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Cycling the Wilderness Highway
If your idea of the perfect cycle tour is very low vehicle traffic, a wide stable shoulder, and the sense of being “out there,” the Stewart-Cassiar highway can’t be beat. It’s also the perfect setting for the Bike, Hike & Paddle Company’s annual 10-day, self-sufficient cycle tour.
Guests—no more than six at a time—meet in Stewart, where they’re set up with bikes, camping gear and food, which is packed in panniers and easy-to-maneuver bob trailers.
Before setting out, they enjoy sumptuous cuisine at the Bitter Creek Cafe, a night at the colourful Ripley Creek Inn (a one-time “house of ill repute”) and a hearty breakfast at the Wildflour Cafe in nearby Hyder, Alaska.
This year’s tour also included Stewart’s Canada Day parade, a visit to the town’s Toaster Museum, a side trip to the Salmon Glacier and a decommissioned mine.
You’ll cycle 50 km per day of practically deserted highway through valleys of snow-capped mountains, tumbling waterfalls and dense forest. Given substantial gear loads and elevation gains, this comparatively moderate distance still offers a substantial daily workout. Owner-operator/guide Gregg Drury emphasizes his tour isn’t about blazing through stunning scenery without taking the time to enjoy a dip in a mountain lake, meet the locals or enjoy a good meal.
“People who come on this tour tend to want simplicity … They want to slow their lives down for a while,” he says.
In fact, Drury himself offers considerable entertainment value: this seasoned, knowledgeable wilderness explorer and passionate conservationist has a stock of great stories, shared generously and animatedly.
Every guest on the Bike, Hike & Paddle Company tour gets educated on bear- smart behaviour, including how to use the bear repellent spray they’re required to carry at all times. In addition to bears with cubs, this year’s tour offered close-up views of marmot, owls, red and silver foxes, and one wolf who strolled quietly into camp and warily surveyed four spectators for several seconds before retreating silently.
The tour also includes a stop at the lodge at Bell II, where guests recharge with professional massage, a hot tub, luxurious rooms and great food before taking on the final challenging stretches of pitted, gravel road which leads to the tour’s conclusion at Drury’s own acreage in Iskut.
The cycle tour can be taken on its own or as one of the five components of the Odyssey Tour, a 60-day, 1,600-km trek by cycle, hike, river- and ocean-kayak through some of northwestern B.C.’s most pristine wilderness.
Spin-off options
The heady scent of white clover on a warm day, the chatter of birds, the sight of mist gathering over cool lakes and roadsides lush with purple fireweed: all of these sensual pleasures are too often missed when we speed past them by car on northwestern B.C. roads. And all could be easily reclaimed, by taking our bikes instead. For some great ideas on where to go cycling in B.C.’s northwest—for a quick dip in a nearby lake, a great view of your community, or a more challenging multi-day cycling tour, northword magazine checked in with avid cyclists in communities from Prince George to Haida Gwaii. Here’s what we found.
Cyclists in Prince George are anticipating Tabor Mountain Ski Resort’s planned opening of a trail network for cyclists of a variety of skill levels. Matt Feagan, president of the Prince George Cycling Club, predicts it could draw mountain bikers from all over western Canada. Meanwhile, cyclists make good use of multi-use trail systems, including the Heritage Trails, which connect to Cottonwood Island Park, and the Greenway Trail, accessed via the UNBC parking lot. For maps, call Leisure Services at Prince George City Hall.
Mountain bikers in Vanderhoof enjoy access to the 24 kilometres of Waterlily Lake cross-country ski trails, which affords views of Waterlily and Homestead Lakes (where there are shelters). From the Nechako River Bridge in Vanderhoof, drive north on Highway 27 for 2.5 km, east on Sturgeon Point Road for 6.4 km, and north on Smedley Road for 2.5 km to the Waterlily Lake Trail sign. Maps are available at the trailhead or from the Vanderhoof Chamber of Commerce.
For a pleasant day trip from Vanderhoof, cycle to Hog’s Back Lake for a swim. About 5 km east of town of Highway 16, turn onto Blackwater Road. Follow this for 10 km before turning onto Hog’s Back Road; an additional 4 km will get you to the lake. For more information about cycling around Vanderhoof, call the Omineca Sports store.
