Phoenixfire99
Active member
Before embarking on this trip I sourced this forum for suggestions on where to go and which roads to ride. Y’all were spot on accurate. This is certainly a scenic ride, with many fast sweepers. But for the adventurous rider there are very few technical twisties.
I started this ride very uniquely as a family member offered to trailer my bike up to Sudbury in his truck on his way back north from Toronto. Skip 4 hrs of slabbing on the 400? How could I pass up the opportunity! I had never transported a bike in a pickup before so this was new to me. Bought this ramp at Canadian tire and it felt sketchy as **** getting it onto the flatbed. All was well though. Anyone have any tips on how to do this flawlessly?
From Sudbury I rode to Elliot lake up the 639 to the 546, I had rode this route last summer while it was under construction and was hoping the conditions would be better - they weren’t. Thick gravel covered most of the road so those meandering twists weren’t fully enjoyed. Just before it got dark I pulled into a lakeside camp ground in thesallon and called it a night: Thessalon Lakeside Park Campground - Google Search
Day 2 was a lot more fun and exciting with a trip up to Aubrey falls. The 129 has a lot of twists and turns and the pavement is quite good condition. Alongside the 129 is a lake with pull offs where you can setup camping / RVs. The spots fit around 20 or so campers so it’s a low key place to stay with hardly anyone else around. The beach was breathtakingly beautiful and sandy. I had to pull off for a quick swim.
Next was a hike up Aubrey falls to get my body moving after being on the bike for a while, I ran the trail hoping to get some exercise but it’s quite short at 0.8kms! When I got back to the bike I hurriedly put on my leathers, boots, and helmet despite it being ridiculously hot because the bugs came after me with a vengeance!
I heard the 129 is “meh” north of Aubrey falls so I headed over to the 546 - another winding gravel road. Apparently I’m a masochist for gravel but I need to improve my riding in those loose road conditions so I forced myself through a gruelling 2 hrs of dirt and dust.
I came out the other side with the relief of someone exiting a hot sauna. I was low on gas so went up to a “town” called searchmont which was 3km away. Turns out, the town is so small there’s no longer a gas station there. I pulled up to a man’s house and asked for directions to the nearest station. He was so friendly he offered me gas from a jerrycan he had in this garage. He opens the garage and shows me his two sports bikes and laments at how he used to ride all the time but now has daughters to look after. He tells me that he used to run the only gas station in town but he had to close it. He gives me some hints of some nice twisties near hornepayne and as it would be - that was my next destination!
The 556 between searchmont and Hayden is paved and has some nice sweepers. My bike was dirty as **** after all that gravel riding so in Hayden I got my bike washed at the carport car wash.
Hayden to Wawa is a great stretch of highway with fast sweepers. There are parts over-looking the lake with some elevation changes that give you some incredible views. Along the way I stopped at old woman bay and took a dip in the frigid Lake Superior water. The water is so cold even at the height of summer, it feels like an ice bath.
From white river most riders continue west on the 17, instead I took the 631 up to hornpayne. It was more of fast sweepers through the bush. Hornpayne is not really a town. There’s one gas station and it closes at 9pm. I rolled into town at 9:20 and with barely enough fuel to make it back to white river I decided to stay - but accommodations were sparse in that they were no existent - camping it was.
Day 3 I rode back south to white river and continued west to marathon. Wawa to marathon is another nice stretch of scenic sweepers. This stretch had a lot of elevation changes and cool views.
A stop at the Terry Fox memorial and then rolling into Thunder Bay. I went for a sauna at Kenga spas from a friend’s recommendation. This place is authentically Finnish. The saunas are all private rooms and the unique thing about Kengas is that there is also a restaurant in the same space! Go early because Covid has them close the restaurant portion at 3pm.
I debated about riding to Duluth, MN and going back through the states. I decided against it as the other ride reviews said the south side is more scenic than sexy when it came to turns.
On the way back I stopped in salute st Marie and asked my waitress what’s cool to do in town on a Saturday night. Without hesitation she replied “we drink, that’s it”. Small town living. I rode through little current which is on manatoulin island on my way to the ferry which has some nice curves. The ferry was a nice change. It loaded quickly and it cut down on a couple hours of highway slabbing.
Overall, I can see why this is on the riders bucket list of trips. I would recommend this route for those who want to take in beautiful scenic views and have an easy, fast, ride through some gentle curves. This would be a great route for riding a touring cruiser with a passenger on a leisurely itinerary. The roads are not technical but can be fun at a high enough speed. Keep it safe and slow on the straights as the speed limit is 90km is most spots.
