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The continuous bicycle touring story since 2002
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The story of how I saved money, quit my job, sold my possessions, and set off to endlessly travel by bike around the world. My Plan

My 3 Books
I write, self publish and sell books about touring

(see all 3 book)

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Places I have been
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India and Neighbors
May 2010 to present

Alaska / Canada / USA
May 2008 to April 2010

New Zealand
Sept 2007 to May 2008

Australia
Sept 2006 to Sept 2007

SE Asia / China
Nov 2004 to Sept 2006

South America
June 2003 to June 2004

AZ, Mexico, and Central America
March 2002 to April 2003

How I started
The 5 years before I left

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Equipment Pages Index

Introduction
How Much to Bring and Weight
Some Advice About Advice
A Note to Perspective Sponsors and Gear Suppliers
(See more about Sponsorship)

START HERE for Touring Bikes and Commuting Bicycles
Custom Touring Bicycles and Bike Upgrade Buyers Guide
Bicycle Touring Frames
The Steel Repair Myth.
Steel and Aluminum Derailleur Hanger Repair.
Bicycle Touring Wheels
Phil Wood: The Best Bicycle Hubs

Panniers / Bike Bags
Cargo Trailers Vs Panniers
Tires for Bike Tours..
Bicycle Touring Saddles.
Women's Specific Bike Touring Saddles
Brooks Leather Touring Bicycle Saddle Care and Conditioning
Bike Computer
Touring Handlebars, Bar Ends, Adjustable Stems, and Padded Grips.
Kickstands
Sealed Cartridge Headsets
How to prevent flat tires
Bike Route Trails and Maps

Camping
Buying Camping Equipment
Tent and Ground Cloth
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Camp Stove
Pots and Pans
Water Filter
First Aide Kits
Solar Power for Camp

Clothing
Bike Touring Shorts

Electrical
Short-wave Radio
Computer
Internet
mp3
Bicycle touring lights

Books
Packing list
Pictures of Equipment Failures
Shopping

See My Videos Here

Adventure Cycling Great Parks Route Bicycle Touring Maps and Trails
Bike Tour Canada and America's National Parks - Provinces: British Colombia, Alberta - States: Montana, Wyoming and Colorado

Buy Adventure Cycling Bike Route Map Sets or Individual Sections Here

Even in the height of summer, cyclists must be prepared for cold nights and occasional snow in the higher elevations. The Canadian parks, with their wide road shoulders, provide excellent cycling conditions, though motorized traffic during the tourist season is heavy. Towns outside the parks, such as Fernie, British Columbia, offer information and ample opportunities for the off-road cycling enthusiast. Fascinating side trips abound for natural and geological sightseeing, including aerial trams, glacier hiking and whitewater rafting. Be sure to allow extra time beyond bicycling for these activities. This route should be ridden from early summer to mid-fall. Going-to-the-Sun Highway in Glacier National Park is usually closed until early June and has limited hours for cyclists. Note that snow can occur at any time during the summer in the Rocky Mountains. Due to changing local conditions, it is difficult to predict any major wind patterns.

The route begins in Jasper, Alberta, a busy tourist center in the heart of Jasper National Park, one of the five Canadian Parks the route traverses. You will be amazed by the scenery: glacial lakes, dramatic waterfalls, piercingly steep mountains covered with glaciers and a tremendous variety of wildlife; you will stop frequent just to marvel at the beauty. Be sure to ride cautiously among the tourists in recreational vehicles. As you head south over several passes through the parks, take the time to go to Lake Louise and Banff, which both offer a wide variety of tourist services and charm. After 230 miles of amazing vistas, you'll leave Kootenay National Park and descend steeply into the town of Radium Hot Springs. Stop for an enjoyable soak in the soothing hot mineral pools. From Radium Hot Springs southward to Elko, the western side of the Rockies offers gentler cycling following the Columbia and Kootenay river systems. At Elko, the route turns east over the Continental Divide through a series of small mining communities. You'll see the prairies begin on the eastern slope and traverse the foothills through Waterton Lakes National Park, another mountain jewel of the Canadian Parks. The border crossing into the United States at Chief Mountain is only open from mid-May through mid-September, and then you're in Glacier National Park in Montana, crossing the Divide back to the western side on the spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Highway. You'll find no major climbs or descents after leaving the park, and the route mainly follows river valleys bracketed by mountain ranges all the way into Missoula.

Terrain

The northern portion of the route is a series of climbs and descents over passes into various river valleys. In the south, you'll stay in the valleys and experience a more rolling terrain. The route crosses the Continental Divide three times.

Logistics

To begin this route, Jasper can be reached by rail service from Edmonton, Alberta. Along its entire length, small towns at regular intervals provide ample services, but plan ahead due to crowded tourist conditions, especially in the Canadian Park System and in Glacier National Park. Reservations at both hostels and campgrounds are recommended. For off-road bicycling and primitive camping, a water purifier is necessary.

GREAT PARKS SOUTH

The cyclist is rewarded by a continuous setting of dramatic mountain scenery, national forests, parks, monuments, and many climbs and descents over passes. Off-road mountain-biking opportunities abound at the various ski hills along the route, which offer singletrack riding on quiet forest trails, serviced by bustling tourist villages. This route can be ridden from early summer to mid-fall. Trail Ridge Road is closed between October and June. Note that snow can occur at any time during the summer in the Rocky Mountains. Due to changing local conditions, it is difficult to predict any major wind patterns. Altitude sickness can slow you down, so preparation for the high altitude is important. Arriving a few days before your trip begins is a good way to acclimate.

The route begins in northern Colorado in the ski town of Steamboat Springs. After a gut-busting climb out of Steamboat Springs to Rabbit Ears Pass, you'll find open grazing land and national forest lands heading into Kremmling. There is heavy summer tourist activity from Hot Sulphur Springs to Granby, the southern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Traffic is heavy throughout the park, and the terrain is extreme. From Estes Park to Georgetown, this area is the playground for Denver and the surrounding communities on the Front Range. Communities from Keystone to Breckenridge have become major year-round tourist destinations, so be prepared for traffic and recreational vehicles. South of Fairplay, the route becomes more rural and traverses the high, open land of South Park. After crossing Trout Creek Pass, the route drops into the Arkansas River Valley near Buena Vista. The western slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is old mining country, from Salida all the way into Durango. Around Dolores, the mountains give way to the dry, open Four Corners region, highlighted by Mesa Verde National Park. Durango is the southern terminus of the historic Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, the only remaining regularly scheduled narrow-gauge passenger train in the US.

Terrain

On this route, you will cross eleven mountain passes, and six of these will be over the Continental Divide. The highest point is at 12,183 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. The route follows a few river valleys, but for the most part you will be either climbing or descending.

Logistics

In Colorado, high-altitude services from campground water to grocery stores can shut down early in the autumn depending on weather. A water purifier is recommended. Due to high levels of tourist activity in the summer, reservations for accommodations and campgrounds are recommended.