British Columbia Railways Adventure Bike
The Best of Canada's Railway Trails
Join us for this 7 day Adventure Ride around British Columbia
This is an Adventure for both Dual Sport and Adventure riders
Pics from the ride
Check out my Video Invitation to this ride
The ride will begin and end in Mount Vernon, Washington.
About the ride:
This is a 7 day ride to explore the best of the back parts of British Columbia's Railway Trails.
The ride starts in Mt Vernon Washington and travels north to Canada then east through BC and drops back into Washington to return to Mt Vernon. The ride makes a 1,250 mile (2000 km) loop.
This ride is a combination of camping and lodging. You will need to carry your own gear on your bike.
Our route includes: Kettle Valley Railway Trail, Slocan Valley Rail Trail, Columbia & Western Rail Trail, and Great Northern Rail Trail.
The route will have options depending on the level of difficulty that you select and the weather conditions.
Riding begins Sunday morning
Recommendation: You should arrive Saturday Evening in Mt Vernon WA
Below is a slideshow of what you should see on the trip; this is from the last time we did the ride
OK, so if you are an experienced rider and camper, consider joining us!
Self Guided Trail
This ride is designed to be a self guided adventure. Riders install a custom GPS microSD Card into their Garmin GPS unit. The routes are then displayed as the rider travels along. Navigation is made easy. Riders can choose to follow along at times or can choose among hard and easy options. Or riders can simply choose to ride off the routes and return to them later. For many, this allows them to just experience the trail without the burden of getting lost.
Do this ride yourself: Purchase Rider Packet and GPS microSD Card for this ride
Note: A Full Rider Packet consists of printed ride descriptions and paper ride maps and a custom GPS microSD card for your Garmin or BMW GPS unit.
British Columbia Railways Adventure Bike Choice (Scroll Down Menu)
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Notes: I suggest you plan and order early. Normally I ship within a week. But sometimes I run out and it can take me several weeks to get new cards and maps. And sometimes I am out riding and building new adventures so that can be hard too. I list the Option for 2 SD cards because many riders like to carry a backup card or a cheap backup gps in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
Ride Details
I know many of you also enjoy dreaming about the ride and making your plans, so here is the detail, enjoy!
Ride Plan Maps
I put these ride maps on the web page because I know a few of you love looking at the ride detail and dreaming about the ride. At first glance these maps do not look so impressive, but they are way cool. If you click the Earth or Satellite tab and start zooming in, you can see the ride in incredible detail. I have spent a ton of hours sorting through the details of the ride for each day, so for those of you that enjoy this sort of thing, well enjoy!
Legend:
The Blue lines are the main routes
The Green lines are easy workaround options
FAQ's
Q: If I truck my bikes to Mt Vernon WA is there a place to leave my truck for the week during the ride?
A: Yes, we have made arrangements with the motel in Mt Vernon (Cocusa Motel) to leave our trucks there during the ride.
Q: Do I need a Passport?
A: Yes, we will be crossing the US and Canada border a couple of times, both countries require passports
Q: What bike are best for this ride?
A: Adventure bikes work great 600cc to 1200cc, they are good for caring all the camping gear, Dual Sports can work but must be set up to haul the gear
Q: What Weather should I plan for?
A: The weather can be anything from hot to chilly, plan for the possibility of rain, both riding and camping
Q: Will there be any side trail riding options if I want to do some more seriously challenging off road?
A: No, there are no planed side trip options, mostly this is a scenic, exploring, and camping ride.
Q: how trail worthy does my bike (or me) need to be for this ride
A: There are no hard trail sections, just graded railways beds and dirt roads, this ride is good for new riders
Q: Does the ride fee cover the motel at the brginning and end of the ride?
A: No, if you are traveling to the start of the ride, you will need to make your own reservation, I suggest Cocusa Motel in Mt Vernon
Q; What do I do if I don't have a Garmin gps?
A: Buy one, you need it. We will show you how to use it. You can get a great one for 100 bucks. ( See gpsKevin's gps recommendations).
Q: Is the riding really on my own?
A: Yes, it is on your own, but not by yourself. Everyone hooks up and rides with a friend or a new friend and rides together. I do not encourage riding alone.
Q: Do I need a street licensed bike?
A: Yes, there are areas where a licensed bike is required. You must also have a motorcycle class drivers license.
Q: Do I need insurance?
A: Yes, you must carry proof of medical insurance and liability insurance for yourself/motorcycle.