CYCLE TOURING CANADA
TRIP PAGE
I think we are like most cycle-tourers in that most of our trips are of the
day-trip, weekend or long weekend type, with an annual longer trip thrown in on
our holidays. Too bad we can't just take the whole summer off to go riding! But
who knows, maybe we wouldn't appreciate the time if we had it.
We are very lucky living on Vancouver Island in that we do have a number of
great places we can ride to for a two or three day weekend.
RATHTREVOR PROVINCIAL PARK
Close to home we have Rathtrevor
Provincial Park in Parksville, just over an hours ride (about 30km)
north of Nanaimo along Hwy 19, then off onto Hwy 19A. The road can be busy, but
you have a decent shoulder most of the way. This is a great place to camp when
you are cycling, but only in the off season. The park has a great tenting field,
which used to be reserved solely for the use of hikers or cyclists. However,
they have in the last few years opened this area up for use by anybody who is
looking for a tenting site, and even allowing people to drive in to drop their
gear off before going to park. The end result is that during the summer months
it is more of a "party place" than a great place to get a nights sleep. So you
will want to avoid camping there between the May long weekend and mid September.
Rathtrevor has some nice walking paths through the forest, and has a wonderful
beach-great if you want to go swimming or just wander the shoreline. There is a
small gas station/store at the park entrance, and grocery stores and all kinds
of restaurants can be found about 3 km north in Parksville. There are also a
couple good bike shops in town, with Arrowsmith bikes being our favourite, as
well as closest to the park.
STAMP FALLS PROVINCIAL PARK
Going a little further afield,Stamp Falls
Provincial Park, about 15km outside of Port Alberni is a small, and quiet
park.To reach it from Nanaimo, we follow Hwy 19 north to Hwy 4A, then onto Hwy 4
through Cathedral Grove to Port Alberni. You do have to climb over the dreaded
"Port Alberni Hump", which is really not that bad of a climb with grades up to
about 8%. (Going west it is steeper and shorter-coming home it is longer and
gentler, climbing about 340 meters over 10km of varying steepness.) Continue
west on Hwy 4 to Beaver Creek Road, which takes you to the park. It is not well
signed. From our base in Nanaimo, this is better suited to a three day weekend,
being about 90km from home. The park is quite small, having less than two dozen
sites, and no services other than a water pump and outhouses. It tends to stay
pretty cool there year round as it is under the trees, and on the Stamp River.
Just a short hike takes you downstream to the fish ladder built to help salmon
bypass the rapids. We never seem to hit it when the fish are runnng though.This
is a very relaxing place to spend a day or two.
Courtenay & Comox
The Comox Valley region is a great place to visit.
The two towns are fast becoming one modern city. Getting there from Nanaimo
involves taking Hwy 19 north as far as Parkville, then following Hwy 19A to
Courtenay, or staying with Hwy 19 all the way. Hwy 19A "the old highway" is more
scenic, and less traffic, but it is a narrow road with little or no shoulder.
Much of this route is right down beside the ocean, and traffic is generally
pretty light, less rushed, and more considerate.There are really no climbs of
significance once you reach Parksville. Hwy 19 has high speed traffic, climbs
inland more, has no services along it, but has beautiful wide shoulders
essentially all the way. The grades are longer, but easy.It is about 110km from
Nanaimo to the Comox area.When you arrive there some great campgrounds that we
have tried, and probably many more we haven't. Comox is also where you catch the
ferry to cross to Powell River and the Sunshine Coast area.
SUNSHINE COAST
The Sunshine Coast is an area of the B.C. mainland that
is cut off from the rest of the province. It can be accessed by ferry from
Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Gibsons on the south end, or by ferry from Comox
(Little River) to Powell River, near the north end. This creates a great circle
route for those of us here on Vancouver Island. Marilyn and I have a tradition
of doing this ride each year on the Easter long weekend, taking 3 days to ride
the 245 km. It could certainly be done in two days, or could be enjoyed over a
week.
Starting from Nanaimo, we ride to Comox, and take the ferry to Powell River
on our first day. Our strategy is that with nearly half the miles done the first
day, even if you have a couple bad days (i.e. you haven't been riding enough!)
you should be able to muddle through. The riding is harder on the second day,
with some noteable, but not huge climbs. One of the great things on the Sunshine
Coast is that nearly all traffic is regulated by the coming and going of the
ferries at either end, meaning that for large periods of time there is virtually
no car traffic. Heading south from Powell River to Saltery Bay (about 34km) for
another ferry ride to the southern half of the Sunshine Coast at Earls Cove.
