Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and Trans Canada Trail
This time, you'll follow my route further south from Banff on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route to Montana. There, Naomi and I turned around and followed the Trans Canada Trail west towards Vancouver. You can read here why we only spent 15 minutes in Montana.
GDMBR in Canada
The first task of the day was to sort through my bags. Richard and Ulli would only be joining me for half a day before continuing their journey to Calgary to fly home. I gave Ulli my hat, gloves, and one of my two pairs of padded pants. With Richard, I swapped my second power bank for a teardrop thermometer (a small thermometer that also displays the minimum and maximum readings since the last reset) and his water filter bag. My water filter bag could only be filled through a small opening and didn't hold 500ml. His opens completely on one side and holds 2 liters.
Sebastian
Before I could get started, I had to find the problem, because since I replaced the chain the day before, it was rubbing in the lowest gear. I discovered that the shop had routed it incorrectly through the tensioner, and the problem only occurred in the lowest gears. So, I had to fix that. Afterward, I suddenly only had 10 gears instead of 11. The fine adjustment had come loose, but that was easily readjusted.
From the campsite, we went to the nearest supermarket to buy food for two days. There we met the first other Great Divide cyclist, but didn't see him again for the next few days. After a few minutes through the town, we reached the parking lot that marks the off-road start. There was a palpable sense of excitement, as I never thought I would actually be starting from this spot, so familiar from videos.
The first 20 kilometers were uphill on a hiking trail, with some rough gravel sections that made me wonder if this was really for me. But we made it to the Canmore Cutoff, a shortcut on the official GDMBR route. There, Richard, Ulli, and I parted ways; after a short lunch break, we cycled back to Banff. Naomi and I continued south along a lake on a very dusty gravel road. Because it was closed to cars, it wasn't very busy.
After 45 km of washboard road, we reached Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and the asphalt. On the way to our campsite, we had a more dangerous bear encounter. A rancher told us they were tracking the bears and that there was a grizzly with two cubs ahead. He said he would ride to our left and protect us. As we slowly passed the mother, I saw out of the corner of my eye that the cubs were actually to our right. The mother didn't like the pickup truck's slow pace and wanted to get past it to our side. The rancher moved the truck forward but left Naomi behind me on the open road. That's where the grizzly also wanted to cross the road. Only the rancher's noise slowed the bear down. We cycled on as fast as we could without looking back.
That was the most dangerous bear encounter of the trip so far.
Day 66 began with cold weather and frost on the benches outside the forest. My teardrop thermometer told me the low overnight was -1°C. But the cold didn't last long, because the Elk Pass climb started right at the campsite. A 9 km trail took us from Alberta back into British Columbia (without the time difference). Two sections had gradients of up to 22%. I had to push my bike on those sections. On the other side, a 50 km logging road with loose gravel led gently downhill to Elkford. There, at the campsite, we had a much-needed shower to wash off all the dust. We also met Phill, who has been tackling the Elk Pass every year since his retirement, and he invited us for burgers for dinner.
Get out of the Rockies and Montana
On day 3 of the Great Divide, we decided to mostly stick to the highway and paved roads. Naomi introduced me to Tim Hortons (a budget Canadian coffee chain) with a sandwich and a hot chocolate. Since the highway was very busy from Sparwood onwards, we followed the route under a power line to Fernie. There, we had a Subway sandwich and a Too Good To Go box with our dinner from Circle K.
To reach our campsite, we again used the busy Highway 3 as far as Elko. There we encountered our first tunnel of the trip. It was short, but without a proper shoulder, it wasn't a great experience. After that, the mountains disappeared, and a smoky, flat landscape stretched out before us. The temperatures also rose a bit more, but we had some ice cream before cycling through a forest to our campsite by the river. With the heat, I even went for a quick swim (I really should have packed my swimsuit). It was also the first evening I unpacked my headlamp to find my way to bed after stargazing.
Many thanks to all my supporters ❤️
Jamil, Johannes, Lucas, Peter
and
Carmen, Helga, Michael, Vroni
The pizza that led to the creation of this blog post can be found at the end of the blog entry.
On day 4, we again followed the highway to the Roosville border crossing into Montana, USA. It was smoky, so the scenery wasn't particularly scenic. I had arranged the B2 visa with an interview at the consulate in Munich, but Naomi didn't know that Canada isn't a country of departure and that her visa was still valid. With only 90 days remaining, she had two options at the border: cross the USA in her remaining 30 days or wait in Canada and apply for a new one after it expired. I would have done the Great Divide with her, but not in 30 days. She decided to stick to my original plan: cycle to Vancouver and then do the West Coast of the USA.
