Anybody planning a biking trip to Central or Western Canada should take stock of his personal fitness. While the flat or hilly country of the prairies offers plenty of cycling routes also for the not so sporty bikers, the mountainous regions of the Rocky Mountains and the other mountain ranges of the west require much more physical stamina of their cycling visitors. Thus the right choice of bicycling route is crucial for a perfect and enjoyable biking vacation. These are the best biking routes the region between Manitoba and British Columbia has to offer:
The Great Plains of Saskatchewan
Even the name says it: Saskatchewan's countryside is flat. Bikers will be taken by the beauty of Highway 56 through the Qu'Appelle Valley. Or they can follow the Fishing Kettle Lakes - Lake Pasqua, Echo, Mission an Katepwa. On tour bikers will be accompanied by the smiles of the inhabitants. Along the road they can find perfect spots to pick saskatoon berries for a short and welcome break, and they will pass many bridges and rivers.
Bike Tours with Moose, Elk and Bears in Manitoba
In Riding Mountain National Park a bycicling vacation along the easy Central Trail to Whitewater Lake is worth a trip. An added bonus on tour will be the good opportunity to watch black bears, moose and elk along the route.
Cycling Through the Yukon Wilderness
Anybody who searches more adventurous and wilder biking environments should consider going to Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory. There are hundreds of kilometers of boreal forest to be discovered from the capital of the territory. Another option is to join a tour to Carcross where the local Indian population has specialized in organized biking tours as their form of income.
The Kettle Valley Rail Trail in British Columbia
Most of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail in British Columbia follows the tracks of a former rail line and offers the cycling tourist a route with mild curves and not too strenuous gradients through beautiful landscapes. There is only one exception: along Myra Canyon about 18 kilometers south of Kelowna the bike trail crosses several tunnels and wooden trestles towering 18 meters above the valley floor through which thundering mountain creeks seek their way towards the ocean.
Bike Trails Through Kananaskis Country in Alberta for Adventurous Bikers
These trails are certainly not for the faint hearted: stamina proven mountain bikers, however, will find their paradise with these strenuous and breathtaking tours through Kananaskis Country east of Banff National Park in Alberta. More than 300 kilometers of fire roads and the 45 kilometer round tour from Big Elbow to Little Elbow are only a few of the possible routes.
Anybody interested in biking tours through Eastern Canada can find the best destinations here.
Source: Biking Canada - our top 10 list. CTC News Staff, the original text was changed.
Monika Fuchs - Born in Bavaria, Germany, Monika started to travel early in her life. Even as a small girl of five on the banks of the North Sea in ...
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