Destination Ontario: Algoma by ADV

Scratching the (dirt) surface of what Ontario has to offer

There’s a funny thing about visiting somewhere new on two wheels — you wish you could see more. Such was the case when Ryan and I visited Ontario, Canada last year for a piece we called Destination Ontario. As much as we enjoyed our time touring the roads available to us in The North, and experiencing the lovely Fall colors, we knew all along that we were only scratching the surface. Ryan, for his part, couldn’t help but wonder where all the dirt trails led off to anytime we came past one. Clearly, trying to explore off piste on a Honda Gold Wing or Harley Street Glide isn’t recommended, so we kept our route to the pavement.

Video: Destination: Ontario - Algoma by ADV

With wanderlust reaching a fever pitch after returning home, we (well, Ryan) couldn’t shake the feeling that we had to come back and do some more exploring. This time on proper adventure bikes. Our tour guide for our first go-round, Stephane Bellemare, was only too eager to show us more of where he lives, so naturally, we started scheming. Ryan so he could play in the mud. And me? Well, I’m not entirely sure. Lord knows it wasn’t for my off-road skills. 

Seeing an opportunity for further promotion, the folks at Destination Ontario, the region’s touring arm, were only too happy to oblige, and luckily for us, we were able to secure some primo motorcycles for the trip. Former moto-journalist, documentary filmmaker, and resident Canadian Neil Graham, who was also a part of our first trip, joined us again for this one, and dubbed these bikes “crumbling infrastructure” motorcycles. He’s got a point. They are the KTM 1290 Super Adventure R, Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro, Yamaha Ténéré 700, and the Harley-Davidson CVO Pan America. That’s an eclectic mix of adventure bikes aptly suited for the same “go anywhere, do everything” purpose.

Canadian weather in the Fall can be a little unpredictable at times. When we were here a year ago, we were greeted to absolutely gorgeous weather for our entire stay. We wouldn’t be as lucky this time around, as threats of rain hung over us and the morning chill was inescapable. Appropriate gear helped, but the Triumph and Harley proved to be popular choices because of their heated grips.

Maybe it was just the Californians complaining about less-than-ideal weather. With saddlebags stuffed with gear, we were set on our way through the Algoma District in northeastern Ontario. Our itinerary had us slogging from Toronto north to Elliot Lake, before getting into the fun stuff further northwest toward Chapleau, then moving due west toward Wawa, before following Lake Superior south to the Canadian side of Sault Ste. Marie. Of course, with plenty of dirt offshoots along the way. 

It didn’t start beautifully. Day one was a straight-line slog through driving rain and cold. We beelined to Elliot Lake as quickly as we could, then rushed to our rooms when we got to Laurentian Lodge, originally a fly-in fishing and hunting lodge built in 1929, overlooking Flack Lake. As we laid our heads down for the night, we were sure that the following day would shower us with more of the same.

Thankfully, the clouds finally relented and we woke up on the shores of Flack Lake to a golden sunrise. Steam fog rolled off the still water while the faint murmur of a nearby waterfall hummed in the background. It was serene. And maybe, just maybe, a good ride was in store for us after all. With a coffee in hand and a hearty breakfast in our stomachs, that moment was pure peace.

We didn’t have to venture far before hitting our first dirt destination. Two hundred meters, to be exact. Using the trail system to get around is a way of life up here, and just behind the main highway and businesses in Elliot Lake is a trail system spanning hundreds of kilometers. It weaves in and out through the city, so you can come and go as you please. It’s an off-road rider’s paradise, and Ryan was chomping at the bit to check it out. The beauty of Algoma is that you can peel off the highway, ride a few minutes, and suddenly you’re in another world.

There’s a distinct form of serenity that comes when you’re riding in a group of friends that you trust. This serenity is heightened when the pace is brisk and everyone is under control. This came to us on Highway 546. Neil called that stretch one of his favorite rides in recent memory, and I get why. After hours of cold, damp misery, the sky finally cracked open as we hit the 546 — a wriggling ribbon of tarmac twisting along a river. For miles on end, we were riding adjacent to said river, following its gentle curves. As Neil explains, “What followed was the sight of four motorcycles writhing down a twisting ribbon of road that crossed and re-crossed a river. And on it went for an hour or more. Enough time to settle into a rhythm.”

Neil continues, “At the 554 we turned right and rode through green hills and soft blue and grey skies so saturated in color they appeared phosphorescent. And it wasn’t just me — we all raved about them later over dinner. We refueled at the Tunnel Lake Trading Post and were met by an unusual pump jockey: a cat. That’s it. Just a cat. Who purred, rolled on its back, and then, in usual cat style, took a mild swing at me. I love cat. I don’t think that says good things about me. When Ryan went in to pay, the cashier asked him how much his total was. He had to go back out to check. I find it hard to fathom that in our fractured, combative, paranoid world that the honor system still functions. For now.” Ontario’s north is full of surprises. The other surprise? We could count the number of cars we saw on one hand, and still have fingers left over. It was pure bliss.

Hawk Junction, near Chapleau, saw us playing in more dirt, and since the rains had just come in, there wasn’t a speck of dust to be found. In fact, giant water crossings awaited us instead. Most weren’t very deep, and all of us made it through unscathed. However, the keyword there is most. One particular crossing was deeper than all of us anticipated, which nearly caught me out. If it weren’t for the ground clearance of the Ténéré 700 and my natural reaction to twist my wrist some more, I would have ended up taking a bath.

