Urban Rides, Bike Trails & Weekend Getaways
Free Bike Maps and Self-guided Bike Rides
Taste and wander your way by bike with Bikabout's collection of the best bike rides in North America.
Montrealers call it “the mountain.” Really it’s a big hill, and no trip to Montreal would be complete without making it up the city’s famous icon through one of its loveliest parks. Our favorite way of getting up there is of course by bike, along the wide gravel path through the park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (the same Olmsted who designed New York City’s Central Park).
This ride will take you through Chicago's North-side and place you right out on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Heading South you will have views the city's looming skyline, rest in it's shadows at Oak Street Beach and cruise back North through Lincoln Park where there are plenty of worthy detours along the way.
This is a route I take regularly in the summer with my son in tow. We get quality father-son time, with the wind in our hair, we see the city and draw inspiration and ideas.
This route is designed to give you a taste of Inner North Portland; one of three quadrants on Portland's east side. Along this route, you pass many vibrant commercial districts (Williams Ave, Mississippi Ave) city parks (Overlook Park, Peninsula Park) vistas (the Skidmore Bluffs) and historic residential neighborhoods (Overlook, King, Sabin).
The gem of Vancouver’s public space, and our best recreational bike route by far, is the seawall. Construction around the Stanley Park portion began in 1917 and now at 22km provides a continuous public space separated from vehicle traffic along almost all of central Vancouver’s waterfront. It’s pretty impressive — so good one wonders if it’s the reason Vancouver doesn’t have a central plaza or any pedestrian streets, but that’s another matter. In recent years Vancouver has also made great strides in building 8 to 80 (safe for 8 to 80 year olds) accessible separated bicycle infrastructure throughout city streets. This tour aims to give a taste of the seawall and recent separate bike paths, along with a healthy dose of some of my favourite pieces of public art, cafés and watering holes. Oh, and there’s a first rate gelato shop and amazing Chinese garden.
