NEED HELP/ADVICE - BC and Alberta DH Bike Trip Planning

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NEED HELP/ADVICE - BC and Alberta DH Bike Trip Planning
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flag Sweatypants
FL
Posted: Apr 5, 2016 at 17:23 Quote
So... I need some travel advice. Trying to do a 2 week trip in the mid-July timeframe. Fly in somewhere, rent a car, throw my DH bike in the back trunk, and get driving. Here is what I wish to accomplish:

1) See amazing scenery/animals, glaciers, huge mountains, forests, bears, whatever...
2) Have enough time to appreciate each stop
3) See/Ride inconic DH locations around BC and/or Alberta
4) Do a few parks, but not spend too long in each place
5) I'd like to hopefully do driving and a half day of riding/chilling, followed by a full day of just riding, then leave to the next place, so each place could get a full day of exploring and half of another day.

** Money is not a big problem, but I don't want to stay in resort hotels for 2 weeks. Don't mind truckstop motels or even camping. Down for whatever.
** My riding level is about a black diamond, comfortably. I can hit some drops and doubles pretty comfortably, and ride some tech rock/rooty stuff just fine... I won't be doing any 40+ foot gaps or 20 foot drops or riding Gnarcroft and shit like that. I'd love to see those places still and/or go to places where people session super awesome stuff even if just to watch.

So here's the first idea:

https://goo.gl/maps/VML7XgJAeaU2

Unsecure image, only https images allowed: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/CamryDriftWagon/Banff_zpsvkcnc8yy.jpg
- Fly into Calgary, hit Banff because I've always wanted to see it, Glacier as well. Then to Revelstoke, then Sun Peaks, then Kamloops, then Kelowna, then Silver Star bike park, then Nelson, Retallack Lodge if I can get in?, then back to Calgary and fly home.

- Too aggressive for 2 weeks?
- Do you have to reserve Retallack way in advance? Is there a helicopter ride drop off option there? Always thought that'd be sweet to try.
- Are there any of those I should just skip right now because "ehhh"?
- Figured Calgary is probably the cheapest (closest) place to fly into from Washington DC. Any suggestions on something else?

Second idea:

https://goo.gl/maps/uM7karEGdDR2

Unsecure image, only https images allowed: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/CamryDriftWagon/Whistler_zpsnmzfzq0r.jpg
- Fly into Vancouver, go to Gibsons, over to Vancouver Island?, then back up to Squamish, then Whistler, then to Pemberton, then Lillooet, then Kamloops, then Kelowna, then Chilliwack, then back to Vancouver to fly out.

- Same thing... too aggressive for 2 weeks?
- Anything on this one I should just skip out? Was thinking maybe skip the Kamloops/Kelowna part, Chilliwack cool?
- If I do this one, I'd also like to see whales if I could somewhere, possible?
- Maybe throw in Coast Gravity Park?


So my main concerns besides route as of right now:

1) How will I find all the good trails to ride in each place? Can people show me on a map where to go? Or a place in each city like a bike shop where to ask?
2) How do I find out about shuttling in some of these cities?



Any advice or suggestions, PLEASE feel more than free. I'm all ears. Trying to have an epic bike adventure before life gets too much in the way (or my body becomes a brittle mess of brokeness). Thank you all.
flag ZenkiS14
Posted: Apr 5, 2016 at 20:23 Quote
Party on Wayne!

All I've done is Vancouver North Shore and Whistles.

Have fun bro, looks like a good trip!
flag ddean
O+
Posted: Apr 6, 2016 at 3:29 Quote
Others are better to chime in on which trip is better, but my guess would be that the Vancouver option will check off more of your boxes than the Calgary one will.

Whichever trip you pick, download the trailforks app as you should be able to figure out in advance which trails you want to do (by surfing,YouTube, etc...) and it will show you exactly where most of those are.

I'm sure if you dig deep enough you will also be able to find local club rides that may interest you. If you're crafty you may even find some guys to shuttle with.

Best of luck. Enjoy it!
flag Sweatypants
FL
Posted: Apr 6, 2016 at 6:45 Quote
word man thanks. i have trail forks, i'll start there. and yea that's what i was hoping for by posting. besides the Retallack Lodge stuff, i figure everything else will kinda just be like a "i'm gonna go here today" kind of thing, or a bike park. i really just want to tie down anything i need to make special plans for (the Lodge, camping at Banff?, seeing whales?), everything else I feel like it doesn't really matter. would be super cool to shuttle with some guys though. hopefully some good dudes chime in here.
flag d-man
O+ FL
Posted: Apr 9, 2016 at 8:23 Quote
I would skip alberta, banff is a tourist zone.

