[Speedie.Dee]

I am planning a trip to BC in June, arrival scheduled for Kamloops on June 16 and ride around Kamloops, Whistler, Vancouver, Kelowna and then head east to home. Thanks to your ride reports, I have added some great roads.

I'm just wondering about the weather if this is a good time?

Alternatively, I can start in Kelowna and work my way west and north instead if that is better weather-wise.

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Darren

 

[the bartender]

June in this province varies greatly, and mtn roads wont necessarily be clean of winter gravel. So it will all depend on the spring we've had, and where in the province you are talking.

 

[Speedie.Dee]

Here is our draft routes. Would be in Kamloops on June 16 and head counterclockwise.

 

[SnoDragon]

not to poopoo on your route choices, but mid-june would not be the chosen time for that stuff, especially in the mountain passes. Hopefully you get lucky with weather, but mid-july and august would be my chosen times to do these loops.

 

[doser]

Here is our draft routes. Would be in Kamloops on June 16 and head counterclockwise.
View attachment 146126

you've highlighted every route in southern BC, including some major gravel sections. so, what are you planning to ride, exactly...

to sum up what others have said:
1. June is a highly variable month in BC, warm, but often wet; but sometimes sunny and blazingly hot. welcome to the lottery...
2. high passes can still carry dirty / sandy surfaces after the winter.
3. ... but many of the coloured routes on your map follow river valleys, at relatively low elevation, and will be just fine.
4. if conditions and weather are good, the best routes in your 'region' are the Duffey Lake Rd between Lillooet and Pemberton, and Hwy 6 east of Vernon to the Faquier ferry. both are high elevation. good luck...

 

[syncro]

I am planning a trip to BC in June, arrival scheduled for Kamloops on June 16 and ride around Kamloops, Whistler, Vancouver, Kelowna and then head east to home. Thanks to your ride reports, I have added some great roads.

I'm just wondering about the weather if this is a good time?

Alternatively, I can start in Kelowna and work my way west and north instead if that is better weather-wise.

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Darren

Are you riding to Kamloops/Kelowna or ??? Where are you coming from? What are you riding? What type of rider are you? How many days do you have? These are all important things to know if you want help with route planning. I'm also asking about Kamloops/Kelowna as those seem like weird places to start a trip unless you live there. If you're coming from somewhere east of BC then I'd suggest starting your ride east of there as well and heading west through the southern portion of the province and then head north and back east. As other have said this could give some of the northern routes more time to warm up and clear/clean up as well.

 

[kerunt]

Trying to predict the weather half a year in advance is a pointless endeavour. If you want the highest chances of dry weather, aim for mid August. But you may also catch the worst of a forest fire season.

 

[oldgixxer]

June would be ideal if weather cooperates. Not as hot, less traffic, less tourists. Some of my best trips have been in June except for a few years back and the worst mosquito season ever in the central/northern interior. Sadly, I had planned on camping with all my new gear and was too stubborn to get a motel.

Kerunt makes a good point about fire season. Can be bad in the Okanagan and southern interior in July and Aug. I was on evacuation alert for 2, 3 weeks last summer.

Travelling may still be an issue then with the covid situation. I wouldn't be making any hard/fast plans.

 

[Speedie.Dee]

I'm coming from Ontario so hitting some good roads in Alberta as well. Just riding the most direct way on highways through Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

I have a sportbike but used to riding 500 to 800 km per day. The others in our group have Goldwings and sport touring bikes.

We have scheduled 22 days in total - with about eight days in BC.

Darren

Are you riding to Kamloops/Kelowna or ??? Where are you coming from? What are you riding? What type of rider are you? How many days do you have? These are all important things to know if you want help with route planning. I'm also asking about Kamloops/Kelowna as those seem like weird places to start a trip unless you live there. If you're coming from somewhere east of BC then I'd suggest starting your ride east of there as well and heading west through the southern portion of the province and then head north and back east. As other have said this could give some of the northern routes more time to warm up and clear/clean up as well.

 

[Speedie.Dee]

Which gravel sections? Trying to avoid gravel as much as possible.

Darren

you've highlighted every route in southern BC, including some major gravel sections. so, what are you planning to ride, exactly...

to sum up what others have said:
1. June is a highly variable month in BC, warm, but often wet; but sometimes sunny and blazingly hot. welcome to the lottery...
2. high passes can still carry dirty / sandy surfaces after the winter.
3. ... but many of the coloured routes on your map follow river valleys, at relatively low elevation, and will be just fine.
4. if conditions and weather are good, the best routes in your 'region' are the Duffey Lake Rd between Lillooet and Pemberton, and Hwy 6 east of Vernon to the Faquier ferry. both are high elevation. good luck...

 

[syncro]

I'm coming from Ontario so hitting some good roads in Alberta as well. Just riding the most direct way on highways through Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

I have a sportbike but used to riding 500 to 800 km per day. The others in our group have Goldwings and sport touring bikes.

We have scheduled 22 days in total - with about eight days in BC.

Darren

There are good roads in Alberta?

