Today we decided to load up the bikes and head to the Pinery park to bike some trails there. We've been waiting for a warmer day, and for some small parts to let us carry the bikes on our trailer-hitch bike rack. Today was the day, and it was a beauty.
There's really only one route you can cycle in the Pinery park. There are many hiking trails, but bikes are not allowed on most of them.
On the above map, the trail is marked with a dotted line , as a loop around the Old Ausable Channel waterway. Part of the route is on the park road shown in red with red One-Way arrows. It's about 15 km in all, an easy ride. It would be a long hike, but the road can be driven too.
The trail goes through a sandy area (true of most of the park) and we saw few wildflowers; just one dandelion :)) The trees are coming out though, on a gorgeous sunny day, so an enjoyable ride. The park was not busy at all, and as with all the Ontario Provincial Parks, day use entry is free Monday thru Thursday until Sept 2.
Along the first part of the road/trail there are a number of picnic spots with views of the Channel:
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| Some trail was on a (bumpy) paved 1-way park road |
A couple of trees just off the trail showed some beaver activity. It's a bit hard to see in the picture, but 2 trees are thoroughly girdled, down close to the ground:
We did get out to a section of the main beach:
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| Nice to have a small boardwalk to/from the beach |
The canoe rental was open today, and a couple of people enjoyed a paddle in the protected Channel waters:
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| Beautiful spot for a paddle |
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| Loaded up and homeward bound |
