Want to end near Vancouver in late July. About 2.5 weeks total. Route Suggestions?
 

Hello,

There is a conference in Vancouver I am looking to attend that starts July 31st.

My friend has to be in court in Denver on July 9th, but after that will be free. So it seems we will have a little over 2 weeks in there to tour.

My original plan was to do something up the coast, but pretty much everyone says that biking south to north on the Pacific Coast is not a good idea.

I see that ACA has a route that goes up to Banff from Missoula, MT (where I live). Perhaps we could link that with riding from Banff to Vancouver. Has anyone ever done anything similar?

We did 900 miles in 13 days last summer over some fairly hilly terrain, so we are capable of covering some ground, although I don't want to do too much more than that per day. (900/13= 70 miles per day) Need some time to drink beer in the evenings you know!

The whole transportation before and after the trip is a bit of an issue. However, if my buddy drives from Denver to Missoula and then we bike out to Vancouver my girlfriend can likely come out and get us, which would take care of that.

We did a ride last year that went from Missoula to Glacier to the Idaho Panhandle then south past Coeur d'Alene and back to Missoula on Highway 12. I was thinking the Pacific Northwest would be different but it seems like more of a hassle if we start in and end in a remote location.

Just thought I would see if anyone has any suggestions because more brains are better than one!

Cheers!

Sounds like it's closer to three weeks -
Depending on how long your friend needs to get to Missoula.

Missoula to Jasper is really nice -
One of the finest rides in the world.
ACA has it at 750 miles.

Crossing in Glacier NP on Going to the Sun Road.
From Pincher Creek, AB I would stay east of the mountains -
Riding thru Kananaskis Park to Banff - way nicer.
It also cuts off about 100 miles.

From Jasper you can take VIA Rail to Vancouver (pricey) -
Or the lovely dog bus - Greyhound.
If you have additional time -
You can ride west to Mount Robson - awesome -
Then continue south towards Clearwater and Kamloops.
And take Greyhound from there.

Let's say you have 18 riding days - July 12th thru July 29th
Averaging only 50 miles per day - you can easily cover 900 miles.
(And you really don't want to rush the national parks, anyhoo.)

From Missoula - via the east side -
It's about 600 miles to Jasper.
And another 300 to Kamloops.

The park passes in Canada will set you back a few bucks -
but you really should spring for it.
There are many fire roads that you can use to ride in to the backcountry.
You should plan on camping at Kinney Lake at Mount Robson.

Hi, I can't do your mileage-math for you, but I have done the Missoula - Jasper - Vancouver ride as part of a longer tour, and the riding, terrain and scenery are unbeatable.

jamawani- Thanks for the suggestions! Seems like Missoula-Jasper-Vancouver might be doable in our time frame. We could potentially get a ride to Glacier NP to avoid cover ground we did last summer and to help us make it to Vancouver. Never heard of this Mt. Robson, I'll need to check that out.

valygrl- Sounds like a sweet route. Any idea where to get route information on a Jasper-Vancouver ride?

Anyone have any thoughts on what the weather will be like?

Thanks for the help!

I can't recommend my own riding route, as it was
1) totally spur of the moment
2) figured out by someone else
3) I don't really remember the details
4) there were wildfires in the area, and we had to hitchike a couple of times

So, sorry. In general, though, we headed West from Jasper (past Mt Robson) then south/west to Hope, then due west to Twassen & took the ferry to Vancouver Island, then another ferry to Port Angeles.

The weather should be really good, but you do have to be prepared for storms in the mountains any time of year. So bring rain gear and a decent tent/sleeping bag, but expect to wear shorts and a tee shirt most of the time.

Funny - I deleted a section suggesting getting a ride to Kalispell.

But if you get a ride to West Glacier (better then to Kalispell)
You can make it all the way to Vancouver.
What kind of bikes will you be riding?

Hwy 5 - the Thompson Highway - goes from Valemount to Kamloops.
Light traffic in the northern section - more as you head south.
Pretty good shoulders. Follows the valley.

There are debates between Hwy 1 - the TransCanada -
and Hwy 99 between Kamloops and Vancouver.
Hwy 1 has much more traffic and has quite a few tunnels.
Hwy 99 can be narrow but was improved for the Olympics.
Going west - downhill - is better on Hwy 99.

Ask the Vancouver folks.

Valygrl- Thanks! Every little bit helps!

jamawani- I have a long haul trucker and my friend has a custom-built bike. See picture -> http://michaelsulock.com/wp-content/...5/img_2916.jpg

We did about 1300 miles last summer with almost no problems.

Minimizing the need to take a bus/train with our bikes sounds like a good way to cut costs and hassles.

And here's a Google Streetview of China Bar Tunnel -
I think there are seven tunnels all told on Hwy 1 between Kamloops and Hope.
Plus quite a lot of traffic.

