# Route Recommendations North of Toronto



## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

I am new to road biking, and I am linterested in recommendations for good roads and routes to ride on north of Toronto (I am based in Woodbridge). Here is what I am most interested in:
1) Smooooth surface.
2) Nicely paved smooth shoulders.
3) Not too busy for the most part.
4) Not too many traffic lights or stop signs.
5) Some gentle rolling hills.
6) Some scenic portions with lots of curves and trees.

So far my favourites are Teston Rd from Kleinburg to Weston, Weston from Teston to 9, Jane from Teston to 9. I haven't explored too much other areas yet.


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

You could head up Humber Station Road into the Caledon Hills. The further you ride the better the roads get. Also good is Holland Marsh, Keele N of King City and Pine Valley.

If you want a group I know there is one that goes out of Islington and Rutherford. They do 80km rides and up. They avg. about 28 kph.


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## petepeterson (Jan 4, 2011)

keep going north
when you get to lake simcoe turn around.


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

Thanks for tips Chainstay. I'm going to try and get from Woodbridge up Humber Station, this weekend (weather permitting). Yes, I forgot Pine Valley is one of my favourites, and it ends up near my house. Only problem is Rutherford at the bottom end is really bad. My personal favourite is actually westbound on Teston Road from 400 into Kleinburg. The rolling hills there are just perfect.

I would try joining that group ride from Al Palladini Centre, but I need to get my fitness and speed up a little (averaging only 26kph solo right now).


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## scarsellone (Mar 12, 2007)

Hello, we are starting group rides from Jane & Langstaff, going north. You could tag along when we hit Teston rd. We meet at 9 on Sat's & leave by 9:30.
We head North to hwy 9 & change it up using Keele & Weston. We will stick together but may break up into groups if we need to.
send us an email so we know who to look for. You are more than welcome to meet at our studio. We have showers & lockers & we are insured to ride.
[email protected]


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## vladvm (May 4, 2010)

i live north of the GTA, lots of great cycling routes here. very low traffic. every sunday i go on metric century rides. scenic routes/flat routes/hilly routes... take your pick

for East-West low traffic/scenic route
Elgin Mills
19th Ave.
Bathesda Road
St. John Sideroad
Vandorf Sideroad
Vivian Rd.
Herald
Uxbridge/Durham Townline
Webb Rd. 
Wagg Rd. 

For north-south low traffic all the way to Lake Simcoe
Warden Ave.
Kennedy Rd.
McCowan Rd.
10th Line/Reesor road from zoo
Any Concession roads except 7

Have fun!


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

Hey Vladvm,

Thanks for your sharing your favorite routes. It looks like your a GTA north-easter. I am a north-wester, and a lot of your roads line up with mine, like Kirby and Teston, but with Richmond Hill in between. I haven't worked my way up to a metric century yet, but when I do I might cut over to the east. Do you have any preferred routes between 400 & 404?


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## vladvm (May 4, 2010)

Hundminen said:


> Hey Vladvm,
> 
> Thanks for your sharing your favorite routes. It looks like your a GTA north-easter. I am a north-wester, and a lot of your roads line up with mine, like Kirby and Teston, but with Richmond Hill in between. I haven't worked my way up to a metric century yet, but when I do I might cut over to the east. Do you have any preferred routes between 400 & 404?


Any of the roads north of major Mac is good cycling route, less traffic lights and you can really get into it. And there a plenty of gas stations at major intersections to fill up on hydration and energy bar supplies. Have fun!