Fly to Vancouver and go from there.

Must see the old growth forest on the island.

Must hit Revelstoke for big mountain riding.

Must hit Okanagan for wine, fruit and beaches

Driving in BC during summer is sloow.

Fill in the holes with other areas. Its not far from Revy to Jasper ice fields too. Probably 4 hrs.
flag billybilly
Posted: Apr 14, 2016 at 9:28 Quote
Consider: if DH riding is your focus, unless pre-arranged somehow, finding people to shuttle with will be a bonus. It's harder to find people than you think, unless you want to wait in a parking lot for hours or days. This is where coast gravity/ other bike parks will probably dictate your route. If you can pedal your bike it will open a lot of other trail options beyond just shuttling (the Whistler region is a must for the variety of options).

Scenery: Skip east coast of van Island, it doesn't have the "west coast quaint/ big tree" vibe you're probably expecting. Also, skip Kelowna (not Silver Star in Vernon), its busy, hot and just gross. The riding is awesome, but you'll have that shuttle situation to work around.

The best mountain scenery you will find, without getting more off the beaten track, is highway 99 north to lilooet; revy/ glacier national park: a good place to camp, hike etc.; and the ice fields parkway (no real riding except xc in Jasper). For big mountains, glaciers, hopefully wildlife, you will not beat the icefields parkway, but no riding.

PS. I have to give a shout out for the Nelson region for its vibe, riding, camping, beaches, and it will feel more laidback than the other areas.
flag gramboh
O+ FL
Posted: Apr 15, 2016 at 19:55 Quote
Call Retallack and ask, as I think you need to do multi day packages (lodging, meals, shuttles and a heli drop), I don't think you can just do a single day/drop... it's like cat skiing. Looks amazing though. You might be allowed to drive up those roads in your own truck since it's crown land.
flag Sweatypants
FL
Posted: Apr 19, 2016 at 9:05 Quote
billybilly wrote:
Consider: if DH riding is your focus, unless pre-arranged somehow, finding people to shuttle with will be a bonus. It's harder to find people than you think, unless you want to wait in a parking lot for hours or days. This is where coast gravity/ other bike parks will probably dictate your route. If you can pedal your bike it will open a lot of other trail options beyond just shuttling (the Whistler region is a must for the variety of options).

Scenery: Skip east coast of van Island, it doesn't have the "west coast quaint/ big tree" vibe you're probably expecting. Also, skip Kelowna (not Silver Star in Vernon), its busy, hot and just gross. The riding is awesome, but you'll have that shuttle situation to work around.

The best mountain scenery you will find, without getting more off the beaten track, is highway 99 north to lilooet; revy/ glacier national park: a good place to camp, hike etc.; and the ice fields parkway (no real riding except xc in Jasper). For big mountains, glaciers, hopefully wildlife, you will not beat the icefields parkway, but no riding.

PS. I have to give a shout out for the Nelson region for its vibe, riding, camping, beaches, and it will feel more laidback than the other areas.

skip Kelowna? and cool man... I want to spend a day or 2 in Glacier for sure then. Thanks. I saw there's some riding around there on TrailForks too. i considered Lilooet but then it seems kinda out of the way compared to everything else. worth the stretch?

the shuttle thing is gonna be my big hurdle i'm thinking. its the same way around here (out in MD). DH dudes are few and far between and the spots are kinda secret, so i know them "now", but that took a year or so of just randomly meeting people to get to this point. suggest calling shops in each area and asking people for advice? i could do that for sure.

d-man wrote:
I would skip alberta, banff is a tourist zone.
Fly to Vancouver and go from there.
Must see the old growth forest on the island.
Must hit Revelstoke for big mountain riding.
Must hit Okanagan for wine, fruit and beaches
Driving in BC during summer is sloow.
Fill in the holes with other areas. Its not far from Revy to Jasper ice fields too. Probably 4 hrs.

I decided to go the AB/BC route man. I'm gonna save Whistler and the Shore/Squamish stuff for next year. Booked Retallack Lodge already and I'll fill in the other stuff and some parks around that weekend. I figured Banff would be like Yosemite, which was kinda disgustingly touristy like Disney World, but a little better cause its Canada and not so close to 2 major US tourist cities. The difference between Sequoia and Yosemite was night and day, but I'm willing to deal just to see it for a day or two. I've always wanted to.