China Bar is a half mile long and slightly curved.
Yeah, it does have a "Bike in Tunnel" flasher -
But you couldn't pay me to ride on Hwy 1.

there's a good article about cycling in BC on crazyguyonabike.com

If you opt to ride hwy 1 all the way from Banff to Vancouver you should be prepared for many long and steep grades, but as they say, for every climb there's a great coast down the other side. The distance is approx. 550 miles and you will be thrilled with the scenery. As for the tunnels, I've ridden them several times without incident both ways; there are only two that are long and they are well lit; just use caution, listen for trucks coming up behind you, and if you are still concerned, they all have a walkway.

With only two weeks to tour, another option you might consider is to do a 2-week tour of Vancouver Island. Fly out to Vancouver, take the ferry across. Victoria to Port Hardy and back is 1000 km (about 600 miles). Very hilly but very beautiful.

Missoula to Banff to Vancouver is about 950 miles.

This page has 7 links to information about bike touring in and around Vancouver, including maps, bus information, and routes in/out of Vancouver.

Not all of them will be of interest to you, but several probably will.

Ray

You could do a version of the ACA's Washington Parks Route -- it goes through North Cascades National Park, Mt. Rainier National Park, and Olympic National Park.

It starts/ends in Sedro Woolley, which is a day's ride from Vancouver. If you throw in some time hanging out in the San Juan Islands, you could easily fill your time. There a bunch of ways to then end your tour in Vancouver -- like ferrying over from the San Juan Islands to Victoria, then to Vancouver....or just ride north from Sedro Woolley....or ferry from Port Angeles (on the Olympic Peninsula) to Victoria -- then to Vancouver.

Good idea. But with a twist, you could cycle up the Sunshine Coast from Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay), ferry over to Vancouver Island from Powell River, cycle up to Port Hardy, then cycle back to the south of the island. You wouldn't be doubling back over everything, plus the Sunshine Coast is absolutely gorgeous.

The Crow's Nest west from Pincher Creek is quite beautiful (though hilly as you get closer to Hope). In addition, the Kootenays are very scenic. If you started at Waterton/Glacier International Park and worked your way west, you could pass through the southern tip and even venture up towards Kaslo and over to New Denver or even Nakasp.

Enjoy your trip whatever you decide.

Thanks for all the help! It seems there are two possible trips that will work out best

1) An "inland" trip coming from somewhere near Glacier NP, and ending in Vancouver, possibly going through Jasper

2) A "coastal" route around the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, ect

I am leaning towards the inland trip as I feel that it will have less traffic, and possibly better weather (less rain). Less traffic is a big deal to me when I'm touring, and less RV's/Vacationers sounds like a big positive. Does my thinking seem reasonable here?

You think there will be less traffic going up the Icefield Parkway in late July??? Less traffic than what ... rush-hour in Los Angeles? Anywhere in the Rocky Mountains in late July the campgrounds will be full, the look-out areas will be full, and the roads will be full. And they will mainly be full of people used to driving compact cars who suddenly find themselves behind the wheel of an RV bigger than my house.

There are shoulders on the Icefield Parkway, so that's a good thing. And if you can time it so that you're riding during the week rather than on the weekend that would also be a good thing. But I would seriously think about booking ahead, at least a week or two, at the campgrounds etc. And brace yourself for a steady stream of traffic.

I've ridden the Icefields Parkway twice, both in August, and although there were lots of tourists in Bannf, Lake Louise & Jasper, I wouldn't describe it the way Machka did. Booking in advance wasn't needed, the campground at Lake Louise was pretty full but the rangers were doing a great job helping cyclists share sites, so it wasn't a problem w/o a reservation. Other campgrounds were not full. I stayed at a hostel (Rampart) and there were only 6 other people there, all of them cyclists.

The scenery is spectacular.

August is a different story than July. After the August long weekend, the visitor traffic starts to die off for various reasons ... parents wanting to get their kids back to school, the fact that there has often been a small snowstorm at the beginning of August, whatever. One of the best times to go is right at the end of August. It can be a little bit chilly then, but the number of people has dwindled right off. July, however, is the big month in the mountains.

BTW valygrl, it is Banff not Bannf.

Argh, I get that wrong every time.

hmmm......ok, the "less traffic" idea might not exactly be correct. thought there might be some road-less-traveled sort of path we might be able to take. Sounds like July might just be a crowded month everywhere :(

I’ve ridden from Banff to Vernon (in the Okanagan), and while I enjoyed the ride, the highway was busy so it’s not the best route if you want to avoid busy roads. The tunnels were okay but, not my favourite part of the ride. If you decide to ride Banff to Vancouver, you might want to consider Kamloops-Whistler-Vancouver. (Hope to Vancouver is kinda boring). The Duffy Lake Road is beautiful but, tourists driving RV’s will be out in full force. Highway 99 from Horseshoe Bay (near Vancouver) to Whistler is now complete with a bike lane (wide shoulder) all the way. I see lots of touring cyclists and road cyclists on it every weekend. It’s about 60 miles from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler, or 75 miles from Vancouver to Whistler. I suspect this will become a very popular cycling route and you’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the coming years.