So, after 15 minutes, I left the USA again and we started the 35 km drive back. We drove another 10 kilometers, though, just to make some progress that day. We stopped at four gas stations during the day for two ice creams and two soft drinks.
Trans Canada Trail and Kettle Valley Rail Trail
Having had a month to spare before entering the US, and with Vancouver only 1000 km away, we decided to take it easy. We cycled just 40 km to Cranbrook. Part of it was just a footpath alongside the highway, but before reaching the town, it became a rail trail (a former railway line). This was part of the Trans Canada Trail, a network of trails spanning all of Canada. There, we enjoyed being in a larger town again after a long time. We first went to Tim Hortons and then to McDonald's. In the evening, we found a place to sleep in a garden through Warmshowers, where we enjoyed a delicious vegetarian curry. Normally, I would never have made or ordered something like that, but it was really good. Besides taking a shower, we were also able to wash our dusty clothes.
I was woken up in the morning by Naomi on the phone because I had slept in. We didn't get going until 10:30 after a good breakfast and planning our route. We could have followed Highway 3 or driven over a mountain pass on a gravel road and then taken a ferry to avoid the highway altogether. However, the British Columbia wildfire map showed a fire right next to the pass road. Since the fire was already quite old, we decided to risk it. The sky was very hazy and reddish anyway, so we weren't expecting any views. We stopped for coffee and a supermarket before heading into the mountains at 1:00, following the next rail trail for 17 km. Just before the gravel road started, we had a lemonade from a children's soda stand.
On Gray Creek Pass, we encountered a few dusty vehicles for the first few kilometers, but after that, we only met one other Swiss bikepacking couple. After 30 km, we reached the first climb and the forest fire. There, for about 5 km, was the only time we tasted smoke. We continued for another 10 km to just before the actual climb to the pass and found a flat area to camp. Naomi was about to disappear into the bushes when, seconds later, she came back out, startled, and said she'd seen bear ears a few meters away. While she was saying this, a medium-sized black bear ran out of the bushes as fast as it could in the opposite direction. Otherwise, it was a quiet night.
In the morning it was less smoky and was supposed to clear even further after we crossed the pass. After breakfast, I discovered I had my third flat tire. So, I patched it and filtered some water before we set off. The 25 km climb with 1000 meters of elevation gain began immediately, on very rough gravel with gradients of over 15% in some sections. I never had to dismount, though. Naomi, on the other hand, did, as she was frequently knocked off balance or slowed down by large rocks. Once at the top, we had a short snack break and were looking forward to the 1500-meter descent and 12 km. Unfortunately, the road, while wider, was no better than the climb. Several large rocks and numerous eroded ruts, which were only visible at the last minute, prevented a fast descent. I was glad to be back on asphalt.
We had a Mountain Dew and a delicious cinnamon roll before boarding the ferry to Nelson. There, we arranged to stay with a Warmshowers host family despite their upcoming Iceland bikepacking trip two days later. They let us sleep inside because of the increasingly heavy smoke. For dinner, however, we went into town for a burger.
After being woken up early by the child, I went to the nearest café early. There I waited until the bike shop opened. My bottom bracket had been making noises since the mountain pass, but as I discovered after cleaning it, it was just the pedal where the bearing was failing. Unfortunately, the bike shop didn't notice this; I did when the bike was back. With a little oil, though, it ran silently again. While I waited for the repair, I made a sign, like Naomi already has, that I could hang from my bike. I kept it simple, black and white, and had the paper laminated and punched with holes. I didn't draw it myself 😅. Later, I found a shoelace by the side of the road to attach it. Now people talk to me about it more often, but after telling the same story four times a day, it gets tiring.
Before leaving the bike shop, we received two FFP2/N95 masks from someone who had commented on my Brooks saddle. We followed the highway to Castlegar, where we had a campsite for the night. The children at the neighboring campsite told us they had seen a bear. Later, in our tent, we heard a car alarm go off and something that sounded like a horse run past. In the morning, they told us that a bear had stolen a water bottle from their pickup truck.
Only half-rested, we set off on the Columbia and Western Rail Trail, which begins just outside the city. A 40 km uphill climb with three old wooden bridges and four tunnels was on the agenda for the day. I was looking forward to these highlights, but because it was smoky, there was no view of the lake below. Naomi wasn't keen on it, as the gradient was a steady 1-3%. After just 10 km of climbing, she asked me when we were going to start, since there was no sign of it; we were just making slow progress. There was also an old forest fire burning at the pass, which we didn't notice, but we cautiously rode another 15 km downhill before calling it a day at a picnic table next to a river.
