Category: Cycling

This is a trip I’ve wanted to do for a while and finally had a chance to give it a try in the middle of August. The various sections go by several names. For the first 32km it is called the Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail. South from Brantford it is called the L.E. & N. (Lake Erie and Northern), T.H. & B. (Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo) and Lynn Valley Trail. Overall, I rode about 92km to Port Dover, plus about 14km back to my motel in Simcoe.

I had previously ridden the Hamilton->Brantford section twice, both as round-trip day trips with lunch in Brantford. This is a recommend ride if you only have time for a one day trip with lots of options for restaurants or picnic parks.

This trip started with an early morning GO train ride from Toronto to Hamilton’s West Harbour station. From West Harbour, there was about 5km of quiet city roads to the start of the rail trail near Chedoke Park. My particular route through the streets had me join the trail at Emerson Street.

Once on the trail, I joined morning runners, bikers and dog walkers as the trail cut past the community of Dundas and started climbing through the Dundas Valley Conservation Area.

The climb through Dundas Valley including the curves to Summit Station is the biggest hill of the day because the trail is climbing the Niagara Escarpment. The Dundas Valley Trail Centre has a washroom and snacks if you are looking for a break.

At Summit Station, about 15km along the trail from Hamilton, there is a historical sign showing a water tower and station that used to be there to support passing trains. From here it is mostly a gradual downhill all the way to Port Dover!

Approaching Brantford, there are some great views across the fields but there was almost no one else on the trail. There is a short steep dip and climb as the trail goes under the Highway 403.

In Brantford, there are a variety of trails and bike lanes with major trails going north to Paris and south to Port Dover. I went straight through the south part of the city directly to the start of the L.E. & N. trail off Veterans Memorial Parkway after crossing the Grand River.

From Brantford, large sections are paved, which makes for easy riding. In Waterford, the “Black Bridge” was the largest structure of the day, with great views down to the ponds and lake.

From the town of Simcoe, the trail is marked as the Lynn Valley Trail and has a beautiful section meandering along the Lynn River approaching Port Dover.

I rolled right down to the public beach for my finish-line photo after the 92km ride.

After grabbing a late lunch, I rode the 14km back to Simcoe, where I had arranged a motel. There were limited options available mid-summer in the popular beach community of Port Dover.

I had planned to ride back to Toronto the next day, but Marianne decided to drive down and join me for a sunset dinner on Lake Erie. It felt like a tropical evening on the water!

And then she gave me a ride back home!

In September 2016, I snuck away for a long weekend to ride the 150 miles (240 km) from Cumberland, Maryland north to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania along the “Great Allegheny Passage”, a historical transportation route through the Allegheny mountains.

The text for this post was written in 2026 based on the 2016 trip and photos.

It was originally used by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, the Union Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railway.

I started by driving to Pittsburgh and connecting with a shuttle service that took me and my bike the two-hour drive to Cumberland. I found what appeared to be a safe place to park the car for a few days near Station Square in Pittsburgh. I arranged the shuttle to pick me up at 2pm so that I had enough time to set up my bike in Cumberland and start my ride.

The first part of the ride follows the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad up the hill to Frostburg. While the tourist railway wasn’t running on the day I was riding, it parallels the rail trail, including through Helmstetter’s Horseshoe Curve and 275m Brush Tunnel. The ride to Frostburg was about 26km.

I stayed overnight in Frostburg, camping at the Tunnel Hotel Lodging & Campground where I had made a reservation. I was the only person staying overnight. The older couple who owned the place explained that it was hard times – the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad which normally turned around right outside their restaurant had been closed for a year due to a washout. I walked into town for dinner.

The next morning I was back on the rail trail continuing up hill to the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland – the Mason–Dixon line separating the ‘north’ from the ‘south’. The views started to open but heavy fog and clouds blocked the mountains (here is what normally looks like).

A highlight is the 1km long Big Savage Tunnel. Fortunately, there are lights to make the ride doable. Shortly after the tunnel I crossed over the eastern continental divide. The rest of the ride was generally downhill.

The route meandered down the Casselman River where one of the biggest bridges on the trip crossed the valley – the 600m long Salisbury Viaduct.

There were beautiful sections along the Casselman River, and particularly remote kilometers along the Youghiogheny River. I cycled through the towns of Meyersdale and Confluence.

I didn’t have a plan for where to spend the night but ended up in the little town of Ohiopyle and decided it was far enough – about 97 km. I looked at trying to camp in my tent at the Ohiopyle State Park but there was a huge hill to get to it. So instead I stayed at the Ohiopyle Suites with its shower and bed!

I checked out the natural water slides rock feature just south of town but decided against visiting Fallingwater, the national architectural landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright just up the hill.

The next morning I rode what I think was the most beautiful section – very quiet riding along the Youghiogheny River. I discovered immediately leaving town that there was a shortcut to the State Park campground that would have bypassed most of the hill that had stopped me the night before, as well as a huge bridge, the Ohiopyle High Bridge – next time!

I had left very early and stopped for a homemade breakfast at the side of the trail.

The CSX mainline was usually on the other side of the valley from the trail but while often heard, was rarely seen. Some of the towns allowed me to see the tracks and grab a snack.

As the day went on, I did look at some of the campgrounds. But it was still early in the day and I was making good time. I decided to just press on to Pittsburgh.

The route passed a bunch of big steel plants on the approach to the city, starting in McKeesport.

I decided to end my ride at the Point State Park Fountain where the Allegheny River meets the Monongahela River which I had been following since it was joined by the Youghiogheny. This made for a 125k ride from Ohiopyle – a long ride!

I loaded my bike back in the car and headed home — a late drive (after a long day of cycling), but I made it.

In July 2006, I took part in a group cycling trip through the fjord region of Norway. Over 7 days of cycling (8 full days), we cycled roughly from Stavanger to Bergen meandering in and out of the fjords under our own power, but also on ferries and trains.

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This trip was a solo cycling trip from Kingston to Ottawa, roughly parallelling the Rideau Canal. This trip was done over 6 days at the end of August and early September in 2005. Each cycling day was roughly 60km along the most direct route, although I tended to take less direct, but more interesting back roads. For accommodation, I stayed in bed and breakfasts – it is much easier to cycle when you know there is a warm bed and hot shower waiting for you at the end of the day.

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This page contains highlights from my trip to the west coast of Ireland in July 2005. The cycling tour started and finished at Killarney and was run by Irish Cycling Safaris.

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