How about…
fly into Vancouver, ride through Horseshoe Bay and up to Whistler for a night or two then back to Horseshoe Bay, hop on a ferry to the Sunshine Coast then cross over to Vancouver Island at Powell River (as spinningwheels suggested), ride down the east coast of Vancouver Island through Nanaimo (camp at Newcastle Island and don’t forget to visit the Dingy Dock pub), and/or Gabriola Island, continue down the coast and cross over to Saltspring Island (Ruckle Park is my favourite campground), possibly island-hop to Galiano (Monteque Harbour campground is another beautiful site), then ferry back to Vancouver Island to ride the paved Galloping Goose trail through Victoria to Sooke (stop at the Sooke Potholes for a swim) (I’ve heard there’s a cyclist’s B&B along the way: www.cycleinn.com) then head back to Vancouver by ferry through Tsawwassen. I don’t have a clue of what this mileage would be because I’ve done most of this as weekend trips. If you like hills, you’ll love the Gulf Islands. :) Want to add more mileage? Just north of Victoria, take the ferry to the San Juan Islands. Lopez is my favourite, San Juan is a close second. The pace of life is slower in the Gulf and San Juan islands and so is the traffic. The shoulders are narrow but, they'er a cyclist's paradise. On Vancouver Island, there will be lots of tourists and RV’s but, there’s good cycling routes so you can avoid the highways and lost tourists driving RVs. BTW, I don't recommend a trip to Long Beach - although a beautiful area, the road has narrow shoulders and lots and lots of RV's.

Bring Gortex. Hopefully won’t need it. The Islands and the east coast of Vancouver Island are relatively dry. The Sunshine Coast….well….despite the name, it usually seems to rain when I’m cycling there.

Have fun!

If you want road less travelled, you might try something like coming up into Alberta via Hwy 6 to Pincher Creek, then get onto Hwy 22 - the Cowboy Trail (do a google search on the Cowboy Trail).

Follow Hwy 22 up to Turner and Black Diamond ... you'll be riding along the edge of the mountains and the terrain is long, gradual rollers.

Go to Bragg Creek. That area might be busy in July, but it's a really nice area.

When you get to Cochrane, you can make your decision ... do you head into the mountains where it will be busy, or do you continue on the road less travelled? If you opt to continue on the road less travelled ... Hwy 22 ... you'll find yourself in Cremona, Sundre, and eventually Rocky Mountain House.

Now, turn west and head into the mountains. Hwy 11 is the most beautiful highway I've ever ridden (especially west of Nordegg) and it has next to no traffic. Take it all the way to Saskatchewan River Crossing on the Icefield Parkway.

North of the Saskatchewan River Crossing, there will be a lot of traffic until you've passed the Columbia Icefields ... from there to Jasper, it shouldn't be as bad. Less people go to Jasper than go to the Banff area.

Then take 16 across to Tete Jaune Cache and head down 5 to ... Kamloops. From there the traffic will become insane again. Maybe you'd like to try 97 or 99 instead. I think I've been on those roads, but if I have it has been a very long time so I'm not familiar with them.

I'll second the WA parks route idea above. Only because I've done it in the past and it is a great ride. Can't speak for the other ideas...... someday I hope to try them out.

It would fill 2 1/2 weeks just about perfect. The ride from Vancouver to Sumas is not very long and the riding you would be doing is for the most part stress free riding.

Not big on the Port Hardy idea above....... While I would love to ride it.. I'd only want to ride it one way.

I live in the Okanagan Valley, near Penticton. From here to Vancouver, I prefer to take Highway 40 (the Princeton-Summerland road) to Princeton. It's around 100 kilometres, at least half loose surface, but it's quiet and despite a big climb just west of Summerland, it's easier and shorter than taking Highway 3 from Penticton to Princeton.

Highway 3 from Princeton to Hope is a pleasant ride. There are two big climbs, but the traffic is not a problem. Everyone makes room for cyclists. From Hope to Vancouver, try to stay off the Trans-Canada Highway as that route is often busy.

If you ride the Trans-Canada from Kamloops to Vancouver, the seven tunnels are wonderful. I rode that stretch last year and not once did I feel uneasy, even when I rode through the tunnels. Be prepared for hot weather on that road. The Fraser Canyon, particularly around Lytton, can be brutally hot in summer.

Anyone have any comments on this route?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,19.797363&z=6

It heads west from Kamloops instead of south.

Would this have less traffic than a coastal tour of Vancouver Island, San Juans?