Winnipeg & Surrounding area Cycling Routes

 

Cycling Routes to Enjoy

Henderson Highway (Provincial Road 204) – By far the most popular out of the city ride for the hard core rider. Most days and times you will find someone out for a ride. Some park at the small gravel parking lot just north of Hwy 101 and head north to Lockport Manitoba on the paved shoulder. Although this author would rather park in the many residential areas nearby.  There have been vehicle break-ins in that lot.  There are many places to grab a coffee in Lockport. The ride is 20 Km each way. Watch out for parked cars at the Veggie stands and garage sales, as well as wide cracks in the pavement on the shoulder. If your really adventurous head over the bridge/locks and follow River Road north to Selkirk. A wonderful route along the river. Return the same way, or cross over the bridge in Selkirk and return via Henderson Highway North, which runs along the east side of the Red River.


Roblin Blvd. - On the west side of the city you can park on any of the side streets in this suburban area. A well-sheltered ride from the wind, this road leads you to Headingly (10Km). (Caution around Breezy Bend Golf course. Drivers have an awful habit of turning in front of fast moving bikes.) For an alternative ride don't cross the Assiniboine river, but head west on the road that crosses the railroad tracks on the south side of the river.. A few more Km's through a scenic residential area. The pavement eventually ends and that makes a good turnaround point or you can continue on gravel to Beaudry Park.

If you insist on riding for more mileage, go north through the commercial highway area of Headingly and head west on the frontage road along the Trans-Canada (Hwy#1) to the Big White Horse at the junction of Hwy 26 & Hwy #1. You can ride all the way to Portage La Prairie on Hwy 26.

St Marys Road (Provincial Road 200) - At the south end of the city this route will lead you along the Red River south to St. Adolphe (17 Km each way) or even further to St. Agathe or Niverville. (30Km each way) A lot of cyclists use this road. There is a paved shoulder up to the Floodway gates. South of the floodway there is no paved shoulder but traffic is sparse. Ride single file and you will have no problems. Light traffic except for commuters at rush hour. Park in the lot at the NW corner of St. Marys and the Perimeter highway (Hwy 100). A nice alternative for parking is the roadside park located on Pembina Hwy and Turnbull Drive. Head south from there and cross the Red River at the floodway gates to go south on PTH 200 (St Marys Rd).


Wellington Crescent - Very popular with all types of cyclists. Beautiful houses and huge trees. It runs from downtown all the way to Assiniboine Park and an easy connection to the Assiniboine Forest. Suitable for anyone. Portions of the road is closed to through traffic on Sundays and Holidays. Watch out for the inline skaters!


Assiniboine Park/Assiniboine Forest - Lots of bike trails and roads. Pretty, and a good ride for Grandma and Grandpa on the one speed, but actually can be dangerous. It gets very crowded on weekends. Many people walking dogs on long leashes and the bike paths are full of walkers, inline skaters, and children on bikes so caution is urged. Access the Trans Canada Trail if you head south on the trails through the park and enter the Assiniboine Forest south of Grant Ave. Read the signs and keep going south.


Birds Hill Park – Wonderful, no crowds, no thru traffic. The roads are excellent with wide paved shoulders and offers the smoothest pavement in the area. Located about 10 Km north of Winnipeg on Hwy 59, this park consists of campground, a swimming lake as well as paved bike paths, off road trails, and the main road which is a big circle for 12 Km. And yes there is even a small hill!
NOTE: If you intend on parking your car in Birds Hill Park you must obtain a park pass. (available at the stables restaurant ) The park rangers are giving out expensive tickets to those without! You will find many Road and Mountain bike races held in this park.


Garven Road (P.R. 213) – For the brave and experienced only. Not that long, but the best and only hills in the local area. Runs from Highway 59 on the west end to Highway 12 on the east. Quite dangerous everyday of the week except on Sundays. A lot of rather large gravel trucks use this road. No shoulder, but smooth pavement. If you have the nerve, ride this one.


Kildonan Park - Basically the same type of ride as in Assiniboine Park, but smaller. Can get crowded in the evening and weekends with car traffic.


The Perimeter Highway (PTH 100 or 101) - Pluses; wide paved shoulder, few traffic lights. Minuses; Boring, windy (no trees) a lot of glass and garbage on the shoulder, noisy and fast heavy traffic. Turn your brain off for this ride and just pedal. People have been known to use the cloverleaf's for hill training.


