Field to Vancouver route options?

[sharronsuss]

Hi - I'm planning to ride my Bike Friday from Field to Vancouver this summer, after a tour of the Burgess Shale with a few other senior citizens from my San Diego paleontology group.  Most of them will be driving RVs to Field, but I am flying into Calgary and think I can get from there to Field without too much trouble. (I've got three days for that part.)

The last time I rode in this area (1986) there was no Internet and no Trans-Canada Trail, and my route at that point was back into the US through Cranbrook into Idaho at Bonner's Ferry.  I haven't ridden in BC west of Cranbrook.  From what I can tell in preliminary investigation, the TCT is still just a dashed line east of Kelowna, so my biggest issue is how best to get from Field down to Kelowna. 

I've allowed about three weeks to cover the distance and I'm not out to bag passes.  Quiet roads with shoulders and enough towns for motel stops would be ideal.  I was hoping not to carry full camping gear, but I guess I could.

Any advice/suggestions?

Thanks,
Sharron Sussman
Julian California

[geegee]

My recommendation would be to stick to Hwy 1 to Hope and then Hwy 7 into Vancouver. I rode the length of the Kettle Valley Railway (which is part of the TransCanada Trail) and it would be murder on a Bike Friday (I own one but took a Trek 520, which had a hard enough time). The TCT is barely doable on a mountain bike in some sections.

Hwy 1 (the TransCanada Highway) is a bit busy up to Kamloops but has decent shoulders. The ride over Rogers Pass is beautiful and if you want a break, Canyon Hot Springs has whitewater rafting and hot pools to soak in. West of Kamloops though Cache Creek it is much quieter and quite scenic. I rode this back in 2003 heading east, though. You'll get headwinds, but on the plus side you're heading mostly downhill.

[sharronsuss]

Thanks, Geeg!  That's exactly the kind of information I needed. 

The roads may have changed some since 1986, but I guess the headwinds haven't.  I remember that it took me eight days to get across Saskatchewan, with only one tailwind day that blew me right over the line into an Alberta thunderstorm...

Sharron

[rvklassen]

Don't know if it's too late, but there's a journal on crazyguyonabike in the tandem section entitled something like Cross Canada.

They have it all mapped out.