Great Parks North Advice

[bvp95]

-First time posting
My friend and I are riding the Great Parks North Route next July (2018) and are in the process of buying plane tickets. For those of you that have ridden this route, did you fly into and out of different airports on each end of the route? or did you fly into and out of the same airport? If so, what kind of transportation did you use to get back to your starting location?

Also, did you fly with your bike? or ship it separately?

Feel free to add any other advice you feel is important for this route!

[Iowagriz]

Haven't ridden it, but know the general areas.  Missoula, Kalispell and Calgary are all great airports.  I flew into Calgary and took the shuttle to Banff with my bike in a box without problems.  I think that the answer depends on how much of the route you plan to ride.  Flying into Calgary, shuttle to Banff and then riding south to Missoula (or visa versa) would place you into towns with plenty of bike shops and thus cardboard boxes to use on your return flight.  This assumes flying with cardboard box into the starting location.

If you are from the United States, I'd fly with my bike to Banff in a cardboard box.  Ride south to Missoula and then utilize Bikeflights.com to ship your bike home.  Shipping across country lines can get stuff tied up in customs, thus the need to fly with the bike into Calgary in my above scenario.

If you are doing a smaller loop, maybe Kalispell would be easy to fly in and out of.

[bvp95]

The original plan was to ride the route in its entirety, from Jasper to Missoula (either direction works), but thats not set in stone. I have also heard flying into Edmonton is an option, with a shuttle to Jasper. Do you have any experience/opinions with that option?

[indyfabz]

Ridden parts of it as recently as this year.

Some random opinions/thoughts assuming north to south:

The municipal campground at Sparwood was nice in 2009.

Pincher Creek is a sad little town

Water Village is a great place for a rest day. The towne campsite is in a dramatic setting. I recommend a reservation during the height of the season.

Don't underestimate the mileage from the Waterton area to St. Mary. Chief Mountain Highway has lots of tough ups and downs, and when you hit U.S. 89 you will probably have a headwind. On the left side of U.S. 89, near Babb, the Firehorse Café on Blackfoot land (assuming it's still there) served up a good burger.

Pie at the Park Café in St. Mary is excellent.

Sprague Creek Campground in Glacier has several hiker/biker sites, but be prepared to eat out as the camp store at the Lake McDonald lodge complex has a skimp grocery selection.

The new hiker/biker area at Wayfarers State Park in Bigfork are really nice and include pea gravel tent pads, a sheltered picnic table, water and charging station. The ranger there told me that even if all the sites are full, they won't turn away cyclists.

Get an early start heading south from Bigfork. Some early miles of MT 83 have no shoulder. I recommend the fish & chips at the Hungry Bear Restaurant on MT 83. About four miles before you get there there is a ranger station/visitor information area on the right. They will happily give you water if you are in need. You might even get a granola bar like I did back in June.

When you enter the business area of Seeley Lake, you will see the Seeley Lake Motor Lodge on the left. You can camp behind it, but I am not sure if the price includes a shower, and I think there is porta-pottie. I got a room because it was blazing hot this year and all the campgrounds close to town were full the Friday leading up to July 4th. The room was surprisingly nice. If you don't want to stay in town, Salmon Lake State Park further down MT 83 has the same hiker/biker amenities as Wayfarers in Bigfork.

There is a multi-mile stretch of shoulderless road south of Seeley Lake. I recommend an early start. At the junction of MT 83 and MT 200 there is a rest area across from the gas station/store that has water and restrooms. MT 200 is busy but has a large shoulder.

I agree with Iowa. Ride south and fly out of Missoula. REI, on the west end of town, will box your bike for $40. Just make arrangements with them ahead of time. You could have bikeflights pick it up from there. I have used this formula three times with great success. The REI is literally located around the corner from the Missoula KOA. Despite the campground's location, it's a pretty quiet place, and it's about 3 miles from the airport.

[zzzz]

Hi:

I rode the whole route, then in Missoula made a left and got on the transam  and rode down to denver. This was in 2013 so my experience is a little dated.

