2025 Update from BikePacking.ca

by Peter Glassford | Feb 19, 2025 | Lifestyle

A person wearing a helmet and outdoor gear rides a mountain bike on a rocky trail. The background features a landscape with hills, sparse vegetation, and distant mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

Our friend and bikepacking offianoto, Matt Kadey has shared his annual Bike Packing update. This contains links and events that are super helpful to know as you plan your 2025 off-road adventures.

Matt Kadey’s 2025 Bikepacking Update:

It’s time for the annual Ontario bikepacking newsletter, even though much of Ontario is buried under many feet of snow. It’s been a busy past few months in the world of Ontario (and Canada!) bikepacking, so let’s dig in.

Ontario BikePacking Grand Departs in 2025

There is no official Grand Depart slated for the BT 700 in 2025, but there is an unorganized group departure slated for June 15th. Riders can choose to start the route on this date with other riders. http://www.bt700.ca/bikepacking-grand-depart.html

I am again running the well-attended bikepacking group ride on the No Winter Maintenance route. It will take place the weekend of May 31/June 1. New for this year we have the Mansfield Outdoor Centre as the starting and finishing location which allows us to take advantage of their many services. This is an excellent chance to enjoy this challenging route at a relaxed pace with a group of fellow riders. There will be on-site food service at the designated camping area, as well as rider support on the route. Participants can choose between riding the harder or easier course. You can sign up here: http://www.bt700.ca/nwm-bike-rally.html

My friends at the Log Driver’s Waltz are running their annual grand depart in 2025. It gets bigger every year. It’s slated to commence on August 23rd beginning in Almonte, Ontario. Hopefully, the later season start will be less buggy. More details here: https://www.logdriverswaltz.ca/2024-grand-depart-979620-580026-446594.html

Coming online in 2025 is the hefty 1,600km Golden Horseshoe bikepacking route that was carefully crafted by Theo Verdecchia. I’ve been on a good chunk of the route and can say there is some good stuff in there. He is planning a grand depart for the route on September 27th so stay tuned for more details. Here is some initial information about the route: https://bikepacking.com/news/theo-golden-horseshoe-route/

Over the Loon: http://www.bt700.ca/overtheloon.html

New Ontario Bikepacking Routes:

After a couple of successful scouting missions, two new routes in Ontario have been added to the BT bikepacking library. These are:

A two-wheel journey that offers up a fantastic bounty of forested backcountry roads and a spin through Ontario’s famed Algonquin Provincial Park.

Bogs and Locks: http://www.bt700.ca/bogsandlocks.html

A great mix of gravel, trails, and verdant parkland. And, yes, some bogs and locks.

Existing Bikepacking routes available in Ontario:

The BT XL, a beefed-up version of the BT 700: http://www.bt700.ca/bt-700-xl.html

BT Lite, a more user-friendly version of the BT 700: http://www.bt700.ca/btlight.html

Grand Nith Ramble (GNR), which tends to be the best option for early season riding: http://www.bt700.ca/gnr-bikepacking-route.html

The Farmers Folly: http://www.bt700.ca/farmers-folly.html

The Three Amigos, a route with a heavy dose of singletrack: http://www.bt700.ca/three-amigos.html

The Hasty Highlander: http://www.bt700.ca/hasty-highlander.html

Looking for the ultimate Ontario bikepacking adventure? The ONXL links many of the routes in the province providing more than 10,000km of connecting riding. http://www.bt700.ca/onxl.html

As some of you are aware, I have been working on the Great Northern Bikepacking Route (GNBR) for the past couple of years. A mega-route spanning more than 13,000km across 10 provinces and 3 U.S. states. The most exciting news is that the route was completed in 2024 by a trio of riders. A massive bikepacking feat on their part, to say the least. That means the route is essentially all properly mapped and ready to ride for years to come. There is even going to be a grand depart in 2025 for riders looking for a very long ride. https://www.greatnorthernbikepacking.com/granddepart.html. I always stress that it’s possible to enjoy smaller segments of the route. I have my eye on riding the route from Winnipeg back home to Ontario.

Born out of the GNBR, is The Big Griz. This bikepacking route is a 2,325 km journey across British Columbia that offers up a fantastic mix of riding terrain and huge scenery. Plus, a few bruins along the way are almost a guarantee. Having completed the route from Victoria to Banff I will confess it’s not a ride to take lightly but certainly one plush with rewards. Route details here: http://www.bt700.ca/biggriz.html

Also emerging from the GNBR is The Grand Gaspésie, a rugged route around the Gaspésie peninsula of Quebec. Riders completing the GNBR last season were raving about the riding in this area and believed it to be one of the major highlights of the entire route. Route details here: http://www.bt700.ca/gaspe.html

For additional bikepacking routes in Ontario generated by a varied group of riders, you can check out www.bikepackingontario.com. The newest route in the library is the Simcoe County XL, a beefed-up version of the popular Simcoe County loop. If you have any ideas for routes you want to add to the site please let me know.

Bikepacking Recipes

Ready to take your bikepacking cuisine up a notch? I have produced a bikepacking cookbook with recipes designed to be enjoyed for breakfast, during the ride, and dinner. New recipes were added for the most recent edition of the book. You can get a free copy of the e-book here: http://www.bt700.ca/bikepacking-cookbook.html

This goes along with my energy balls e-book: http://www.bt700.ca/energy-balls-e-book.html

Bikepacking Training Plan

Consummate Athlete offers bikepacking specific training programs. It’s never too early to start training properly and efficiently for those testy inclines and big days in the saddle. More information on this program along with a discount code can be found here: http://www.bt700.ca/bikepacking-training.html

Request for Bikepacking Hosts

I am always eager to hear from individuals interested in being trail angels who can provide tenting space, a bed for an evening, water bottle refills, or any other services for riders. So if you live in the proximity of any of the routes including the GNBR and would like to join this growing community please let me know (reach out on facebook or instagram below).