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

All great roads. I like Concession Road 3 and I would add Queensville Side Road

For more West I would include these:

North/South

Side Road 20 (out of Schomberg)
St Andrews
Horsehoe Hill Road (one of the reasons it's called the Caledon Hills)
Innis Lake Road
Centreville Creek Road
McLaughlin Road
3rd Line East (from 9th to Hockley)
Concession Road 3 (from 9th to Hockley)

East/West

Old School Road
Castlederg Side Road
5th Line
7th Line (a personal favourite)
Old Church Road
Patterson Side Road
The Grange (very nice rolling road)
Charleston Side Road
Hockley Road
Adjala 10 Side Road

Once you are N of Castlederg the roads are more interesting and more rolling


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

*Routes between Woodbridge, Bolton, and Maple*

Okay, now that I've explored the entire area north of Woodbridge west to Bolton, east to Maple, and north to Hwy 9, these are my favourites:

BEST ROUTES:
1) Hwy 27 north of Kleinburg (Islington). I steered clear of highway 27 until a few weeks ago, thinking it would be a nightmare for traffic. Technically, it is actually the best road I've ever ridden on. Nice and very smooth 2-4 ft paved shoulder all the way from Islington up to 9. Traffic not normally as heavy as you would think. This overlooked route is actually quite awesome for getting into the drops and getting some speed. Stay off it south of Islington though, as the paved shoulder is less consistent there.
2) 17th Sideroad/Castlederg from Innis Lake to Hwy 27. Very nice, quiet and pretty road.
3) 16th Sideroad from Weston to Keele. Section from Jane to Keele is a little bumpy but very nice.
4) Nashville (from Kleinburg) west to Huntington, North to Kirby west to Cold Creek, north to King-Vaughan, west to Caledon-King. Nice and quiet route from Kleinburg to Bolton. Nashville is also good as it extends out to Countryside west of Nashville.
5) Humber Station/Clarkway from Nashville north to Patterson Side Rd. Humber Station get's real nice north of King Rd.
6) Kipling between Teston and King-Vaughan. Watch out for the manure debris around King-Vaughan though (seasonal). Had me gagging on one occasion.
7) Weston and Jane between Teston and Hwy 9. Nice shoulder although a little rough on Weston in the south end. Nice quiet and safe ride, a few good hills, but straight and for some maybe a little boring. This is one of the best & and safest loops in north/west GTA. 
8) Kirby and King-Vaughan from 27 to Keele/Dufferin. Kirby is the better of the two.
9) Pine Valley from King-Vaughan all the way to Rutherford. Trouble is that Rutherford is a PITA road to ride on.
10) Patterson Side Rd from Innis Lake to 50. At 50, go north into Palgrave, and pick up Pine to Mt Hope.
11) Mt Hope is very nice & scenic from Castlederg to 9. This one is truly a gem.
12) Innis Lake could be the best road in the region between Airport Rd to Keele, south of 9. It is very scenic, rolling hills, and some of the best, smoothest asphalt I have ever ridden on (north of King Rd).
13) Nice little shortcut is through Kingscross Estates - Westgate, Kingsworth, Watch Hill, and Kingscross between Jane and Keele. Nice scenic diversion with a few hills.
14) Another nice shortcut is Matson Drive connecting Old Curch to Mt Hope.

WORST ROUTES
1) Rutherford Road - where there is shoulders there is debris and potholes, and where there isn't, there is curbs, and lots of cars and trucks going 100 kph+.
2) Islington from 7 to Major Mac - a very popular route for road cyclists, but also full of soccer moms yapping on cell phones, making turns in front of you. You need eyes on the back and side of your head on this stretch. Once your north of Major Mac into Kleinburg, all is good.
3) King Road - Very busy road, and the paved shoulder is there one minute and gone the next! Not worth biking any stretch of it. I did this ride recently with a 50kph cross-wind, and with trucks right beside me, the shoulder surface just turned into complete rubble, and it was like riding on ball-bearings while leaning hard into the wind. Thought I was going to meet my maker right there! This road frightens me! :yikes:
4) Mayfield. Not a bad road, but too many large transports use it, and there is little to no shoulder. Avoid it. Countryside/Nashville is the better alternate.
5) Old Church is nice to look at, but has very harsh bone-jarring road seams every 30 feet. Nasty.
6) Gore Road south of Castlederg - nice paved shoulder, but new surface is very course. I don't know what thye were thinking. Probably rides great in ice and snow.