The wine and beach stuff I can do with my girl easier, this is a solo trip though. I'll save this thread though for the shore trip. Haha and I live in DC... 2nd worst traffic in the US... I'm used to it. if I can keep each travel day to between 100-200 miles though, that won't be so bad at all. Thanks for the advice.

gramboh wrote:
Call Retallack and ask, as I think you need to do multi day packages (lodging, meals, shuttles and a heli drop), I don't think you can just do a single day/drop... it's like cat skiing. Looks amazing though. You might be allowed to drive up those roads in your own truck since it's crown land.

booked man, thanks. I actually looked it all up right after making this thread. Kinrade responded and got me locked in for a weekend. mega excited for that.
flag billybilly
Posted: Apr 23, 2016 at 12:31 Quote
Both Banff and Jasper townsites are what you'ed expect. I would drive there, have a beer and leave. The key is to see the icefields parkway. There are a couple of campsites closer to the Icefield center which is what you'll want to see. There are a couple of smaller easy hikes in the area to get views beyond the Athabasca glacier. Also, although busy, I would check out Lake Louise and Moraine lake early in the am or in the evening. Iconic views of the Canadian rockies.

With regard to Glacier National Park, it is a good half hour drive from Revy and no biking in the vicinity. So you may think about making it a camping stopover. There is a sweet campground just below the Rogers Pass.

If you are going to retallack, have a look at the BC forest service website for Forest Recreation sites and campgrounds. For example, Bannock point is a sweet spot to camp and go for swim, on the way to nelson but not necessarily close to Retallack.
flag NMK187
Posted: Apr 25, 2016 at 15:56 Quote
Yep, fly to Calgary, go straight to Revelstoke via Banff (touristy and no biking). Spend 2 days in Revy. Then go to Vernon/Silverstar for 3 days. 2 days at Kamloops, then 4 days at Whistler, 2 days in Squamish, 1 day on the North Shore. And fly out of Vancouver.
Skip Fernie, Nelson, Kelowna IMO.
flag Sweatypants
FL
Posted: Jun 27, 2016 at 19:57 Quote
Thanks for the advice guys. Trip in 2 weeks. Hopefully I get some awesome riding and some awesome scenery in there. Looking like:

Fly to Calgary, Banff the next day, then Revelstoke, then Sun Peaks, then Silver Star, then a day of rest.

Retallack for 3 days, then Nelson, then Glacier, then back to Banff or Revelstoke depending on how sore I am, then Calgary and home.

Appreciate the advice. Based on schedule... cut out Kelowna, and I don't think I'm really going to ride Kamloops, maybe just sleep there and wake up to go to Sun Peaks.
flag bishoptechie
Posted: Oct 31, 2016 at 21:29 Quote
Hi, would love a trip report!
flag Sweatypants
FL
Posted: Nov 1, 2016 at 21:44 Quote
yo! let's see, i'll give you a rundown...

On the way there, Air Canada lost my bike. it ended up in NYC (didn't even have a connecting flight there). Was cool for the first two days because I planned on spending them hiking around Banff, but by day 3 I was in Revelstoke with no bike and getting pissed, and on day 4 I was on my way to Kamloops feeling slight disappointment. Banff is so amazing, i loved every second of it up there. Stayed in Golden so i was just outside of the park, but it was easy and relatively cheap to do. i really just liked being in the fresh air with that scenery and being able to relax with my thoughts by myself.

Revelstoke - i looked up some trails on Trail Forks just to see what the haps were. Drove up some logging road, saw a wolf chasing some guy's pickup truck. Pulled over where I saw hint of some trails and walked into the woods. A) Revelstoke is f*cking crazy haha. I walked into a black diamond with 10 foot drops and 5 foot high hip senders. Way gnarly compared to most things labelled black diamond on the east coast. would def be double black here. B) the mosquitos were INSANE there. really the only place in the whole trip where that was true actually, it was weird. i instantly got attacked viciously. went out and bought a bunch of OFF! spray after that.