I started this ride very uniquely as a family member offered to trailer my bike up to Sudbury in his truck on his way back north from Toronto. Skip 4 hrs of slabbing on the 400? How could I pass up the opportunity! I had never transported a bike in a pickup before so this was new to me. Bought this ramp at Canadian tire and it felt sketchy as **** getting it onto the flatbed. All was well though. Anyone have any tips on how to do this flawlessly?
From Sudbury I rode to Elliot lake up the 639 to the 546, I had rode this route last summer while it was under construction and was hoping the conditions would be better - they weren’t. Thick gravel covered most of the road so those meandering twists weren’t fully enjoyed. Just before it got dark I pulled into a lakeside camp ground in thesallon and called it a night: Thessalon Lakeside Park Campground - Google Search
Day 2 was a lot more fun and exciting with a trip up to Aubrey falls. The 129 has a lot of twists and turns and the pavement is quite good condition. Alongside the 129 is a lake with pull offs where you can setup camping / RVs. The spots fit around 20 or so campers so it’s a low key place to stay with hardly anyone else around. The beach was breathtakingly beautiful and sandy. I had to pull off for a quick swim.
Next was a hike up Aubrey falls to get my body moving after being on the bike for a while, I ran the trail hoping to get some exercise but it’s quite short at 0.8kms! When I got back to the bike I hurriedly put on my leathers, boots, and helmet despite it being ridiculously hot because the bugs came after me with a vengeance!
I heard the 129 is “meh” north of Aubrey falls so I headed over to the 546 - another winding gravel road. Apparently I’m a masochist for gravel but I need to improve my riding in those loose road conditions so I forced myself through a gruelling 2 hrs of dirt and dust.
I came out the other side with the relief of someone exiting a hot sauna. I was low on gas so went up to a “town” called searchmont which was 3km away. Turns out, the town is so small there’s no longer a gas station there. I pulled up to a man’s house and asked for directions to the nearest station. He was so friendly he offered me gas from a jerrycan he had in this garage. He opens the garage and shows me his two sports bikes and laments at how he used to ride all the time but now has daughters to look after. He tells me that he used to run the only gas station in town but he had to close it. He gives me some hints of some nice twisties near hornepayne and as it would be - that was my next destination!
The 556 between searchmont and Hayden is paved and has some nice sweepers. My bike was dirty as **** after all that gravel riding so in Hayden I got my bike washed at the carport car wash.
Hayden to Wawa is a great stretch of highway with fast sweepers. There are parts over-looking the lake with some elevation changes that give you some incredible views. Along the way I stopped at old woman bay and took a dip in the frigid Lake Superior water. The water is so cold even at the height of summer, it feels like an ice bath.
From white river most riders continue west on the 17, instead I took the 631 up to hornpayne. It was more of fast sweepers through the bush. Hornpayne is not really a town. There’s one gas station and it closes at 9pm. I rolled into town at 9:20 and with barely enough fuel to make it back to white river I decided to stay - but accommodations were sparse in that they were no existent - camping it was.
Day 3 I rode back south to white river and continued west to marathon. Wawa to marathon is another nice stretch of scenic sweepers. This stretch had a lot of elevation changes and cool views.
A stop at the Terry Fox memorial and then rolling into Thunder Bay. I went for a sauna at Kenga spas from a friend’s recommendation. This place is authentically Finnish. The saunas are all private rooms and the unique thing about Kengas is that there is also a restaurant in the same space! Go early because Covid has them close the restaurant portion at 3pm.
I debated about riding to Duluth, MN and going back through the states. I decided against it as the other ride reviews said the south side is more scenic than sexy when it came to turns.
On the way back I stopped in salute st Marie and asked my waitress what’s cool to do in town on a Saturday night. Without hesitation she replied “we drink, that’s it”. Small town living. I rode through little current which is on manatoulin island on my way to the ferry which has some nice curves. The ferry was a nice change. It loaded quickly and it cut down on a couple hours of highway slabbing.
Overall, I can see why this is on the riders bucket list of trips. I would recommend this route for those who want to take in beautiful scenic views and have an easy, fast, ride through some gentle curves. This would be a great route for riding a touring cruiser with a passenger on a leisurely itinerary. The roads are not technical but can be fun at a high enough speed. Keep it safe and slow on the straights as the speed limit is 90km is most spots.
