i want to get to cabot trail but avoid most major highways. bad idea?

[matthew]

@iblastoff if I'm not mistaken, the staycation credit is only valid for holidays/vacations taken here in Ontario...double check that, but I'm pretty sure I'm right...and if I'm wrong, then I apologize...

@HarleyHare like others have already said, me thinks you didn't ride the whole road which goes around Cape Breton Island...me thinks you ran Cabot Trail Road which from one end to the other is 27.3 km according to Google maps...

yes it only applies to Ontario.

 

[matthew]

When I tour, I try to spread out my long and short days, usually the long days are at the beginning and end. I also try to measure everything in KM and then try to figure out how long it will actually take with fuel, rest and sight seeing stops. You may plan to ride for 5 hours a day but might only cover 300km of distance, which isn't a whole lot, depending on your goal for the day.

 

[iblastoff]

Yup, should be fine. Your pace looks reasonable. I've done the trip a couple of times on a bike. For me, the routes were either 2x10hour days on the Trans-Canada or 3x10hour days through New York / Vermont / New Hampshire / Maine, but I'm impatient and I like to cover as much ground as I can. That's only possible with a really comfortable touring seat though.

As preparation, I would suggest that you try at least one 5 hour day locally here in Ontario to work out whether you need to change anything on the bike before committing to 5+ days. What might feel like discomfort on the first day can be pain on the second day and agony on the third day. On my first trip, by the second day my ear canals started to get really sensitive to the pressure from my earplugs, and they were extremely painful by the third day. It was bad enough that I don't think I could have done a fourth day of riding. Custom molded silicone plugs fixed that problem for the second trip.

Personally, I'm sick of the Trans-Canada route because I've done it so many times in a car, and it was always just to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible, but getting off onto the side roads is a great idea if you're not trying to just get somewhere fast.

i've definitely ridden longer single day rides. just not back to back over 5 days for sure. my last long'ish ride was probably tobermory and back which was about 10 hours round trip (but this was also on a different bike). definitely gonna head out a bit more in ontario now that i have extended long weekends (i took every monday off this year lol)

 

[iblastoff]

I did this trip a few years ago on a sport bike, and plan to do it again this summer. The worst part of the trip was the highway going north from montreal, it's very long and boring and also heavy traffic. It might be nicer to go north into quebec on the north side of the st lawrence river, then take the ferry back across, but the ferry is expensive.

If your bike can do 250 kms to a tank I wouldn't bother carrying extra fuel. It's western canada where you have to worry about fuel, fuel can be hard to find in the prairies if you don't stay on the trans canada.

good to know about the fueling. im pretty good with gas'ing up cause my fuel gauge sucks and is always waaay too pessimistic compared to whats actually left in the tank.

 

[iblastoff]

Put things in perspective. The Cabot Trail is about 20 minutes in length riding at moderate speed. A sign showing that you are entering the trail then another stating you are exiting, are the only markers. The only thing that is unique about it is that it hugs the coast and you are closer to the ocean than elsewhere.

But know that the propaganda on this drive is over-hyped given how short it is. You get lots of ocean views elsewhere all over the Maritimes. Plan your trip with much more other activities and sights in mind than this trail alone. It was anti-climatic in my experience to say the least, given the distance and hours traveled from Ontario to see it.

i think others have pointed your possible error already, but if it were a 20 minute jaunt i definitely wouldn't be riding 20 hours to get to it. i don't think i'll mind riding around NS regardless though!

this feels like something i need to do before i get too old or something anyway.

 

[iblastoff]

Be aware that after mid August, in the Maritimes in general, you can expect a significant uptick in precipitation. Best time to go is June or July.

Sydney, Nova Scotia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

hmm according to that chart it doesnt look too bad. august seems like the 3rd driest month on that chart. i'm currently booked off for 2 weeks in august but my work is pretty flexible in letting me switch. i might make that decision depending on how motel availability looks when i start looking at that (which probably should be now tbh)

 

[regder]

It’s been a number of years since I did it, but I went through the US when I did the Cabot Trail and have revisited a lot of the roads on the way since. Cut east at Thousand Islands, go through upstate NY, Vermont (6 Gaps), New Hampshire (Kancagamus Highway), Maine (Bar Harbor, Acadia Natl park). Those are some highlights, there are a ton of other nice roads that link everything together.

I have ridden some of the roads east of Montreal and while somewhat scenic, the roads south in the US are infinitely better.

 

[MacDoc]

good idea about just getting to montreal on the 401. i'll make note of that.

The downside is if you leave early on a sunny day you are facing nasty sun for the first while.
You could tho drop down to Prince Edward County https://www.visitpec.ca

If you do make note of the bypass....I think 30 to get past the traffic and on to the S SHore.
Cabot trail is worth an overnight especially if you sample the three distinct cultures. French at Cheticamp, an entire Scottish community speaking Gaelic and with a University in Gaelic and then the Cape Breton culture as well....you might want to do a whale watch trip at Meat Cove. You will see whales

Meat Cove - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Meat Cove, Cape Breton Island: See 199 reviews, articles, and 115 photos of Meat Cove, ranked No.31 on Tripadvisor among 277 attractions in Cape Breton Island.

www.tripadvisor.com.au

There are a few terrific twists and I'd do counter clockwise ....morning sun behind you.
There is a good section just after this bridge that the local boy racers loop up and down but you are there more for the scenery than the twists.




