We had a super fun time pedalling around Bigwind Lake up in the Muskoka region this past weekend. A few of us have been coming up here the past few years around this time to bask in the fall colours. Rain or shine, every time we visit it's a blast.
The route starts from a parking lot where you can keep your car which is super convenient. We had a few different car loads of boys from a couple different cities which miraculously showed up around the same time.
We had such a fun time unloading our gear we forgot to take many photos.
After everyone's bikes were loaded, Yerbas were drank, vegatables were ate, and cars were locked, we headed out for the first leg of the tour. The squad was in high spirits. A few of the team had not been out for a tour like this before, which added to the stoke.
The first day's route was shortened by a few KMs to avoid some pretty unridable slop at the start of Paulo LaBerge's route. Towards the end of the season the trail is pretty chewed up and filled with water that really gave the boys the shake down last year. Its still really fun, but more of a WW1-trench-warfare-reenactment type of fun.
The route ventures in and around a few lakes located in the region. Streams and rivers also snake their way around the area, all of which allow for filtered water refills which comes in super handy.
After a few kilometres of winding gravel roads, the route turns off the main road and you must cross through a fairly active shooting range in the valley. Most people we've seen on our travels through this short section of trail are seemingly responsible and alert, but its probably best to proceed with caution through here.
After a few more fairly chunky and hilly kilometres, you reach the even more tight trail section that will eventually lead to the campsites. There are a few fun water crossings that you must hike-a-bike to get over. It's a welcomed challenge after the ride.
There are tons of places to camp in the area but only a handful registered campsites. We prefer the farthest campsite in from the main trail but the other campsites are just as nice. Most of the campsites face northwest and get some really nice sunsets over the lake. The lake at this time of year is super refreshing. We were glad to have such warm temperatures to make the swim that much more rewarding. There was even a moose sighting! Entertainment in the evening consisted of a bonfire, swimming across the lake for a beer, watching Daniel topple a large dead tree into the lake to form a new platform for fishing, and watching Carson catch a tanker large mouth bass off of Daniel's newly created dock.
We had a slow morning, as we usually do on this trip. Carson caught another fish- a small yellow perch, too small to fry. We were glad to see some fish come out of the lake to reinforce our optimism that theres more fish in the area.
After we were packed up, we shot a few photos for our Rig Report. In no particular order...
Carson's Specialized StumpJumper
Lucas' Cannondale M400
Michele's GT Tequesta
Jay's Purple Hardtail
Ayden's Kona Hahanna
Jim's Bianchi Grizzly
Declan's Kuwahara
Liam's Cannondale Topstone
Mason's KHS Montana Pro
Daniel's Cannondale F600
Ron's Thin Blue Line Ozone
Rogan's Montagne
Everyone had fairly good luck this year with mechanical issues. Although maybe we are also just getting better at problem solving on the road. We had a couple rack bolts rattle loose, a couple pannier hooks come off, a rack mount snap, and a chainring fold in half from a stump wacker. But all in all, relatively minor mechanicals which is a W.
The second day is always a little longer than the first. Despite not having as much weight loaded on the bike from food and beverages, the elevation and ruggedness of the second day is always hard on the bike and body. Having a triple crankset up front is such a relief. This is the type of route that a 26inch vintage mountain bike truly thrives on.
After a couple hours of pedaling, we found what could possibly be the most scenic campsites in the area. These campsites are right beside the lake on a huge rock slab that protrude from the water. Boat access would be super easy from these sites and we made mental notes to visit here again with some canoes or Yaks.
We made it back to the parking lot around 5pm with a couple hours of sunlight to spare for the drive back home. We shared couple cold beers that Mason had stashed in a cooler in the car. Theres nothing quite like a cold one after a long ride.
As long as there is stars in the sky and fish in the water, we'll keep going back up there to ride this route.
