| Harry,
I rode Banff ----> Vancouver a lot of years ago, and recently covered
some of the same by car. Parts of it have changed.
First, how are you arriving in Vancouver. If by plane, there's a
slight obstacle to reaching downtown Vancouver - there's a 'no-bikes
-allowed tunnel along the direct route. In past, there has been a
shuttle truck to take bikes through the tunnel. If it no longer
exists, the alternatives are a taxi ride of ~1km or a longer roundabout
route to downtown.
Be sure to spend a few days in Vancouver and area - lots to see.
I avoided the Trans-Canada Hwy (#1) and took #3 highway to (in my case,
from) Manning Provincial Park. This was reasonbly quiet and scenic.
The highway through the Okanogan valley (Penticton to Vernon) is very
busy and no longer any fun to ride. Too bad, because this is a nice
area to visit - lakes, winery tours, nice views. The area south of
Penticton is still quieter.
I rode Jasper ---> Kamloops. This is a long, lonley stretch - take
plenty of groceries if you do it.
Of course, the part you really have to see is the highway between Banff
and Jasper. It has paved shoulders - lot of cyclists out there. Make
the sidetrip into Lake Louise - it's a few miles of uphill, but the
view is fantastic.
Accomodations: Banff and Jasper are expensive; the middle of B.C.
isn't. Campgrounds aren't all that plentiful; if you can't reach one
by dark, or by the time you're exhausted, there's more than enough
space to pull off the road and camp rough. Just be sure not to keep
any bear bait (aka, food) in your tent.
Areas to avoid: Hwy #1 in the Golden/Rogers Pass area is very
interesting, and worth braving the traffic, but try to avoid other
sections of #1, as it's mostly 2-lane and quite busy. The city of
Kamloops has turned part of Hwy #1 into a no-bikes bypass. You would
have difficulties finding your way around Kamloops. If you want to
travel through the Okanogan valley, it will be difficult to find an
alternate route to the main highway.
The town of Canmore is very pleasant - this is mountain bike country -
and a lot less touri$ty than Banff.
When riding Banff ---> Calgary, you can use the shoulders on the main
highway, but it's rather boring, if the fastest route. There is a
quieter, more interesting (read hilly) alternate route.
If you don't want to ride Banff --> Jasper, then turn around and ride
it in reverse, consider going east of Jasper, then south through the
foothills. I haven't ridden there, but it's sparsely populated, and
has parks with skiing and hiking, so there should be camping and
interesting routes available.
Be prepared for mountain weather, even in July. There can be cold
rains and near-freezing weather at altitude. On the other hand,
weather in interior B.C. can be very hot and dry (35 - 40 deg C), so
carry lots of water. There is often nothing, not even a house, between
the towns shown on the map, so carry enough food.
If you have more questions, just ask. Maybe I can remember the details
from back then.
Rick
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I haven't gone from BC over, but I've been around Alberta a couple
times.
As far as camping, there are a lot of places from the Calgary area all
the way up to Jasper. Especially along the Icefields Parkway - there
are many provincial campgrounds - primitive but empty and very nice (at
least in the fall when we were there - and will be again this year with
a bit of luck!).
Depending on how you come into the area, if you're down near Waterton
Lakes, there is nice riding from there up to Banff. I don't recall the
road but from north of Waterton Lakes all the way through Kanannaskis
Country to the Trans-Canada west of Calgary is a fantastic road! Wide
shoulders and mountains right down to the edge of the pavement.
I agree with the comments about groceries once you leave Jasper. The
area is wonderful but not real heavily populated. There are many
camping places, mostly provincial parks.
Thinking about this makes me want to get back out there... Now if
there were just a few jobs - I'd move in a minute!
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