Town of Birds Hill to Lockport - Park in the town of Birds Hill and head north along highway 202 (old Floodway Rd). You can head north on 202 or turn left at Reebeck Road just outside of town. Reebeck Road is a nice peaceful route that will take you back out to Hwy 202 again just south of Lockport. (beats the highway traffic) A lot of cycling clubs use this route. The pavement is not the best, but it's passable.


LaSalle Road (Hwy 330) Head south from the Perimeter Highway (Hwy. 100) Near the propane plant. Only 8 km to the town of LaSalle. Go on further to the town of Domain Manitoba. Not a big town, but it is there. Not much traffic except during rush hour commuters. Downside- no trees, wide open, just kilometers of prairie. Ride when there is a south wind so you have a tailwind coming home.


Kings Drive/Kings Park - A very scenic route at the south end of the city. Runs from the University of Manitoba, south to the Perimeter Highway and continues onward as Cloutier Drive or the paved Trans Canada Trail the runs parallel to Cloutier Drive.. There is a 3 km bike trail around Kings Park as well. *Note: Sometimes the bike path is flooded in Kings Park, when the Red River is high. As well, one section of the path has sunk and has been rerouted because of river bank instability. A short route, but very treed and sheltered, with little traffic.  Nice dirt single track close to the river when dry.

River Road (South of Lockport) This route, when runs on the WEST side of the Red River from the Larters Golf Course turnoff at Highway 9 and take you to Lockport. Smooth asphalt pavement, and some gentle hills. If you head out Main St. (Hwy 9) from the city it can be a bit crowded with traffic. until the turnoff, 8 km north of the Perimeter Highway. It is not the nicest ride but River Road is worth the trouble.

Cycling Routes to Avoid

Kenaston Blvd/King Edward/Century Street/Oak Point Highway - (Route 90) This is the worst road to ride on in the entire city. Often riddled with potholes in the right curb lane, the road is constantly very busy with traffic, and is a major route for trucking. Many semi's with more than one trailer, in the bumper to bumper traffic. Especially bad is the section south from Portage Ave. all the way to the busy underpass at Wilkes Ave. South of Wilkes Ave. there is a paved shoulder but traffic is moving past at over 80 km/h and the shoulder itself is heavily littered with gravel, rocks, garbage, glass and every kind of other debris mentionable. The Northern portion of this road is no better (King Edward). Still the same truck traffic, no shoulders, and numerous train tracks. Avoid the St. James bridge at all costs. Fast traffic using merging lanes spell disaster for cyclists.

Waverly Street (Route 80) Another gem of a north/south route in the south end of the city. This street is bad for its  high speed traffic, and congestion. There is constant heavy truck traffic south of Bishop Grandin Blvd.  The road narrows to two lanes south of Bison Drive with rough pavement and no paved shoulder. A wide asphalt bike/walk path has been constructed on the east side of the street north of McGillvary Blvd. 

Lagimodiere Blvd Hwy 59 - (Route 20) A high speed route, with constant heavy semi trailer traffic. Pavement is fair. A lot of debris on the road, and sections have a gravel elevated shoulder which is useless to most cyclists.

St. James & Empress Street   Just another city street you say.... Wrong!  Inattentive shoppers by the thousands near the many big box stores. Some of these people shouldn't be licensed to drive a shopping cart, never mind a car. Weekends are the worst. There are parallel residential alternative routes to these streets. Use them! With new big box stores everywhere and very heavy traffic, it can be dangerous, try a parallel side street instead.

Disraeli Freeway  Some riders like to use these two bridges as hill training, but for the average rider they can be very dangerous especially at rush hours. Narrow lanes, no shoulders, and long climbs. If you are fit and have nerve it is an acceptable ride, but if your not into combat cycling, with cars, use the Redwood Bridge instead. Not much difference in distance either.

Bishop Grandin Blvd. (Route 165) This is definitely NOT a boulevard but is a freeway with heavy traffic moving impatiently at 80 to 100 km/hr. Especially dangerous near the Pembina Hwy interchange, as well it is quite dangerous near the many shopping centers. This road has raised gravel shoulders on the older sections which are useless to most bikes. In many places there are parallel side streets that offer a much more pleasant ride. Avoid this road if you can. New in certain eastern sections a bikeway has been constructed that runs parallel to the roadway just to the north of the westbound lanes.

Inkster Boulevard. Passable, east of McPhillips in the older areas of town, but west of McPhillips and particularly west of Keewatin there are a lot of big trucks, there is no shoulder, plenty of potholes and a fast speed limit which make this another of those routes to avoid.

Written by the, MCA Webmaster

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