We are excited to share the news that the Greenbelt Route has been recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport as one of five inaugural Ontario Trails of Distinction.

The 475 km signed cycling route explores the natural spaces and countryside of Ontario's protected Greenbelt. It connects with the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail to form a cycling beltway through the natural beauty surrounding Canada’s most densely populated region.

The new Trails of Distinction program showcases Ontario's most distinctive trails and was initiated as part of celebrations for the Province's 150th anniversary. According to the program overview, it focuses on trails that demonstrate and promote Ontario trails as a world class, diversified system that is planned and used in an environmentally responsible manner.

We share wholeheartedly in this focus, and we are thrilled to be recognized. We hope the Trails of Distinction will bring more riders into the countryside and communities of Ontario's Greenbelt! 

The Greenbelt Route and Waterfront Trail join the Trans Canada Trail Ontario, the Bruce Trail, and the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs Trans Ontario Provincial Trails in this significant recognition. Ontario's Greenbelt also provides permanent protection for the Bruce Trail, connecting Ontarians and visitors to the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. 

Thanks to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for this honour!

Cycling,

Celebrate Ontario 150 by exploring over 3,000 kilometres of extraordinary coastal and countryside cycling along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and Greenbelt Route!

Are you ready to #BikeON? To celebrate our passion for cycling in Ontario, we are excited to announce a joint partnership with Ontario by Bike, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and Share the Road Cycling Coalition. 

Celebrate by Bike is connecting 15 communities along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and Greenbelt Route through 15 cycling events to help strengthen our connections and celebrate Ontario 150. In addition to showcasing these "best-of" cycling experiences, 15 itineraries highlight Ontario's world-class cycling experiences. Click here to read the press release about this exciting new campaign.

On June 3rd we headed to Georgian Bay for our first event, the Manitoulin Passage Ride. It included a fun, free ferry ride for all participants, and kids received bicycle bells. Manitoulin Island is easily explored by bike, and many visitors appreciated the welcoming, cycling-friendly attitude of residents.

Check out Celebrate By Bike events happening in Ontario's Greenbelt, and click here for a full listing!

Greenbelt Events

• Bike Up Northumberland Charity Ride, September 9th in Cobourg
• Tour de Headwaters, September 16th in Inglewood (Caledon)
• Outspokin Slow Ride September 16th in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Plus, check out these events near the Greenbelt Route! 

• Burlington Bike Fest, August 11th in Burlington
• Uxbridge Loop Celebration Ride, September 24th in Uxbridge

Ready to go? Don’t forget to use #BikeON and share your journey with us!

Cycling,

Celebrate Ontario 150 by exploring over 3,000 kilometres of extraordinary coastal and countryside cycling along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and Greenbelt Route!

Are you ready to #BikeON? To celebrate our passion for cycling in Ontario, we are excited to announce a joint partnership with Ontario by Bike, the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and Share the Road Cycling Coalition. 

Cycling,

Cycle the Sights of the Greenbelt Route

It's been almost a year since the official launch of the Greenbelt Route and we're feeling celebratory.

Last summer's inaugural ride was overwhelming success, and, just in time for Bike Month (May 30 to June 30) we've rolled out even more functionality on our interactive mobile-friendly Greenbelt Route website. 

With updated points-of-interest, customizable itineraries, and suggested hikes and day-trips greenbelt.ca/route website offers the best of cycling and hiking experiences in the Greenbelt.

Check it out to start planning your Bike Month cycling adventures. 

Below are a few highlights to get you started!

Cycling, explore,

The Greenbelt Route is now a reality — I've ridden it from end to end in both directions, and have found hundreds of ideas for how to explore this stunning near-urban landscape from the seat of my bicycle. There is so much on offer in Ontario’s Greenbelt at this time of year, and the cooler weather in spring and autumn make these shoulder seasons some of the most comfortable times of year to ride a bike. With the bulk of farm crops now coming off the fields, what better time of year for a bicycle farm market tour?

Food and Farming, Recreation, Cycling, Oak Ridges Moraine,

Photo Credit: Waterfront Regeneration Trust

We made cycling history! From August 16-21 the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure: Greenbelt Edition (GWTA) ran the length of the new Greenbelt Route. Last week's ride not only marked the first time ever that the GWTA left the shores of Lake Ontario, it also marked the official launch of the 475-km cycling route.

After three years of planning alongside the Waterfront Regeneration Trust and in collaboration with 27 partner communities, the official launch of the Route is a spectacular milestone. More than 1,100 signs are up, the Route is mapped, the website is live, and all in time for last week's inaugural six-day ride celebrating 10 years of Ontario's Greenbelt. 

Recreation, Cycling,

L-R: Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, Waterfront Regeneration Trust director of Regeneration Initiatives Vicki Barron, Niagara Parks Commission Chair Janice Thomson, CEO of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation Burkhard Mausberg, and Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Pat Darte celebrate the unveiling of the GreenbeltRoute trailhead sign for cyclists in Queenston on August 10th. 

The GreenbeltRoute is on its way! 

It was a beautiful summer day as we made Greenbelt history at the first GreenbeltRoute trailhead sign unveiling in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The sign is one of five trailhead signs posted along the Route that will provide information for cyclists, including suggested stops and 100 points of interest along with colourful maps and photos. 

Recreation, Cycling,

By now you have probably heard about the Greenbelt Harvest Picnic, a celebration that includes a Greenbelt farmers market, food and drink vendors committed to using local ingredients, along with arts, crafts, and of course music. This year's show is promising to be ton of fun, with acts such as the Arkells, Gordon Lightfoot, Iron and Wine, Bahamas, Basia Bulat, Kathleen Edwards, Gregory Alan Isakov, Martha Wainwright, & more!

The Greenbelt Harvest Picnic takes place just a stone’s throw away from the new, signed Greenbelt Route, which I thought it was worth noting since we have decided to offer free bicycle valet service at the festival this year. Music and bikes at the Greenbelt Harvest Picnic? What a combination!

Recreation, Cycling,

Tales from Durham is a blog series focused on the people and places that make Durham’s Greenbelt great. The series will cover everything from local businesses, to seasonal events, to life on Durham farms. Look out for our upcoming posts to stay up-to-date and informed on exciting going-ons in Durham's Greenbelt. 

The inaugural Durham Festival is going to be the largest festival that Durham Region has ever seen, and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation could not help but get involved!

We're excited to be one of the many partners of this exciting four-day event. From discos and games to a full-day cycling event and world record-breaking picnic, the Durham Festival promises to be as eclectic as Durham Region itself.

Summer, Recreation, Cycling, TalesfromDurham,

A recent trip to Caledon showed off the Greenbelt at its best: by bike.

Just one hour by car from Toronto, Caledon offers the frustrated urban cyclist almost everything they could possibly want. Steep, switchback-filled descents? Check. Thigh cramping climbs? Check. Pastoral landscape views at every turn? Check. An abandoned railpath? Check. Opportunities for a cooling dip in the river? Check. And to cap it all off, how about some crisp local cider to wash down a post-ride meal? Check.

One hot weekend in July, I set off with a friend and our vintage chic road bikes (both still in good working order, despite a combined age of at least 50) to try out the Credit River Ride: one of the new Greenbelt Route's regional loops.

Our first destination was Belfountain, a historic hamlet known in the past for its kilns and quarries. Parking, we unloaded our bikes, applied sunscreen, and set off along Forks of the Credit Road, “a tree-lined roller coaster of a road” and, according to the Globe and Mail, one of Canada’s great drives.

Recreation, Cycling,