Cycling opportunities in Stouffville are remarkably good. Between multi-purpose sidewalk “trails”, dedicated trails and quiet city streets, there are plenty of safe opportunities. This “Stouffville Roundabout” proposal is 12.25 km in total length. A rule of thumb is that a 5-year-old child should be able to ride 8 kilometers, while a 12-year-old should be able to ride 16 kilometers. My kids didn’t seem up for 8K at 5, but that may have been a parental faux pas. 

In 1950, very few of the roads, routes, and landmarks featured here existed, including the Stouffville reservoir. The town grew west and east from the centre, until after 1980 when expansion northward occurred, and later it expanded south. Albeit, many things are new, but not everything. The highlight of this trip is the heritage forests south of Hoover Park Drive. These have existed for at least 70 years. 

Tips: (1) be careful in the “share the Road” sections, especially while cycling through Smart Centres’ parking lot; (2) observe the diagonal spit of land that reaches into Stouffville Reservoir from the Northwest – this was the railbed of the narrow gauge Lake Simcoe Junction Railway that provided passenger and freight service between Stouffville, Ballantrae and Vivian, and beyond to Lake Simcoe; and, (3) great restaurants can be found along the route for pit stops – in Smart Centres (Plates & Bowls, Boston Pizza, Bollocks, etc.) and Downtown (Fickle Pickle, Tulsi, Main Street Bakehouse, etc.).