13 Spectacular Cycling Loops showcasing the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and Greenbelt Route!

Here’s your guide to 1400 km of fully connected, signed cycling routes in the Greater Toronto Horseshoe Area.

Loops range in distance from 30 km to 195 km using a combination of paths and roads. Perfect for a day-trip or a last-minute get-away.

Showcasing Ontario’s best trails and two signature cycling routes–the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and The Greenbelt Route and connecting you to many local businesses and attractions.

Celebrate the Lake Ontario Watershed, from the headwaters in Ontario’s Greenbelt, down river valleys, and along our Great Lakes. Support communities and local businesses, especially Ontario By Bike-Friendly certified businesses.

Organized geographically from Niagara to Northumberland.

  • Plan your next outing! Check out the 12 trip descriptions, complete with links to printable maps, and Ride with GPS 9 routing.

Wine Country Roundabout — 49 km

On this 49km loop around the heart of Niagara’s Wine Country, you’ll find tons of heritage, scenery, and a taste of the delightful spirit of land certain to leave you thirsty for more.

Suitable for intermediate cyclists.

Garden City Glide — 30 km

From the beaches of Port Weller and Port Dalhousie to St. Catharines and the Welland Canal, you’ll enjoy this afternoon glide around the Garden City where you’ll coast in all the right ways.

Suitable for beginner and intermediate cyclists.

Short-Dalhousie Shake-up — 38 km

Kick your cycling season off with this 38km tour from Short Hills Provincial Park to Port Dalhousie with the right kind of hill—almost 6km of “down”—and a gentler return along the banks of Twelve Mile Creek.

Suitable for beginner and intermediate cyclists.

Hambur Loop– 48 km

Cruise kilometres of the Hamilton and Burlington waterfront on this 48km loop around the Bay and up to one of Hamilton’s most famous waterfalls. The Red Hill Valley section of this route is best suited to gravel, hybrid, and mountain bikes.

Suitable for intermediate cyclists.

Escarpment Country Cruise–65 km

From the shores of the Hamilton Bayfront, through the verdant hills of the Dundas Valley and sun-touched fields of the countryside and back again, this 65km loop includes visits to a local orchard and bakery, and one of Hamilton’s most scenic waterfalls.

Suitable for intermediate and experienced cyclists.

Dundas Valley Loop– 56 km

It’s worth taking the day to cycle this 56km loop around and through the Dundas Valley, with visits to Tews Falls, Christie Lake, and the quiet hills and trails of the Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

Suitable for intermediate and experienced cyclists.

Burl-Oak Backroad Blast — 113 km

Discover the magnificent Greenbelt countryside and the Oakville and Burlington shoreline on this multiday 113km loop with a recommended stop at the Mountsberg Raptor Centre.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

Caledon-Lakeside Ride —  173 km

You’ll want two-to-three days to take in some of the best of Caledon, the Etobicoke Creek, and the Mississauga and Oakville shores on this 173km loop.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

Highland Hustle — 195 km

Call day one ‘The Justifier’. On this 2-day adventure, you’ll find yourself hustling over the stunning Durham and Northumberland countryside, stopping at four bakeries.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

Highland Hustle West — 114 km

Ride the 113km western arm of the Highland Hustle as a single-day blast! You’ll roll out from the Waterfront Trail in Whitby, through the trails in Heber Down Conservation area to get your hustle on in some of the Greenbelt’s most scenic highlands, with the lovely rural vistas.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

Highland Hustle East — 75 km

Enjoy a taste of the Highland Hustle with this trip to Port Hope, Newcastle and Orono that packs in all 3 B’s—Beaches, Breweries and Bakeries and a special Bonus–alpaca’s and goats at Haute Goate Farm.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

Bowmanville Boogie — 64 km

Travel Clarington’s beautiful countryside including visits to 5 communities, a historic mill, bakery, craft brewery and a famous local dairy.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

1000 Kilometre The Grand Great Lakes to Greenbelt

Grand Great Lakes to Greenbelt–1,000 km

Explore the beauty and bounty of Ontario’s Greenbelt, vistas and shorelines of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and the culture and history of towns and cities along the way. This 10-day self-guided, cycle itinerary combines two signature cycling routes that were designed as part of a plan to protectconnect and celebrate two iconic landscapes—our protected countryside and our Great Lakes coast. Once you check out the itinerary, you may  see why many add a couple of days to the itinerary. It makes the ride less punishing and  the overall experience more relaxing.

Suitable for experienced cyclists.

About the Great Lakes to Greenbelt Watershed cycling network.

Stretching over 3600 km, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail connects 155 communities and First Nations along the Canadian shores of the Great Lakes region. The 475 km Greenbelt Route spans seven regions, nearly two million acres of protected Greenbelt lands, from Northumberland to Niagara.

With generous support from the Greenbelt Foundation, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust is leading work to develop a Lake Ontario Watershed network of signed routes that link the two extraordinary trails to protect, connect and celebrate Lake Ontario’s watershed. Today there are over 1200km of signed connections, creating a green net throughout the Greater Toronto bioregion.

We are working with Ontario by Bike to share information about this wonderful network with cyclists.

 

With its beautiful vistas, restored wetlands, protected forests, expansive sand dunes, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is the critical first step toward protecting and restoring the natural heritage of the Great Lakes ecosystem.