From here you are looking at another 84 km to the ferry at Gibsons. We usually
end our second day at Sechelt, a gorgeous little town right on the seashore
about halfway between Earls Cove and Gibsons. I've never been there during the
summer season, but I suspect it may get a little touristy then. Sechelt also
seems to be very stretched out for the size of it-I guess because its all along
the water. It also has a pier-a great place to go watch the birds or just be
mesmerized by the water.
The last leg of the trip involves as much (or more) time riding ferries as
riding bikes. It is a pretty easy ride from Sechelt to Gibsons, with one steep
hill leaving Sechelt, and then just small rolling hills for the remainder. This
stretch of road is busier than the rest of the Sunshine Coast, but the roads are
pretty good, and work is being done to put shoulders on more and more of it.
There is also a paved path paralleling the highway, but I have never ridden it
and won't comment further.
Entering Gibsons on a clear sunny day is breathtaking! As you ride in the
mountains ahead are an amazing backdrop for this little town. The town is a mix
of old logging/waterfront town, retirees, hippies/back to the land types, and
more business like crowd who commute to work in Vancouver by ferry. Of course,
Gibsons most famous landmark is "Molly's Reach" made famous by the long running
TV series "The Beachcombers". Check it out so you can say you've seen it-not
that our first impression was all that great. From town you are looking at about
6 km to the ferry terminal-check your brakes, as there is a long steep downhill
to the ferry. The ferry will take you across to Horseshoe Bay, where we
"islanders" must catch another ferry back to Nanaimo and home sweet home.
TRIP PAGE
I think we are like most cycle-tourers in that most of our trips are of the
day-trip, weekend or long weekend type, with an annual longer trip thrown in on
our holidays. Too bad we can't just take the whole summer off to go riding! But
who knows, maybe we wouldn't appreciate the time if we had it.
We are very lucky living on Vancouver Island in that we do have a number of
great places we can ride to for a two or three day weekend.
RATHTREVOR PROVINCIAL PARK
Close to home we have Rathtrevor
Provincial Park in Parksville, just over an hours ride (about 30km)
north of Nanaimo along Hwy 19, then off onto Hwy 19A. The road can be busy, but
you have a decent shoulder most of the way. This is a great place to camp when
you are cycling, but only in the off season. The park has a great tenting field,
which used to be reserved solely for the use of hikers or cyclists. However,
they have in the last few years opened this area up for use by anybody who is
looking for a tenting site, and even allowing people to drive in to drop their
gear off before going to park. The end result is that during the summer months
it is more of a "party place" than a great place to get a nights sleep. So you
will want to avoid camping there between the May long weekend and mid September.
Rathtrevor has some nice walking paths through the forest, and has a wonderful
beach-great if you want to go swimming or just wander the shoreline. There is a
small gas station/store at the park entrance, and grocery stores and all kinds
of restaurants can be found about 3 km north in Parksville. There are also a
couple good bike shops in town, with Arrowsmith bikes being our favourite, as
well as closest to the park.
STAMP FALLS PROVINCIAL PARK
Going a little further afield,Stamp Falls
Provincial Park, about 15km outside of Port Alberni is a small, and quiet
park.To reach it from Nanaimo, we follow Hwy 19 north to Hwy 4A, then onto Hwy 4
through Cathedral Grove to Port Alberni. You do have to climb over the dreaded
"Port Alberni Hump", which is really not that bad of a climb with grades up to
about 8%. (Going west it is steeper and shorter-coming home it is longer and
gentler, climbing about 340 meters over 10km of varying steepness.) Continue
west on Hwy 4 to Beaver Creek Road, which takes you to the park. It is not well
signed. From our base in Nanaimo, this is better suited to a three day weekend,
being about 90km from home. The park is quite small, having less than two dozen
sites, and no services other than a water pump and outhouses. It tends to stay
pretty cool there year round as it is under the trees, and on the Stamp River.
Just a short hike takes you downstream to the fish ladder built to help salmon
bypass the rapids. We never seem to hit it when the fish are runnng though.This
is a very relaxing place to spend a day or two.
Courtenay & Comox
The Comox Valley region is a great place to visit.
The two towns are fast becoming one modern city. Getting there from Nanaimo
involves taking Hwy 19 north as far as Parkville, then following Hwy 19A to
Courtenay, or staying with Hwy 19 all the way. Hwy 19A "the old highway" is more
scenic, and less traffic, but it is a narrow road with little or no shoulder.
