Sault Ste. Marie, Northern Ontario’s third biggest city, is vying to become a premiere four-season mountain biking destination. The city has been actively developing its trail systems to increase its tourism product offerings.

Boasting 45km of some of the best mountain bike trails in the province, a plus is they’re only 10 minutes from downtown.

The recent announcement of $600,000 in new funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation will see a 30km extension to the Algoma Trail Network (ATN)
at Hiawatha Highlands and a new skills park at Hiawatha’s Kinsmen Park, which are key parts of the ATN’s master plan.

The newly constructed 7km Farmer Lake trail, one of the plan’s first components, is an out-and-back trail through the stunning Canadian Shield that includes a technical Climb to Canyon section before arriving at beautiful Farmer Lake.

The popular Crystal System has seen an additional 12km of new machine-built trails in 2022, bringing the total to over 20km. With something for every ability, including rollercoaster trails such as Berm Baby Berm, the Crystal System can easily deliver a full day of fabulous mountain biking.

Two more trails that are part of the Hiawatha Highlands network include Pinder, with about 8km of single track making it great for beginners and families, along with the 15km Red Pine system, featuring some of the areas tougher routes.

The “Soo” also beckons gravel riders with amazing routes, such as the 45km Maki Road to Red Rock on Lake Superior, which begins and ends at Thomson Farms Cider and Winery. About 45 minutes east of downtown, the town of Echo Bay boasts loads of gravel route options for all skill levels.

The area also offers excellent, scenic road bike routes on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and throughout Central Algoma that include bike-friendly marinas such as Hilton Beach, Echo Bay, Bruce Mines and more. Ride west to the rocky beach and bluffs of Gros Cap on Lake Superior for a great 40-50km out-and-back excursion.

For a more leisurely pace, try the John Rowswell Hub Trail, a 22.5km easy multi-use non-motorized trail system that links key cultural, historical and natural areas of the community, including a waterfront boardwalk, picturesque Bellevue Park and the Fort Creek Conservation Area.

The city also boasts one of the largest fatbike networks in Canada, with over 40km of groomed trails at Crimson Ridge and Hiawatha Highlands, which offers 12km of winter riding.

The “Soo” welcomes e-bikes on most of its trails and also features great bike shops for rentals, repairs and services for all of your cycling needs. With so many awesome routes and options nearby, Sault Ste. Marie is fast becoming a bucket list cycling destination.

Known for its great cycling culture, Cuba is a destination that’s simply a wonderful place to ride with natural beauty, friendly people, fabulous beaches, heritage sites and much more.

For cycling adventures of a lifetime, check out these five fabulous tours by Aventuras CanBiCuba, which has been delivering amazing road, gravel and mountain bike adventures there for over 20 years.

Experience one of the best single-day rides in the world on the Celia Sanchez Tribute route along the coastal road where the Sierra Maestra falls to the sea — the breathtaking vistas will stay with you forever.

A 10-day cycling adventure in western Cuba called the Fat Mary Bike Tour starts with a ride from Matanzas to Havana, where you can explore the treasures of the capital city. This amazing tour includes visits to famous caves, along with ancient coffee farms, quiet backroads to turquoise beaches, and unique limestone formations at Viñales Valley.

Explore exotic roads as you discover Fidel Castro’s birthplace, along with a dedicated ride to Cuba’s highest waterfall. The Guantanamo Mango is a 12-day cycling adventure along the coastal lowlands and scenic mountains into the backwoods of eastern Cuba.

Cayo y Seis Ciudades is another fabulous tour featuring Cuba’s stunning landscapes with its many hidden gems. Explore beautiful beaches on the south and north coasts, including overnight stays in six of Cuba’s most historically significant and interesting colonial cities.

Ciclo Temba is a superb and fully supported end-to-end bike ride across Cuba. This tour let’s you savour the varied and often spectacular Cuban countryside at a leisurely pace. From a traditional Cuban Barbecue, to Santiago, Cuba’s most Caribbean city, and María La Gorda, a diver’s paradise, this adventure is a photographer’s dream not to be missed.

While their core business is fully supported trips, they’re happy to work with folks on self-guided bike-packing tours, and they offer bike rentals as well, including e-bikes.

Aventuras CanBiCuba also works closely to support local high school cycling teams and clubs, as cycling shops in Cuba are not of the same calibre as in North America. These top-rated tours are designed and run by Canadian Peter Marshall and his wife Ana, and they encourage their guests to support them with donations of used bikes and bike parts.

As a cycling destination, Cuba is hard to beat, as much of the country’s land has been recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage for its beauty and historic significance.

For more information, visit here.

For mountain bikers, it doesn’t get much better than the new Endless Mountains Gravel Bikepacking Loop (EMGBL) in northeastern Pennsylvania. The over 400-mile route features mixed-surfaces and more than 32,000 feet in elevation changes.

The awesome trails utilize a large portion of the award- winning 38-mile Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Rail-Trail in Susquehanna County, recognized as the 2021 Pennsylvania Trail of the Year.

Organizers have also installed a divider route creating eastern and western sections so all levels of riders can enjoy the trail system. The route can be tackled as one mammoth cycling adventure, or riders can bike sections over time. Class 1 e-bikes are welcome on most trails.

Traversing four counties, including Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Wyoming, the route passes through or nearby five state parks, including Ricketts Glen, Worlds End, Mt. Pisgah, Salt Springs and Vosburg Neck, along with the Loyalsock State Forest.

In 2022, Grinduro, the first truly global gravel/mountain bike enduro event series, selected Sullivan County as their U.S. stop. This year, the fabulous event offered four stellar rides there from June 16 to 18.

The area boasts countless accommodation options, from rental cabins to tent and trailer campsites, inns, bed and breakfasts, hotels and more. For re-fuelling, there are plenty of restaurants, wineries, microbreweries, pubs, cafés and farmer’s markets, along with museums and historical societies, theatres, festivals and events, retreats, spas and wellness boutiques.

The Endless Mountains are also home to the historic Tunkhannock Viaduct, built in classic Roman-style and considered one of the engineering wonders of the world.

Created in conjunction with the EMGBL, the Endless Mountains Bicycle Friendly Business Program provides the opportunity for various local businesses and organizations in the region to ensure cyclists have hospitable access to repairs and charging stations, supplies and lodging for their trip.

There is an interactive map with various points of interest that riders can use to plot out their trip. The route can then be downloaded via Strava or Ride with GPS.

The Endless Mountains in northeastern Pennsylvania are a haven for mountain bikers, and the bikepacking route is a “work in progress” that’s being improved over time with feedback and input from testers and cyclists.

For more information, visit here.