I shipped my bike to Jasper and flew into Calgary and got a 1-way rental and drove to Jasper. You can fly into Edmonton but when I was looking there were a lot more flights and they were cheaper and I could get a non-stop into Calgary. I have since flown into Calgary two more times to start trips in Banff and have used the shuttle to get to Banff and some of those same shuttles continue on to Jasper and if I was to do it again that's what I would do.

As I mentioned above, I shipped my bike up ahead of time to a bike shop and have done that on all 3 of my trips starting there. And as others have mentioned, if your bike is not with you it will be subject to customs fees, and I have reached a point that I will not do that again. The paperwork is ridiculous and the amount they charge is a black hole. It was US $126 2 years ago and US$24 last year. Next time I'll lose 1/2 a day and put the bike back together myself.

There's 2 holiday weekends in July, one national and one for BC, find a canadian calendar and stay away from them for the first 200 miles of your ride on the Icefields Parkway. The parkway may be the most beautiful continuous 200 miles in the world, and while there will always be traffic in the summer months, it should be somewhat better if you leave mid-week.

My GPN trip I left in September and the weather was perfect. Last year I rode from Banff to Fairbanks starting on July 29th and while on the Icefields Parkway I got hailed on going over Bow Pass and the temps dropped down to the low 40's. It sucks being that cold so bring a set of warm/waterproof clothes.

That whole trip sticks in my head as just being great. Yes, as per Infadybiz Pincher Creek is kind of a sad little town, but even there, on the way to it you will see the remains of the biggest rock slide you've ever seen and more windmills then you can imagine would be put in one place (Tehachapi excepted).

Going to the Sun Road in Glacier is closed to cyclists during the mid-day hours. You will want to be at the base of the climb (St. Marys) overnight and start going up as close to first light as you can get yourself out. The road quickly becomes nose to tail cars and if you can avoid that you will be glad you did. The sights as you get near the top of the pass are extraordinary.

I stayed in hotels for the entire trip and spacing of towns allows you to do that if you wish to avoid camping either entirely or on the occasional night.

Thats what I got, hope it helps.

pm

[bvp95]

Thanks for all the info guys. Much appreciated. Did everyone who has commented ride with panniers? I ride a lot, but have not done much touring, so I am debating whether to go for panniers or some sort of trailer (bob, burley...). I ride a raleigh merit, if that helps at all. 

[indyfabz]

Re: Going to the Sun, the advantage of going from St. Mary to W. Glacier is that you can ride up that side any time of day and descend the west slope up to Sprague Creek campground any time of day. Heading west, you cannot go beyond Sprague Creek campground between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. But you should definitely get a very early start to beat the height of traffic. Try to stay at Rising Sun if you can. You will only have about 2K' of climbing from their to Logan Pass.

I used panniers, but a trailer will work as well.

[DarrenBnYYC]

Thanks for all the info guys. Much appreciated. Did everyone who has commented ride with panniers? I ride a lot, but have not done much touring, so I am debating whether to go for panniers or some sort of trailer (bob, burley...). I ride a raleigh merit, if that helps at all.

I have toured the Icefields Parkway and much of the rest of the Canadian portion of the route, both with a trailer and panniers - lots of climbing and breath-taking descents. Regarding panniers vs. trailers, there is no "better" way to do it - it is a personal choice, but there are lots of discussion threads on various forums throughout the internet on this topic. For people that have tried both, panniers generally emerge as the top choice. I have found panniers to be more enjoyable, particularly on the big downhill runs in the mountains where a trailer just didn't feel stable at higher speeds. And generally speaking, racks and panniers are lighter than pulling an equivalent load in a trailer, meaning that the uphill climbs won't feel so difficult, either.

[bvp95]

Those of you that have done the ride, how long did you budget for the entire ride? Or if you haven't, how long would you budget? We've allowed three weeks, for the occasional day off, or day of hiking, etc. Any thoughts, opinions?

[jamawani]

BeeVee -

You don't give us much info to work with. Would you be flying in/out from a Canadian city, the U.S., abroad?
Where, exactly, will you be riding to/from - the entire ACA route?
You mention limited touring experience, but how strong of a cyclists are you and others?
Southbound or northbound?

