Kingston Mills - Brewers Mills Locks (65km)

Start/end at the parking lot for the locks at Kingston Mills for this countryside meander through gently rolling to flat dairy farming countryside and two crossings of the Rideau Heritage Waterway, both at lockstations.

Alternative starting point: Brewers Mills locks.

Other ideas: If you're carrying bikes on your boat, get off at either lockstation, cycle to the other while your boating party continues to meet you there.

Additional Information

Follow the route east from Kingston Mills, away from the Rideau waterway, across rolling dairy farming country. After a short stretch north on County Rd 32, turn back west at Taylor, through Pine Grove, to Brewers Mills.

The Sunbury Rd (County Rd 12) between Brewers Mills and Sunbury will take you back in time -- a long way! You'll start amidst sedimentary rock outcroppings laid down about 300 to 500 million years ago, and descend through granite outcroppings that are part of the Grenville Pre-cambrian foundation of the Arch, formed some 1.2 billion years ago.

The climb back up towards Sunbury may have you feeling older, although the climb will shed a billion years as you climb back onto sedimentary structures on a small escarpment running along the west side of the Rideau waterway and chain of lakes.

The ride ends with a nice fast descent down this escarpment to return to Kingston Mills.

If you do this ride in the clockwise direction, you'll have to climb this big hill near the beginning!

Terrain

Gently rolling to hilly.

Distance

65 km

Climbing

Moderate.

Bike Suitability

All paved - suitable for road, hybrid or touring bike.

Start Location

Kingston Mills - the public parking lot by the locks.

(Alternative: Brewers Mills - again the public parking lot by the locks.)

Notes and Cautions

Exercise caution crossing County Rd 15 leaving Kingston Mills at Codes Corners, and again crossing at Brewers Mills. Cty Rd 15 is the primary road following the Rideau waterway from Kingston and it can be quite busy in the summer time.

On summer weekends, exercise caution on the short stretch of County Rd 32 from Marble Rock to Taylor (north of Gananoque). Again, it can be busy with summer traffic.