Toronto to Halifax and Cabot Trail

black_CG2

black_CG2

Well-known member
Alright folks, so I am attempting this trip and I believe it will be 9 days long. I was thinking of starting early Saturday morning and reaching Halifax by Sunday evening. I would sleep in a motel for the night.

Plan is to stay Monday to Friday in Nova Scotia, explore Halifax and Cabot trail. Then start on Saturday morning and come back. Is this enough time for a good trip?

If anyone would like to join, that would be great.


I would like to know some advice and suggestions from the folks that have been there.



My bike is gsxr 750 with corbin seat.
 
go through the north east USA as Canada side is a bore. Cabot trail is overrated POS.

Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia have roads 1000x better and less distance.

Enjoy
 
busabim said:
go through the north east USA as Canada side is a bore. Cabot trail is overrated POS.

Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia have roads 1000x better and less distance.

Enjoy
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Would hardly say the Cabot Trail is a POS. Nice winding coastal road with great scenery.

While there are very nice roads south of the border, not sure what makes them 1000x better then the cabot.
 
I'm doing Cabot and in 9 days but I take a different approach. Since I want to enjoy the ride there as well, instead of slabbing I'm doing twisties all the way and not spending any prolonged period of time in Nova Scotia. I'm not staying in any large cities either as, in my opinion, on motorcycle trips, they tend to be a nuisance.
Going through the States both times.
 
DemonPig said:
I'm doing Cabot and in 9 days but I take a different approach. Since I want to enjoy the ride there as well, instead of slabbing I'm doing twisties all the way and not spending any prolonged period of time in Nova Scotia. I'm not staying in any large cities either as, in my opinion, on motorcycle trips, they tend to be a nuisance.
Going through the States both times.
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I road through the States when I went out there 2 years ago, very nice ride through the Adirondacks, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine... well Maine was a bit on the boring side. I would go that way again.
 
DemonPig said:
I'm doing Cabot and in 9 days but I take a different approach. Since I want to enjoy the ride there as well, instead of slabbing I'm doing twisties all the way and not spending any prolonged period of time in Nova Scotia. I'm not staying in any large cities either as, in my opinion, on motorcycle trips, they tend to be a nuisance.
Going through the States both times.
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Can I come with you? Which week are you taking off?
 
wonderings said:
Would hardly say the Cabot Trail is a POS. Nice winding coastal road with great scenery.

While there are very nice roads south of the border, not sure what makes them 1000x better then the cabot.
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How many roads have you done in the USA , dragon, back of dragon, georgia triangle. The cabot is the most overrated POS ever. Road surface is ****, nice views but compared to any decent motorcycle road like the dragon, it is a complete letdown from a sport perspective.

Bruce Reeves built it up so much in cycle canada when I got there I was expecting something fantastic. what a bore.

BB
 
I'd recommend doing the trail itself 2x. Once clockwise & anticlockwise
 
busabim said:
How many roads have you done in the USA , dragon, back of dragon, georgia triangle. The cabot is the most overrated POS ever. Road surface is ****, nice views but compared to any decent motorcycle road like the dragon, it is a complete letdown from a sport perspective.

Bruce Reeves built it up so much in cycle canada when I got there I was expecting something fantastic. what a bore.

BB
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Been at the Dragon, Blueridge Parkway, all over PA, West Virginia, Virginia, New York State, Vermont. Guess part of it is the bike, my suspension eats it all up. If your looking for technical riding the Dragon is the best public road, but not a great touring road in my opinion. I enjoyed all the roads surrounding the Tail of the Dragon when leaving. Doing the dragon 1 time was enough for me. Blueride Parkway was a good combo of curvy roads with great scenery, much more enjoyable then the dragon. You are entitled to your opinion, but seems grossly over exaggerated. If I just wanted to go fast on curvy roads, I would probably just go to a track day.
 
What is the route you guys recommend? I want to enjoy the journey, not just going straight.

I would like to keep a record of motorcycle shops in Quebec and Nova Scotia, just in case. Before this trip I will make sure the bike is in excellent condition too.
 
black_CG2 said:
What is the route you guys recommend? I want to enjoy the journey, not just going straight.

I would like to keep a record of motorcycle shops in Quebec and Nova Scotia, just in case. Before this trip I will make sure the bike is in excellent condition too.
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I crossed over at Niagara Falls, coming from Kitchener, not sure if that makes sense for you. I like the route through the Adirondacks and generally stay in Old Forge, NY. Really cheap campsite
https://www.oldforgecamping.com

I think it is $25 USD a night, very clean facilities and friendly staff. Also hotels in Old Forge as well if your not going the camping route. I then plot a route to Essex, NY, there is a ferry crossing there across Lake Champlain. I cannot remember the exact route but headed out towards the Mt. Washington area, passed through on my way east. Was all very enjoyable, nice country roads mixed with some interstate, which are very nice themselves and a good way to rack up some miles.

