GLACIER & CANADIAN ROCKIES

The Glacier & Canadian Rockies Ride is a 7 day,  1,964 mile tour starting and ending in Missoula, Montana.  This tour will take you into parts of  Montana, Idaho, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta.  The tour averages 281 miles per day and consists of  endless scenic byways.  This tour can easily be extended to allow for extra days in the National Parks for hiking and/or sightseeing or add additional riding areas from any of the other greatrideswest.com Tour Routes.  The Glacier-Canadian Rockies Ride is arguably the most beautiful riding area in North America.   The ride is in and around several national parks including, Glacier, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, and includes the legendary Icefields Parkway Going To The Sun Road and the International Selkirk Route.

 

A Note about Google Maps.  If you are clicking on a map link below in the winter time, many of the roads on these tours are closed.  Google will route you around closed roads, so be aware of this issue so you don’t plan a trip that excludes many of the highlighted roads.

 

Day 1 Maps & Directions: 286 Miles

Starting out north of Missoula, Mt, we take Route 93 through farm and ranch lands towards Polson, MT and the south end Flathead Lake.   From Polson we take Route 35 along the east shoreline of Flathead with the Mission Mountains on our right heading towards Big Fork.  We continue past Big Fork back onto Route 93 towards Kalispell.  We then take Route 2 to to the entrance of Glacier National Park.

The next segment of the day’s ride is through Glacier National Park and the amazing Going To The Sun Road.  We ride past Lake McDonald, Saint Mary Lake and vista after beautiful vista.  We then pick up Route 89 north to Route 17 to the Canadian border.  A side trip to Swiftcurrent Lake and the setting of the Many Glacier Hotel is worth it if time permits.  Once you cross the border, Route 17 turns to Route 6 as we head into Waterton Lakes National Park.  We turn left onto Route 5 for a stunning ride into the town of Waterton.  While Route 5 is worth the trip alone, the setting of the town and the Prince of Wales Hotel is even more dramatic. Overnight in Waterton Lakes, Alberta.

Day 2 Maps & Directions: 259 Miles

Today we start off by back tracking Route 5  to Route 6 and heading north.  Route 6 takes you through farmlands and then a a short section of Route 3 takes you to Cowboy Route 22 where you begin to get back into the foot hills of the Canadian Rockies.  The final push into Banff begins with a great 40 mile stretch of sweepers on Route 40 as the scenery starts to really pick-up.  We then enter Banff National Park and head into the bustling and beautiful town of Banff. Overnight in Banff, Alberta.

Day 3 Maps & Directions: 308 Miles

We start early today as this is a long riding day and we want to have breakfast at the Chateau Lake Louise Hotel overlooking the emerald waters of  Lake Louise.  The ride from Banff to Lake Louise is a great 40 mile stretch of wooded twisties with a teasing of the Rockies along the way.  From Lake Louise we head west on Route 1, the Trans-Canada Highway towards British Columbia.  The Trans-Canada is a more heavily traveled road as it is the only road leading west through the wilderness of Canada.  But the the ride will not disappoint as you travel through Yoho National Park, Glacier National Park (not the same Glacier as in the US), Mt. Revelstoke National Park on the way to Kamloops, BC.  Overnight in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Day 4 Maps & Directions: 274 Miles

We ride endless sweepers up the Route 5, the Yellowhead Highway all the way to the amazing town of Jasper, Alberta and the Jasper National Park.  Along the way the ever changing scenery takes you through Mt. Robson Provincial Park and Wells Gray Provincial Park.  With daylight holding well past 11:00 PM we head to Maligne Lake before bunking down in Jasper.  In Jasper you will be hard pressed not to view bears and elk from along the roads and at your hotel. Overnight in Jasper, Alberta.

Day 5 Maps & Directions: 347 Miles

If you haven’t heard of Route 93, the Icefields Parkway, you won’t stop talking about it after this day.  The ride from Jasper to Banff is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world and for good reason. You will hit some traffic, but the sweepers are fun and the views are amazing.

Just north of Banff, we continue on Route 93 for a grade A riding road to Radium Hot Springs.  From there we stay on Route 93/95, the Kootenay Highway, to Cranbrook, BC. Overnight in Cranbrook, British Columbia.

Day 6 Maps & Directions: 358 Miles

After a short ride down Route 3,  we pick up Route 3A and begin the ride on the International Selkirk Route, North America’s only multi-national scenic route.  This great ride takes into parts of British Columbia, Washington State and Idaho with great scenery and even better riding roads.  From a riding perspective, this is the highlight of the trip.  The first leg of this route is a twistie along the Kootenay Lake.  We then cross the lake on the Inland ferry  at Kootenay Bay (reservations not necessary) to Nelson and continue on Route 3A through Kokanee Creek Provincial Park to Route 6.  The border crossing at Nelway, British Columbia – Metaline Falls, Washington is so remote you feel you are at an outpost in another galaxy.  From there, we continue on Route 31 to Route 20 to Route 2  into Sandpoint at the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. Overnight in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Day 7 Maps & Directions: 173 Miles

The last day is always a drag, but fortunately we have a great ride through Bonner’s Ferry where we continue on Route 2 into Kalispell.  from there, we Route 93 along the west side of Flathead Lake and then pick up Route 200 for the final leg into Missoula, MT.