Cyclesafe

Hi

I want to connect from the Sierra Cascades route (Twisp, WA) to Lake Louise. What would be the best way to go that facilitates camping and is somewhat direct? I plan to use Lake Louise as a base for the Ice Fields and then go to Banff for the Great Divide.

Thanks in advance for your help....

arctos

Direct routing to and in BC from Twisp means using main roads like US & Cdn Hwy 97 to Kelowna then 97A and then 1 east to Lake Louise. You do pass Revelstoke and Glacier NP late in the route but must contend with heavy traffic at times nears the larger towns. Services are readily available as I recall.

The only other direct route would entail crossing WA on Hwy 20 to the ID panhandle to Hwy 95 then North on 95/93 to Hwy 1 at Golden then East on 1 to Lake Louise. I recall less services along this route.

aroundoz

I live in BC and work in the Twisp area and travel to and from often. There are several nice options for getting from there to BC. Heading east from Tonasket, take the Torodo Creek Rd at Wauconda and follow this beautiful valley to Curlew. From there north to Grand Forks, east to Cranbrook and then north to Banff via Radium. You would only be on the Trans Canada the short distance from where 93 intersects it to Banff. Going north on 6 along the Slocan River Valley, east of Castlegar, to Revelstoke is spectacular but that would put you on the TC way too soon and riding the TC is not fun.

You could also continue east on 20 from Tonasket to Hwy 31 and north through Metaline Falls to Hwy 3 then east to Cranbrook.... A lot of good camping on this route. This NE section of WA state is really nice. This way you could also take a small detour around Sullivan Lake for some more great scenery as well as camping.

FWIW, the rail bed between Christina Lake and Castlegar is really worth doing. It's remote and for a lot of it, you are high up along Christina Lake and Lower Arrow Lake with great views. You would need at least 1.75s and if you did it, it would save you from riding the Blueberry Paulson Pass.

PM me when you pass through Okanogan if you need anything. The only bike shop in this area just closed it's doors after about 30 years.

Cyclesafe

Arctos and aroundoz, thank you very much. I now have a couple of options.

indyfabz

Twisp to Sandpoint (U.S. 95) in on AC's Northern Tier. Though you would need to confirm that everything is still in business, going that way there is camping in Omak, Tonakset (behind Shannon's), Republic (fair grounds with shower) and Colville (fair grounds with shower), Ione (in town and a free place off Rte. 31 a few miles north of town at the dam), Usk and Sandpoint (U.S.A.C.E. site called Springy point before you cross the lake into town).