MacGregor Point to Southampton – Great Lakes Waterfront Trail

Come ride with me as I explore scenic cycling routes, charming towns, patios, cafes, wineries, breweries, unique places to stay, and hidden gems—near home and around the world.

🚴 Perfect For: Couples • Friends • Solo Riders • E-bikes • Scenic Rides • Coffee Stops • Patios • Day Trips

We rode this route on July 11, 2026, during a three-night camping trip at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.

This is a view of Lake Huron, inbetween Port Elgin and Southhampton. Check out that great cycle path – ashphalt with a yellow line down the middle, seperate from the road.

📍 Ride at a Glance

📍 Start Location: MacGregor Point Provincial Park

🅿️ Parking: Park entry fee applies if you park inside MacGregor Point Provincial Park or are camping there. Free parking is also available at the signed public access at the end of Concession 4 off Saugeen Beach Road (approximately 10 spaces). There are no washrooms or garbage bins at this parking area.

📏 Distance: 34 km return (out-and-back). You could also create a loop, but we chose to ride along the waterfront and return the same way.

⏱ Ride Time: About 2 hours of cycling. We left at 10:00 a.m. and returned around 3:30 p.m., enjoying plenty of stops along the way.

⛰️ Elevation Gain: 45 metres

⭐ Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. I found the ride easy overall, although my Apple Watch rated it as Moderate. There is one short forest section where you’ll need to watch for roots and rocks.

🚲 Best Bike: E-bike, hybrid bike, mountain bike, or gravel bike.

🛣️ Surface: Approximately 90% paved roadway and paved multi-use trail, with a short section of dirt trail with roots and rocks.

📅 Best Time to Ride: Spring through fall during daylight hours.

🚻 Washrooms: Available at MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Gobles Grove Beach, Port Elgin Main Beach, Port Elgin Marina, and Southampton Beach.

💧 Water: Bring a water bottle. You can refill it at the public washrooms along the route.

❤️ Why I Chose This Ride

I have cycled this route before – with friends on my specialized mountain bike years ago, and I loved the route and I loved Southampton. I loved all the little shops – we had found a great store that had all kind of kitchen gadgets and I remember us finding a fabulous cheese shop. And the beach I remember was beautiful, right on Lake Huron. They had cottages that backed on to the beach with a nice boardwalk going all along. The best was they had huge swings on the beach, and I love a swing!! It was great to swing while looking out over Lake Huron.

Bart has been to Southampton once before but never cycling. Now that we have our e-bikes, he can enjoy this ride as well. It is also near MacGregor Point Park, so I was looking forward to camping for a weekend as well.

This is just south of Southampton. Often you would see benches and areas where you could enjoy the view of Lake Huron!

🗺️ The Ride

If you’re looking for a scenic ride along the water, with beautiful views and charming small towns to explore along the way, this is a great route.

One of the things I loved most was the scenery. For much of the ride, you have Lake Huron on one side and beautiful homes and cottages on the other. There is always something lovely to look at.

It was a very hot day – about 26°C, but it felt well over 30°C. Thankfully, cycling was still comfortable because you create a breeze as you ride, and we also benefited from the breeze coming off Lake Huron.

The section through the woods was especially fun. The trail dipped up and down and curved through the trees, almost like a little roller coaster. It was also noticeably cooler under the shade of the forest.

The first section, from MacGregor Point to Port Elgin, offered lots of beach views. The second section, from Port Elgin to Southampton, followed the water closely and had more of a rocky shoreline.

Whenever we were riding on the roads, they felt wide and comfortable. I always felt like there was plenty of room for cyclists, which made the ride much more relaxing and enjoyable.

Gobles Grove Beach is not far from MacGregor Point. I think a lot of campers come spend the day at this beach. They are facilities here, free parking, and as you can see it looks so inviting! On a hot day, you could jump off your bike and jump in to cool off.

This is at the main beach in Port Elgin. We found a nice shady spot to stop. There was the Beachside Cafe here, and I got a caramal macchiato iced coffee – very good and just what I needed! and very reasonably priced – just over $4 for a large cup.

