In Mississippi Mills, Jeff Mills and Chris George have been working on a new bicycle attraction –the Mississippi & Ottawa Rivers Experience (MORE) Cycle Route- for some time now. It is a route that links the City of Ottawa to Lanark County along a scenic 200 km bicycle route that has been developed for tourists and local riders of all abilities.
Popular draw
They envision this route will become a popular draw for cyclists and those wishing to experience the natural beauty and the many attractions throughout our region, west of Ottawa. But few will be eager to bike 180 km in one day, so Jeff and George are putting a much larger concept together that should benefit local businesses too.
I know Jeff for probably about a decade and a half now and I am amazed about his continuous passion for cycling in Mississippi Mills; a very inspiring person.
Natural beauty and cultural heritage
Says Jeff: “We envision a remarkable new cycle route that loops from Parliament Hill along the Ottawa River Parkway onto the Trans Canada Trail, to Carleton Place, through the picturesque communities of Almonte and Pakenham, to loop back through Ottawa’s western rural neighbourhoods and the village of Carp. It will be Ottawa’s and northern Lanark’s cycle adventure – our Waterfront Trail, P’tit train du Nord, Greater Niagara Circle Route – linking the National Capital Region’s cycle pathways and the route north via the Voyageur Route. The trail corridor traverses natural beauty and cultural heritage, and it features both tourist attractions and eclectic amenities. It is a loop route that also offers multiple side-loops to fun points of interest for cyclist tour adventurers.”
Locals and Staycations
Adds Chris: “The cycle loop(s) provide adventure seekers, families, seniors, groups and tourists with a variety of multiday experiences in the National Capital Region and through the Ottawa Valley. The trail will also serve local residents as a pathway linking neighbourhoods and communities, ideal for recreational activities and staycations.”
Promotion underway
The establishment of the new MORE cycle route will be promoted through the 2024 cycling season. Work is underway to catalogue the features of the corridor and side trails, enlist bike-friendly businesses and identify attractions and amenities in Stittsville, Kanata, Carp, Pakenham, Almonte, Carleton Place, Ashton, and all places in between.
A volunteer group from the Mississippi Mills Bicycle Movement, dedicated to promoting the benefits of cycling and cycle tourism is reaching out to identify interested partners and opportunities. The MORE group has established working relationships with Ontario By Bike and other cycle groups and tourist organizations.
Contact information
Jeff Mills & Chris George are the volunteer coordinators for the MORE Cycle Route, please connect with them (MORECycleRoute@gmail.com) should you wish to join their efforts in making the launch and first season of this local cycle initiative a success.
In the weeks ahead you will hear more news of this bicycle initiative — and there are a more surprises to announce. For now, please note Saturday, June 29th in your calendar for the MORE Inaugural Ride, an event to close off Bicycle Month celebrations and to begin the Canada Day weekend festivities.
A map is on the website, but think Almonte southbound to Carleton Place, then east to Dow’s Lake, along the canal to Ottawa downtown and back via Gatineau, then west again towards Kanata and north to Carp, then north towards the Ottawa river and then west via Fitzroy Harbour and south via Pakenham to Almonte. Or clockwise obviously (which always has my preference for some unknown reason (less roads to cross perhaps?)
If you can’t wait until end of June, I rode a short part of the trail in 2019 as part of a 32 km loop. Read my experience here (it is a popular post).
It looks like a fantastic cycling route. Thank you for sharing!
Please update your post with a map. It helps. (Or at least a clear link to a map)
(It could be part of the Trans Canada Bike Route Network) 🙂
Would love to, but there is no map yet or at least not shared with me. But as soon as I receive one, I will share it with everyone. I am sure they will create a website too. Pretty good guess would be the TCT to Carleton Place, then north via Pakenham to the Ottawa River but I don’t know how the stretch to Carp will look like.
Hopefully not, the TCT is a national embarrassment. The Trans Canada Bike Route Network is designed specifically for self-supported cyclists going across the country, not random users of random ‘trails’.
Good news! We’ve ridden sections of this route but look forward to riding the whole loop.
We done several sections too. Putting together an entire loop is a good idea for tourism. As a bicycle tour guide, I know there is lots of demand for active vacays.
This MORE ride looks great. We are two seniors who have done many of the parts of the trail but a multiday staycation adventure will be wonderful.
definitely want to try this route during the summer
I’m ondering if this will follow the Ottawa Valley Recreational trail ( https://www.ottawavalleytrail.com/ ). I’ve always thought that would make a great bike tour as it follows a former rail line that goes trough lots of small towns with opportunities for lodging stops along the route,.
I haven’t seen a map but I am 99% sure it will follow the Carleton Place to Arnprior part.
We have cycled with a group from Ottawa to Almonte and from Ottawa to Arnprior through Carp and have really enjoyed our rides. We had to figure everything out from route to accommodations and services along the way. It will be great to have some of that done for others to make it easier to plan cycling trips in the area.