Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tourism. Show all posts

Friday, 30 December 2011

ParkBus

Grabbed an Adventura magazine a few days ago and two articles got me excited. 

If like me, you don’t own a car, getting to more remote areas to camp, canoe, snowshoe, etc., etc. can be problematic. It turns out there is now a bus that will take you from downtown Toronto to Algonquin Park (yay!). Last year was its first season, and it took 321 people up to Algonquin, dropping them off at one of five stops. A round trip costs $72 plus tax, which is very reasonable. An initiative of the Ontario Parks, Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and a bunch of private outfitters and tour operators in and around Algonquin Park.

There is also a first come, first serve opportunity to bring bikes up to the park.

It appears there are plans for other routes to different parks in the future, including Killarney (yay!) and also up the Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory (yay!).

For more info: www.parkbus.ca

And read the article here.

A forum post with a bunch more info.

This has me super excited.

Lake Erie Bike Route

Grabbed an Adventura magazine a few days ago and two articles got me excited.

One dealt with efforts by the Waterfront Regeneration Trust to establish a 600 km bike route from Windsor to Fort Erie along the north shore of Lake Erie.

This organization has a very well developed 900 km trail system from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border, along the north shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. 

While I’m sure one could get on a bike and ride this route now, developing some infrastructure will help greatly. Wayfinding, maps, providing info about sights to see, places to spend the night, etc., etc. Things like this are great for the economies cyclists pass through as they tend to pick up the slack of off seasons, preferring to travel in spring and fall. The entire route would be through fairly flat terrain, not to mention the very reasonable climate, Carolinian forests, and great views out across Lake Erie. Highlights along the route include Provincial Parks like Rondeau, and Long Point, and National Parks like Point Pelee, all places popular with birders.

All this is meant to be completed by 2013.

Exciting stuff. Having cycled through large sections of the central portion, Elgin County, I can attest this is ideal country for cycle touring.

Read the article here.