Riding from Birds Hill Provincial Park into Winnipeg after the Folk Festival was so enjoyable that I just had to share! If you’ve been thinking about pedalling to this nearby park, definitely give it a go. Here’s a photo story of our trip home.
First, we jumped onto the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail from the Cedar Bog Trail parking lot in Birds Hill Provincial Park. This beautifully paved trail travels through the trees and up onto the PTH 59 overpass.
This led us to the crazy hooped overpass across PTH 59. I’m not exactly sure why it’s enclosed. Maybe it’s the horses. One of them left a calling card behind. (I didn’t even know that horseriders used the overpass. Or maybe it was another animal?) From the overpass, the trail goes from pavement to gravel as you head away from Birds Hill Park.
With low water in the floodway we were able to cross the floating bridge. Pretty cool! You’ll be locked out though when waters are high.
Next was a little climb up to the top of the bank along the floodway ditch. Here you can turn northward to Lockport or keep heading south to Winnipeg.
Grasshoppers were lively – several came for a ride on my bike. The wildflowers along the trail edge added a splash of colour.
An extra bonus was the return to a paved trail at Dunning Road. This took us all the way to the town of Birds Hill. We reluctantly exited The Duff Roblin Parkway Trail at Garven Rd then followed Hall Rd and Camsell Ave into town. Time to eat!
After cold bevies and a tasty lunch, we took Hoddinott Rd to Raleigh St to reach the Perimeter. This is where it gets dicey, having to run across several lanes of cars and semis travelling at 100 km/h or higher. But take heart! The Province of Manitoba is building a pedestrian and cyclist overpass in the next few years.
Safely on the south side of the Perimeter, we connected with the Northeast Pioneers Greenway. Sorry no photos taken of this comfy, paved trail that stretches 5.5 km smack in the middle of Raleigh and Gateway in North Kildonan. From there I was excited to try out the new Chief Peguis Trail. We weren’t sure how the two trails connected but it turned out to be a lovely landscaped overpass where you could either continue south on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway or turn westward onto the Chief Peguis Trail.
We zipped along the Chief Peguis Trail, stopping only to check out the stone wall. At least we thought it was a stone wall buffer between adjacent houses and the noisy roadway. Turns out it was some sort of plastic! Weird.
Not a lot to look at along the Chief Peguis Trail though we were happy to see the relocated community garden. Also the pack of wolves at Henderson Hwy. Love that they included some public art. We need even more of it.
From there we ducked over the southbound sidewalk on Chief Peguis Bridge. Technically illegal but it leads directly to the riverbank gravel trail behind Kildonan Golf Course. This hidden gem is home to some of the biggest cottonwoods in Winnipeg. (I think Whittier Park stakes the claim to the largest or oldest or both.)
After winding through Kildonan Park, we moved onto residential streets for the last few blocks home. What a fabulous ride!
