Victoria BC?
07-15-09 | 07:48 PM
#1
Victoria BC?
Hi All!
We're visiting Olympic National Park for the next two weeks and are considering taking the ferry over to Victoria for the day. We'd like some input as to the quality of the road riding from there. I know some of you rode the Tandem Rally...
So please let us know if we should plan a day there! Route suggestions would be great if your answer is YES! GO!
:-)
Thanks in advance!
Deb
We're visiting Olympic National Park for the next two weeks and are considering taking the ferry over to Victoria for the day. We'd like some input as to the quality of the road riding from there. I know some of you rode the Tandem Rally...
So please let us know if we should plan a day there! Route suggestions would be great if your answer is YES! GO!
:-)
Thanks in advance!
Deb
07-15-09 | 08:50 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,735
Likes: 5
Butchart Gardens is pretty awesome if you like gardens. Victoria is really nice to ride around. I really like going there, it is a very different atmosphere from Port Angeles. I think you might need passports now, but I am not sure.
07-15-09 | 09:49 PM
#3
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 10
Likes: 2
Passports
You will need a valid passport, enhanced driver's licence, or a passport card issued by the US State Dept. See https://www.cbsa.gc.ca/whti-ivho/ls-tm-eng.html for details
07-16-09 | 06:02 AM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 623
Likes: 0
From: Just outside Kitchener, Ontario
Bikes: Nishiki Continental, Bilenky custom travel tinker, home built winter bike based on Nashbar cross frrame
You will need a valid passport, enhanced driver's licence, or a passport card issued by the US State Dept. See https://www.cbsa.gc.ca/whti-ivho/ls-tm-eng.html for details
07-23-09 | 10:28 PM
#5
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 63
Likes: 2
Victoria has some very nice road rides but expect hills everywhere except the Galloping Goose/Lochside trails. These trails can be ridden on anything short of a full race bike (all of the routes on the NWTR were at least partly on one of these trails). Both trails start in downtown Victoria at the blue bridge leading to Esquimalt. A shared, mostly paved trail goes to the Switch Bridge over the main highway out of Victoria. The Lochside trail branches to the right, about 35 km on paved and hardpacked gravel trail and quiet streets to the ferry terminal just north of Sidney.
The Galloping Goose trail goes left from the Switch Bridge towards Sooke. Paved for the first 5 km or so then hard packed gravel for 50 km to a spot on the map called Leechtown (nothing there).
From downtown Victoria you can follow the coast using Dallas Road and Beach Drive for a 30 km or so loop (watch for a couple of very steep, but short, hills).
Langford and Metchosin have some nice road rides on Metchosin Road and Happy Valley Road (access right where the Galloping Goose crosses Sooke Road) and West Saanich Road and Wallace Drive will get you the the already mentioned Butchart Gardens. Continue on to the ferry on West Saanich Road and come back to Victoria on the Lochside Trail.
The route maps from the NWTR on still available on their site. You won't go too wrong by following one of them.
Rick,
Victoria, BC
The Galloping Goose trail goes left from the Switch Bridge towards Sooke. Paved for the first 5 km or so then hard packed gravel for 50 km to a spot on the map called Leechtown (nothing there).
From downtown Victoria you can follow the coast using Dallas Road and Beach Drive for a 30 km or so loop (watch for a couple of very steep, but short, hills).
Langford and Metchosin have some nice road rides on Metchosin Road and Happy Valley Road (access right where the Galloping Goose crosses Sooke Road) and West Saanich Road and Wallace Drive will get you the the already mentioned Butchart Gardens. Continue on to the ferry on West Saanich Road and come back to Victoria on the Lochside Trail.
The route maps from the NWTR on still available on their site. You won't go too wrong by following one of them.
Rick,
Victoria, BC
