Cross Country

ShogunL

ShogunL

Joined
Oct 7, 2013
Messages
12
Location
London Ont
Bike
R1200ST
Hi Guys

I am in the planning stage of Cross country ride ( So far 3 riders n 3 bikes )
Timing is After Labour day Starting in Vancouver riding back to Toronto
We want to take our time ( Say 2-3 weeks)
Route I am thinking is Vancouver-Kokahala to Kelowna-Osooyoo-Radium Spring then down to Yellowstone and Rushmore then head east home

Any suggestions/ ideas on

1.Bike transportation company to transport bikes to Vancouver.
2. Any route suggestions
3. Accomodations

Or any other advice/suggestion would be much appreciated

Thanks
 
How about staying in Canada all the way through the mountains, to Eagle's Pass, and then drop down if you want to see Rushmore? Way better riding and views than the Yellowstone mess. Lots of twisty roads and much less traffic. Camping is available if you want it or hotels. Vancouver directly east up the Coch is yuck -> head north to Squamish + Whistler + Pemberton + Lilloet is fantastic in comparison, then weave through the mountains easting until the prairies. Dive south if you want then to find some hills in Montana, and Rushmore, but pretty flat there also. A lot less traffic and more fun riding staying in Canada on the two lane roads. If you must / want to choose US, aim for Aerostitch store in Duluth, MN then Ferry across Lake Michigan to avoid heavy traffic further south. Two weeks means lots of daily riding, a push to make it if you want back roads and to enjoy the smaller town local lunch spots. Three weeks better if you want to take in many sights and events. I did Vancouver Island to Wisconsin staying in Canada until International Falls, MN staying on two lane roads the whole way - awesome including the prairies if you haven't spent time on them before they are interesting in their own way (getting off the Trans-Can highway). Lake Country east of Winnipeg was awesome riding & scenery. Big vote for staying in BC until Eagle's Pass, look for trains in the pass and to the east if you like that kind of thing. I've gotten away from camping as good spots harder to find, costing more & more with hotels being only a bit more expensive - but still carry camp rig if heading north more than a couple hours from US/Can border. Around the border and south you can always find an ok hotel and food. Have a great trip, Randy
 
Sounds like a great trip, only suggestion I have is when you get to Yellowstone that time of year, come in from the East. I managed to get there twice in last few years and that weekend is the start of everyone tripping. The West entrances get backed up (think hundreds of vehicles) quick, but the East haven't yet.
 
Agree with Snowdreamer avoid the Coquihaulla, his suggestion of 99 North is a must ride , plus has more camp sites. Only suggestion would be avoid riding it on the weekends.
 
I've been to BC (from Ontario) last summer and I'm riding back again this late June 2026. About 3 weeks round trip. While in BC I recommend 99 from Vancouver to Lillooet or Cache Creek, highway 1 to Hope, stay off of the Coquihalla (The Coke), highway 3 from Hope to Osoyoos (and beyond to Creston really depending on route planning), Westside Road from Kelowna up to Vernon (other side of the lake), highway 6 from Vernon to Nakusp (free ferry at Fauquier) and beyond on 6 to New Denver, 31A from New Denver to Kaslo and down 31 to Balfour, free ferry from Balfour to Crawford Bay to 3A down to Creston. I'm going to ride on 97A as well this summer from Vernon to Sicamous and over to Revelstoke. I can't say enough good of The Orchard at Oliver Motel near Osoyoos. I'll be personally going back for a couple of nights here this summer. Outstanding value.

On the way home I'm dropping into Idaho this summer. Going down along the Washington State line and ride around the back side of Coeur d'Alene Lake from Coeur d'Alene on road 97 to road 3 in St Maries and back road 5 to State road 95 again. then down to the seven mile Old Spiral Hwy at Lewiston ID before riding highway 12 over to Orofino ID down to Kooskia and across the Lolo Pass. If you are a fan of Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone", then see the Chief Joseph Ranch as you will be close. Then I'll ride over to Red Lodge MT. Then I recommend the Beartooth Pass to Cooke City for fuel before riding the Chief Joseph Highway to Cody WY. Yellowstone Park will be less busy after Labour Day weekend but the cost now for non resident is very expensive. Then I'll ride over to Devil's Tower (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and into Deadwood, Spearfish, Sturgis and the many great roads around the Black Hills of SD. Then home from there. My plan was to ride the "Tunnel of Trees M119" in Michigan but it was recently washed out in a bad way with spring flooding.