☕ Favourite Stops Along the Way

🍺 Winery / Brewery

We stopped in Southampton at the Outlaw Brew Co. If there was a winery we would have stopped. I googled and the closest winery is almost an hour away in Owen Sound (good to remember for a future ride!). We combined the brewery in with lunch. We were planning to stop in Port Elgin at a brewery on the cycle back to MacGregor Point, but it was so hot and we decided to just head back to camp. When we do this ride again, I have made notes of some others to stop at – Three Sheets Brewing Company or The Wismer House Brewpub in Port Elgin.

This is where we stopped. We sat on the patio in the back – in the shade!

Cheers! Brent and Rachel met us and treated us at Outlaw Brew Co! It was great that they decided a few day before to come up and enjoyed our campsite with us for 2 nights! They did the Tower Trail hike in the morning in MacGregor. It is a 3.5 kim loop with well groomed paths, a water-level viewing bird blind (for quiet wildlife observation), and a two-story observation tower.

We enjoyed the top 2 – Highway 21 lagered ale and the Bronco cooper ale. Since it was a hot day, the lighter lager was our #1 pick.

🍦 Sweet Treats

When we came back through Port Elgin we did stop at the Cafe on the Beach. I was going to get an icecream. There was no space in the shade to sit so I decided I didn’t want ice cream so much. 🙂 There is also a Kawartha Dairy on the main street – High Street – in Southampton. We saw a couple enjoying an ice cream cone and couldn’t believe the size of it! They told us they had ordered the small – and it was huge! I am not sure what they paid, but if that’s the small, I can’t imagine what the large looks like. It definitely looked like great value and would be perfect for sharing!

The Beachside Cafe in Port Elgin at the main beach. They were constantly busy!! It seemed people were enjoying the food – homemade burgers etc. and I can only imagine how much ice cream they go through on a hot beach day!

🛍️ Shops Worth Visiting

The shops on High Street in Southampton are always great to visit.

It was a very hot day, so we made our way up one side of the street and back down the other fairly quickly. As much as we wanted to browse, we were looking forward to getting back on our bikes and feeling the cool breeze from Lake Huron. If the weather had been a little cooler, we definitely would have spent more time shopping.

There was a nice kitchen shop that had so many neat things. The owner told me the one that I went to years ago is no longer there – but she had a lot of the same little gadgets that the previous store did.

There was an old builidng that looked like the town hall. It was an art studio.
We went into Southampton olive oil company. They had so many flavors of olive oil and balsamic. I got a blueberry balsamic. They give you tasting samples. There was a nice book store. They had some nice clothing stores – we didn’t stop. The last thing I wanted in this heat was to try on clothes, and I am sure they appreciated that I didn’t since I was quite sweaty!!
For sure I will come back to Southampton and do a bit more shopping next time!

The building on the left (red brick) is the Art gallery in Southampton

📍 Highlights

There was lots of scenic lookouts – along the cycle path from Port Elgin to Southampton, there was lots of spots to stop, sit on a bench, take a photo, enjoy the scenery looking out onto Lake Huron.

Beaches – so many beaches!! All the way from MacGregor Point to Port Elgin. Goblers Beach, the main beach in Port Elgin, many rock beaches (with benches to sit and enjoy) and then the main beach in Port Huron.
Historic downtowns – we didn’t go into the downtown of Port Elgin, as we stuck to the shoreline, but I know they offer historical walking & driving tours, in both Southampton and Port Elgin. Somthing for us to check out next time!
Lighthouses – yes! Chantry Island right near Southampton. They offer tours to the island by boat and give you a tour of the light house. I think it would be cool to go and see – we didn’t have time today, but also didn’t want to pay the $40 per person.
Public art – in Southampton there is the Southampton Arts Centre.
Parks / Gardens – we passed parks in Port Elgin and Southampton. We didn’t stop but there were parks. There were some nice gardens in both Port Elgin and Southampton, and many wild flowers around as well – orange lillys and purple sweet pea.
Museums – we didn’t go in but I saw the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre is in Southampton.
Anything unique? – the fact that there were so many bike paths, was lovely! In Ontario we are getting more and more bike paths, but this trip was great with not having to spend so much time on the road, and when we did, it was on a quiet road and a very wide road giving you lots of space. We saw so many incredible homes and cottages along this cycle. and the fact that there were beaches everywhere was so nice!! I wish I got some pictures of some of the cottages to give you an idea, but I was being safe when cycling and not taking pics – so this will be what you can look forward to when you do this cycle.

