[tenny80]

As long as the borders between provinces are open I plan on heading out west this summer. I'll be visiting friends and family, My daughter now lives in Calgarty, a friend in Vernon BC, my sister has a boat at Summerland BC and lives on Vancouver Island as does her daughter. I'm thinking July but havent set firm date. I am riding solo but wonderd if our paths will cross

..Tom

Ya my backup plan is to do an Ontario Parks tour if the west coast falls through. I'll spend the same amount of time exploring Ontario, head up to pickle lake, etc. i'm leaving June 11 and returning July 4th, so perhaps if you leave early July we can meet up in Northern Ontario and i'll let you know what i've found. I'm going solo as well, plan on doing a lot of gravel and the guy I usually do my longer trips with doesn't have a bike up to the task.

If you're looking to get to the coast, this route allows you to take a ferry from Bella Coola to the north end of Vancouver Island and make a loop of it without having to enter Vancouver. (There is also a much longer ferry ride you can take from Prince Rupert.) Once on the island, I would head south from Port Hardy to Courtenay/Comox and take the ferry over to Powell River on the mainland, and then ride the Sunshine Coast southwards to Vancouver. This involves a lot of ferry time (four separate ferries). The roads linking them are scenically fantastic and the boat rides too. Plus it gets you out of the saddle for a while so you can just take it in. After arriving at Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver), you don't have to enter the city. Just turn north and head for Whistler on the 99. It's a superb road that will spit you back out on the Fraser River. It can be a busy road, so avoid it on the weekends.

awesome thank you!

 

[big Mike]

Flew from Australia to BC 2019 June and did some amazing riding.
Here are a few short
videos of my trip you might like to have a look at and get some ideas.

Motorcycle Ride Kamloops to Vancouver

Two Aussie riders riding our motorbikes from Kamloops to Vancouver as part of our nine day trip in British Columbia and Alberta.

youtu.be

Thanks for posting these. Reminds me of the trips we have taken on those roads. Unfortunately we had to scale back on our riding for a couple of years and with Covid still going strong it will be another year. Lots if local trips this summer.
The we is my wife and I.

Mike

 

[tenny80]

Thanks for posting these. Reminds me of the trips we have taken on those roads. Unfortunately we had to scale back on our riding for a couple of years and with Covid still going strong it will be another year. Lots if local trips this summer.
The we is my wife and I.

Mike

I am really hoping covid doesn't derail my plans. I am a little worried with the new variant and if they decide to shut down borders between provinces or require a quarantine. Hopefully with the vaccine rolling out I'll be able to go on my trip and get to both coasts in 2021.

 

[big Mike]

I am really hoping covid doesn't derail my plans. I am a little worried with the new variant and if they decide to shut down borders between provinces or require a quarantine. Hopefully with the vaccine rolling out I'll be able to go on my trip and get to both coasts in 2021.

I hope you make it. Like probably most everybody I am looking forward to the vaccine becoming common place.

Mike

 

[Rednaxs60]

Been following your thread. Lots of great riding out here in BC. The stretch from Golden area down through Kaslo is scenic and twisty. Dropping down into Osoyoos is quite the hill and switchbacks. Port Hardy area, Winter Harbour, Port McNeil. Just so many great roads to ride and places to see. North of Prince George, lots of open road, but long distances of seeing trees, then another tree, and so on. Went to Dawson City in 2019. Good luck with your plans.

 

[Rednaxs60]

If you're planning to go north and pass through Dawson Creek, bring a personalized sign that you can put in the Sign Post Forest. Imperative to leave an "I've been here" sign. Something the size of a license plate is good.

 

[gcfishguy]

If you're planning to go north and pass through Dawson Creek, bring a personalized sign that you can put in the Sign Post Forest. Imperative to leave an "I've been here" sign. Something the size of a license plate is good.

I lived in Fort St John for a while, just up the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek...The sign post forest in Watson Lake, another 966kms up the Alaska Highway.
Dawson Creek is famous for being the beginning* of the Alaska Highway, so the "Mile Zero" post is the attraction there.......if it's there. When I was up there, the graduating class in Fort St John would always try to steal Dawson Creek's mile-0 post and plant it in Fort St John, because...there was already a road from Dawson Creek up to Fort St John when construction of the Alaska Highway started, so technically mile Zero should be in Fort St John...but somehow Dawson Creek got all the glory.

Oh, and OP....as an East Coaster, I will make a little jab and say you can't call it a cross-Canada trip if you're not going any further east than Ontario...we've got like...half a country over here! hehe

 

[BearStromer]

My buddy moved back to Vancouver in the fall and I'm seriously considering riding from the Shwa thru Windsor, Chicago, Minneapolis and the northern states route, if the boarders allow.

 

[Rednaxs60]

I lived in Fort St John for a while, just up the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek...The sign post forest in Watson Lake, another 966kms up the Alaska Highway.
Dawson Creek is famous for being the beginning* of the Alaska Highway, so the "Mile Zero" post is the attraction there.......if it's there. When I was up there, the graduating class in Fort St John would always try to steal Dawson Creek's mile-0 post and plant it in Fort St John, because...there was already a road from Dawson Creek up to Fort St John when construction of the Alaska Highway started, so technically mile Zero should be in Fort St John...but somehow Dawson Creek got all the glory.

