Motorcycle Touring Kirkland Lake, Ontario—Ride the Legendary Highway 101

When researching for this story, I punched “highway 101 motorcycle route” into Google, expecting to see a flood of results for the famous 475-kilometre gem located in Northeastern Ontario and to my shock, the top hits were for some highway on the Californian coast! Clearly, the bigwigs at Google are intentionally suppressing the rest of the motorcycle world from discovering one of Ontario’s best-kept motorcycle touring secrets (must have something to do with Trump??)

But seriously, the 101, along with Highway 11, is some of the best motorcycle riding our vast province has to offer, thanks to its pristine pavement and utterly stunning scenery. Comprised of seemingly endless twisty roads, constant elevation changes and numerous rock cuts, there’s a reason the 475-kilometre loop routinely shows up in so many articles and must-ride lists on www.neontario.com web pages.

Riding Highway 101 Through Kirkland Lake, Ontario With the Sons of Arthritis Club

I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ride it along with other epic roads in Northeastern Ontario for a weekend tag-along with members of the "Sons of Arthritis" motorcycle club. The goal was to capture the beauty of fall riding in the Kirkland Lake region just as the leaves were starting to explode with vibrant colours.

We rendezvoused on a warm late-September day and, to my surprise, had quite a large crew of 11 riders assembled to participate in our ride, comprised of local residents ranging from former law enforcement to retirees, some of whom emigrated all the way from Australia!

We departed downtown Kirkland Lake, first taking the opportunity to cruise the main strip, as the thunderous roar of (mostly Harley) cruisers drowned out all competing sounds. We were fortunate to have Dan Laverdure (Director of Development and Enterprise Services for the Corporation of The Town of Kirkland Lake) in a chase vehicle to guide us around the area to see the local attractions and must-have picture opportunities along the way.

Highway 101 Highlights: From Matheson to Rapide-Danseur via the Atlantic Watershed

Our first stop was the Atlantic Watershed. Upon first glance, it doesn’t look like much more than a cool-looking provincial sign with a little pull-off rest area, but when you dig into the backstory, you realize that spot holds a much larger significance from a geographical perspective. It’s the point where all streams flow north into the Arctic Ocean, reminding you just how far north you are.

Next, we stopped in the quaint little town of Matheson for a bite to eat before hitting the open road. Taking the 101 eastbound for about 40 minutes, we crossed the provincial demarcation line into Quebec, stopping for a break and some photos at this stunning 100-year-old church located off regional route 388 in the small hamlet of Rapided-Danseur. The church itself sits right along Baie Angell connecting to Riviere Duparquet, and also has a hidden viewing platform situated between the two bodies of water making for an ideal place to have a rest and create some stunning social media posts.

Mount Cheminis: A Northern Ontario Beauty

Dan saved the best location for last as we were in search of what we refer to on photoshoots as hero shots. He mentioned a section of highway that snakes around with Mount Cheminis dominating the background, and upon our arrival, I quickly saw why he brought us there. Straddling the border of Ontario and Quebec, the massive mushroom-shaped rock formation with its flat top and steep rock sides was the perfect backdrop for an epic photo opportunity.  

I had the entire "Sons of Arthritis" crew make a single pass, managing to frame the imposing "Mount Chem" (as locals refer to it) prominently displayed behind the sea of bikes and instantly knew that we'd captured a beauty.

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