On day 74, we continued downhill on the Rail Trail. At the bottom, we stopped at a café for hot chocolate. Once back on the Rail Trail, we crossed a river on an old railway bridge where some people were swimming and jumping off the cliffs. I had to do that too, since it was already over 25 degrees Celsius again. I swung into the water with the longest rope. Great fun!
In Grand Forks, we switched to the Kettle Valley Rail Trail after a break and dinner at Pizza Hut. We followed the trail for another 12 km out of town and found our intended destination for the day: a cabin with two bunk beds and a dining room. We waited there for the thunderstorm before going to sleep.
The night in the cabin was one of the worst for Naomi and me so far. Nothing was really wrong, but somehow it just wasn't right. We waited out the rain in the morning before continuing through tunnels and over bridges. We stopped for lunch in Greenwood and then cycled on along the increasingly poorly maintained Rail Trail until we reached Rock Creek.
Highway 3
In Rock Creek, we decided to switch to the highway since the Rail Trail led north into the Summerland wildfires. It was nice to ride uphill on asphalt. In the evening, we had a free recreation site. Unfortunately, it was located in a valley, so the sun had already set by the time we arrived, and I couldn't go swimming in the river. On the plus side, it was already quiet.
Unlike the previous night, it was a good night. When we set off, we encountered a bear at the exit, but it wasn't a problem for us anymore. We immediately tackled a 7 km long pass, but I saw another cyclist ahead and chased after him. A few meters before the pass, I caught up with him, completely drenched in sweat, but he didn't want to chat and, apart from a quick "Hi," kept cycling. While I was waiting for Naomi there, I noticed I had a small flat tire. I simply pumped it up again. I had to top it up every two days, but it held up until I got a new tire in Vancouver.
The descent to Osoyos was a 1500-meter drop, but I didn't set any new speed records. Just before the town, we stopped at a fruit stand and ate a small watermelon. Once in town, it was already 29 degrees Celsius, so we found lunch at Subway. We ate by the lake in the resort town and weren't motivated to cycle any further in the heat. When we finally got going an hour later, we only managed to get to the town museum to cool off and then to Tim Hortons. When we checked our accommodation options, we found a spot next to the river, but it was still 60 kilometers away. So we had to force ourselves back into the heat and cycle out of the desert valley. In the next valley, we found a completely different climate and fruit orchards everywhere. A welcome change.
That evening, Harry, a friend of Naomi's, arrived at the river in his car. He had been picking fruit, but due to the fire further north, his workplace had burned down. He was waiting for his next job and had some time to spare. After such a long day, the river was a welcome and refreshing way to cool off.
Since our campsite was also next to the highway, it was a bit noisy, and I wasn't well-rested the next morning. But after 10 km, we found a café, and I got my hot chocolate. Refreshed, we continued the 40 km to Princeton, taking the old highway, which was quiet but considerably hillier. Harry was already waiting for us when we arrived. Before we could buy a burger at A&W, however, we met a family on vacation, and everyone wanted to take a picture with us. We spent the afternoon and evening at a campground by a lake and enjoyed it immensely.
Since I hadn't properly closed my mattress, I woke up with no air and was therefore very tired in the morning. My plan was to cycle straight to Vancouver, but since Naomi wanted to go to Whistler first, our paths had to diverge. On top of that, my last proper rest day in Smithers had been 28 days ago, so I decided to spend another day at the lake and in Princeton. Since Harry also had nothing better to do, he stayed too. Naomi joined me later. We then spent the afternoon in a café in town and the afternoon at the lake.
Conclusion
Even though there was only a 10% chance I'd actually cycle the Great Divide Route before we started, I would have done it with Naomi. Unfortunately, she didn't enjoy cycling all the way to Vancouver and not making any real progress. But since I loved it, I'll most likely tackle the route again in the future.
The section after that was unfortunately very smoky and heavy with traffic. However, I really enjoyed the rail trails and would have loved to continue along them. The next one is already waiting for me on Vancouver Island 😉.
It was wonderful to be able to choose my own mix of solitude and civilization. In southern British Columbia, there are several shops available every day if you choose this route. The hospitality is also excellent. I enjoyed this section of the journey and am now looking forward to rest days in the city.
Next time we'll be heading to Vancouver, along the Sunshine Coast and on Vancouver Island. So sign up for the newsletter now!
And now, visible only to my sponsors, a picture of my pizza from Vancouver. This time it was from Tim Hortons. Thank you all so much! 😊