Cayoosh Pass is the high point of the Duffey Lake Road, the stretch of British Columbia Highway 99 that connects the dry, sage-scented interior at Lillooet with the green valleys of Pemberton and the coast. At about 1,275 metres, it is not especially tall, but this road is a rider's favourite, and the pass is an important marker, the place where the road stops climbing and begins its long descent through rock and snow toward the Pacific. The mountains around it are sharp, glaciated and close.
The road was only completed in the 1960s, and it remains a narrow, steep and winding route, with grades that reach thirteen per cent in places and tight bends that follow the creek down from the summit. It crosses the traditional territory of the St'át'imc and Lil'wat peoples, who used trails here for thousands of years, long before the road or the gold rush. Cayoosh Creek, which flows west to east from the pass toward Lillooet, was once the scene of placer gold mining, and Lillooet itself was Mile Zero of the Cariboo Wagon Road in the 1860s.
For a rider, this is a serious and rewarding road. The bends are tight, the gradients are steep, and the surface, while mostly good, has frost heaves, patches and gravel on the corners. Rock falls and avalanches can close the road, especially in spring, and snow can fall on the pass in any month except perhaps July and August. Temperatures change quickly with altitude, and a warm day in Pemberton can be a cold one at the summit. The best season is summer to early autumn, from about late June to September, when the road is dry and snow free, and the best time of day is morning, before the traffic builds.
Wildlife is part of the experience. Black bears and mountain goats are seen along the road, and marmots whistle from the rocks. The landscape has a bleak grandeur, with bare rock, snowfields and stands of subalpine fir, and the air smells cold and clean. The nearby Joffre Lakes, a short walk from the road, require a day-use pass in busy periods, and are worth the walk for the colour of the water.
Pemberton, about twenty-eight kilometres away, is the nearest town, and Lillooet lies further to the east. Fill the tank at either end, bring something to eat, and remember that mobile coverage is poor. A flask of something hot is welcome on a cold day.