GET TO KNOW THE HINTERLAND
Five summer road trips for day-long getaways,
Day trips are what cars are made for and the GTA has some great drives in and near the surrounding Greenbelt. Here are five suggestions, starting points really, for summer drives and city escapes.
Fergus to Elora on the Grand River Follow Hwy. 6 north from Guelph to Fergus on the Grand River.
Stop and look at the handsome stone buildings and waterfall in Fergus, then drive west along Hwy. 18, stopping at the Elora Quarry Conservation Area where you can swim in the old limestone quarry or watch cliff jumpers. A little further west is the town of Elora. Park and go for a walk two blocks from downtown and find the path that runs alongside the dramatic Elora Gorge with views to the kayakers below.
Length: Elora by way of Fergus is approximately 30 kilometres northwest of Guelph Time away from city: An afternoon Best stopping point: Elora Quarry
Conservation Area End of Kennedy Road Many of the mighty north-south arterial roads across the GTA extend deep into the hinterland, some even becoming dirt roads. It’s odd to see signs for what we might know as urban streets in a rural setting. Kennedy Rd., in particular, is a pleasant drive over rolling hills north, ending at Lake Dr. E. on Lake Simcoe at Willow Wharf Park. There you can get ice cream from the variety store across the street, watch the sunset from the wharf or go for a swim.
Length: About 60 kilometres from Steeles Ave. along Kennedy Rd., but requires one detour at Davis Dr. Let your GPS device help you find where Kennedy continues north Time away from city: Four hours Best stopping point: Willow Wharf Park Holland Marsh Go see where your vegetables grow by driving through the flat lands of the Holland Marsh, some of the richest agricultural land in Ontario. Take Yonge St. north past Newmarket to Holland Landing Rd. and drive east. In the village of Holland Landing, find the remnants of canal locks that were meant to connect to Lake Simcoe, though the scheme was abandoned a century ago. Take side roads north of the village to see farmland, but eventually follow Mt. Albert Rd. east to Leslie St. and visit the Sharon Temple National Historic Site, built in 1832.
Length: Approximately 10 kilometres from Yonge St. to the Sharon Temple, more with detours through the surrounding area Time away from city: A few hours Best stopping point: Sharon Temple National Historic Site Forks of the Credit Road This road is as beautiful as two-lane blacktops get in Southern Ontario, running sinuously along the Credit River. Catch the road at Hwy. 10 (Hurontario St.) north of Brampton and follow it west along the river. Eventually the road will cross under a railway bridge, climb up the Niagara Escarpment on a steep switchback and enter the cute village of Belfountain, where the local café is a favourite stop for cyclists out on long rides. Length: Seven kilometres
Time away from city: A few hours, depending how long you linger in Belfountain
Best stopping point: The Belfountain Conservation Area, complete with waterfalls, a swing bridge and connections to the Bruce Trail Pickering Airport Lands We may not have many ghost towns in these parts, but we do have a ghost region: the Pickering Airport Lands. In the early 1970s, the federal government expropriated farmland just north of Pickering for a proposed airport. Drive north on Brock Rd. from Pickering to the Uxbridge-Pickering Townline. Take the Townline west into the airport lands and to the village of Altona where many buildings are boarded up with Transport Canada no-trespassing signs. Meander south on the concession roads and explore this spooky landscape.
Length: Altona is approximately 25 kilometres north of Pickering Time away from city: Two hours Best stopping point: Old Mennonite church and cemetery in Altona