Best way to get home?

[justride]

What is the best way to get home Mississauga from Muskoka country. I dread, like every cottager and rider, the 400 from Barrie to the GTA on any given Sunday. Planning on a ride this Sunday, but this time I need to take inconsideration the ride home not just the fun part. Please don't share the information to cagers!

 

[matthew]

Take Monday off and ride

 

[bigpoppa]

What is the best way to get home Mississauga from Muskoka country. I dread, like every cottager and rider, the 400 from Barrie to the GTA on any given Sunday. Planning on a ride this Sunday, but this time I need to take inconsideration the ride home not just the fun part. Please don't share the information to cagers!

You can take the Backroads parallel to the 400

Depending on how much time you have, you can also throw in a few small twisty roads in between towards your destination in Mississauga(119 near blue mountain, 9 near creemore, river road near shelburne, etc)

 

[Wind Shear]

Take Monday off and ride

I think this is the only real option.
Having done it a few times just in the past month, the "backroads" are mostly just straight lines at slower speed limit. Not that exciting, and still takes as long or longer than simply suffering through the 400.

 

[matthew]

I think this is the only real option.
Having done it a few times just in the past month, the "backroads" are mostly just straight lines at slower speed limit. Not that exciting, and still takes as long or longer than simply suffering through the 400.

This is what I do. I've given up riding anywhere on weekends where I can't be home by 2 pm if I leave early in the morning.

 

[matthew]

You can take the Backroads parallel to the 400

Depending on how much time you have, you can also throw in a few small twisty roads in between towards your destination in Mississauga(119 near blue mountain, 9 near creemore, river road near shelburne, etc)

From Hwy 400 to Creemore and Shelburne is a big detour. some of the roads that run parallel to hwy 400 are fine but things get messy south of hwy 9 and closer to King and at that point, it's just chaos.

 

[Soulcatcher668]

Coming down the east side of Simcoe and then 407 across is about the only option.

Fastest will still be 400-407-410 unfortunately.

 

[ifiddles]

Go on Google maps and plot a course using their 'no highway' and 'no toll road' options...when you get a route, you can always zoom in and drag it around to highlight different roads...Mississauga is big, so if you're in the east end, then Creemore & Shelburne are out of the way...if you're in the west end of Mississauga then those two options are viable...

 

[nobbie48]

You can take the Backroads parallel to the 400

Depending on how much time you have, you can also throw in a few small twisty roads in between towards your destination in Mississauga(119 near blue mountain, 9 near creemore, river road near shelburne, etc)

In short, you're usually screwed.

In a cage with automatic and air you tune in some nice music and suck it up. On a bike it's clutch hand cramp from moving a few feet at a time, dragging your feet.

I prefer staying away from the 400 series highways even if it takes longer as you can pull into a spot for a break or make a U-turn to keep moving. A crash on a 400 series highway shuts it down and OPP has no mercy for anyone skirting the rules. If your badder bursts it's an OHIP problem not OPP.

We used to come down from Orillia on Sundays and took Old Barrie Road across to Midhurst and then worked our way down 27. That has gotten worse as the GTA reaches out to envelop Barrie.

 

[GreyGhost]

If you have lots of time, go west and then south (eg. Head south from Collingwood or stayner). You can hit a few interesting roads if you go that way. It will be much slower than slogging through traffic on the highway.

 

[matthew]

In short, you're usually screwed.

In a cage with automatic and air you tune in some nice music and suck it up. On a bike it's clutch hand cramp from moving a few feet at a time, dragging your feet.

I prefer staying away from the 400 series highways even if it takes longer as you can pull into a spot for a break or make a U-turn to keep moving. A crash on a 400 series highway shuts it down and OPP has no mercy for anyone skirting the rules. If your badder bursts it's an OHIP problem not OPP.

We used to come down from Orillia on Sundays and took Old Barrie Road across to Midhurst and then worked our way down 27. That has gotten worse as the GTA reaches out to envelop Barrie.