Are you using a GPS for this trip or how are you plotting it?
 
wonderings said:
I crossed over at Niagara Falls, coming from Kitchener, not sure if that makes sense for you. I like the route through the Adirondacks and generally stay in Old Forge, NY. Really cheap campsite
https://www.oldforgecamping.com

I think it is $25 USD a night, very clean facilities and friendly staff. Also hotels in Old Forge as well if your not going the camping route. I then plot a route to Essex, NY, there is a ferry crossing there across Lake Champlain. I cannot remember the exact route but headed out towards the Mt. Washington area, passed through on my way east. Was all very enjoyable, nice country roads mixed with some interstate, which are very nice themselves and a good way to rack up some miles.

Are you using a GPS for this trip or how are you plotting it?
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Phone gps (either google maps or tom tom)

Joe Bass said:
@black_CG2 see this thread:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...&share_tid=195056&share_fid=1934&share_type=t
From Toronto to PEI Help

Sent from my custom purple Joe Bass mobile device using Tapatalk
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thanks, will take a look.
 
black_CG2 said:
Phone gps (either google maps or tom tom)



thanks, will take a look.
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Lots of threads about people heading out that way, I would go over them, note points or places that seem of interest and start linking them together in some mapping program.
Furkot is a good online planning tool (and free!), very versatile and many ways to export your plotted route. Part of the fun of a trip is the planning and mapping... for me anyways.
https://trips.furkot.com

Start throwing things in there and watch the route come together, then tweak as you need to.
 
Halifax is just another city. Check out Lunenburg if you've got the time. Very pretty with nice restaurants. You can take a sea kayaking tour if you've got the time.

If you like Celtic music, stop in at The Red Shoe pub in Mabou (SW Cape Breton). It's owned by the Rankin family.

Baddeck's another lovely spot to stop for the night.

There are definitely better motorcycle roads than the Cabot Trail (it's rough, and can be cold and rainy), but it's a great two-wheeled adventure for any Canadian.
 
Might have to let go of idea of going to Cabot trail. Recent report from another GTAMer is that road is going through construction and full of gravels.

Any other nice roads on the way?

I do want to go to Dragon or snake whatever you call it but I am scared that I am gona crash. I remember someone posting pics from Pennsylvania trip with epic twisties. Looks amazing. Any info on that?
 
wonderings said:
Lots of threads about people heading out that way, I would go over them, note points or places that seem of interest and start linking them together in some mapping program.
Furkot is a good online planning tool (and free!), very versatile and many ways to export your plotted route. Part of the fun of a trip is the planning and mapping... for me anyways.
https://trips.furkot.com

Start throwing things in there and watch the route come together, then tweak as you need to.
Click to expand...

Thanks for solid advice. Will look into Furkot.
 
black_CG2 said:
Might have to let go of idea of going to Cabot trail. Recent report from another GTAMer is that road is going through construction and full of gravels.

Any other nice roads on the way?

I do want to go to Dragon or snake whatever you call it but I am scared that I am gona crash. I remember someone posting pics from Pennsylvania trip with epic twisties. Looks amazing. Any info on that?
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How many days in total do you have?

I did the dragon when I only had 25k kms experience, on a Ninja 250, and did not crash. You set your own pace, or should I say, the group of cruisers in front of you set your pace (very slow). So, I wouldn't be worried.

PA, WV, VA, TN - can't go wrong.

Riding to Colorado is another option, but you'd have to waste 2 days to get there, and 2 days to get back.
 
black_CG2 said:
Might have to let go of idea of going to Cabot trail. Recent report from another GTAMer is that road is going through construction and full of gravels.

Any other nice roads on the way?

I do want to go to Dragon or snake whatever you call it but I am scared that I am gona crash. I remember someone posting pics from Pennsylvania trip with epic twisties. Looks amazing. Any info on that?
Click to expand...

The Dragon is very curvy, but it comes down to you and how you ride. Try and push yourself beyond your ability an you will have trouble. Lots of fantastic riding down there though, the Dragon was my least favourite. You could head down that way and do the Blueridge Parkway which is some amazing curvy scenic riding. I have plotted around 750 kms of the Blueridge. If you took it from the north to the south you would end up very close to the Dragon and if you felt up to it could pass through as you head north again. Everywhere is great riding there, you really cannot go wrong.

 
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