escarpment. Escarpment. Niagara the on staircase spiral and way back down to Wiarton. Wiarton. to down back way Then, veering onto Purple Valley Rd, you may want want may you Rd, Valley Purple onto veering Then, Spirit Rock Conservation Area and explore the ruins ruins the explore and Area Conservation Rock Spirit shop. Then just before Oxenden, a fantastic descent begins that runs all the the all runs that begins descent fantastic a Oxenden, before just Then shop. and stay in control. control. in stay and lighthouse. lighthouse. out-of-the-saddle climb. Then catch your breath at at breath your catch Then climb. out-of-the-saddle and its conservation area, and cross Gleason Brook with its adjacent pottery pottery adjacent its with Brook Gleason cross and area, conservation its and there’s a tendency to swing into the oncoming lane; mind your brakes brakes your mind lane; oncoming the into swing to tendency a there’s Rd. Rd. scenic routes in Bruce County, and to a postcard-picture-perfect postcard-picture-perfect a to and County, Bruce in routes scenic Out of Wiarton brace yourself for a thigh-burning, thigh-burning, a for yourself brace Wiarton of Out At Wolseley the route rolls amidst mature maples. You’ll skirt Lake Charles Charles Lake skirt You’ll maples. mature amidst rolls route the Wolseley At following word of caution: at the base of each hill is a blind curve, and and curve, blind a is hill each of base the at caution: of word following Colpoys Bay, and see the pretty waterfall on Kribs Kribs on waterfall pretty the see and Bay, Colpoys Hilly terrain and gravel roads lead strong riders along one of the most most the of one along riders strong lead roads gravel and terrain Hilly massive undercut caves and the spectacular view, but also heed the the heed also but view, spectacular the and caves undercut massive Conservation Area, make a grand descent into into descent grand a make Area, Conservation and great views. great and another 5 km to the escarpment top. top. escarpment the to km 5 another another near Colpoy’s Lookout Conservation Area. Check out the the out Check Area. Conservation Lookout Colpoy’s near another Wiarton, you’ll pass the intriguing Spirit Rock Rock Spirit intriguing the pass you’ll Wiarton, the even quieter extension loop for more beaches beaches more for loop extension quieter even the Church marks Kemble - but not the end of the climb.