But at the same time, if there is a problem on the highway and everyone decides to use Hwy 27, its not much better.
It's a lose lose situation.

 

[nobbie48]

But at the same time, if there is a problem on the highway and everyone decides to use Hwy 27, its not much better.
It's a lose lose situation.

The only advantage of 27 is the ability of making a U-turn anywhere and define a new ride. 400 you sit and sit and sit

 

[OntFF]

In short, you're usually screwed.

In a cage with automatic and air you tune in some nice music and suck it up. On a bike it's clutch hand cramp from moving a few feet at a time, dragging your feet.

I prefer staying away from the 400 series highways even if it takes longer as you can pull into a spot for a break or make a U-turn to keep moving. A crash on a 400 series highway shuts it down and OPP has no mercy for anyone skirting the rules. If your badder bursts it's an OHIP problem not OPP.

I live in Niagara and work in Mississauga... I ride to/from work rarely for this exact reason. 2 hours on the QEW in stop and go traffic is annoying in a pickup.

It's brutal on a bike.

 

[Evoex]

Psssst. Africa Twin DCT

 

[shanekingsley]

What is the best way to get home Mississauga from Muskoka country. I dread, like every cottager and rider, the 400 from Barrie to the GTA on any given Sunday. Planning on a ride this Sunday, but this time I need to take inconsideration the ride home not just the fun part. Please don't share the information to cagers!

Instead of taking Hwy 27, take Sideroad #5. You can catch it as far north as Essa Rd and it will take you all the way down to Hwy9. From there take Weston Rd to Major Mac and back on the 400 or take arterial roads home.
The thing I like about taking Hwy 9 is that you can see Hwy 400, so if it clears up then you can hop back on it, and if it jams back up, then you can get back off again.

If you can't end your ride early, then end it late, which sometimes helps.

Personally I hop through Hockley Valley over to the Forks and scoot south along Heritage Rd. Something like: 7941 Veterans Dr to Mississauga

But Matthew is right - the best rides up north occur on weekdays.

 

[Baggsy]

Depends on where you live.
Friends coming back from Sudbury on Saturday came down 400, 169, 12, and onto 7 to get to Peterborough.

We used to go up 48 (Markham Rd), 12, 69, when I was a kid. You could take 11 from 169 now.
Going up or coming back you could switch over to McCowan when you get closer to the city, or as far up as Sutton.

For me now, I'd head east along highway 60 to the 17.

 

[shanekingsley]

^^ he lives in Mississauga based on first post.

 

[Baggsy]

^^ he lives in Mississauga based on first post.

How's Airport Road and the other side roads like Tottenham nowadays?
The other thing we did in a car decades ago, was leave Toronto after midnight on Friday. Cottage was near Gravenhurst, so it would take a hour and a half or less to get there. If you were coming back now for instance the traffic is fairly light on the 11 and 400 south.

 

[shanekingsley]

How's Airport Road and the other side roads like Tottenham nowadays?
The other thing we did in a car decades ago, was leave Toronto after midnight on Friday. Cottage was near Gravenhurst, so it would take a hour and a half or less to get there. If you were coming back now for instance the traffic is fairly light on the 11 and 400 south.

Most of those side roads on the west side of the 400 are pretty good. There's ways to use them to avoid the towns and traffic spots.

And to your point, travelling off peak hours is why I leave so early on my rides, to beat that morning rush of traffic regardless of the day.

Lately another thing I also do if I'm riding east of the Muskoka region is to make my way to the top of the 404 and then take that south and go west across the 401 to Mississauga. Those are typically not bad on a Sunday evening and much better than the 400 south.

 

[mimico_polak]

Coming south from Wasaga I typically take 27, shoot west toward Beeton and take Hockley down 10 to FOTL, and south on Mississauga road all the way home.

Takes about 30min more but much more enjoyable drive / ride than the 400 series.

From further north you just need to stitch together a ride and meander SW as you can.