Much of this route is right down beside the ocean, and traffic is generally
pretty light, less rushed, and more considerate.There are really no climbs of
significance once you reach Parksville. Hwy 19 has high speed traffic, climbs
inland more, has no services along it, but has beautiful wide shoulders
essentially all the way. The grades are longer, but easy.It is about 110km from
Nanaimo to the Comox area.When you arrive there some great campgrounds that we
have tried, and probably many more we haven't. Comox is also where you catch the
ferry to cross to Powell River and the Sunshine Coast area.
SUNSHINE COAST
The Sunshine Coast is an area of the B.C. mainland that
is cut off from the rest of the province. It can be accessed by ferry from
Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Gibsons on the south end, or by ferry from Comox
(Little River) to Powell River, near the north end. This creates a great circle
route for those of us here on Vancouver Island. Marilyn and I have a tradition
of doing this ride each year on the Easter long weekend, taking 3 days to ride
the 245 km. It could certainly be done in two days, or could be enjoyed over a
week.
Starting from Nanaimo, we ride to Comox, and take the ferry to Powell River
on our first day. Our strategy is that with nearly half the miles done the first
day, even if you have a couple bad days (i.e. you haven't been riding enough!)
you should be able to muddle through. The riding is harder on the second day,
with some noteable, but not huge climbs. One of the great things on the Sunshine
Coast is that nearly all traffic is regulated by the coming and going of the
ferries at either end, meaning that for large periods of time there is virtually
no car traffic. Heading south from Powell River to Saltery Bay (about 34km) for
another ferry ride to the southern half of the Sunshine Coast at Earls Cove.
From here you are looking at another 84 km to the ferry at Gibsons. We usually
end our second day at Sechelt, a gorgeous little town right on the seashore
about halfway between Earls Cove and Gibsons. I've never been there during the
summer season, but I suspect it may get a little touristy then. Sechelt also
seems to be very stretched out for the size of it-I guess because its all along
the water. It also has a pier-a great place to go watch the birds or just be
mesmerized by the water.
The last leg of the trip involves as much (or more) time riding ferries as
riding bikes. It is a pretty easy ride from Sechelt to Gibsons, with one steep
hill leaving Sechelt, and then just small rolling hills for the remainder. This
stretch of road is busier than the rest of the Sunshine Coast, but the roads are
pretty good, and work is being done to put shoulders on more and more of it.
There is also a paved path paralleling the highway, but I have never ridden it
and won't comment further.
Entering Gibsons on a clear sunny day is breathtaking! As you ride in the
mountains ahead are an amazing backdrop for this little town. The town is a mix
of old logging/waterfront town, retirees, hippies/back to the land types, and
more business like crowd who commute to work in Vancouver by ferry. Of course,
Gibsons most famous landmark is "Molly's Reach" made famous by the long running
TV series "The Beachcombers". Check it out so you can say you've seen it-not
that our first impression was all that great. From town you are looking at about
6 km to the ferry terminal-check your brakes, as there is a long steep downhill
to the ferry. The ferry will take you across to Horseshoe Bay, where we
"islanders" must catch another ferry back to Nanaimo and home sweet home.
I think we are like most cycle-tourers in that most of our trips are of the day-trip, weekend or long weekend type, with an annual longer trip thrown in on our holidays. Too bad we can't just take the whole summer off to go riding! But who knows, maybe we wouldn't appreciate the time if we had it.
We are very lucky living on Vancouver Island in that we do have a number of great places we can ride to for a two or three day weekend.
RATHTREVOR PROVINCIAL PARK
Close to home we have Rathtrevor Provincial Park in Parksville, just over an hours ride (about 30km) north of Nanaimo along Hwy 19, then off onto Hwy 19A. The road can be busy, but you have a decent shoulder most of the way. This is a great place to camp when you are cycling, but only in the off season. The park has a great tenting field, which used to be reserved solely for the use of hikers or cyclists. However, they have in the last few years opened this area up for use by anybody who is looking for a tenting site, and even allowing people to drive in to drop their gear off before going to park. The end result is that during the summer months it is more of a "party place" than a great place to get a nights sleep. So you will want to avoid camping there between the May long weekend and mid September. Rathtrevor has some nice walking paths through the forest, and has a wonderful beach-great if you want to go swimming or just wander the shoreline. There is a small gas station/store at the park entrance, and grocery stores and all kinds of restaurants can be found about 3 km north in Parksville. There are also a couple good bike shops in town, with Arrowsmith bikes being our favourite, as well as closest to the park.