Oh, and OP....as an East Coaster, I will make a little jab and say you can't call it a cross-Canada trip if you're not going any further east than Ontario...we've got like...half a country over here! hehe

Oops my bad. It is Watson Lake. Visited the small museum just across the way from the Sign Post Forest, highly recommended as well.

The Mile Zero post was there in 2019. The museum that has the history of the Alaskan Highway is a good visit as well.

 

[Macdoc]

Whatever you do when in the area dont miss the road into Hyder/Stewart -

 

[tenny80]

I lived in Fort St John for a while, just up the Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek...The sign post forest in Watson Lake, another 966kms up the Alaska Highway.
Dawson Creek is famous for being the beginning* of the Alaska Highway, so the "Mile Zero" post is the attraction there.......if it's there. When I was up there, the graduating class in Fort St John would always try to steal Dawson Creek's mile-0 post and plant it in Fort St John, because...there was already a road from Dawson Creek up to Fort St John when construction of the Alaska Highway started, so technically mile Zero should be in Fort St John...but somehow Dawson Creek got all the glory.

Oh, and OP....as an East Coaster, I will make a little jab and say you can't call it a cross-Canada trip if you're not going any further east than Ontario...we've got like...half a country over here! hehe

I am going to PEI as well But that's going to be a few weeks after this trip. That one will be 2up with my wife. I can't get enough time off work to do them one after the other and figured it would be better to break it up anyways.

 

[oldsofty]

Hey guys,

I am starting to plan out a 2021 Cross Canada Trip. For the west portion, i'll have about 25 days. I was reading this ride report over the last few days and I think I want to loosely follow that route. I was able to get most of the GPS tracks from the author. I am looking at taking the Forrestry TRunk Route in Alberta North, then take the Ice Fields Parkway South and then probably back North again. From Jasper though I am not to sure what I want to do. I'll probably have my fill of gravel by that point but who knows. I want to hit the coast some place in BC, and will probably avoid Vancouver as I have no real reason to go into the big cities. Looking for some route suggestions, essentialy from Jasper - BC Coast, and then back to South Eastern Ontario.

well just my opinion, but if you are going from the grande prairie area down forty to jasper, keep going south on the icefields to lake louise and turn right and go to golden then down and DO THE KOOTENAYS . then you have a choice, either head back east or go west . from jasper you could go over to tete jaunne cache and go south to kamloops, over to vernon, then lumby and the needles ferry to nakusp, then decide which way you want to go south. stay over in nelson and then go southeast or southwest. the ride is awesome..............

 

[ToothDocJay]

Just thought I'd throw in the Duffy Lake road and head towards Whistler. Don't stop there, but get to Horseshoe Bay and take the Ferry to Vancouver Island. Some very nice rides there, especially if you haven't been around the ocean a lot.

You can dilly dally your way around the island for a few days, then take the Schwartz bay ferry to Tsawassen and skirt around Vancouver and head to the Okanogan. Take the Crowsnest pass to the south Okanogan and from there you can head east again and catch the Kootenays (again?) on the way back.

If you want more detailed info on the Island, drop me a PM and I'd be glad to help.

 

[tenny80]

Just thought I'd throw in the Duffy Lake road and head towards Whistler. Don't stop there, but get to Horseshoe Bay and take the Ferry to Vancouver Island. Some very nice rides there, especially if you haven't been around the ocean a lot.

You can dilly dally your way around the island for a few days, then take the Schwartz bay ferry to Tsawassen and skirt around Vancouver and head to the Okanogan. Take the Crowsnest pass to the south Okanogan and from there you can head east again and catch the Kootenays (again?) on the way back.

If you want more detailed info on the Island, drop me a PM and I'd be glad to help.

awesome thank you I was just looking last night at potential ferrys to take to avoid vancouver. I don't mind riding in big cities, but I don't exactly enjoy it.

 

[ToothDocJay]

Vancouver isn't all that bad as far as Cities go. US Cities are freakin' HUGE by comparison. Regardless, we all ride bikes and I'm willing to bet that we all choose the winding route over the straight line.

 

[Umbrianissimo]

As noted above, Vancouver is a pretty easy city to get through, so I wouldn't let it push you out of your way. Also, note that motorcycles are allowed in most of the bus HOV lanes, though do look for the 'motorcycles OK' signs. For me, the worst part of riding here, and the most stressful, is the 1.5 hours on Hwy. 1 between Hope and Vancouver. But that is after doing it for years and years.

I'm in Vancouver and I'm happy to offer assistance or advice on routing or beer or whatever I have if you need it. Same to all Troopers.

 

[larolco]

It's true - if you've never visited Vancouver before, it is worth a ride along the upper levels and through Stanley Park, etc. I sometimes head for Cyprus Mtn just because. Lots of good twisty roads on the north side of the Fraser River as well.