Berton Park Trail – Burlington

Berton Park Multi-Use Trail

A while ago I was using Google Maps with the beta bike paths feature turned on. I was mapping a route from Mississauga to Niagara-on-the-Lake. I ended up taking the Waterfront Trail because I was familiar with it.

I was curious about a couple of routes that google suggested across Burlington. Today I  decided to check out one of the routes that had me curious.

Burlington Bike Trail A

I did a lot of searching on the web and I have yet to find an official name for this path. It is simply referred to as a multi-use path. That is confusing because there are many multi-use paths in Burlington. It would be easier to describe if the trail had a name. I chose the name Berton Part Trail because it passes by Berton Park. That is a good place to park and access the trail. I would suggest the parking lot near the intersection of Berton Avenue and Berwick Drive as shown in the following picture.

Berton Park Parking Area

The path passes through several parks including Newport Park, Ireland Park, Peart Park and Roly Bird Park. The Roly Bird Park is on the south end of the trail. It also has a good parking area and easy access to the trail.  It is adjacent to Industrial Street as shown in this picture.

Parking at South end of Berton Park Trail

I ended up riding the trail between Berton Park to Roly Bird Park with a short detour to Ireland Park. I covered a total distance of 13.6km. The trail looked longer on the map. I estimate the trail to be about 6km. There are bike paths beyond this section at both ends but it requires some street riding to connect.

The path goes past the Burlington Heights Shopping Centre which was near the midpoint of the trail. The path would be very convenient for residents in that area to access the shopping center.

The path meanders down a green space beneath very large hydro (electric) lines. The power lines are not very scenic. It would be a wonderful and scenic path without the power towers. I kept trying to ignore the towers and enjoy the other scenery.

Besides the towers, the second downside to this trail is that it crosses a lot of roads. The crossing are well marked. However it is a busy area and it was hard to get any momentum riding the bike. The crossings required a lot of stopping and waiting for cars.

The path wasn’t very crowded but it was December and 0 degrees Celcius. I did not pass any other bikes but I did pass several dog walkers and joggers.

Berton Park Trail

A map of the trail can be found on the Burlington Green Map which is referenced on this web page.

This is my ride captured by my Garmin.

My Ride Data - Berton Park Trail - Burlington

This a decent path and it beats riding on the streets. It would be a route worth considering as a part of a longer ride.

I prefer paths without power lines overhead. I rate this path 6 out of 10.

Credit River & Challenge Park – 17k

Sunday Sept 12, 2010

Mike's Face Plant

Things didn’t go so well at the Challenge Park.

Oakville – Bronte Park 18k

When: Monday Sept 6 @ 9:30AM
Where: Bronte Park trails and bike paths in Oakville

Terrain: Dirt Paths, Road, Paved Paths
Distance: 18km
Duration: 1 1/2 hrs
Meet: Meeting at Mike Walker’s home – 2097 Arbourview drive, 3rd line and upper middle

Mike Walker - Meeting Place

Who: Drew, Denise, Scott, Elaine, Mike W, Cathy

This was the first ride for Elaine Bowers and Cathy Walker.

The weather was a bit unpredictable. It was 16 C, overcast with drizzle and light rain. Everybody seemed prepared wearing light rain jackets so we decided to take our chances with the weather. Since this was Mike W’s turf he led the way.

We followed paths that had been well traveled. They were mostly cinder and hard packed trails through park areas sneaking through neighborhoods. The trails were in good shape except for the “curb hopping” required at each street crossing.

About 4km into the ride everybody was warmed up and the group stopped briefly to remove layers. The rain was holding off. We continued following the trails on our way to Bronte Park.

When we arrived at Bronte Park we went in the main entrance. Bikers and walkers can enter the park at no charge. A short while after entering the park we turned onto a trail that was surfaced with stone and small rock. The terrain was all right for the mountain bike tires but unsuitable for road bike tires. Everybody in the group was using wide tires.

We stopped for a few minutes while mechanic Scott did a little on-the-trail tuning of Elaine’s front derailleur. That little probem was fixed in no time.

We proceeded along the trail under a canopy of trees then entered an open field. I took the opportunity for a few pictures.

Riding through Bronte Park

Mike Leads through Bronte Park

Denise on Bronte Park Trail

Cathy on the Trail

Scott on the Trail

We were about an hour into the ride at this point when the reality of time set in and we needed to start heading back. Mike led the group back through one of the camping areas in the park.

Note to self: Bronte Park is very convenient and would make an excellent overnight destination to take the kids camping.

Near the exit of the park we stopped for a moment to check out an old abandoned home. It must have been magnificent in it’s day. Mike W began leading us back along more trails and paths. Mike “The Tour Guide” paused the group near the end of the ride for an interesting explanation of the local politics regarding the relocation of a skateboard park.

We arrived back at our starting point about 1 1/2 after leaving. It was a very scenic and enjoyable ride. Thank you to Mike Walker for leading the RRS riders through the area and providing a meeting place.

The two first-timers did great. They did do a little “short cut” at the end of the ride but Cathy new the way and we all ended up together. Elaine and Cathy have secured an invitation for another ride with the RRS masters.

The Group

There was some deliberation about a “suits optional” hot tub invite but unfortunately we were on a tight schedule and needed to get back to the kids. There is always next time.

Bronte Park Ride

Data from Bronte Park Ride

Waterfront Trail – Paletta Mansion to Burlington Skyway 17k

When: Sunday Sept 5, 2010 @ 8:30AM
Where: Waterfront trail in Burlington at Walker’s line heading East around the Burlington horseshoe.