Neil, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. The deep water caught him off guard while riding the CVO Pan America, the bike with the least amount of ground clearance here. Fortunately, he had the quick thinking to hit the kill switch before the bike went full horizontal. He’s also lucky to be the tallest of the four of us — if it were Steph, all 5-foot, 3-inches of him — he might have drowned! After picking the bike back up, the Harley roared back to life and cleared its throat by shooting plumes of mud water out the exhaust pipe. After a few twists of the wrist, the pipes were cleared, and Neil was back on his way, albeit a lot wetter and colder than he was before.

The running joke since our first trip to Canada was that moose don’t exist. Steph, an avid hunter, wouldn’t stop talking about moose the entire trip, even promising we’d see one. Hence, the start of what we called the “moose chase.” Whenever we’d ride past a clearing, our heads were on swivels looking for moose (also a survival tactic when we rode during sundown). True to form, our trip came and went without seeing a single one — unless you count the taxidermy at Young’s General Store in Wawa (which means goose in the native tongue), where we stopped for snacks and pickles. Steph was the only one brave enough to bob for one in the barrel full of brine, by the way. That’s dedication. We did, however, see bears near Scenic High Falls and sandhill cranes by the hundreds. Hearing Steph’s excitement through the intercom was almost better than spotting them ourselves.

A quick stop at Old Woman Bay, where the cliffside is said to look like an old woman’s face, gave us a reason to act like kids. We had reached the shores of Lake Superior, and Ryan took a moment to make a sand angel, while we all tried to skip rocks on the lake (poorly), and find the face of an old woman on the cliffside. We didn’t.

A short hop down the road was where we could find the Agawa Rock pictographs that date back centuries. We weren’t exactly dressed for a trek like this, and Neil debated whether motocross boots would help or hurt on the slippery rocks leading to said pictographs. Eventually, however, the strong tide smashing against the rocks, with a flimsy chain rope the only bit of safety device to hang on to as you cross the rock face towards the pictographs, convinced us to turn around. The risk wasn’t worth the reward.

Instead, we went looking for a different reward. This one was much tastier. In our first go with Ontario, getting a proper taste of poutine was high on our (ok, my) list of things to do. Eating local cuisine is what I like to do when I visit somewhere new, and as the saying goes, we eat to ride and ride to eat. This time, Steph had something special lined up for us in Batchawana Bay, just a few hours north of our final destination: Apple fritters! It was here that we reminisced about our ride, shared a ton of laughs, and spent some time talking about what we liked and didn’t like, about the bikes we were on. All while stuffing our faces with these tasty fried dough balls stuffed with apple filling and powdered sugar on top.

Speaking of the bikes, the Yamaha was the athlete of the group. Light, nimble, and the favorite for anyone who wanted to really play in the dirt. The T7 made every broken back road feel like a playground. On the highway, it buzzed along, a little out of its element (at least in this group), but once the pavement ended, the Yamaha really came into its own. Standing on the pegs felt natural; the chassis danced underneath, every input answered with precision. Ryan and Steph quickly pointed to the T7 when asked which they’d pick if this trip had a higher percentage of dirt.

The KTM, on the other hand, was the bruiser. That 1,301cc V-twin is pure brute force. It’s big and heavy, but twist the throttle, and it’s as if the world stretches out in fast-forward. The road from Elliot Lake toward the 546 was where the big Austrian finally came alive, its engine booming off the trees while the suspension devoured every ripple in the road. The real surprise, even though it shouldn’t be, was how adept the KTM was off-road. Despite its size, Ryan, Steph, and Neil could hustle it in the dirt almost like it was the comparatively svelte Yamaha. The duality of the bike is amazing. Then, once back on pavement, it’ll pound out the miles like a proper touring bike. That’s exactly the reason why Ryan picked it as his choice if he were to pick a bike to pound both dirt and pavement.

The Harley-Davidson CVO Pan America was maybe the most surprising of the bunch. It’s not the newest toy in the adventure sandbox anymore, but there’s something gleefully rebellious about sliding a Harley through mud puddles in northern Ontario (assuming they aren’t too deep). The CVO touches add some shine, but underneath it’s still the same Pan Am: plenty of protection, decent suspension travel (we wished for more, obviously), and an engine that pulls unlike any previous Harley engine we know. However, the Pan Am’s handling on-road wasn’t fluid, requiring constant pressure on the bars to initiate a turn, then after a certain lean angle, it would fall in easily. It always kept us on our toes whenever coming around a bend. We also weren’t huge fans of the cramped and awkward ergonomics, either sitting or standing, and the transmission felt like it was a few miles short of losing a gear. Fortunately for us, we were on our way to return the bike when the shifter really started to feel mushy and vague. Crucially, at nearly $30,000 USD, the bang/buck ratio wasn’t in its favor.

Then there was the Triumph Tiger 900. Nobody had anything bad to say about it. It wasn’t too heavy, not too tall, and had all the power you could ask for. Its Triple-cylinder engine purred like a gas-station-cat, with just enough growl to make you twist the throttle again. The chassis struck a balance between comfort and agility, both on road and off. Combine that with its heated grips and cruise control, and it’s a solid choice to ride from Toronto to Thunder Bay and still want to take the long way home with some dirt detours.