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## moerom (Apr 12, 2011)

I've been riding some of these roads as well this year. 

I can absolutely confirm that Rutherford and Major Mackenzie anywhere from Hwy. 404 in the east as to Hwy. 27 in the west are very scary roads indeed. Lots of disappearing shoulders, as well as high speed traffic. Very bad news. I made a rookie mistake by taking these roads.

Also, Bayview, Leslie, Woodbine Sts. north of Major Mack have broken asphalt until you reach 19th (approximately). Rough rides but not horrible.

Yet, Kennedy and Warden are incredible roads to ride. Once you get past 19th, the hills start-a-rollin' and the traffic is light. Nice pavement and the scenery is outstanding.

I plan to ride up to Lake Simcoe this summer, if I can pull it off, I'll post a play by play.


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

moerom said:


> I can absolutely confirm that Rutherford and Major Mackenzie anywhere from Hwy. 404 in the east as to Hwy. 27 in the west are very scary roads indeed. Lots of disappearing shoulders, as well as high speed traffic. Very bad news. I made a rookie mistake by taking these roads.


Couldn't agree more.:yikes: If these were my only choices I would give up road riding altogether. You will never find me anywhere along either of these except in my car 

I have actually been riding Kirby from 27 to Dufferin a lot lately, and I have to say this is a very sweet stretch of road, with excellent smooth asphalt, not too much traffic, plus both 27 and Dufferin are good rides coming off Kirby. One of my favorite roads in my area.


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

Second the Warden and Kennedy notion, they are very safe and rolling, roads in good condition. I also enjoy Woodbine but there are several single lanes.


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

Sorry, double post


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

Chainstay said:


> For more West I would include these:
> 
> North/South
> 
> ...


Thanks for the recommendation Chainstay!

My wife and I took our new (to us) tandem this weekend, and for the first time (for me) we did a section which included these 3 fantastic north-south side by each roads; St Andrews, Horseshoe Hills and Heart Lake, connecting between them using Olde Base Line, Grange, Charleston, and Tanglewood/Briarwood (just south of 9).

These roads are in great shape, they are rolling and scenic, and there was almost zero traffic. For my wife, who does not like riding in traffic, this was fantastic. By the way, the construction on Heart Lake between Olde Base Line and the Grange is completed, and this section has to be one of the most smoothest, scenic, and quiet rides around.

Cycling near the GTA does not get any better than this!


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

UPDATE:
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but for those in the region that care:
15th Side Road between Dufferin and Keele finally has a great all new surface - Sweet!
16th Side Road from Dufferin west to Jane has just been patched in the roughest spots. Still a little rough, but you can't beat the scenery in this area, and it extends all the way out to Weston Rd.
Humber Station - in case you missed the thread last year, has a new surface in most sections. It gets my vote as best paved and most quiet road in the region. Also one of the most scenic from King Rd north to Patterson.


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

ROAD UPDATE - OCT 2013
Concession Rd 11 north west of Kleinburg has been completey resurfaced with new asphalt from King Road to Hwy 9. This is a great new way to get from Kleinburg to Schomberg or Caledon East on scenic and quiet and well paved country roads. Take Stegman's Mill/Teston east out of Kleinburg to Kipling, north to King-Vaughan, west to Concession Rd 10 (crossing 27), north to King, west to Concession Rd 11 (about 5 minutes on King but this section has a very wide and new paved shoulder), north about 10km to 19th sideroad which takes you into Schomberg. Alterntatively, go west from Concession Rd 11 on 17th Sideroad (Castlederg) gets you into the heart of Caledon road cycling.
This refreshed road route is very nice and worth exploring for those that cylce this area.


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

Thanks for posting that Hundminen. I came south down sideroad 15th about 4 wks ago. I was hoping to take Concession Rd 11 from Hwy 9 and it was signed "closed for construction". I didn't want to back track and I would not even consider Hwy 9 so I rode it anyway and got through OK. 