Mountain Biking Silent Lake 10k

Sunday August 29, 2010 – Drew and Scott visited the mountain biking trails of Silent Lake Provincial Park. The park is located off of Route 28 between Apsley and Bancroft in the Kawarthas.

The park office was not open when we arrived so we checked in using the honor system.

Ranger Station at Silent Lake

Honour Pay Box

It would pretty easy for them to figure out which car hadn’t payed since we were the only car in the parking lot.

Parking Area

We got ready to go and hit the trail. The trail started out narrow and a bit rough. It seemed like we were climbing for a long while. Not steep but steady. We startled a good size deer and observed it’s tail as it crashed through the woods escaping our intrusion.

Early into the ride Scott got bogged down in some deep mud and then lost his momemtum forcing him to stop and brace with his foot. Not much bracing as he plunged his shoe into some very wet dark wet mud.

Mud Warning and Result

We continued to climb. The temperature was about 20 C and pleasant. We made our way a few km then met up with a paved road that led to campsites. A left turn and a quick connect on the pavement and we were back on trails. However these trails double as cross country ski trails in the winter. They were wide, in good shape and nice. These were “beginner” type trails as opposed to the intermediate difficulty trail that we started on.

The sun was working it’s way up and the sunlight was streaming through the trees. It is turning into a very nice ride at this point.

The ski / bike trail

We continued this trail for about 15 to 20 minutes. It rolled gently up and down and was easy to navigate. There were a few wet spots but nothing to give us any grief.

The trail led to a “warm up” hut that would be very handy in the winter.

The "Warm up" hut

We stopped and took a break.

Taking a Break

There was an outhouse for comfort. At this point it was decision time. There was an intermediate trail that was about 12km that went the left. The other option was to continue on the ski trail which would loop us back around. Due to the time we opted to continue on the ski trail and start making our way back.

Drew and Scott taking a break at mid-point

I took that shot with the camera balanced on a log using the self timer.

The trail continued along in a mild decent. It was a bit wetter and bumpier along this section but still very navigable. After about another km we came upon a tree that had fallen and was blocking the trail. This was evidence that this part of the trail was not getting much traffic. There was no way other riders had gone around this so we determined nobody had been on the trail since the tree fell. It was windy the day before so perhaps it had fallen then. Scott stepped up and in lumberjack fashion he wrestled the tree to the side allowing us to continue.

The trail is blocked

Clearing the Way

We continued on and the trail started ascending again. It was fairly wet through this part and I was having some trouble with my shoes slipping off my pedals. In a few steep spots my feet came off as I pushed hard and I lost all momentum. I ended up walking my bike up over a short distance. Note to self: change from the low profile clipped pedals to some pedals with some grip for the next mountain bike adventure. The trail was pitching a bit harder in this section. I decided to stop and lower the seat post on my bike by about 3/4″ – 1″. That made a big different and I felt a lot more comfortable going down some steep inclines.

The trail ended at about 8 km and we found ourselves back on a paved campground road. We had been riding about 1 hr 15 min at this point and we had planned to go about 1 1/2 hours. We decided it would take too long to double back using the trails so we headed down the road. We got to experience the reward from all the climbing we had done as the road was a 1.5 km downhill coast back to the parking area. We could see the campers starting to rise and smell the bacon and coffee as the campers made breakfast.

We worked up some speed descending on the roads and the mud started flinging out of our tires. We both were getting pelted with small clumps of mud as we raced downhill.

We returned to the parking lot which now had 1 car besides our own. We still had the place to ourselves.. We took a few minutes to enjoy a final view of the lake.

Silent Lake

The water was calm and it was very peaceful.

Drew posing by the Silent Lake

After that we loaded up and headed out. No crashes this time. This was a really nice ride. No bike traffic here. We never saw even one other rider the entire time. This is ride for the repeat list.

Silent Lake 10 km

Silent Lake data

Bike Chandos Lake 14k

Saturday August 28, 2010 – A short bike ride with Scott, Drew and Mike Walker.

A little ride ending up at Sandy Beach. A combination of dirt road and Route 620 with rolling hills. The destination was to check out Sandy Beach. It was late afternoon and not too much was going on at the beach. In fact it was nearly secluded.

Newbie Route 20km

Here is the route we followed for Nick Crate’s first ride on Sunday July 25, 2010.

And some data about the ride.

The loop included a stop by Riverwood Park. They have this cool carving of two eagles.

Bike Waterfront Trail – 3rd Line to Walkers Line – 23km

Sat, Jul 10, 2010 8:03AM – Drew and Denise bike another section of the Waterfront Trail.

Waterfront Trail - 3rd Line to Walkers Line

Data - Waterfront Trail - 3rd Line to Walkers Line

Kelso Mountain Biking 12km

Friday July 2, 2010 – Scott and Drew venture out to Kelso Conservation Area to try out the bikes on some rough terrain.

Kelso Cliffs

We didn’t go down the cliffs. Instead we followed the trails which looped around on top of the cliffs.

I did take a pretty nasty fall while cruising through a field at about 20km/hr. I went to turn abruptly out of a rut I was traveling through and my front wheel snagged the side of the rut. Instantly the front wheel spun around on itself which flipped the bike and sent me sliding on my left shoulder for about 40 feet through the grass. It was lucky I had on the helmet because I could feel my head bouncing across a few rocks while I was sliding. It took a few minutes to shake it off but the bike and I were OK and we continued the ride. I suffered a sore shoulder for a few days but back to normal by the next weeks ride.

Kelso Mountain Biking

Data from Mountain Biking at Kelso