Courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

One of the great joys of autumn is discovering a new area by bike. With your phone safely in your pocket, your hands on the handlebars and your eyes fixed on the trail ahead, you can fully tune into the season: the crunch of leaves beneath your tires, the flashes of red and gold in the trees, the crispness of the air and the way the landscape seems to change around every bend.

Manitoba has a number of biking trails and cycling routes for riders of all interests and levels of experience. Here are five routes to try this fall.

Courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

For the love of Winnipeg history: Ride the Red Route

The bike trail connects some of Winnipeg’s most significant historical sites, providing a window into the forces that shaped its economy and culture over centuries. Hop onto this urban cycling route at the Saint-Boniface Museum and ride through Point Douglas and West Kildonan to the Seven Oaks Museum.

Distance: 11 kilometres one way

Terrain: Paved roads and pathways

Difficulty: Easy

Points of interest:

• Learn about Franco-Manitoban history at the Saint-Boniface Museum
• Appreciate examples of Red River frame architecture, a traditional log- building method used in the 1800s
• Visit the grave of Louis Riel’s, Manitoba’s founder

Courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

For the love of Red River history: The Crow Wing Trail

This trail follows the historic Red River Trail, once an important trading route connecting Winnipeg to Saint Paul and other trading centres in Minnesota. Today, the Crow Wing Trail forms an important part of the Trans Canada Trail, giving cyclists a close up look at tall grass prairie, agricultural landscapes, rural communities and the Red River Valley.

Distance: 199 kilometres end to end; try a section as an out-and-back for an easy afternoon ride

Terrain: Gravel roads, natural trail, paved trail, paved roads; can be muddy — avoid riding after heavy rains

Difficulty: Moderate

Points of interest:

• Explore historic trade route landmarks, such as Musée St-Pierre Jolys, St. Malo Provincial Park and the Senkiw Swinging Bridge
• Visit Emerson’s local history museum
• Watch birds along the Red River

Courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

For the love of civil engineering: The Duff Roblin Parkway Trail from Birds Hill to Birds Hill Provincial Park

Explore the Red River Floodway (a section of the larger 44-kilometre Parkway Trail), which was built after the 1950 Red River Flood to divert excess water around Winnipeg and protect the city from major floods. The section between Birds Hill and Birds Hill Provincial Park offers so much to see, with wide-open prairie landscapes and panoramic views over the floodway channel.

Distance: Approximately 12 kilometres one way from the town of Birds Hill to Birds Hill Provincial Park; 44 kilometres for the full trail

Terrain: Wide paved multi-use trail

Difficulty: Easy

Points of interest:

• Explore Birds Hill Provincial Park
• Cross the floating bridge over the Floodway
• Enjoy sweeping prairie views

Courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

For the love of prairie railways: Interlake Pioneer Trail

Built on the former Canadian National Railway corridor, this trail starts at Grosse Isle and stretches across Manitoba’s Interlake region, linking small agricultural communities, wetlands, prairie landscapes and boreal forest before terminating in Fischer Branch.

Distance: Approximately 116 kilometres end to end; keep it manageable by tackling a section as an out-and-back

Terrain: Crushed limestone, gravel and compacted rail trail

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Points of interest:

• Visit the Narcisse Snake Dens
• Stop for a photo op with the giant Canada Goose statue in Lundar
• Look out for shorebird and wildlife sightings

Courtesy of Travel Manitoba.

For the love of Canadian Shield scenery: Pinawa Trail, from the Pinawa Dam to Pinawa

This spectacular section of the longer Pinawa Trail showcases the Canadian Shield at its finest. Linking the historic Pinawa Dam Provincial Heritage Park with the community of Pinawa, the trail passes granite outcrops and pine forests and provides suspension-bridge views of the Pinawa Channel.

Distance: Approximately 12 kilometres one way

Terrain: Crushed granite, compacted gravel and forest trail

Difficulty: Easy to moderate; larger rocks and boulders can make some sections more challenging, and the route includes a suspension bridge that you’ll need to cross on foot or by bike

Points of interest:

• Explore the ruins of the Pinawa Dam, Manitoba’s first hydro-electric station, abandoned since 1951
• Cross the 54-metre Pinawa Suspension Bridge
• Cool off with a swim at the sandy beach in Pinawa

Hit the trails. Looking to meet fellow cyclists and discover new places to ride? Click here to learn more about cycling clubs across Manitoba in the latest issue of CAA Magazine.