If you want twists do PA and south. 5 hours from TO and you are on 44/144.

 

[ReSTored]

hmm according to that chart it doesnt look too bad. august seems like the 3rd driest month on that chart.

OK.......... Remember that it's all relative. October and November are like monsoon season, September is drier than monsoon, but it's still a cold, wet and miserable month relative to June or July.

 

[MacDoc]

Late June is best with long riding days and not so much pressure on accommodation ...after the July long weekend its brutal

 

[Wingboy]

If you don't like the weather down east, just wait 5 minutes.

 

[BMW Rider]

I am doing the Cabot trail at the end of June.We have planned for 10 or 11 days and will also be doing the Gaspe and PEI where we will hang out for a couple of days and then off to Nova Scotia and the Cabot Trail.
We have our rooms all booked and are being somewhat ambitious in the the length of our riding days with a couple of 950km days.There will be 4 of us on newer adventure bikes so long days should not be too much of an issue.Our planned portion is about 5500 kms

 

[gsxr guy]

i want to take about 2 weeks to get there and back sometime in August. will it be loaded with tourists around then?

i know some people have literally ridden all the way to moncton in one day, but thats not me.

i'm also riding essentially a cafe racer style bike with a small tank and don't really feel like gunning it on the trans canada highway the whole way either. i dont mind the occasional highway jaunt but 20'ish hours doesn't seem fun, much less on a naked fairing-less bike. is it dumb to try and make it all the way there on mostly 80km/h roads? and i'm assuming the roads leading east are gonna be much less busy than the 401/DVP etc around here?

my initial thoughts are:
- ride about 5-6 hours a day depending on weather and tiredness. so by ideally by day 5 i should at least be in NS.
- from previous threads, someone said to take rte 132. thoughts on that?
- i'd like to hit the 1000 islands parkway and long sault parkway along the way. i know they're not supposed to be *amazing* but i haven't ridden on them before. not entirely sure whats nice in QC thats on the way though. would love some suggestions.
- this is my first solo longest multi-day bike ride.
- i'm not really sure if i care to cut through the US since it doesn't seem to save any time and i mostly want to keep things simple as i'm terrible with directions without gps. it seems you have to go pretty south in vermont to get to the better parts of adirondacks. not sure if this is accurate though!
- not really purposely after crazy curvy roads or anything. just want to cruise for the most part.
- want to stay on paved roads!
- NO camping

some obvious stuff to bring:
- offline gps maps on phone and paper map as backup
- rain gear (have waterproof boots and pants but jacket or gloves yet)
- layers of clothes
- bike tool kit / lube / bug cleaning stuff for face shield etc
- possibly a small gas can as i have no idea where the big gas station gaps are. ideally i'd try to find gas every 100km or so (although my bike should be able to go 250-300'ish km per tank). i may just alternate on trans canada and 80km roads just to be able to hit gas stations more frequently. my understanding is don't ever assume there will be 24h gas stations along the way.
- i have CAA membership in case its ever needed

are there maybe less obvious things i should be thinking about?

my goal is to "leisurely" get there ideally by day 5, spend a few days in NS, do the cabot trail in a day and then ride home. i don't plan on stopping for sightseeing much elsewhere unless its like the end of day riding and i'm relaxing in the evening somewhere. i'll be checking into various motels or whatever along the way. might as well take advantage of that 20% staycation tax credit!

im sure a lot of people will say the route will be mostly boring but i dont mind. after years of just commuting around in this shite city, i'll take a straight open road any day.

I ride on cape breton most days it is sunny. may and june are bug season. They just came out in the last 2 days. aug is nice, warm, no bugs. Clockwise there is less traffic. counter clockwise the switch backs are up hill.

 

[iblastoff]

yes it only applies to Ontario.

oh damn thats annoying! i just assumed it was a 'within canada' thing. good to know.

 

[Mad Mike]

Sounds like a great trip. Using blue highways will take 25-30 riding hours to the tip of Cape Breton. That's fair weather riding and doesn't include fuel stops, meal and photo breaks, nor does it include rain delays, you would be on the road for 7 hours a day to get in 5 rolling hours.

You mention "cafe-racer", so there are some things to consider. Fuel: 10-12l fuel tank means finding gas every 2 hours, doable, but a plan is required and a spare 4l fuel can recommended (you'll be surprised how frequent fuel/rest stops that impact ride times). Rider comfort -- toughing out a 5 hour ride with clip-ons, a flat narrow seat, and zero element protection is a good day's accomplishment -- stringing 14-16 of those days together might not be as easy as you think. I'd condition myself with 1 set of back to back days beforehand. Adjustments to your ride setup might be necessary.

Sounds like fun, good luck!