Our suggested starting point is the Perry Monument on the Presque Isle peninsula in Erie, PA although riders from western Canada may wish to begin in Thunder Bay, Ontario. From Erie, the next checkpoint is the Sodus Bay Lighthouse and Monument on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. From New York, there are several checkpoints in Vermont and New Hampshire before crossing into Maine. You would then cross the Canadian border into New Brunswick and continue on to Nova Scotia to ride the Cabot Trail. Next is a return to the US with a checkpoint at the Four Corners Park in Madawaska, Maine. The ride then returns to Canada to ride along the St. Lawrence River to the “walled cities” of Quebec and Montreal. The suggested route turns west away from the St Lawrence River, through Ottawa and Sudbury to the north shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The route follows the shoreline of Lake Superior back into the US, turns the corner at Duluth, Minnesota, and then heads east across the Richard Bong Bridge through Wisconsin into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. After a ride over the famous Mackinac Bridge, the 4,200-mile-long Tour finishes in Mackinaw City, Michigan.
The GLCTT is a PHOTO TOUR. It requires you to visit each checkpoint and take a photo and record your location using the Electronic Journaling tools SpotWalla and SWTracker.
You will use your phone to document your adventure. Recording your ride with Electronic Journaling provides a backup for your checkpoint proofs rather than collecting and protecting a stack of receipts. See the information provided on the Electronic Ride Journaling page.