Cruise the Coast Driving Route

This coastal road trip in Ontario takes you past cute beach towns and wineries

Fall in Ontario is a magical time for a road trip, with quieter highways and idyllic backroads to explore.

From an epic driving route connecting ten provincial parks in northern Ontario to a fall colour tour of the Beaver Valley with some tasty pit stops, there's no shortage of drives to choose from.

For beach lovers, the Cruise the Coast Driving Route is one to add to your list, taking you through pastoral landscapes of rolling hills dotted with quaint farms, peaceful white sand beaches, and charming lakeside towns.Cruise the Coast Driving RouteThe popular motorcycle route extends across 350.7 km, and if you make all the suggested stops, the drive can take roughly 7.5 hours. Like any road trip, you can customize it as you wish, adding or removing stops along the way.

You can start in Lowbanks and follow the winding roads along Lake Erie's shoreline all the way to Amherstburg, or vice versa.

You'll pass breathtaking lookouts, lighthouses, wind turbines, and a number of locations to grab a bite to eat or shop in Haldimand, Norfolk, Elgin, Windsor-Essex, and Chatham-Kent counties.

Stop at Long Point Provincial Park and walk along the 40-km sandspit that stretches all the way into Lake Erie. Check out the small town of Port Dover, which thrives in the summer months transporting you to a tropical destination with the addition of real palm trees in the sand.

Wine afficionados can pick up a bottle from one of the many wineries found on the underrated Essex Pelee Island Coast, also known as EPIC wine country.

Hit the shops or grab a bite to eat in Port Stanley, another adorable beach town that was once considered the "Coney Island of the Great Lakes."

Finish your trip in the lovely little town of Amherstburg, which is full of historic sights, wineries, breweries, art galleries, and museums.

The Cruise the Coast Driving Route is perfect for a relaxing weekend escape, particularly during the off-season. Time to curate that perfect playlist, fill up the tank, and head to Lake Erie's north shore for a beautiful drive.

Lead photo by

Simply Photos


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