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Vancouver to Athabasca, AB best route?

5K views 39 replies 10 participants last post by  David Morrow 
#1 ·
Hi,

I need to go to Athabasca around the 10th of June, could someone offer the best/safest route? Also will the route be ride-able during mid-ish June...?
I haven't planned anything yet as I have no clue what the weather conditions will be up there during June, I'd like to go through the Icefields Pkwy if at all possible.

Any tips are more than welcome.

PS The longest trip I've done so far is 100km one way, know this will be a big jump but I'm pretty confident about the distance, will most likely be taking a break every 500km or so. Also hoping this forum ain't dead and gone lol
 
#2 ·
Athabaska AB? Like, north of Edmonton?
How many days do you have? And are you trying to get there fast and direct, or do you want to wander on interesting riding roads?
 
#3 ·
Yep it's north of Edmonton and I'm trying to make it there in a single day(work). Then will spend a few days exploring around.

I did find a route tho, lemme know your thoughts about it: Cache Creek to Kamloops to Edmonton (passing Jasper) and then Athabasca. I think this is the route with the widest roads.
Any clue about the usual road conditions up there around that time of the year?
 
#6 · (Edited)
The motorcycle that I have is not the most comfortable one I've had, it's a Ninja 400 but it'll do. And yeah 1300km is a really really long day of riding I totally agree with you on that. It just allows me max 2 hours worth of break time if I start at 6am. And as far as sitting on it for 500km at a stretch goes, I think I'll be able to manage that.

I also agree the ride will be more enjoyable if I stop at Kamloops for a night and then continue on. I'll try to find some airbnbs. The only dilemma I have is I need to be in Athabasca by 9am on the 9th. Now that is a really narrow window. If I stop at Kamloops(on the 8th), there's no way I'll make it to Athabasca by 9am, so I'll have to stop at Edmonton(I'll start the trip on the 7th then, and get to Edmonton by 8th) or book an airbnb in Athabasca for one day till my accommodation officially starts.

Also If I drag it out to Edmonton then Athabasca is just another 146 more kilometers...

What'd you guy suggest?
 
#7 ·
harry, kerunt and squisher have nailed it. I ride a LOT, and I've very seldom done a 1300km day - in fact, maybe twice in my life! 650, on the other hand, is 'comfy'. 2 days; leave really early the first day, like say 3 am or 4am - you'll be in Kamloops for breakfast! riding in the dark is no fun, but it's no issue on hwy 1 and/or the Coquihalla, it'll just be colder than during the day. then you get the ride north up Hwy 5 from Kamloops, which is really pleasant. Jasper maybe 9 hrs from Vanc. mid-afternoon. then the riding gets to be a real drone, so don't push it and fall asleep and kill yourself. you might get to Edmonton, but you could stop in Edson or somewhere too. whatever, this seems like a 'big ask', so think about re-jigging your schedule... isn't riding supposed to be a pleasure?
 
#8 · (Edited)
You got me there, I'll admit initially I planned on taking my motorcycle up there because "it'll be fun", idk when I turned it into a mission.

Here's the revised version :D
Van to Blue River, BC(641km) and then the next morning to Edmonton(577km) and then the subsequent morning to Athabasca(146km).

1) I'll start the ride on 7th morning, making stops at Hope, Cache Creek, Kamloops and Clear Water. Should easily make it by the evening even with all those stops.

2) For the next leg, starting on 8th morning will make stops at Jasper and Edson (if there is a place worth stopping do let me know).

3) As for the final part, start 9th morning, will be in Athabasca in under/around 2 hours.

How is this sounding?
Thanks again everyone
 
#10 ·
June can still be quite cold through the Rockies and for sure into Alberta.
I would stay South as long as possible by riding Hwy 3 day one for ten hours or so to Creston or Cranbrook, then day two head north on Hwy 93 for ten hours or so to Athabasca.
 
#12 ·
@Smoke The second day that you mentioned, If I take Hw 93 up from Cranbrook to Athabasca, you were referring to going through Jasper? Also would you recommend turning onto Hw 11 from Saskatchewan River Crossing(Then take Hw 22 up till I meet Hw 16 again)?

@bandito I wasn't planning on doing icefields pkwy, but if I go up from Cranbrook I'll have to take it (trying to avoid snow if at all possible, unless, I should go through Calgary?).

I'm pretty confused at this point feels like I'm back to square one, any help is appreciated. Thanks again guys
 
#15 ·
@Smoke The second day that you mentioned, If I take Hw 93 up from Cranbrook to Athabasca, you were referring to going through Jasper? Also would you recommend turning onto Hw 11 from Saskatchewan River Crossing(Then take Hw 22 up till I meet Hw 16 again)?
Day two you'll know how you feel after day one, what the weather is like, and if you're making good time to Banff.
If you're sick of all the mountains and trees by now head to the flatlands, or stick on through the scenery to Jasper if you have the time.
 
#13 ·
FYI, New West to Kamloops is a 3hr drive/ride. Pretty short for a full-day trip. You can easily go double (or triple) the distance first day.

If you plan to find yourself in the area of Golden, double check road conditions/status. I've read some reports that the main highway leading into Golden will soon be completely closed (with no bypass) for expansion.
 
