You are also awarded great views of the Sunshine Coast and across to Vancouver Island. Click the link below to learn about each. Bikepacking the Lower Sunshine Coast trail. We enjoyed breakfast and coffee downtown while his bike got repaired. Be sure to join along on my mindful journey discovering the benefits of the outdoors, environmental awareness, sustainable lifestyle and mindfulness on social media. From Saltery Bay to Powell River is a 31km ride along the highway for those that want a fast route or choose from the links below to create some gravel grind or single track options. This long section of trail takes you around the North and west side of the lake. Thanks for taking the time to post your experience! Learn More, As important as it is to have a reliable bike and pack as light as you can, choosing the right route is perhaps the key to your enjoyment. Or you can stick to the north side of the river on the CVRD section of the Great Trail and zip the 25km fast into Duncan and then following the Great Trail route back to Nanaimo (Chemainus for me) to complete the loop. From there all you have to do is pedal 120km to Earls Cove where a bus can take you back to the ferry to Vancouver just in time for work. When things don't exactly go to plan you make the best of a bad situation which is pretty damn good if you're on the Sunshine Coast. (check-out his awesome tip to tip Vancouver Island bikepacking trip) Secondly, my experience with lightweight backpacking and endless hikes was a huge advantage. It wasn't the biggest ride of my life by any means, but it looked like the last chance of the year before the winter weather truly descended, and new restrictions came into effect, so I grabbed my bike and went out for an overnight bikepacking ride on the Sunshine Coast. Originally published in The Bikepacking Journal 03, Ditibised is Alexandera Houchin’s extraordinary story of training for the Tour Divide, framed in four seasons…. Elevation gain: 1336m. Bikepacking through South America Part 1 of 2 - Duration: 15:37. tip to tip Vancouver Island bikepacking trip, Nurturing Environmental Compassion – Kiixin Village Tour. The team at Bikepacking.com have also put together some great routes for this portion such as Bikepacking Lower Sunshine Coast and this new great one by my friend Natalie, Powell River Sampler. No more than 5 minutes after docking at Langdale, on the Sunshine Coast, this route leaves the pavement behind, and enters a lush green tunnel and a seemingly endless network of loamy mountain bike trails. Courtesy of bikepacking.com. Followed the Suncoaster Trail from Halfmoon Bay to Klein Lake and back. It is pretty amazing how much distance we can cover by just keeping those legs pedalling. thanks for your feedback and work on this route. Possibly one of the most immersive ways to experience and discover the west coast of British Columbia is by bikepacking. This section starts out hoping directly onto the Cowichan Valley (Great) Trail that passes through Chemainus and connect directly to Ladysmith. I’m glad you liked the trip report and my fun bikepacking. We chose to random camp to cover as much ground as possible in each day. share. Follow. If you avoid the climb above Sechelt and stick to the Sunshine Coaster you will be 100% fine with a gravel bike or rigid MTB. The final leg of the bikepacking Vancouver Island Sunshine Coast loop starts with a climb out of the Alberni Inlet and makes its way south to Bamfield. kootenay-miller pass. Next you follow the very busy Island Highway ducking off towards Cedar to enjoy the quieter less busy side roads. This thread is archived. Sort by. You can try the Sunshine Coaster trail or you may want to checkout the region on Trailforks > Southern Sunshine Coast and Northern Sunshine Coast . cyclingbaby ... @brodyleven and @anthmcollective on a 4-day loop bikepacking trip in Idaho. They rise steeply out of the Pacific as broken fjordlands on their western edge, lifting up to the globe's largest sub-polar icefields at their spine. Learn how your comment data is processed. I stuck with a light gear kit and for food we planned to do the “credit card” meal plan by stopping in each town. I did this so I could carry my phone and wallet as well as a few small items when on the fery rides or when leaving my bike locked up to go into grocery stores. For my route I began in Chemainus in the Cowichan Valley hoping right onto the Great Trail to start my ride. Submitted by Peter Fordham. https://bikepacking.com/routes/bikepacking-lower-sunshine-coast The ability of it to do several things well and not be pigeon holed into too specific of a riding niche has been awesome. Adventures; 9 views. The BC Ferries route schedules you will need to consider are;– Departure Bay (Nanaimo, Vancouver Island) to Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver)– Horseshoe Bay (Vancouver) to Langdale (Sunshine Coast)– Earls Cove to Saltery Bay (Sunshine Coast) *payment only require on Saltery Bay side– Powell River (Sunshine Coast) to Comox (Vancouver Island). