Exploring back roads… Sprucedale to Huntsville

May 27

May has been a cold, soggy month here in cottage country. Since getting my new motorcycle I have been able to squeeze in a couple of rides between the rain drops. Before the next predicated rainfall (that by the way came right on schedule this morning) I took full advantage of the rare dry day to explore a few back roads that would lead me to Huntsville.  

View the route from Sprucedale to Huntsville  

The ON-518 is a fun twisty road that cuts through the country side and spans from Hwy 11 to the 400 near Parry Sound. However, todays ride had me venturing off the 518 onto Sisted Road when I came to Sprucedale. (There won’t be any gas stations for 33 km when you take this route, so if need be fill up your tank in Sprucedale).  Sisted road starts off in fairly good condition, but I warn you that eventually the road surface degrades into tar and chip. 

As I was motoring along a unique looking sculpture caught my eye at the entrance to someone’s driveway. I just had to stop and snap a pic. Must be a motorcycle enthusiast. The moment I stopped I realized how bad the black flies are at this time of year. Uugh, those pesky things started swarming and I couldn’t get back on my bike fast enough. 

Sisted Road ends and turns into Ravenscliff Rd. that will lead into Huntsville. The beginning of Ravenscliff is a little dicey to say the least. There were even places where parts of the road almost looked like it had been washed away and there was still a lot of sand on it. There was also huge pot holes to dodge, luckily there wasn’t any traffic so riding this obstacle course was easier than I thought. If you don’t mind putting up with the less than favorable condition of this road at the beginning it will be well worth it once the road becomes a smooth paved surface and there is nothing but fun twisties, sweeping curves and hills, not to mention some awesome views. 

There was a little pull off along Ravenscliff to take in the view of Buck Lake. But the blackflies had me take a quick pic and quickly get moving again.

Ravenscliff will bring you directly into Huntsville and you can stay on this road to explore the downtown area. I opted to head up Hanes Road  and crossed highway 60. I turned onto Golf Course Rd just because I was curious about this road. That is the beauty of riding, I love to just explore roads that I would never venture down if I were in my car. It just led back out onto Muskoka District 3 but it was a twisty little road that I was glad I went down. 

I continued along Muskoka District 3, opting to go along Old North Road instead of heading back on Highway 11. 

This road too is not in the greatest shape the further you go, but it was fun to explore none the less. It brought me to a little burg known as Melissa where I had no choice but to but get onto Hwy 11. It was just a short jaunt to Novar where I exited to Hwy 592 and headed home. 

Until next time keep

Cruising Through Life & Enjoying The Ride...




Full Route. Some stretches on this route are pretty sketchy, but oh there are tons of twisties that will make suffering through the less appealing parts worth it.