Sault Ste. Marie Cycling With Local Pro Danielle Anstess

It’s hard to find a better champion for cycling in Sault Ste. Marie than Danielle Anstess. The 45-year-old mother of three has lived and sought all-season outdoor adventures in northern Ontario her entire life. Until recently, Anstess admits local mountain biking, road and gravel riding was secondary to bigger and better, out of town vacations—including racing in some of the largest enduro mountain bike events in North America, such as Michigan’s epic Marji Gesick and Iceman Cometh Challenge races. But that’s changed.

“I’ve travelled a lot to mountain bike,” Anstess says. “Then, a couple of years ago, I was riding at home and I realized I no longer have to travel to find great trails. We’ve got the variety and level of difficulty, the scenery, the sense of being away from it all and above all the community…it’s all happening here. I’m so stoked and proud of that.”

Anstess has been a fixture at Velorution, a bike and ski shop in Sault Ste. Marie, for well over a decade. She’s tracked the changing demographics of cycling in Sault Ste. Marie: while the hardcore local community has remained strong, more and more out of towners are showing up, lured by the city’s “Trail Town” image.

New trails have rapidly expanded the existing network single-track maintained by the Sault Cycling Club in the Hiawatha Highlands, bringing the total distance to over 50 km. Besides fitting customers with bikes and gear, Anstess especially loves advising them on where to ride—and her suggestions are constantly evolving.

“It’s amazing how the trails are all coming together into a great network with so many options,” she says. “It feels like every time I go for a ride I discover something new and that makes things fresh and exciting. I can’t name a specific favourite mountain bike route these days because it feels like I’m always riding something new.”

I sat down with Anstess with a pot of strong coffee and fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon buns at Feeding Your Soul, a favourite Sault Ste. Marie cafe that serves healthy breakfasts and lunches, a variety of hot and cold beverages, and homemade baked goods catering to all diets, for a local’s take on cycling in the Soo.

Best Mountain Bike Trail: The 8-km, out-and-back Farmer Lake trail, which opened in 2023, revealed the vastness of the terrain beyond Sault Ste. Marie’s existing network of single-track in the Hiawatha Highlands. For Anstess, it’s just the beginning. “Farmer Lake is a seriously good trail with an awesome blend of rocky stuff and smooth, loamy dirt,” she notes. “It strikes a great balance of rugged, hand-built single-track and flowy, machine-made trail.”

Recent additions to Farmer Lake create more possibilities for loops—not to mention great views. “Angry Goat has a big climb and it gives a view of all of Farmer Lake for a sense of perspective on the scale of the terrain,” Anstess says. “Crazy Train follows a spectacular canyon. It feels like Jurassic Park with the rock walls and all the ferns and moss.” Several new connectors create lengthier loops to Crystal Lake, adds Anstess. “There are sections where I honestly feel like I’m going to see a moose every time I ride it.”

Anstess describes much of the riding around Farmer Lake as light enduro.

“These trails are made for mountain biking,” she says. “You’ve got so many options and there’s something for everybody. You can roll all the hits or you can go big. I can get what I want from it at my level of riding—and then I watch someone else’s line and I realize there’s so much more you can do.”

Favourite Road and Gravel Rides: For a full day adventure, Anstess suggests St. Joseph Island, located on Lake Huron’s North Channel, about an hour’s drive east of Sault Ste. Marie. “It’s a huge island and it’s crisscrossed by quiet country roads with virtually no traffic,” she says. Closer to the city Highway 556 (aka the “Searchmont Highway”) and Bellevue Valley, about 20 minutes north of city limits in Goulais River, feature freshly resurfaced asphalt, wide shoulders and scenic views.

Hidden Gem: Anstess loves autumn double-track mountain biking at the Algoma Highlands Conservancy, about a 30-minute drive north of Sault Ste. Marie, in Goulais River. “It’s best when the fall colours are on fire but it’s a good destination for riding all summer long,” she says. “It feels strange to promote double-track when there’s so much single-track, but you have to look at it as adventure riding. It’s wilderness mountain biking with amazing views, wetlands, ponds and lakes to go for a swim. It’s a great destination for parents with older kids.”

Best Apres and Dining: Anstess says it’s a coin toss between Northern Superior and Outspoken for the best patio in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. Meanwhile, Ernie’s is a reimagined downtown diner with a menu that satisfies farm-to-table foodies and those simply looking for a great burger, Anstess says. “It’s the cheesecake that gets me back in there.” For families, Anstess recommends Fratelli’s Kitchen for its casual atmosphere and authentic Italian menu.

Best Biking Events: Hosted over a weekend in late July, “Salty Marie is a small event with something for everyone that’s growing fast,” Anstess says. Last year’s races and party at Hiawatha Highlands was followed up with a three-day event hosted by The Mountain Bike Exchange, an Ontario program that promotes cycling for women. Meanwhile, March’s Beaver Freezer showcases fatbiking in Sault Ste. Marie, with a unique route across frozen lakes, wetlands and portages through the snowy backcountry.

More Cycling in Sault Ste. Marie:

• Go guided with Red Pine Tours
• Along with Velorution, Algoma Bicycle Company offers sales, service and rentals
• You can rent a fatbike and roll the easy trails along the St. Marys Rapids at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site

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