STAMP FALLS PROVINCIAL PARK
Going a little further afield,Stamp Falls Provincial Park, about 15km outside of Port Alberni is a small, and quiet park.To reach it from Nanaimo, we follow Hwy 19 north to Hwy 4A, then onto Hwy 4 through Cathedral Grove to Port Alberni. You do have to climb over the dreaded "Port Alberni Hump", which is really not that bad of a climb with grades up to about 8%. (Going west it is steeper and shorter-coming home it is longer and gentler, climbing about 340 meters over 10km of varying steepness.) Continue west on Hwy 4 to Beaver Creek Road, which takes you to the park. It is not well signed. From our base in Nanaimo, this is better suited to a three day weekend, being about 90km from home. The park is quite small, having less than two dozen sites, and no services other than a water pump and outhouses. It tends to stay pretty cool there year round as it is under the trees, and on the Stamp River. Just a short hike takes you downstream to the fish ladder built to help salmon bypass the rapids. We never seem to hit it when the fish are runnng though.This is a very relaxing place to spend a day or two.
Courtenay & Comox
The Comox Valley region is a great place to visit. The two towns are fast becoming one modern city. Getting there from Nanaimo involves taking Hwy 19 north as far as Parkville, then following Hwy 19A to Courtenay, or staying with Hwy 19 all the way. Hwy 19A "the old highway" is more scenic, and less traffic, but it is a narrow road with little or no shoulder. Much of this route is right down beside the ocean, and traffic is generally pretty light, less rushed, and more considerate.There are really no climbs of significance once you reach Parksville. Hwy 19 has high speed traffic, climbs inland more, has no services along it, but has beautiful wide shoulders essentially all the way. The grades are longer, but easy.It is about 110km from Nanaimo to the Comox area.When you arrive there some great campgrounds that we have tried, and probably many more we haven't. Comox is also where you catch the ferry to cross to Powell River and the Sunshine Coast area.
SUNSHINE COAST
The Sunshine Coast is an area of the B.C. mainland that is cut off from the rest of the province. It can be accessed by ferry from Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Gibsons on the south end, or by ferry from Comox (Little River) to Powell River, near the north end. This creates a great circle route for those of us here on Vancouver Island. Marilyn and I have a tradition of doing this ride each year on the Easter long weekend, taking 3 days to ride the 245 km. It could certainly be done in two days, or could be enjoyed over a week.Starting from Nanaimo, we ride to Comox, and take the ferry to Powell River on our first day. Our strategy is that with nearly half the miles done the first day, even if you have a couple bad days (i.e. you haven't been riding enough!) you should be able to muddle through. The riding is harder on the second day, with some noteable, but not huge climbs. One of the great things on the Sunshine Coast is that nearly all traffic is regulated by the coming and going of the ferries at either end, meaning that for large periods of time there is virtually no car traffic. Heading south from Powell River to Saltery Bay (about 34km) for another ferry ride to the southern half of the Sunshine Coast at Earls Cove. From here you are looking at another 84 km to the ferry at Gibsons. We usually end our second day at Sechelt, a gorgeous little town right on the seashore about halfway between Earls Cove and Gibsons. I've never been there during the summer season, but I suspect it may get a little touristy then. Sechelt also seems to be very stretched out for the size of it-I guess because its all along the water. It also has a pier-a great place to go watch the birds or just be mesmerized by the water.
The last leg of the trip involves as much (or more) time riding ferries as riding bikes. It is a pretty easy ride from Sechelt to Gibsons, with one steep hill leaving Sechelt, and then just small rolling hills for the remainder. This stretch of road is busier than the rest of the Sunshine Coast, but the roads are pretty good, and work is being done to put shoulders on more and more of it. There is also a paved path paralleling the highway, but I have never ridden it and won't comment further.
Entering Gibsons on a clear sunny day is breathtaking! As you ride in the mountains ahead are an amazing backdrop for this little town. The town is a mix of old logging/waterfront town, retirees, hippies/back to the land types, and more business like crowd who commute to work in Vancouver by ferry. Of course, Gibsons most famous landmark is "Molly's Reach" made famous by the long running TV series "The Beachcombers". Check it out so you can say you've seen it-not that our first impression was all that great. From town you are looking at about 6 km to the ferry terminal-check your brakes, as there is a long steep downhill to the ferry. The ferry will take you across to Horseshoe Bay, where we "islanders" must catch another ferry back to Nanaimo and home sweet home.
