I Built This Fall Colours Route Years Ago. This October, We're Running It as an All-Inclusive Motorcycle Tour.

I've been riding the Muskoka–Parry Sound–Algonquin corridor of The Great Canadian Wilderness for over a decade. Somewhere along the way, I stopped exploring and started curating — trimming out the boring connector roads, finding the lookouts you can pull into without getting off the bike, figuring out which restaurants actually want a group of riders showing up in full gear.

The result is a route I've been refining for years. And this fall, for the first time, we're offering it as a fully booked, all-inclusive tour: the WAR x Explorer's Edge Fall Colours Tour, October 2–4, 2026. Two nights at Deerhurst Resort, every meal arranged, the route loaded and ready. You just show up and ride.

Ten spots. It's nearly sold out. If you've been meaning to do this ride for years - and I know a lot of you have - this is the year it's already planned for you.

Book your spot at GreatCanadianWilderness.com

What Am I Actually Booking?

This is a self-guided tour with full support. You ride your own bike, at your own pace, on a route we've spent ten years perfecting. Everything else - accommodations, dinner reservations, the day-by-day itinerary — is taken care of before you leave your driveway.

Here's what's included:

• Two nights at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville - you unpack once and stay put. No repacking your bags every morning, no wondering if tonight's hotel has secure parking.
• Breakfasts and dinners at Deerhurst - the resort has three restaurants on-site, so at the end of a long day of riding, dinner is a walk from your room, not another trip on the bike.
• A curated route through peak fall colours - roughly 850 km over two full riding days across Muskoka, Parry Sound, and Algonquin, timed for when the colours in this region actually peak (spoiler: it's before Thanksgiving).
• A support vehicle - that's me. I'll be following the group in a truck with a trailer, shooting photo and video of the ride, and on hand if anyone has a mechanical issue. Your luggage rides with me, and if your bike has a bad day, we can get it home.
• Your trip, documented. Because I'm shooting the whole weekend, you can leave your phone in your pocket and actually be present on the ride. Riders on the Signature Edition get a full edited photo and video package of their trip delivered afterward.

Base tour: $1,575 per rider, all-in, HST included. 

See full details and book at GreatCanadianWilderness.com

The Route

Friday: Ride Up, Settle In

Leave after work, take the scenic way north, and land at Deerhurst Resort on Peninsula Lake in Huntsville. Get your bike tucked away, have a late dinner at one of the resort's restaurants, and get a walkthrough of the weekend ahead. Then sleep; Saturday's a big one.

Saturday: The Northwest Loop - 511 km - 310 miles

This is the day people talk about afterward. We head northwest through some of the best sweeping pavement in Ontario, with a stop about 160 km in at the Screaming Heads of Midlothian. Hundreds of massive concrete sculptures rising out of a farm field near Burk's Falls. I'm not going to explain it. You have to stand in front of them.

Lunch is at Legend Spirits in Parry Sound, then we work our way back east through the afternoon light, which, in early October, turns every maple-lined road into something you'll want a photo of. Good thing someone's shooting them for you.

Back at Deerhurst for dinner. Same room, same bed. That's the point.

Sunday: Algonquin in Full Colour - 337 km - 209 miles

We ride east through Algonquin Provincial Park on Highway 60, one of the most famous fall colour drives in Canada, and even better on two wheels. Coffee break at the iconic Portage Store on Canoe Lake, a stop at Lake of Two Rivers, then down through Dorset, where the lookout tower gives you the whole region in one view.

A final group lunch in Muskoka, and then you're pointed home - with the best fall riding weekend of your life behind you and a camera roll you didn't have to shoot yourself.

Why We're Basing the Whole Weekend at Deerhurst

I've done a lot of multi-night motorcycle trips, and the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade is not changing hotels. Deerhurst Resort gives us everything riders actually need: a proper resort on the water, three restaurants on the property so nobody's riding anywhere after dark for dinner, and a location in Huntsville that puts both loops - Parry Sound to the west, Algonquin to the east - right at our doorstep.

You check in Friday. You check out Sunday. In between, all you do is ride.

Want to Ride It On Your Own? You Can.

The route itself isn't a secret - it's available if you'd rather make your own arrangements and ride it independently. But here's the honest pitch: we've been riding this area for the last decade. We know which roads are freshly paved and which ones will rattle your fillings out. We know the stops worth stopping for, the accommodations that actually welcome riders, and exactly which weekend the colours peak.

And on the tour, everything's taken care of - you just show up and ride. Plus I'm behind you in the support truck the whole way, documenting the trip so you don't have to.

👉 Grab one of the last spots at GreatCanadianWilderness.com

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the tour? Friday, October 2 to Sunday, October 4, 2026 - timed for peak fall colours in the Muskoka–Algonquin–Parry Sound region, which arrive earlier here than they do further south.

What does it cost, and what's included? The base tour is $1,575 per rider, all-in and including HST. That covers two nights at Deerhurst Resort, breakfasts and dinners at the resort, the curated route and itinerary, and the support vehicle. The Signature Edition is $1,995 and adds a full edited photo and video package of your ride, delivered after the trip.

Is this a guided tour? No - it's a self-guided tour. You ride your own motorcycle on a curated route at your own pace. The support vehicle follows the group to carry luggage, shoot photo and video, and assist with mechanical issues, but you're the one doing the riding.

Do I need my own motorcycle and insurance? Yes. You ride your own bike, and you'll need valid motorcycle insurance, which you'll confirm when you sign the participant waiver during booking.

What kind of rider is this for? If you're comfortable with full-day rides of 300–500 km on paved roads, you're good. The route is entirely paved - no gravel, no dirt. Both days include plenty of stops for photos, food, and coffee.

What if it rains? The tour runs rain or shine - it's fall riding in Ontario, and a bit of weather is part of it. We build contingencies into each day, and the support vehicle is always nearby.

Can I bring a passenger? Contact us through the booking page and we'll walk you through the options.

When do bookings close? September 11, 2026 - or earlier if the remaining spots sell out. Which, at the current pace, is likely.

One Last Thing

Every rider I know has a version of this trip on their someday list. The colours, the empty fall roads, the last big ride before the bike goes away for winter. And every year, someday doesn't come, because planning it - the hotels, the restaurants, the route - is the part that kills it.

This year, the planning's done. I did it. Ten years of riding this region, distilled into one weekend where the only thing you're responsible for is the throttle.

See you out there.

- Mike

Mike Jacobs is the publisher of What A Ride, a digital powersports media company covering Ontario. The WAR x Explorer's Edge Fall Colours Tour is offered in partnership with Explorer's Edge / Great Canadian Wilderness.

GreatCanadianWilderness.com - Book the Fall Colours Tour

Showing 'Edited Body' is no longer supported.