USA & CANADA CYCLING COMMENTS
OUR EXPERIENCE: We rode from Seattle/Vancouver through Washington State and South-Eastern British Colombia. We were very impressed with the ride. We have also lived in Calgary and know a fair amount about road biking in the Canadian Rockies
WHEN TO GO: May to October for northen USA and Canada. It can still be pretty cold in the mornings and evenings in May & October.
MAPS: We dropped in on a few libraries in Canada and USA to photocopy detailed maps. Highway maps do not show the small roads.
TOURIST OFICES: Plenty of them and we found them very helpful..
GUIDEBOOKS: There are plenty of cycling guidebooks and tourist guidebooks available. Local libraries carry them.
CAMPGROUNDS: Washington State campgrounds were nice and had coin operated showers. The smaller towns in Washington have inexpensive municipal campgrounds, often at the fairgrounds. Many of the Canadian park campsites do not have showers but they are very spacious and scenic. In Canada/USA, you normally pay for a site irrespective of how many people are in your group. WashingtonState Parks cost 12 USD.
WILD (FREE) CAMPING: Unlimited possibilites. Don't forget to hang your food if you are in bear country!
SUPERMARKETS AND FOOD
STORES: Plenty with a good choice of foods at reasonable prices. Most
supermarkets are open 7 days a week..
BIKE SHOPS: We had to make 2 emergeny stops at bike shops (wheel problems).Staff bent over backwards to get us back on the road quickly.
WIND: Although the wind blows from the west, we had headwinds many times until we reached the contintental divide. and get off to early
starts (the wind seemed to pick-up after 11:00 am).
ROADS: Many roads have good shoulders. We have had better luck finiding quiet roads in the USA than in Canada.
COSTS: we stayed under 20 USDd per person per day without any trouble at all..
DON'T FORGET: Your helmet in British Colombia.
It is required by law.
SUGGESTED DESTINATIONS: Don't miss the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper. We quite enjoyed the North Cascade Highway (20);