Vancouver to Juneau
 

I was thinking of doing this ride, however I am slow and have limited time so can only bike about 1,000 miles or so (it is maybe close to a 2K ride).

Has anyone done or know about this part of the world? Which parts should I avoid and maybe take a ferry or bus? Also, considering the wind, should I go north or south?

I would love to start in a week or two.....

Thanks

Wow. I don't know a thing about the terrain (I have been to vancouver is all) but I am impressed with the idea. Good on ya.

Check out Crazyguyonabike to see if anyone else has done it :O)

Actually -

You can't bike most of it even if you wanted to.
There ain't no road. There definitely isn't a road between the northern tip of Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert - then it's island hopping from there north.

Here's a possibility -

Take the ferry from Vancouver to Nanaimo - then bike north on Vancouver Island to the northern tip at Port Hardy. That way you slowly get out of civilization and can acclimate to fewer and fewer services. North of Campbell River there ain't much. It's about 300 miles.

Then take the BC ferry from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert. At Prince Rupert you can do one of three things
1) Take the Stuart Cassiar Highway north to Watson Lake and then head to Skagway ending in Juneau.
2) Take the Alaska Marine Highway north - possibly riding Prince of Wales Island - but definitely doing the loop from Haines to Kluane to Whitehorse to Skagway.
3) Take the BC ferry out to the Queen Charlotte Islands and ride out there before continuing on with #2

It's 150 remote miles to the Cassiar Highway Junction - then 450 even more remote miles to Watson Lake - then another 300 miles to Skagway. The Haines-Kluane-Skagway loop is also remote, but not quite as remote as the Cassiar. The loop is about 375 miles. You would need a minimum of two weeks plus to do Vancouver Island and the loop and the ferries - three weeks if you added some exploration of the Queen Charlottes or some combination of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, or Sitka in southeast Alaska.

It sounds like you do not know the area well nor have you much experience with such cycling. I would STRONGLY suggest northbound on Vancouver Island and the Yukon loop with, perhaps, some small rides at intervening ferry stops.

Check out BC ferries -
http://www.bcferries.com/schedules/inside/
Remember that the Port Hardy to Prince Rupert ferry runs every other day.

Alaska Marine Highway -
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/Plan...7/SEbw_S07.pdf
AMH ferries run 4 days a week out of Prince Rupert with stops along the way.

Glad to answer any question you have.

Thanks Jamawani
 

Thanks for the great info. Why strongly recommend the Haines-Skagway loop?

By the way, I am an experienced biker (trans-am, 6 months in Europe, etc.) however not in such a remote place and I am older now than then. And especially not where I would have to plan ahead so much, in the past - even long trips - I took the route sort of day by day. I guess I would be reluctant to be caught without food because of poor (or no) planning.

I think the idea of ferries and biking would make a great trip. Let me look in (way more) detail at your suggested routes.

Thanks Again!

Plus rain - -
I've biked cross-USA a half dozen times - - up North a half-dozen times.
It rains a lot more in the North country. Maybe I was just supremely unlucky six times, but I had lots of rain day after day every trip. My 2001 trip was probably the best - when I had sunshine at Wrangell-St. Elias and had a sunset on the beach at Yukutat - one of the rainiest places in the world! But you have to be prepared for soggy conditions, too.

Reconsidering
 

Seeing some blog pics with the guys in the mosquito suits, I think I may try something different (read: fun).
Maybe Vancouver to Banff.....

Why the Haines-Kluane-Skagway loop?
Because it's about a week -
Because the scenery is spectacular -
Because it isn't brutally remote -
Because you get to sail thru the Lynn Canal -
Because Whitehorse is a fun city.

The bugs aren't that bad - you just need to be prepared.
There are mosquitos in Banff and Jasper, too.

As I said earlier, by riding north on Vancouver Island,
you get the chance to acclimate to less and less population.
The ferry rides are wonderful - and all the little port towns.
Alaska/Yukon would be more of an adventure.

It does sound great
 

The ferry rides and scenery seem amazing. And I have heard Vancouver Isl. is also beautiful. Do you know if I need to make a loop in Vancouver or can I catch the ferry in one of the northern ports?
I could look it up, but you seem to know so much about this area...

Are you talking about getting back to Vancouver from Alaska?
From Juneau the fastest and cheapest way is to take Alaska Airlines.
(To Seattle - so you may want to consider flying in to Seattle instead.)
The Alaska Marine Highway has ferry service all the way to Bellingham, Washington.
Twice a week - but you may not have the time for the 3-day ride.

Sample Itinerary

Sat July 20 – Arr Vancouver, BC
(Gotta do Stanley Park)
Sun July 21 – Take Horseshoe Bay ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island
(short riding day – maybe to Parksville)
4 riding days to get Part Hardy – 360 km from Parksville – 220 mi
Fri July 27 – Dep Port Hardy – 7:30a on the BCF Northern Adventure
(all day Sat to explore Prince Rupert)
Sat July 28 – Dep Prince Rupert - 6:45p on the Matanuska
(night on the ferry)
Sun July 29 – Arr Petersburg – 11:30a; Dep Petersburg – 8:30p on the AMH Columbia
(explore Petersburg – then night on the ferry)
Mon July 30 – Arr Haines – 1:00p
Haines-Kluane-Whitehorse-Skagway loop
(camp right on the water’s edge in Haines at a hiker/biker campsite)
5 days plus most of a 6th to do 580 km or 350 mi
Sun Aug 5 – Dep Skagway – 4:30p on the Fairweather; Arr Juneau 7:00p
Alaska Air out of Juneau to Seattle
Red Eye back to New York
(Or stretch it out an extra day and fly back more leisurely.)