Canada

If you're looking for friendly people and beautiful wild areas, Canada is a great choice! Click here for all our blog posts from our time biking and backpacking there. We followed a good route, but if you're not trying to traverse the country as part of a larger trip, like we were, keep in mind that there's a whole lot more country out there that's not on this page. I'll be returning someday to cycle more of the Yukon someday, as well as Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, PEI...  

Yukon and Northern BC

If you want to start as far north as possible, go to Inuvik. The Dempster Highway will take you south to Dawson City. 

There are two roads entering from Alaska. We crossed on the Alaska-Canada highway, or Alcan. The last good place to stock up on food is at the great grocery store in Tok, Alaska, because towns near the border in Canada are extremely expensive.  Though Canada doesn't actually have an office at the border, don't worry; you'll have a chance to talk to a nice immigration officer 20 miles down the road in Beaver Creek. The other option is to cross on the scenic Top of the World Highway to Dawson City.  We heard good things about this road. Either way you go, eventually you'll reach Whitehorse, where the Yukon River flows clear and blue with a nice bike path along its banks. Don't miss the farmer's market or the Alpine Bakery. If the owner, Suat, is around, ask him to show you his recumbent bike. He's a huge supporter of cyclists!   

After Whitehorse, the Alcan continues to Watson Lake and south for another 500 miles. Or, alternatively, hang a right on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway 21km before Watson Lake. After talking to multiple cyclists who had enjoyed both roads, we debated extensively over which one to take. 

Alcan

The Yukon River, Whitehorse in the background

Pros:

- reliable paved road surface

- more amenities along the way 

- often has a shoulder 

- Liard hot springs

- Watson Lake signpost forest

Cons:

- more traffic 

- less remote 

Cassiar

Pros:

- more remote/wilderness biking

- less traffic

- opportunity to see grizzlies fishing for salmon at Stewart-Hyder 

Cons:

- not entirely paved road surface, a few gravel sections and sometimes rough pavement 

- sections of narrow road

- fewer amenities 

We ended up taking the Cassiar. A few notes about our experience:

Bell II buffet

1) Traffic
In the summer, there is still a fair amount of traffic in sections. Watch out for monster RVs. 

2) Construction
The southern section of the forest along the Cassiar is being clear cut to put in power lines for a mine, which means that the scenery is a bit depressing and there is increased truck traffic.

3) Food
Options are not plentiful, so plan ahead. We did some major shopping in Whitehorse, or you can cycle the extra 42 km to Watson Lake and back to stock up. The following towns had some food options as well when we were there in August 2014.

- Johnson's Crossing: bakery, campground

- Teslin: small grocery

- Rancheria: restaurant

- Nugget City (1 km west of the turnoff to the Cassiar): restaurant and bakery

- Jade City: ice cream, free camping, Wi-Fi, possibly a restaurant (they didn't have a cook when we were passing through)

- Dease Lake: good size grocery! Stop here to restock. Expensive campground. 

- Iskut: grocery

- Bell II: all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet! Expensive campground. 

The Bear Glacier on the road to Stewart

- Meziadin Junction: under construction when we were there but may have food options now. Expensive campground at Meziadin Lake Provincial Park.

- Stewart-Hyder: definitely worth the detour from the main road. Beautiful 60 km ride each way. Cute towns with good groceries and big grizzlies! All the amenities are in Stewart, BC, whereas the bears are just north of Hyder, Alaska.  No US border control, only Canadian.

- Kitwanga: grocery, free municipal campground

4) Camping
Most of the time we just stopped by the side of the road and set up camp wherever we wanted, and other times we camped at campgrounds or the places listed above. There are some provincial campgrounds along the way, some free and some not. Margaret, the friendly campground host at Kinaskan Lake, has let cyclists camp for free in the past.  We got a map showing campgrounds from a visitor's info center in Beaver Creek. 

A grizzly fishing near Hyder, Alaska

5) Bears
There are a lot of bears along the Cassiar. We saw a few every day, all black bears except the grizzlies on the coast at Hyder. Other people we talked to reported seeing up to nine in one day! Luckily, the bears aren't much of a problem. Just keep watch while cycling, and if you notice a bear ahead, alert them of your presence. A normal bear encounter for us sounded somewhat like this:

"Hey bear!"

"How's it going bear?" 

"Bye bear!"

They would either run off into the brush or look at us for a moment, then continue eating as we slowly cycled by.  
Of course, this is just a small outline, and there have been many books written on bear safety. If you're considering biking through this area, take time to educate yourself on bear safety and proper food storage. 

Southern BC and Alberta

After the Cassiar, many cyclists turn west on the Yellowhead Highway to Prince Rupert, from where you can catch a boat to Vancouver Island or to Bellingham, Washington. We heard that Vancouver Island is beautiful but very expensive! We were looking for more mountains and took the Yellowhead east to the northern Rockies. Once you're this far south, Canada is much more populated and it's much easier to find food and other provisions. We enjoyed the bakery in New Hazelton and, for bike parts and repairs, highly recommend C.O.B. Cycles in the cute town of Smithers. 

All the roads we took were paved and generally in good condition. Traffic wasn't bad, and in many places there was a shoulder, up until we started getting close to Prince George, where was A LOT of logging truck traffic and no shoulder in most parts. That was not an enjoyable section to bike. However, immediately to the east of the city, traffic dies down and the Yellowhead becomes beautiful and quiet again until it nears Jasper and the world-class scenery of the Icefields Parkway. This general area, including Jasper, Banff, and Kootenay National Parks and Mt Robson Provincial Park, was one of our favorites for cycling and exploring. 

Tam on the Icefields Parkway near Jasper

Notes on the Icefields Parkway:  

On the Icefields Parkway

1) Fees
At $20 per day, Canada's National Parks are extremely expensive. If you're planning to spend any amount of time there (the 232km Parkway is almost entirely within the parks), be ready to invest in a $68 individual yearly pass or a $136 family pass, which covers "up to seven people arriving together in a single vehicle." You are also required to stay in designated camping areas, which cost an additional $15-30. Although, if you come in late, practice leave no trace, and leave early, who's going to know you were there? 

2) Hiking
Although the road is surrounded by an untold number of glaciers, waterfalls, and craggy peaks, many of the treasures of this area require a bit of hiking to reach. We biked 20-30 miles a day and did a bunch of day hikes as well. The park rangers will give you a brochure of popular day hikes, but these aren't necessarily the best ones. Inquire about other options as well.  

Near Parker Ridge, Banff

 

Beauty Creek, a nice hike in Jasper

Approaching Horseshoe Lake

A beautiful ride through the Kootenay River Valley and a pass brought us to Radium Hot Springs, where we soothed sore muscles in the hot pools and camped in the town's park (free) rather than the campground ($$$ and up a big hill). It's a straight shot south from there to Montana, but we, wanting to visit Waterton Lakes and bike the Going-to-the-Sun Road, went through Fernie, Sparwood, and Pincher Creek.  All good cycling roads.  Horseshoe Lake, near Fort Steele, has great primitive campsites.  There are also a number of places to camp around the Crowsnest area, including a rest stop on the Alberta-BC line.  After a short visit to Waterton Lakes, we climbed up to the scenic, low-trafficked Chief Mountain border crossing and went to Montana!