I've ridden the Northern/Canadian Rockies many times - both east side and west.
There uses to be a forest road border crossing on the west side of Glacier NP that is now closed.
So, there are lots of options out there that you might combine.
Are you willing to do any dirt?

Starting point and ending point - -
Jasper has a delightful little train station with VIA Rail and bus service. Very convenient.
Missoula no longer has train service and buses in the U.S. can be from hell.
Missoula has limited air service - will require a couple of transfers.
That said, it is probably safer to ship your bike to a bike shop.
In 30 years, I've had airlines goof twice and Amtrak goof once.
I have never had a problem shipping.
(And with airline fees - shipping is probably cheaper.)

Panniers and trailers each have their advocates - neither option is cheap.
But panniers are easier to ship - airlines will nick you for the trailer.
Airlines have hefty bike and excess baggage fees - and will count each pannier.
Some people use a cheap sports bag, I use a box to combine all things.
(The compression straps I use for my gear - I use thru the box corners as handles.)
Amtrak/VIA have much broader/cheaper baggage allowances.
I have always toured with panniers.

One reason is because I do dirt segments - maybe 10%-15% dirt.
That allows me many more route options.

As for the route -
South of Glacier NP, the east side (US 89) is more scenic and has less traffic than the west side (MT 83).
Going to the Sun has fewer bike closures westbound, but is also more scenic - the the morning sun illuminating the peaks.
Since you can't cross the border on the west side, you need to go via Waterton NP.
I find Hwy 95 from near Fernie to Radium rather meh. More traffic and medium scenery.
There are two options - eastside, Hwy 22 from Lundbreck to Longview, then Highwood Road to Kananaskis
Or BC 43 north from Sparwood to Elk Lakes and over Elk Pass on dirt telephone road to Kananaskis.
(Kananaskis is spectacular - the preferred playground for folks from Calgary.)
For both options you can take the paved highway into Canmore -
Or you can take the unpaved but good quality Spray Lakes Road!!
You can hit the finest parts of Kootenay NP and Yoho NP by cutting over the passes from Banff.

Three weeks minimum - esp. if you include travel time.
I would allow for an extra day at the end of the trip in case of bad weather, mech troubles.
That way you are not jonesing at the end of your ride trying to get there.

And, yes, hiking is a great part of this trip.
You should seriously consider a side trip to Many Glacier area in Glacier NP - fine hiking.
The Canadian national parks have old fire roads where bikes are permitted.
(These make the dirt roads I have mentioned look like picnics, but they are worth it.)
You can ride deep into the parks and camp in spectacular locations.

If you are flexible on the route, I would be glad to make a few suggestions.

Journal of much longer trip -
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/wna2005/
Start on Day 52

Photo - Going to the Sun Road, Westbound
 






 

[bvp95]

jamawani- sorry, I'll give you some more info to help.

We're flying from Virginia (Probably DC or a NC hub-cheaper airfare) into Calgary, AB to ride southbound. Yes, limited touring, but I consider us pretty strong cyclists. We're college students, so trying not to splurge on $$. There didn't seem to be a straight forward or cheap way to get to Jasper from Alberta (correct if you know something I don't), so I think we're going to bike from Calgary through Canmore and Banff to Castle Junction to intersect the route (can always change, not set in stone). We want to see the Lakes in that area, so we might go North to Peyto or Chephren Lake, and then head southbound to Missoula.

As far as dirt, we will be using Road bikes (my tires are 700x28) so maybe not terrible, but not ideal).
We're definitely flexible on the route, so suggestions are appreciated. We want the most scenic route possible.

[jamawani]

Well, Canada is pricey - even with the current good exchange rate (1US$ = $1.25Cdn) - which may change.
The Canadian National Park daily fees and campground fees add up quickly.
But there are few places quite so stunningly beautiful.

Time of year is important. June is too early - still can snow, cold rain, facilities may not be open yet.
Early July is the bestest time - although I have usually been touring in late July/August.
The wildflowers are at their peak in early July. Of course, so are the tourists.

