The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure is celebrating 15 years of WOW (Wonderful Ontario Waterfront). Waterfront Regeneration Trust and community partners welcome 140 cyclists to experience Quinte West to Quebec on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail this week. Cyclists will make a stop at the Cardinal waterfront on Saturday, August 12th around 9:30 a.m..

“Recent improvements to our waterfront area make Edwardsburgh Cardinal a great rest stop on any adventure. It’s an honour to welcome cyclists from the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure to TWPEC. Our Township is proud to work with the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, their partners and our community neighbours to promote a connected waterfront through our active transportation network.” Mayor Tory Deschamps, Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal

The numbers are exciting. It’s been 31 years of trail development, 15 annual events, 102 days of discovery and camaraderie, 8,500 kilometers, and approximately 2,500 happy bicyclists since the first Great Waterfront Trail Adventure (GWTA) in 2008. Today, the GWTA has become one of Ontario’s most anticipated bicycling traditions, a celebration of our partnerships, progress on our waterfront vision, and the exceptional cycling tourism attraction that is the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.

The GWTA is the Waterfront Regeneration Trust’s annual, multi-day bicycling tour, designed to showcase the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and the communities that support it. It also promotes the mission behind the charity’s work — the regeneration of our Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

“The success of the GWTA is, a testament to the outstanding cycling experience the Trail provides”, says Marlaine Koehler, Executive Director of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust. “It’s just as much due to the hospitality, hard work, and support of participating communities and other partners, who welcome cyclists, and invest in the Trail.”

“Congratulations to the team at Waterfront Regeneration Trust on 15 years of success as the GWTA celebrates its anniversary,” said Ed McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Foundation. “This event allows cyclists to experience the Greenbelt and larger Great Lakes Waterfront Trail each summer, getting a firsthand look at how WRT is working to protect and restore the natural heritage of the Great Lakes region and discovering the wonderful communities along the way.”

The 2023 Adventure includes overnights in the communities of Quinte West, Kingston, Brockville and Cornwall; as well as community-hosted welcome stops at Brighton, Bath, Syndenham, Gananoque, Town of Prescott, Edwardsburgh Cardinal, South Stormont and South Glengarry to a name a few.

“The GWTA has become a way to introduce riders who come from all over Canada and the US to many wonderful cycling assets connected to the Trail”, says Jo Sharland, tour director for the Waterfront Regeneration Trust.

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail connects to many major hiking and cycling trails. There will be several opportunities for participants to cycle a number of featured regional trails that are connected to the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail, and experience different parts of the region. These include: The Millennium Trail in Quinte West and in Prince Edward County, the K&P Trail in Kingston and Frontenac County, Cornwall’s Urban Loop, and the Cheese’n Crankers cycling loop in South Glengarry.

Cyclists can customize their ride as well. In Kingston, participants can choose between a fully-supported, exploration of the K&P Trail to Sydenham in Frontenac County, or a visit to the City’s historical and beach attractions (including a Penitentiary Tour, Fort Henry, Gord Downie Pier with Swim Drink Fish, Breakwater Park, and Richardson Beach).

In Cornwall, the choice is between a supported ride of the 52km Cheese’n Crankers cycling loop (a regional loop starting from Gray’s Creek Conservation Area, with a rest stop hosted at Cooper Marsh conservation area), or a ride directly along the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail to its eastern terminus at the Quebec border.

The GWTA was created in 2008 by Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT) and its community partners to invite the public to experience what was, at that time, the entire Great Lakes Waterfront Trail – from Niagara-on-the-Lake to South Glengarry (and the Quebec border) over 8 days. Riders began to ask the Trust when the GWTA would tour the other Great Lakes, which helped to set the stage for the expansion along Lake Erie.

Today the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail stretches for 3,600 km from Quebec to Sault Ste. Marie, connecting 155 communities and First Nations – a celebration of nature and culture. It represents over 30 years of public and private investment in our Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River waterfront in hundreds of projects from small to large. The GWTA has launched every new expansion.

Riders will see a number of improvements to the Trail and waterfront this year including: Kingston’s refurbished Richardson Beach, and new dedicated cycling infrastructure along HWY 33, Cornwall’s urban loop that connects many of the City’s major tourism assets, and Glen Walter waterfront park in South Glengarry.

This year, the CAA will once again be a valued partner, providing participants with CAA Bike Assist, roadside assistance for bicycles. CAA Bike Assist is a CAA Member benefit included in the annual cost of membership. Other valued partners include the Greenbelt Foundation, RTO 9, St. Lawrence Parks Commission, the City of Quinte West, Kingston and Cornwall.

“Events like the GWTA encourage many to hop on their bikes to explore Ontario’s Great Lakes communities in an enjoyable and safe way,” said Michael Stewart, community relations consultant, CAA South Central Ontario. “Our Members continue to embrace cycling and our work with the Waterfront Regeneration Trust is one of the many ways CAA is supporting travelling by two wheels across the province.”

The GWTA sells out quickly when registration opens in January. Bicyclists from across Ontario, Canada, and even internationally make it an annual tradition. In the words of one participant, “I look forward to and love this adventure every year. I have chatted it up enthusiastically at home and elsewhere and am continually recommending it to others. It is truly an exceptional experience, and I cannot imagine a summer without the GWTA.”

Media inquiries

For media inquiries, contact Marlaine Koehler, Waterfront Regeneration Trust at 416-520-4205 mk@wrtrust.com

About the Itinerary 

The 2023 Great Waterfront Trail Adventure itinerary can be found on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail website.