2023 Northern Ca to Canada

[RideAround]

Hello All, I am in the starting process of planning a trip from Northern California heading north to Canada. I have never been and told it is a very beautiful country and the outdoors. I do plan on camping as much as possible, assuming weather is good??? Can anyone give any advice on what it is like up north and where any points of interest or "can't miss" locations. I am planning on the direction of Calgary, Jasper National Park, and B.C. and possibly Alberta. I am hoping to take this trip in the end of May beginning of June. Any info or heads up would be greatly appreciated.

Side Note: I will be traveling alone and on mainly road tires, so I will more than likely be sticking to fire type roads thus my adventuring will be sadly kept to a minimum....

 

[Panman]

This will wet your lips.

 

[RideAround]

That is awesome, thank you. Knowing the route has been taken allows for reinsurance.

 

[Cycledude]

Very nice route, Whistler is definitely worth checking out !

 

[TenereGUY]

Just the paved road from Banff up to jasper is a sight to see because of the mountains. If touring BC then visit destinationhighways.com and get their book for BC. You should probably get their book for CA too. They are worth the money as they have done extensive research and riding to find wonderful roads. The books and maps are great. They have one for Washington state too. Last I knew they were working on Oregon but don't know if they finished it. These are all paved roads...
You do realize that's early in the season and some passes don't open up that early so be sure you check on what kind of snow conditions may be there. If you get a DH book then just call those guys and they will tell you what kind of conditions to expect at that time of year.

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[RideAround]

Thank you TenereGUY, those books will come in handy. I have friends in Washington so it will gives more reason to take longer rides! Also, I did not know that it is early in the season for that area. That is exactly the type of info I was looking for. The furthest north I have been is the Washington/Oregon boarder.

 

[Bill_C]

I rode up into Canada from Central California about 8 years ago. I went in late June and still managed to experience rain, sleet and snow along the way. I camped often but some days I just needed a warm dry room to recharge myself.
If I were to do it again, I would go in July to escape the Central Valley heat and avoid the rain.
Enjoy the ride. It's beautiful up there.

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[Alphalfa]

You should expect the worse travelling through the mountain passes in May and early June. Temperatures near freezing at night, sleet, snow and freezing rain. I would suggest late June at the earliest, especially travelling the distance from CA so you are not disappointed when running into hazardous road conditions limiting your routes. I travel throughout B.C. a few times a year and never go before the last week of June, I learnt my lesson the hard way.

 

[lund]

I live in BC, July and preferably mid July early August are your best time.
June and July are rainy but by mid July we start seeing nice weather. By late July and August the heat comes.
My big bike trips are always set for 2nd and 3rd weeks in July to help avoid the heavy rains and stupid heat. Plus now we deal a lot with wild fires that cause many other issues, generally in August.
But be aware the weather has been very unpredictable these last couple of seasons unlike past years.