Must-do biking in BC and other road tripping tips?

[Pedro404]

Hey guys,
me and my girlfriend are doing a two week road trip around BC later this month and want to hit all the best biking spots.

We are located in Vancouver, so I know the North Shore, we've been to Whistler and Squamish, so we're thinking of going east. So far on the schedule there's Kamloops (Sun peaks), Revelstoke, Silver star. Is there anything else thereabouts worth looking into?

And some organisation questions:

We haven't really done any overnight trips, so we aren't sure about where to sleep. Is it usually possible to find a fire road or something to pull over and pitch a tent next to the car, or should we be ready to shell out cash for the paid RV camping sites every night?

Also, what do you guys do when you have bikes in your car and want to go hiking? I don't really feel like it's a good idea to leave them in the car, I'm thinking of finding a bike shop near and asking them to stash the bikes for us for a few bucks.


Any input is greatly appreciated!

[phixx]

Sounds like an awesome trip. I did 4 weeks around BC in an RV in 2010 - was rad.

We just parked up off the main roads and didn't have any problems. So long as you are sensible and you don't do it in residential areas/on people's property you should be fine. We stayed in paid camp sites a couple of nights just for convenience. Also, Silverstar has a camp site right at the bottom of the chairlift that is super cheap and has showers etc...

In terms of other places to ride - take your pick!

Pemberton has some great trails. Make sure you do some riding around Kamloops (not in the parks, just around town). Also worth making the trip across to Kicking Horse if you have the time - that park is quite different from all the rest, steep with lots of rock and wood, and super fun.

Have fun!

[Couch_Surfer]

If you get to Kamloops, I'd drive another 4 hours further to get some of the good stuff in Williams Lake.

[gotham]

7 Summits in Rossland. It is an IMBA Epic.

[Couch_Surfer]

Originally Posted by gotham

7 Summits in Rossland. It is an IMBA Epic.

Is it even clear of snow yet?

[canadaka]

7 summits is clear of snow. It smore of an XC all-mountian ride, sounds as if Pedro404 is more of a DH rider. There is a shuttle service in Rossland though to shuttle some DH trails.

There is a ton of awesome riding further east in the BC Kootenays, but the driving distances are great. But there is 3 lift-access bike parks over there and Nelson has a shuttle service for DH rides.

here is growing map of BC riding areas http://www.trailforks.com/riding_areas/map

here is some video clips of riding in the Kootenays I did 2 weeks ago http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxJm0_khx1A

*I think* you should be fine parking and sleeping overnight on most crown land/

[Pedro404]

We are more DH oriented, but I'm definitely packing some XC tires and am more than willing to do 30-40k day trips if I get rewarded by flowy singletrack and awesome views Would even consider packing a tent and doing a two-day bike ride, that actually sounds great to me.

We're moving to Whistler in September so I'll get plenty of DH before the end of the season, on this trip I'm looking for biking in spectacular locations that I can (hopefully) look back on for years. So alpine epics are just the stuff, we'd totally do the Chilcotins if we had money for the plane.

The seven summits look great and not that much further from Osoyoos where we are going anyway. Now just to find out how to set up a shuttle there...

[gotham]

Originally Posted by Pedro404

The seven summits look great and not that much further from Osoyoos where we are going anyway. Now just to find out how to set up a shuttle there...

http://www.sweetfieldshuttle.com/

Some great DH trails in and around Rossland. Trails and maps are pretty well done too.

[Pedro404]

Awesome, thanks, that ought to be pretty sweet.

[lycra_wearer]

Originally Posted by Couch_Surfer

Is it even clear of snow yet?

Just rode it on Sunday, excellent conditions!

[lycra_wearer]

Frisby ridge in Revelstoke is a must ride!

[Pedro404]

Frisby ridge is something we are definitely doing, been wanting to do it since I first read about it on pinkbike more than a year ago.

[Bryce]

Pick up a backroads mapbook - itll help with finding good random car camping spots.

Bikes in the car is generally ok but use discretion. Sometimes stashing them 50m into the bush with a lock is better though.

[skifreak]

We just got back from a two week road trip.

Golden for Kicking Horse Resort & Mount 7

Fernie for the bike park and some local rides. Stay at the Provincial Park just outside of town and go shower at the aquatic center. ($2.50 after 7pm) In town we stayed at the Red Tree Lodge - nice and clean with kitchen facilities, free laundry (bring your own detergent) and a home theatre room downstairs.
The bike park is nice and mixed, but best is to be there on a weekend when the upper chair is open for some longer rides.

Rossland - Sweetfield shuttles do some rides like the Dewdney and pickups at Warfield. Mon-Friday only. There is camping at the Lions Campground just behind the Rossland Motel. We stayed at the Red Door In for $75 a night and it was comfortable.

New Denver - An epic dh ride with amazing views. Rob @ Wilds of Canada will get you all the details on the rides along with trail maps. Camping either in the Silverton or New Denver campgrounds or just up the road at Rosebury Provincial Park was nice and quiet.

http://trailcrew.specialized.com/col...trip-complete/

Some photos linked from that article.