Look up the YouTube Channel, "Great Motorcycle Roads". Then search for their video on "Best Motorcycle Roads in Idaho/Top 7 rides!", and a short YT video of theirs called "Top 3 motorcycle roads! In Wyoming" (covers Beartooth and Chief Joseph).

I recommend J&R Hall Transport in Ayr ON for transport of your bike(s) to the west. They have a small terminal in the Vancouver area to retrieve your bike there. They do this kind of thing and they do a lot of western Canada work from Ayr (Kitchener/Cambridge area).

Have a fun and safe ride.
 
Last edited:
Al st1100 said:
Yellowstone is still very busy in September and can get cold. Beartooth can get snow in September so beware.
Click to expand...
Even more reason to not do Yellowstone unless one REALLY wants to see Ole Faithful. Probably not as busy as when the kiddos are out of school. As far as snow, any elevations traversed from British Columbia and back... snow is possible for sure in September. Freak snow can happen at 14,000 feet at the peak of Pike's Peak in Colorado in July!
 
WingriderKev said:
Even more reason to not do Yellowstone unless one REALLY wants to see Ole Faithful. Probably not as busy as when the kiddos are out of school. As far as snow, any elevations traversed from British Columbia and back... snow is possible for sure in September. Freak snow can happen at 14,000 feet at the peak of Pike's Peak in Colorado in July!
Click to expand...
Old Faithfull is one of the least impressive things there.
 
ShogunL said:
Hi Guys

I am in the planning stage of Cross country ride ( So far 3 riders n 3 bikes )
Timing is After Labour day Starting in Vancouver riding back to Toronto
We want to take our time ( Say 2-3 weeks)
Route I am thinking is Vancouver-Kokahala to Kelowna-Osooyoo-Radium Spring then down to Yellowstone and Rushmore then head east home

Any suggestions/ ideas on

1.Bike transportation company to transport bikes to Vancouver.
2. Any route suggestions
3. Accomodations

Or any other advice/suggestion would be much appreciated

Thanks
Click to expand...
Can't do much for #1 or #3. But...

Go north out of Vancouver to the Sea to Sky highway. Pass through Banff and Jasper on the Icefields Pkway.

Alternatively, go south out of Vancouver to the Mt. Baker Highway and do an out and back to Artist Point. Then take the North Cascades Highway the next day. Drop down south to Lewiston. Take Hwy 12 to Kamiah Id. Stay at the KOA resort. Nice people. Proceed the next day on Hwy 12 over Lolo Pass and into the Yellowstone area if you're so inclined. Be prepared to wait a long time for people in RVs looking at a passing deer. Go south into the Grand Tetons. As you head east, a nice ride in South Dakota is Spearfish Canyon.

Chris
 
Al st1100 said:
Old Faithfull is one of the least impressive things there.
Click to expand...
Ya, why I said REALLY in caps. The only impressive thing was the number of fuzzy cows. Asked my mother on her death bed what was the most amazing thing she had ever saw in her life. Fully expecting man on the moon, cell phones, computers, etc. She said, Old Faithful. I then just had to see and behold what my mother thought was the most amazing thing in her 84 years. I've seen it. Neat. No need to see Old Faithful again. But it was neat to watch once and remember my mother and what her answer was to my question in her final 24 hours on this earth. I don't see a need to return to Yellowstone ever.
 
I went to Yellowstone during the lockdowns. There were probably a third of the normal amount of people there. Parking was easy. RVs were far enough apart to easily pass and be on my way. It was wonderful. Got chased by a buffalo. Later years...ugh. So many people and like in one case, there must've been 100 cars backed up because the RV in front was watching some deer.

I doubt I'll ever be back.

Chris
 
Al st1100 said:
Old Faithfull is one of the least impressive things there.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I did YS mid Sept back in 2005... They had the first snow of the season, it was chilly at night but sunny and warmed up during the day. YS is nice to do at least once, I would definitely go back there than ever go back to key west lol
 

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Mellow said:
Yeah, I did YS mid Sept back in 2005... They had the first snow of the season, it was chilly at night but sunny and warmed up during the day. YS is nice to do at least once, I would definitely go back there than ever go back to key west lol
Click to expand...
A couple of years back I went through there in mid September. Very cool and light rain but having been there a few times before only saw 1 bear and a moose, not counting buffalo. The cold and rain must have brought out every animal in the park. In just riding through the park and not stopping at the attractions, there were huge elk, black bears with their cubs, grizzly bears all near the road to easily view with the exception of the grizzly that was crossing the river.
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