2010 Canadian Parks Tour - The Plan

Last year's trip to British Columbia, which ended abruptly less than half way through when falling rocks totaled my beloved Speed Triple motorcycle, left me hungry for more visits to this fantastic place. After finding a good deal on a 2009 Speed Triple (what can I say, that particular bike speaks to me) and almost a year of planning, I recently traveled the following route:



Approximate total distance: 1500 miles / 2420 kilometers
Daily goals indicated on map with red tick marks

Itinerary:
Day 1
Ride from home to Revelstoke, BC.

Day 2
Acquire Canadian National Parks pass in Revelstoke
Ride through(*) the smaller parks (Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks)
Explore Yoho National Park as much as time allows
Ride through Lake Louise in Banff National Park
Enter the Icefields Parkway and ride as far as a motel at the Saskatchewan crossing

Day 3
Visit the nearby Icefields Centre and get as close to the Athabasca Glacier as possible
Continue riding up to Jasper National Park, stopping for photos at every opportunity
Ride to Hinton, Alberta and stay there for the night (less $$ than park accommodations)

Day 4
Explore Jasper National Park as much as time allows
Ride through Mt. Robson Provincial Park
Ride through Wells Gray Provincial Park
Ride on through the Cariboo and stay in either 100 Mile House or cache Creek

Day 5
Continue riding South and return to the Seattle area

(*) Note that this plan speaks a lot about 'riding through' some fantastic parks with utterly magnificent scenery, which seems like a shame or even foolhardy. And in practice, this was very hard to do, as I constantly found myself having to rush from or through places where I would have enjoyed spending a day or two exploring. However, the intent of this trip was to scout out interesting places where I will return later with more time to linger and savor the experience.