Adventure Cycling Association

We’ll meet in the mid-afternoon for our orientation meeting, then eat dinner together. You’ll find this a great opportunity to prepare your gear, meet your fellow riders, and share the excitement of the journey ahead. We’ll head to bed under the starry sky, ready to begin riding to Banff in the morning.

Riding past a series of scenic backcountry lakes, we’ll climb into the Whitefish Range and over our first pass of the tour, Red Meadow Pass. From the great picnic/swim spot at the top of the pass, we’ll be treated to a long, well-earned descent. We’ll overnight in the eclectic town of Polebridge, located just outside the western border of Glacier National Park. Perhaps you’ll want to grab a huckleberry bear claw at the historic Polebridge Mercantile on your way to camp.

We’ll begin the day with a chance to indulge yourself with another treat from the Polebridge Mercantile’s bakery. Riding through the valley of the North Fork of the Flathead River, we’ll be rewarded for our efforts so far with stunning views of nearby Glacier National Park. We’ll climb up and over the Whitefish Divide to our night’s campground on a river.

Today’s ride will take us through less mountainous countryside via a series of low-traffic gravel and paved roads. We’ll ride through the town of Eureka, where we’ll briefly share a paved section with the Northern Tier Route. We’ll continue north to the international border. We’ll cross into Canada and wind through the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, or Kootenay, First Nations People. Along the way, we’ll earn a memorable view of Lake Koocanusa, an immense body of water shared by Canada and the U.S.

Our first morning in Canada, we’ll awaken at a park on a lake. Today we’ll say hello to a river we’ll snake alongside for several days. We’ll ride through the Elk River valley on a series of scenic, rural gravel roads and head northeast toward the resort village of Fernie.

After several days of off-pavement travel, we’ll take a well-deserved day of rest amid the civilized niceties of Fernie. Once a rough and tumble mining town, Fernie is now known for its skiing and other outdoor pursuits. Take the day to explore the village, tackle some of the area’s singletrack trails, or enjoy a hike in Mount Fernie Provincial Park.

From Fernie, we’ll head to Elkford, following the Elk River with spectacular scenery at every turn along the route. Although we’ll be riding on pavement for part of the day, we’ll also have great sections of trail to keep things exciting. Our rewards will be bountiful, with spectacular views of Mount Fernie and the Three Sisters, the center of which is the highest peak in the area.

From Elkford, we’ll follow the Elk River upstream on a hard-packed dirt road through 40 miles of wilderness to Elk Lakes Provincial Park. Make sure to keep a sharp eye out for moose along the way! Leaving British Columbia and entering Alberta, we’ll make the long, steep climb over Elk Pass and the Continental Divide to the spectacular Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. To give you an idea of the ruggedness of this largely roadless region, it’s a six-mile mountain bike ride from trailhead to trailhead, but to drive from one to the other, you’d have to travel almost 200 miles.

In this vast expanse of terrain known as Kananaskis Country, we’ll skirt the northern flank of Mount Shark. This wild inland region is home to plenty of grizzly bears and other wildlife. We’ll set up camp near Spray Lakes Reservoir, enjoying our last night in this wild and remote country.

From our campsite on the Spray Lakes Reservoir, we’ll have the option of beginning our final day on the Divide riding the rough and tumble Goat Creek Trail. We’ll ride down into Canmore, then take the gorgeous Banff Legacy Trail to the bustling national park community of Banff, the ending point of our ride. Here, we’ll likely have time to explore the town before our celebratory dinner together. After this long and unforgettable ride, perhaps you’ll take a gondola ride to the summit of Sulphur Mountain or enjoy a post-adventure soak in the Upper Banff Hot Springs.

After loading our gear in Banff, we’ll shuttle southward back to Whitefish and the end of our tour. You may wish to take a few days to explore nearby Glacier National Park before heading home.