Horseshoe Bay is the place where Vancouver stops being a city and becomes a coast. It lies at the north-west end of West Vancouver, a small harbour with a ferry terminal, a marina and a strip of seafront cafes, and the mountains of Howe Sound rise out of the water behind it. The ferries run from here to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, to Bowen Island and to the Sunshine Coast, so the harbour has a constant rhythm of arrivals, departures, and cars lining up for the next sailing.
The Sea-to-Sky Highway, Highway 99, starts at Horseshoe Bay and runs north along the east shore of Howe Sound toward Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. It was upgraded in the years before the 2010 Winter Olympics, with passing lanes, wider shoulders and safer corners, and it remains one of the finest scenic roads in Canada. From the bay, it climbs above the water in long, graceful bends, with views of the fjord, its islands and the high peaks beyond. It is easy to ride, but it demands attention, because traffic is dense, particularly on summer weekends.
Howe Sound is a fjord, a drowned glacial valley, and its steep sides drop straight into water that is very deep. The sound was badly polluted by a copper mine and a pulp mill in the twentieth century, and fish and marine life have returned in recent decades, with herring, salmon, orcas and even humpback whales being seen again. Whytecliff Park, a short ride away, is a well-known diving spot, with seals and sea stars visible in the clear water.
The village has a pleasant character, with fish and chips from the harbour stalls, coffee, bakeries and a small beach. In summer it is crowded, and the car parks fill with people waiting for ferries, so take care when manoeuvring a bike around queues of cars. Parking for motorcycles is usually easier than for cars, but be wary of loose gravel and spilt oil near the terminal. Wind can come off the water and the weather turns rainy from late autumn to early spring, so a waterproof layer is a good idea.
Fuel is plentiful, with several stations in West Vancouver, and it is wise to top up here before heading north, since the stations along the highway are fewer. The best time to ride is early on a weekday morning, before the commuter and ferry traffic builds, or in the shoulder seasons of May and September, when the air is clear and the mountains are sharp.