I'd suggest coming in from the south via Lethbridge and then basically following the 3 all the way to Hope and then heading up to Cache Creek and coming into Vancouver via the Duffey/S2S. That's the blue line. There are plenty of options along the way to stop for an overnight depending on how big of a day you want to do and any other activities you might want to take in. Then when you get to Van if you want you could spend a day here or do a jaunt over to the Island.

For the return trip on the orange line you could go back up the S2S, come down into the Okanagan (Kelowna), head through the Kootenays (Nelson) to Revelstoke and then through Banff on your way to Calgary. You'll only double up on a few stretches which is in no means bad as it's good riding and again you have tons of options for places to stay overnight as well as to stop and do touristy stuff if you're so inclined. The weather and road conditions may be a bit of a gamble, but it really depends on the pace you'll be riding whether that will be a factor. I'll guess that with guys on Goldwings your groups pace will be different that what most of the others here would be riding at which of course affects the recommendations.

This loop could easily fill 8 days of riding, 3 days for the blue line and 4-5 days for the orange line.

 

[syncro]

Trying to predict the weather half a year in advance is a pointless endeavour. If you want the highest chances of dry weather, aim for mid August. But you may also catch the worst of a forest fire season.

So in other words don't bother riding at all.

 

[Steve G.]

I am planning a trip to BC in June, arrival scheduled for Kamloops on June 16 and ride around Kamloops, Whistler, Vancouver, Kelowna and then head east to home. Thanks to your ride reports, I have added some great roads.

I'm just wondering about the weather if this is a good time?

Alternatively, I can start in Kelowna and work my way west and north instead if that is better weather-wise.

Suggestions?

Thanks,
Darren

There is some good advice above,,,,,no need retracing your path, you have a couple options.

Weather wise, you've just got to go for it. The most stable weather will be the entire Okanagan valley from Osoyoos north to Vernon, should be decent, probably the best weather in Canada, semi desert. The best riding, IMO is in the West Kootenays, towns with the names,,,Lumby, Nakusp, Kaslo, New Denver, Ainsworth, Nelson. Best street riding in Canada probably . The mtn passes may be a coin toss, as winter hangs around for the odd visit through June. Heck, I've gotten caught in snow mid July from Hope to Merritt on the Coq. Approaching Metro Vancouver, Hwy 1 is a gong show cluster fuck during the weekends, so when coming into Hope, westbound, get off Hwy #1 for #7, just nicer and scenic if unchallenging. And be aware, Van City to Whistler after 11 am you'll be joining the escape throng, mass of idiots, mass of cops, mass of crashes and traffic stop.

 

[syncro]

Yeah the extra lap of the S2S/Duffey coming into Vancouver is totally optional, but as any good rider worth his salt knows, riding the same route a second time but in the opposite direction is a different experience.

If you think you'll be tight on time chopping that part of the blue route off is an easy way to gain an extra day if you wanted to spend a day in Whistler for example. If that was the case, I would be inclined to overnight in Manning Park or Hope and then the next day ride all the way to Whistler. That would give you the option of riding from Whistler all the way to Oliver or possibly even Kelowna the next day. I think it's worth spending some time with some maps to figure out travel distances/times to get a sense of how far you're willing to travel in a day and plan your stops accordingly.

 

[doser]

Speedie.Dee, see if you can find a copy of the Destination Highways BC map. The book is rather old and dated, and despite having useful information, is very expensive. On the other hand, the accompanying map is GOLD. Simple and effective... but also long out of print... Maybe a library?

PS syncro's map is a good set of suggestions!

 

[doser]

further to the above, in Alberta, the most spectacular riding imaginable is to take the Icefields Parkway south from Jasper to Lake Louise / Banff. southbound is way superior to northbound, cuz you face more glaciers. it's all about the scenery - this is a National Park, so you won't be riding at sport speeds! and there are tons of interesting side stops for waterfalls, etc.

getting there would require riding hwy 5 north from Kamloops, which is quite pleasant.

aside from that, 1A the Bow Valley Trail between Cochrane and Canmore is far more interesting than sticking to the main highway.

and 40/541 thru Peter Lougheed Provincial park is pretty special too.

but the flatlands of AB are generally not famed for their riding quality!

 

[syncro]

further to the above, in Alberta, the most spectacular riding imaginable is to take the Icefields Parkway south from Jasper to Lake Louise / Banff. southbound is way superior to northbound, cuz you face more glaciers. it's all about the scenery - this is a National Park, so you won't be riding at sport speeds! and there are tons of interesting side stops for waterfalls, etc.

getting there would require riding hwy 5 north from Kamloops, which is quite pleasant.

I thought about that when considering a route suggestion, but of course it comes down to either some really good riding (and good scenery too) through the Kootenays or going north for the more scenic route. It's a tough call as each option has it's own benefits.

 

[bacchus40]

all joking aside, i tend to agree with others.. June is/ can be sketchy. Last few years it has leaned
toward rainy weather which is awesome as it keeps the summer fires at bay a little longer but
if you're planning on riding.. Let me put it this way, last year we purchased 6 months insurance in
April.. Summer? it was a July/August affair. Every single weekend and most mid week leading
up to then it was a complete hog-wash.. Absolute waste of money for us all.. Parked the bikes.