Kamloops - wanted to ride the ranch, no bike though. i went to the ranch and walked around just to soak it in. saw kids on DH bikes riding all over the neighborhoods and shit. from a place where its rare to see another DH bike, was a cool sight. checked out the town and hung out. next day, bike showed up. went up to Sun Peaks. again... kinda overwhelmed at the level of BC riders. there were kids doing back flips on DH bikes and stuff. usually i'm a black diamond level rider. decided to do a blue as a warm up. it was steep and tech as shit, and SUPER MUDDY up there. locals were telling me it had been unusually rainy, AND that basically every trail at Sun Peaks is a level higher than at most other bike parks. i was seriously like "wtf did i just get myself into?" and was totally caught off guard. i kinda didn't get into the flow there, was muddy to the point of deep pudding and totally caked up tires, and just wasn't feeling it.

Vernon - spent the next few days there, that was cool. rode a few rad trails. rode Silver Star. I really liked Silver Star. i know it was kinda tame, especially compared to Sun Peaks, but it was nice long runs and for the most part nice trail conditions. cool little village too. met some nice dudes there.

Retallack Lodge - so damn awesome. everyone should do this if you're in BC. it rained a bunch, so some of it was super sloppy (a re-occuring theme here). my comfort level in mud is not that great. east coast in riding season, its either hot and dry, or it rains, then dries pretty quick and turns to hero dirt, and i try in the colder months to be considerate of the trails, so i don't do a lot of aggressive muddy riding. hell there was still snow up there to ride thru in a few places. i took it a little easier than i woulda originally liked, plus all the dudes in our group i'd say were all better than me, kinda intimidating. the lodge is super dope, food is amazing. the trails are godamn amazing, and its so nice to get shuttles all day. the owner Phil is the nicest dude ever, and Mike Kinrade was my group leader. Kinrade was super chill and encouraging. the heli trip to the top was an experience. the view is just nuts and its such a cool ride down. i ended up in a group of ALL industry people except me and 1 other guy. so there were guys from Race Face, Fox, Hit Case, SRAM, Evil Bikes, and Freeride Mag there with me. hung out with Paris Gore and those dudes, everyone was real chill. was cool to check out the Hoff Fest line in person, its ridiculous. i really want to go back, just an all around super awesome experience.

Nelson - spent the next few days here. took one day to just rest all day and do nothing, i was beat at this point between all the hiking and riding nonstop. to have such a small town full of so many bikers and trails is unreal, nothing like that over this way. rode some cool trails and hike-a-biked some and just took my time chillin.

Next day back to Golden, pretty much drove most of the day, took a cool ferry, chilled. Then i went back to Banff so i could drive up up Icefields Parkway and check some more of that out that i didn't get to the first time. hiked some glaciers and around a big lake. it was real chill. then Calgary the last day and back on home. Air Canada lost my bag on the way back home. I wanted to kick the claims dude's ass at that point standing in the airport at 11pm after this exhausting trip just wanting to get home.

So... here's what I learned:

- BC riders are eye opening! People there are serious man haha. I came back to DC like "man... i suck." haha. Not that i had any illusion of being super rad, but it was humbling being up there, but good
- Chinese tourists are obnoxious and suck real bad in Banff (which i was warned of by my Chinese friend ahead of time haha), on the flipside, if you go somewhere that requires even the SLIGHTEST effort away from the parking lot/buses, you lose 90% of all annoying tourists.
- Air Canada sucks dick
- I definitely need to research more trails before hand and go back. Need to do more heli trips even though its spendy. Golden looked like a truck stop to me, come to find out after my trip they have awesome trails. Need more time in Revelstoke too. Heli rides exist in both, that i didn't know before hand.
- Still gotta get to Kelowna as far as the interior
- I wanted to experience BC Interior, i think i did well. Definitely a ton of driving tho. i think i drove almost 2000 miles in 2 weeks. Next time, less places, more time at each place.
- Retallack Lodge really is so damn good. I'd recommend it to everyone.
- i'd do this trip again for sure, rearrange it a little to do less driving, hope for drier summer weather, not lose my bike
flag tvan5
O+ FL
Posted: Nov 7, 2016 at 11:10 Quote
Sounds like a fun trip dude! I live in BC, still want to get out to so many of those places you went to. If you come out here again, the Vancouver area is insane for riding. From chilliwack to whistler there are so many trails and mountains to ride its almost overwhelming. You can go from one mountain to the other in just 30 mins... Can do this all the way from chilliwack to whistler. Also, if youre in to it, northern BC has amazing riding, and very few tourists. Im from up north, if you have questions post here or message me!
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