#16 ·
harry, you have the right plan in your post #8. stick with it! google maps shows Vancouver to Kamloops to Edmonton via the Coquihalla as 1160 kms 12 1/2 hrs. going thru the Canyon ( i.e., Hope north thru Cache Creek ) is more interesting and lower elevation, therefore warmer, and increases the distance to 1235 kms, plus adds 1 hour. riding Hwy 3 east to Cranbrook, while much more enjoyable, is totally counterintuitive - even if you then carried on directly east into AB, you be faced with 500kms of utterly tedious droning north to Edmonton, and the overall distance turns into 1560 kms and 17 1/2 hrs. as for adding the Icefields Hwy into the mix, that turns the Vcr to Edmonton distance and time into 1600 kms 18 1/2 hrs if you head east from Saskatchewan River Crossing, or 1700 kms 20 hrs if you carried on north thru Jasper. with your previous experience limited to 100 kms max, the easiest, shortest route is going to be a plenty big enough challenge for you. there's plenty of time to come for future rides in more interesting locales.
 
#17 ·
p.s. Blue River is really small. if you can endure another 90 kms, Valemount is a quite pleasant little town. I've stayed at the Yellowhead Motel twice - cheap, super clean, friendly - had good chats with the guy who runs it, actually... the town is not exactly a diner's delight, but there are reasonable options. everything is within walking distance.

good luck!
 
#19 ·
harry, again, dead on re: rainfall. June is warm, but the weather is actually more unsettled than May. Scott makes really good, not overly expensive motorcycling raingear - the Scott Ergonomic Pro jacket and pants: Scott Motorsports & Snowmobile Gear | FortNine Canada I've got the pants and they're brilliant. Burnaby Kawasaki sell them as do Modern Motorcycling - not sure elsewhere... or take work wear...
 
#21 · (Edited)
That was the first thing I considered, however I need to commute daily while I'm there. Can't do that on foot, no public transport or rental available(even the airport is just Edmonton). If I were going for for a few days I would've just ran everywhere lol but the days are too much for a rental from Edmonton/walking and not so many or the commute distance so great that I need to take my own car.
The setting was perfect for a motorcycle, only problem how to get there(PS I also wanted to take a memorable ride).
 
#22 ·
With decent weather, the ride to Edmonton in a day is not a big deal. You are on 4 lanes all the way to Kamloops so that's fast and easy. Kamloops to Jasper should have reasonably light traffic and you can still make decent time. (Blue River does have some nice, clean, reasonably priced motels.) Then Jasper to Edmonton is flat, straight, and boring. I've never been to Athabasca but the map looks like an easy run from Edmonton. I spent the night in Hinton not too many years ago and there are some decent hotels; Edson should be the same.

Before you hit Edmonton, go north on Hwy 22 just east of Wildwood or Hwy 43; you will save a bit of grief with Edmonton city traffic.

Don't let long days scare you. Every touring rider should try at least one 1000 mile / 1600 km day; just to see if they are capable and how they make out. I would suggest doing that on the way home though. No motel issues. You never know where and when you may be when an emergency requires you to make a run for home. I've done Winnipeg to Vancouver in a day (1485 miles) ; last year I did Brandon, MB to Kamloops.

The big thing with long days is knowing what's expected of you that day. If you are good with spreadsheets, make up a mileage / time plan so you know if you are on time for your day's end point. Don't mess around with sit down meals and coffee stops. If you have to ride in the dark, do that in the morning when you are fresh, not at the end of the day when you're tired. And, be sure to make a motel reservation before you leave. Getting stuck on the curb after dark really sucks. BTDT.
 
#23 ·
^^^ David, welcome back. I haven't seen a post from you for a long time, but I always used to appreciate your suggestions on how to travel distances enjoyably and effortlessly, not to mention alternate routes... (y)
 
#24 · (Edited)
Thank you Doser. It just got too busy here and we all have other stuff that takes us away. Interestingly though, with that time comes age and bikes that get a little heavier each year. Last May 1 I rode my 2003 FJR down to Birmingham, Alabama and the Barber Motorsports Park museum. I handed them my keys and all of my riding gear. I put about 300,000 Km's on that bike and now it will be part of their collection. A place that every motorcycle rider should aspire to ride to.

I bought a new FJR but was in need of a project and perhaps a lighter bike so I found a 2015 CBR1000RR with 5,200 Km's on it. That is going to be my new regional touring bike. Not likely to take it to Newfoundland but certainly down to California, Arizona, etc when the world opens up again. I've been converting it to touring duty and that's been fun. Certainly the purists will have fits. Ever see a CBR with FJR bags on it ?

Apologies for the hijack. And now back to your previously scheduled topic...

145973
 
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#33 · (Edited)
Last May 1 I rode my 2003 FJR down to Birmingham, Alabama and the Barber Motorsports Park museum. A place that every motorcycle rider should aspire to ride to.