I must beg to disagree, if you are going to do this, you really should start in Jasper.
The Icefields Parkway is the creme de la creme.
(Have you bought tickets yet??)
Also, northbound allows you a little more leeway for summer to take hold.
Plus, you generally are riding with the sun behind you - not in your eyes.

If you end (or start) in Jasper, you could fly via Edmonton and use the train or bus to connect.
There is an excellent bike shop downtown in Jasper - Jasper is way more laid back than Banff.

Three-point airfare tends to be pretty expensive.
Most Montana cities have links to Seattle, Denver, and Salt Lake - a couple to Minneapolis.

Don't know if you will have the time for Amtrak or VIA Rail - but it is cheaper and easier to ship.
I would guess that you would need 3 days out and 4 days back on the train.
Another option is to fly into Minneapolis - round-trip.
Then take the overnight Empire Builder train to Glacier NP.
From Jasper, you could take the Canadian to Winnipeg and bus to MSP.
You would need to ship you bikes via bike shops doing the above.

Time is money - or so they say.
And because I have spend so much of my life touring I have more of the former and not much of the latter.
One of the biggest challenges in touring is getting started - less so, getting finished.
If you only have a limited amount of time, then you don't want to waste days getting there.
And if you have gobs of moolah, you can just rent a private jet. Hah!

Shippers have business rates and delivery guarantees that make bike shop to bike shop a good option.
You don't have to worry about schlepping your bike thru airports - and I think they are more careful.
(I once had a bike arrive at the beginning of a tour with a bend front fork.)
I usually allow a week for the bike to be delivered to the starting point - with leeway.
Sending it back, you can ship directly home.

So then, the only limitation is getting to endpoints with bike shops or other possible delivery locations.
(Plus you are crossing an international border on one of the legs - which adds complications.)
For all those reasons, I would suggest starting in Montana and returning from Canada.
If you bike is delayed a week by customs coming back - no big deal.

So, you can start just about anywhere in Montana and ride all the way to Jasper.
(There's an early morning bus to Edmonton - better >> VIA 4 days per week in the evening.)

You REALLY want to do the Icefields - that and Going to the Sun Road in Glacier NP.

[DarrenBnYYC]

I agree that you should try to start in Jasper - the Icefields Parkway and the Bow Valley Parkway are two of the most spectacular stretches of the entire route.

A few years ago, a buddy and me found a one-way car rental cheap ($68) to get from Calgary to Jasper. We just loaded up the bikes, dropped off the car, and biked home to Calgary. If you are flying into Calgary, that could be an option for you. It would also save you the hassle of getting from Calgary to Banff (we have terrible bikeways from the airport to the west side of the city, and some of the highway route between Calgary and Banff is less than pleasant.

If getting to Banff doesn't bother you, there are also bus shuttles to Jasper that allow you to bring your bike with you. That's another option that would be well worth the extra cost and travel time, IMO.

[bvp95]

Thanks guys, Great tips. These are the things I want to know. We should probably start/end in Jasper then!  We have not bought tickets yet, so options are still there. We are riding late July-Early August. Flying into Edmonton is a little more pricey, but seems easier with the shuttle from Jasper.

[big blue cat]

My buds & I rode from Edmonton to Kalispell in 2011. I put my bike on the plane,
big mistake. I haven't had the best luck with traveling with my bike on the airlines. My main complaint
was we're delayed 24 hrs. I can tell you several sad stories but i won't bore you. I would ship BikeFlights, i've had no problems there.

We rode from Edmonton to Jasper. Gradual incline with headwinds.Once in Jasper
we got on the Iceberg Parkway. Very scenic, tuff, ride. My account isn't much different from what you
read however, have a plan B for where you camp. Some campgrounds were closed due to
bears. There were a few days we had to ride much further than we wanted to to find a campground
or hotel. I saw more bears crossing the road and along side the road then i see deer in my home state (Ky)

Can't remember the Hwy. No. but from Eureka to Whitefish that road had lots of traffic
& no shoulders that i can remember.

We had great weather, little cool in the mornings but warmed up quick.
Have a good ride
Scott