🏕️ Turn It Into a Getaway

If you are travelling to do this ride, make it a weekend! There are many choices you can pick from. If you are a camper, you can stay at MacGregor Point Provincial Park. This park itself has about 15 km+ trails just inside the park. They have campsites – both hydro and non-hydro. They have many yurts and rustic cabins mingled in with the campsites. If you are not a camper, there are lots of AirBnBs for rent along Lake Huron. Both Port Elgin and Southampton have hotels as well.

This is our simple camp set up. We get a hydro site so we can use a keurig machine, an induction stove and a toaster! Easy in the morning, so we can get out on our bikes sooner!! The tent on the left is our Clam. A few years ago we purchased a floor for it and it is now multi-purpose. When we go camping with our pop-up trailer, this acts as a dining tent but when we go camping with our e-bikes, we velcro the floor in and it becomes our sleeping tent. We have 2 cots and I sleep like a baby!! The sun shelter is not a neccesity, but it sure is great to have to cover your table and keep the dew off in the morning. We have a pick-up truck so it all fits in nicely! We can set and take this down under 1 hour.

🏕️ Campgrounds

MacGregor Point is where we stayed. Inverhuron Provincial Park is not too far away. We didn’t really see any private campgrounds, but I am sure there are some. There was Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area (campground) that we saw just before coming to MacGregor.

🛏️ Airbnb

The amount of cottages in this area is overwhelming! For sure you will find an Air BnB to rent. I would recommend getting it as close to the water as you can, as it is so beautiful. If wanting sandy beach, focus on looking between MacGregor Point and Port Elgin.

🚶 Other Things To Do

Hiking – there is hiking in MacGregor Point. My son Brent and Rachel did the Tower Trail in the park, 3 km with a bird blind and observation tower. They said it was nice. They said it is also bike-friendly.
Shopping – lots of little shops downtown Port Elgin and Southampton. At MacGregor point they have a small campstore – selling supplies, food, campgear, and scooped ice cream!!
Beaches – lots! MacGregor Point has a campers beach and a day use beach. We didn’t use either this trip. What I hear is that many campers drive a short distance and go to Gobler’s Beach just outside of the park. It is huge, it has free parking along the road, and it has washroom facilities.
Golf – I didn’t see a golf course. But I know there is one in Kincardine.
Boating – lots! Marina in both Port Elgin and Southampton. The park has canoe and kayak rentals.
Attractions / Local Events – I was reading through the magazines for Port Elgin and Southampton, and they have activities year long, but more in the summer tourist months – music in the parks, festivals, fireworks, etc.

💡 Helpful Tips

☀️ Summer weekends are busy. We camped from Friday to Monday on a regular summer weekend because we wanted to avoid the crowds of a long holiday weekend. If you have flexibility, I’d recommend doing the same.

🅿️ Parking is plentiful. If you’re driving to the area for the day, you should be able to find free parking near the beaches. You may have to walk a little farther on busy days, but you’ll usually find a spot. Of course, if you’re arriving by bike, you always have the best parking spot!

🏖️ Beach access is everywhere. One of the things I loved most about this area is how many public beach access points there are. It’s easy to stop, take a break, and enjoy Lake Huron whenever you feel like it.

🍽️ Restaurants. We didn’t need reservations for lunch, but on long weekends or during peak summer holidays, it’s probably a good idea if you have a particular restaurant in mind.

📱 Cell service. We had service for most of the ride, although there were a few spots where our phones dropped to 3G and things slowed down. Overall, reception along the cycling route was good. At MacGregor Point Provincial Park, service was a little patchy, but I was still able to hotspot my iPad from my phone and stream Netflix before bed.