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. A 51 km out and back from Parksville, BC to Englishman River Falls. We’re looking to do this route in a couple weeks but we will be on fully rigid bikes, likely not up for the north-south Lower sunshine coast trail. Read: The Sunshine Coast Trail: What You Need to Know Before You Go. July 1, 2020 As mentioned in my intro to this adventure , this was my first ever bikepacking trip; the first time I’d gone for a multiday adventure on a bike and the first time I’d used any of my bikepacking specific kit. Be prepared to stay overnight in a spot with extra food. (terminus of the famous West Coast Trail) This is a very busy and active logging road so ride safely and stay alert. The Coast Mountains bikepacking route traverses British Columbia's biggest, highest, and wildest mountain range. ~300km cycled and three ferries ridden by three lads exploring their own backyard. Start Here, Broadly speaking, there are three bikepacking genres to choose from – Multi-day Mountain Biking, Ultralight Race & Gravel, and Expedition & Dirt Touring. emanuelsmedbol . A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension. Use the hashtags #MindfulExplorer and #ExploreBeyondTheUsual so I can see how you are leading a mindful life and enjoying the outdoors. u/cwwmbm. Our morning was greeted with a steep pedal up the highway from the Langdale ferry terminal to Gibsons where we had breakfast. Simply put, bikepacking is the synthesis of mountain biking and minimalist camping; it evokes the freedom of multi-day backcountry hiking, with the range and thrill of riding a mountain bike. There is wildlife including bears along much of the route and weather conditions can change rapidly. We believe travel by bicycle encourages conservation and inspires respect for people and cultures. Special focus on wilderness backroads & camping. For us we did the route south to north as our starting point being that we rode from our homes was south Vancouver Island. What kind of tires do you run? Lulu. Read more here. This multi day bikepacking route takes you across 4 regions of the west coast of British Columbia. Less driving, can discover new places, easy to do for anyone and of course fun. Visit this section to learn how to choose a route, and some insight into navigation. BIKEPACKING.com LLC, its partners, associates, and contributors are in no way liable for personal injury, damage to personal property, or any other such situation that might happen to individual riders cycling or following this route. Rootdown looks good loaded with all that gear. https://www.scrd.ca/Suncoaster-Trail. 182. Wether you live in Vancouver on the mainland, on the Sunshine Coast or maybe somewhere on Vancouver Island you can just start at the closest point near you. I am sure the same would apply for rigid/gravel bike routes. This is where the roller coaster of climbs and descents of the Comox Logging road begins. Your posts are slowly convincing me that a steel hardtail is an ideal choice for those that want a bikepacking and mountain biking rig in one. Here is where I need to give a quick shout out to Comox Bike Company for their great short notice help to fix Vik’s bike and get us on our trip with very little delay. The ferry ride was a great break in riding and stunning views from the ferry as we crossed the water. At the far west end of the lake is a possible camping spot at Kissinger Rec site as well as the many spots on the north side of the river. For meeting friends and family, we were considering a clockwise loop. Any reason not to ride the opposite direction that you rode? Bikepacking: Off-Pavement Bicycling and camping where you would if you were to go backpacking … On Saturday April 30 th we took a traditional route to Sunshine Coast: bus to Horseshoe Bay and then a 40 min ferry to Langdale. A short easy section to start the trip with our night ending in Langdale. James May 687,447 views. Glad to help Jeff. 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