In Burns Lake, take an easy half-day cycle out to the Francois Lake ferry landing. Stop along the way at Guyeshtin Lake, for good-sized rainbow trout if you like fishing, or Tchesink Lake, where you can swim from the public beach area. More challenging cycling can be found at the 25-km trail system maintained by the Omineca Ski Club 5 km from Burns Lake on Highway 35 (look for a sign on your left), and the Eagle Creek trail system: take Hwy 35 towards Francois Lake; turn right onto Eagle Creek Road, continue up for a few km, and look for a sign to Eagle Creek trail system on your left. Or try the Boer Mountain Community Forest, where trails ranging from easy to difficult offer renowned views of Burns, Decker, and Tchesink Lakes. Expect to see 20 km of cycling trails there by the end of the summer. To get there, follow Fifth Avenue north, turn right on Boer Mtn. Road, and go 5 km to the parking area. For more information call Chris Paulson at Holy Spokes. You can also join up with a local road bike club which meets Wednesdays at 5 p.m. at the 7-11 in Burns Lake and goes for 60- to 100-km rides.
Smithers and Telkwa are rich in cycle touring opportunities. For a full day self-guided trip, Peter Krause of McBike recommends cycling to Paradise Lake via Woodmere Road. Fit and adventurous? Continue into the alpine over Dome Mountain and come out on Babine Lake Road.
Brian of Valhalla Pure also recommends the Telkwa Pass, a 120-km trip with impressive views of the glacier-strewn Howson Range. Start from Telkwa by cycling up the Telkwa Forest Service Road; camp at Top Lake, about 52 km from the beginning of the Telkwa Forest Service road, or at Blue Lake, closer to the Terrace end of the pass.
Make it a moderate day trip by driving to the limit of the two-wheel drive accessible forest service road, on either the Telkwa side (park just past the 40 km mark) or Terrace (park 52 km up the Zymoetz Creek Forest Service Road). Get maps and suggestions from Valhalla Pure and McBike on Smithers’ Main Street, and pick up Northwest Trails: a Guide to Mountain Biking in the Bulkley Valley Area. McBike also rents bikes and offers full-day guided tours to the alpine, such as the Telkwa Microwave, for groups as small as two.
Terrace offers many opportunities for beginner to advanced cyclists. Drop into McBike on Lazelle Avenue, and ask for their brochure, Biking In and Around Terrace. For an easy half-day trip, John Lambert from McBike recommends Lakelse Lake Provincial Park, 21 km south of Terrace on Highway 37. Gruchy’s Beach on the north end of Lakelse offers great swimming. About 30 km from Terrace is Onion Lake, a small “bottomless” lake thought to have been created by a meteoroid, and the nearby Clearwater Lake hiking trails. For longer tours, Highway 16 from Terrace to Prince Rupert offers some of the most scenic cycling around—with a number of great camp spots en route, including Prudhomme Lake.
Prince Rupert’s rugged terrain limits local cycling opportunities, but Anthony Voitic of Far West Sport & Cycle offers this easy day trip: from downtown Prince Rupert, follow signs for Highway 16 East, take the turn-off towards Port Edward and carry on to the North Pacific Cannery Museum. Enjoy daily theatre performances and museum displays, and stop for a swim at Oliver Lake on the way back. Be cautious and visible on this narrow, curvy road. Far West also rents bikes.
Haida Gwaii’s contours offer accessibility to people of all cycling abilities and anything but commonplace scenery. Rent bikes from Coastal Leisure Rentals in Queen Charlotte City, and bunk down at numerous hostels, bed-and-breakfasts, or campgrounds. Cycle from Masset to North Beach, where you can continue for many more miles on sandy beaches or hike up Tow Hill for a panoramic view, which includes Alaska.
Or join Paddy McPeake for one of his deluxe Wings on Wheels tours, which depart from Masset every other Monday from mid-May to mid-September. Book well in advance for these 4- to 7-day tours, which carry gear in a support van and feature meals and accommodations at upscale bed-and-breakfasts. Groups typically do 45-70 km per day on mostly flat, low-trafficked roads; a support van carries the gear. Sandy beaches, deer, bears, eagles, falcons, grey and killer whales await. Depending on seasons and interest, you may go crabbing, wild mushroom picking, or exploring a 1920s-era shipwreck on the beach. “It’s a different world here,” says McPeake. “There are spots I’ve gone to that just boggle the mind.” For more info, call 1-877-626-6049 or visit http://www.wingsonwheels.com
©Larissa Ardis
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