🐺 An Unexpcected Wake-Up Call. One of my favourite memories from the weekend was hearing a mother coyote calling to her pups during the night. It woke me up twice, but I thought it was cool – a great reminder that we were surrounded by nature.

🚻 Washrooms. If you’re someone who likes to know where the next washroom is, be sure to use the public washrooms at Port Elgin Main Beach and Marina, and again at Southampton Main Beach. If you’re stopping for coffee or lunch, it’s always a good idea to use the washroom before getting back on your bike.

📸 Photo Gallery

This big bunny would come and visit our campsite every day!

A simple single-burner induction stove is handy and all we need for all our camp meals. It cools quickly for easy pack-up before heading out to cycle for the day.

Amazing asphalt bike path along Lake Huron from Port Elgin to Southampton.

Brent checking out the traffic. Check out all those bikers! This is the main road (Hwy 21) coming into Southampton. Constant traffic the entire time!! So many people coming to enjoy the beach in this summer town!!

Beach in Southampton. A nice paved walkway along the back (only for walkers – no bikes!)

Our set-up for our e-bikes. Easy on and easy off. It is always nice to leave right from your base, but we have no problem loading them on and travelling to the start of our ride either.

My essentials! Hydro for charging my phone & applewatch (GPS) and a nice wine (Cheers!) at the end of the day!!

What a great riding day with my buddy Bart!!

🗺️ Route Map

The route from my Applewatch. 17.46 was one way. As you can see……we saw a lot of gorgeous water and beach views!!

⭐ My Ratings

🌄 Scenery ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🚴 Ride Quality ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☕ Coffee ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – my ice coffee at the beach cafe was freshly brewed, a great price, and I really enjoyed it!

🍽️ Food ⭐⭐⭐⭐- the wood-oven pizza at OutLaw Brewing Company was really good – the crust was light and airy.

🍺 Breweries ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – the beer was great. The Highway 21 Lagered Ale (4.8%) was the favorite as it was easy drinking, refreshing and great on a hot day after cycling. But I really enjoyed the taste of the Bronoco Copper Ale (5.6%)

🏕️ Places to Stay ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – we loved MacGregor Point! The campsites are very private.

❤️ Overall Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – what can be better than nice weather, camping, cycling, patios, beers, and good people to spend it with!!! I LOVED it.

❤️ That’s So Sonya Says…

What a fabulous ride! There is so much beauty to see and so much to do along this route.

When I cycle, I always like to have a destination—a little “prize” waiting at the other end! 😊 Whether it’s an ice-cold beer on a patio, a glass of wine at a local winery, lunch in a small town, or even a picnic that Bart and I packed ourselves to enjoy on a park bench or the beach, having something to look forward to makes the ride even more rewarding.

The best part, though, is sharing these adventures with good people. I’m so happy that my husband, Bart, has fallen in love with cycling too – especially now that he has an e-bike. That has truly been a game changer for us. We can ride farther, tackle more hills with ease, and simply enjoy spending time together doing something we both love.

I would definitely ride this route again. One thing that continues to surprise me is how much beautiful public beach you can access – for free! I would happily stay at MacGregor Point Provincial Park again and maybe next time cycle to Sauble Falls through Southampton. Also, next time, by way of Port Elgin we can also make it a different loop. When I do, I’ll be sure to share that route here too!

Thanks so much for coming along on the ride. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed experiencing it. If you decide to cycle this route, I’d love to hear about your adventure! And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Happy cycling! 🚴‍♀️

Sunset Point at MacGregor Point. Rachel and I cycled out to the point. We didn’t stay for the sunset, but I can only imagine how gorgeous it would have been! Next time!

💬 Have You Ridden This Route?

I’d love to hear about your experience!

🚴 Would you ride this route again?

☕ Did you discover a great coffee stop?

📍 Did you find a must-see lookout, hidden gem, or place worth visiting?

🍷 Is there a nearby winery I should add to my list?

🍺 Did you find a brewery that’s worth stopping at next time?

💬 Leave a comment below and share your favourite discoveries. Your recommendations might inspire my next adventure – and help other cyclists plan theirs too!