I bought a new FJR but was in need of a project and perhaps a lighter bike so I found a 2015 CBR1000RR with 5,200 Km's on it. That is going to be my new regional touring bike. Not likely to take it to Newfoundland but certainly down to California, Arizona, etc when the world opens up again. I've been converting it to touring duty and that's been fun. Certainly the purists will have fits. Ever see a CBR with FJR bags on it ?

Apologies for the hijack. And now back to your previously scheduled topic...

View attachment 145973
the BarTender was reminding me today that two years ago we were eating breakfast in Alabama! and yup, Barber is totally astonishing!

I think that luggage looks great, and the bike will certainly be excitingly quick! I love hard luggage - secure, weatherproof, easy in and outa motels... RubHerDown has run CBR1000RRs as his touring machines for years, of course, and I've done a 1200 km day with him, without peril! Gonna raise the bars, or stay stock?
 
#25 ·
One more thought. Remember that when you are east bound, you are going to loose a time zone so you will loose some daylight if you run all the way to Edmonton. Mitigating that though is that you will end up further north and the sun sets later this time of year as you go north. The net loss is about 35 minutes of daylight.

Sunrise and sunset times in Edmonton
 
#26 ·
Great info. 300,000 on a fjr, wow!

On your cbr project have you had any concerns over the exhaust possibly melting the case at all? I have a fz1 with the factory touring kit which consists mainly of the fjr saddlebags. It has just factory exhaust and there is a metal heatshield under the case on that side. I have been hoping to sort a aftermarket exhaust for it but have read of people melting givi bags and whatnot with aftermarket exhaust/bag setups.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Great info. 300,000 on a fjr, wow!

On your cbr project have you had any concerns over the exhaust possibly melting the case at all? I have a fz1 with the factory touring kit which consists mainly of the fjr saddlebags. It has just factory exhaust and there is a metal heatshield under the case on that side. I have been hoping to sort a aftermarket exhaust for it but have read of people melting givi bags and whatnot with aftermarket exhaust/bag setups.
I know that bike and I was always surprised that the touring edition wasn't more popular. Great looking bike.

When I started looking for a CBR, I found that there were a number of years where the factory pipes were quite short. I like that generally but I thought also necessary to more easily mount bikes without interference. And when I bought the bike, it had an aftermarket pipe which was also a shorty. And looking at it now, it's not blowing exhaust directly at the bag but is fairly close. I just fired it up and held my hand where the exhaust hits the bag. Warm but no way uncomfortable so not likely to be an issue but I will monitor it.

I have not had the CBR out on the road with the bags on yet; still waiting for a wiring harness after a previous owner butchered the wiring putting on a Tidy Tail sort of arrangement. Once that's done, I'll get it insured and go for a ride. Good tip though so I will monitor the heat. I could make up a heat shield easily enough though. Maybe I'll do that while I'm waiting.
 
#28 ·
If you know the gen2 fz1 then you know my pain regarding fuel range. Curious with the big km days you do if you have any inventive/preferred ways of carrying extra fuel?

I only moved to this fz1 this year, from a f4i. But with about 1100km on it so far I am unimpressed with its fuel range. 18l tank and I am still feeling it out, I regularly can get 15l on a fuel up now. On the f4i I'd taken to using a 1l sig fuel bottle I mounted up by the license plate for a just in case I need it solution. But I am always looking around for solutions/ideas. When we do our little tours with friends I'm the one who's always needing to stop it seems.

I will be curious to hear how the cbr works out for you for touring. Although I gather from reading your posts 'touring' means different things to you and I. 500-600km is a big day for me. Honestly, very comfortable day for me and I could push a lot further for certain but most of my trips are with my wife and she found 500km's a good push on her ninja300. This year she's on a 400 and so I'm hopeful that she'll find it a little easier to put on the km.
 
#29 ·
I mounted an auxiliary tank on the 2003 FJR ( I now have a 2016 FJR as well ). Fairly easy job to mount and plumb in but did require drilling a hole in the bottom of the main tank - not for the faint of heart. It was on there for pretty much the entire time that I owned the bike and never gave me any problems. On the main tank I would get about 450 Km's and the auxiliary tank would bring that up to a bit under 700 km's. I had a quick look at my Iron Butt Ride logs and the longest I rode non-stop was 519 Km'; IIRC the IBA has a 500 km limit between fillups. I also mounted one on my girlfriends 2004 VFR. When your fuel gets low, just lean back and flip open the petcock. It takes about 15-20 minutes to back fill the main tank.

I have a couple of aux tanks kicking around here and would be happy to give you one and help you mount it if you like. They hold about 20 liters. You would just need to buy a Pingel petcock, some gas line tubing, and the bulkhead fitting for your main tank. Possibly a filler cap. All easy stuff to get.

Here's a pic. Notice that the profile sort of matches the FJR bags :
145975
 
#30 ·
Wow. That's a very generous offer. I am in the north okanagan just outside of Vernon so not sure how that would work out? I'd love to have a setup like that though and could possibly travel to where you are on a weekend or something? Due to covid I'm on a workshare program right now so only work four days a week(mon-thur).

Right now I'm getting about 200km until the reserve(f-trip) comes on and I can comfortably get another 30km out of that but I could easily knock 20-30km off of those numbers with spirited/aggressive riding it would seem.
 
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