Are you on Strava btw? If you are PM me. That's a good way to see what roads people ride


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## zzz (Oct 14, 2013)

Hundminen said:


> ROAD UPDATE - OCT 2013
> Concession Rd 11 north west of Kleinburg has been completey resurfaced with new asphalt from King Road to Hwy 9. ...


Thanks for the postings. I am new to road bike and live in Woodbridge. I am looking for safe and nice roads and these information are very helpful.

I rode 100km last Sunday, went to Caledon East area. It was really nice.


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

zzz said:


> Thanks for the postings. I am new to road bike and live in Woodbridge. I am looking for safe and nice roads and these information are very helpful.
> 
> I rode 100km last Sunday, went to Caledon East area. It was really nice.


Apologies for digging up this old thread, but further to the 2013 update above on the repaved Concession 11 (from King Road north to Hwy 9 is now excellent), I found they just repaved Sideroad 19 from Concession 11 all the way into Schomberg. So now there is an excellent route out of Kleinburg to hit a great coffee shop, the Grackle House. And coming out of Schomberg I would suggest crossing 27 at Lloydtown-Aurora which I would take to 8th Sideroad, and take that south all the way to King Road. Another great upgrade to this route is that King Road from 8th Concession to 27 now has new pavement with a 4 foot wide paved shoulder. All in all this 50 km loop out of Kleinburg has gone from dodgy (at best) to fantastic thanks to the new pavement in all the right places.

Just thought I would share. See you out there.


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## zzz (Oct 14, 2013)

It's really nice to see this update. Thanks Hundminen!

I was riding a lot on these roads in recent years, but haven't been on Con.8 or Con.11 this year. Would like to be back there again.

https://www.strava.com/routes/10626577 





Hundminen said:


> Apologies for digging up this old thread, but further to the 2013 update above on the repaved Concession 11 (from King Road north to Hwy 9 is now excellent), I found they just repaved Sideroad 19 from Concession 11 all the way into Schomberg. So now there is an excellent route out of Kleinburg to hit a great coffee shop, the Grackle House. And coming out of Schomberg I would suggest crossing 27 at Lloydtown-Aurora which I would take to 8th Sideroad, and take that south all the way to King Road. Another great upgrade to this route is that King Road from 8th Concession to 27 now has new pavement with a 4 foot wide paved shoulder. All in all this 50 km loop out of Kleinburg has gone from dodgy (at best) to fantastic thanks to the new pavement in all the right places.
> 
> Just thought I would share. See you out there.


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## Hundminen (Mar 21, 2011)

*UPDATE - Kleinburg to 8th Concession Link*



zzz said:


> It's really nice to see this update. Thanks Hundminen!
> 
> I was riding a lot on these roads in recent years, but haven't been on Con.8 or Con.11 this year. Would like to be back there again.
> 
> https://www.strava.com/routes/10626577


Just thought I would mention that since I picked up my new Domane SL with 32mm tires last fall, I'm no longer too fussed about including short segments of gravel trails and roads, as long as the surface is not too loose.

Well, I discovered the "gravel" Mill Road (at this point in time) has almost no gravel to speak of and is a decent enough surface that is smooth & flat for the most part, that most road cyclists should have no concerns. There are a couple of short pothole or washboard sections to be aware of, but can be handled easily by slowing down a bit. Mill Rd is only 2km long and connects King-Vaughan up to 8th Concession (with a very short 0.5km on King with decent shoulder).

The prize is that taking Mill Road will give low traffic access from Kleinburg up to 8th Concession, which is one the best road segments in the region. A 12 km straight road with almost zero traffic, smoothly paved, gentle rolling hills, scenic horse farms and ranches, and incredibly only 1 stop sign from end to end. 

Hope to see y'all out there.


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## Ivanvel72 (Feb 3, 2021)

Great advice on this post. Pre ordered my first road bike , looking to do some riding around Kleinburg area. Any roads in vaughan /king/Caledon get any major work done? Some of these side roads/concessions have any paved shoulders to ride on? Kirby/King Vaughan Road/Teston /pine valley have any paved shoulders? Thanks


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