Why this ride
Repeated coastal bends, headlands and frequent viewpoint stops. It also links naturally to Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Sea-to-Sky Highway
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 160 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 46
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check provincial road reports, wildfire closures, ferries and fuel range. Specific flag: congestion; weather.
Seasonal context
May-Oct
Scenic road chapters
Sea-to-Sky Highway
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 50 km this is Sea-to-Sky Highway, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 50 km
- Named road
- Sea-to-Sky Highway
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Vancouver
Vancouver is one of those cities where the mountains feel close enough to touch from downtown. The North Shore peaks rise straight out of Burrard Inlet, the Lions Gate Bridge leaps across to them from Stanley Park, and on a clear day you can watch floatplanes take off over the harbour while snow still sits on the summits. It is a big, busy, expensive city, but for a rider it is above all a gateway: to the Sea-to-Sky Highway north, the Fraser Valley east, and, for these rides, the ferries across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island.
Read the complete Vancouver write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Vancouver sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Squamish.
2. Squamish
Squamish sits at the head of Howe Sound, where the fjord ends against a wall of granite, and the first thing it shows you is the Stawamus Chief, a monolith of rock rising some seven hundred metres straight out of the forest. It is one of the largest free-standing granite faces in the world, and on any good day the white specks on its walls are climbers, which has turned this small town into a minor capital of the sport. Beside it Shannon Falls drops in a long white thread, easily seen from the highway.
Read the complete Squamish write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Squamish comes up 41 km in. Next is Whistler.
3. Whistler
Whistler began as an idea in the 1960s, when a group of Vancouver businessmen decided that a mountain north of the city might host an Olympic ski area, and it ended as one of the largest winter resorts in North America. The village itself is purpose built, a pedestrian maze of shops, bars and hotels at the foot of two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, joined by a gondola called Peak 2 Peak that spans a huge gap between the summits. The name comes from the hoary marmots that whistle from the rockfalls, and the surrounding land is the shared territory of the Squamish and Lil'wat peoples, whose cultural centre in the village is worth an hour.
Read the complete Whistler write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
At least 99 km in you reach Whistler. Next is Pemberton.
4. Pemberton
Pemberton sits in a flat, green valley surrounded by high, jagged mountains, a short distance north of Whistler, and it feels like a different world from the resort next door. Mount Currie, a rugged peak with a grey crest, towers over the farmland, and the Lillooet River winds across the valley floor. Farmers here grow seed potatoes, which are prized for their disease-free quality, and the fields with their neat rows are the first thing you see on arrival. The town has about two thousand people, a few cafes, a brewery and a laid-back air.
Read the complete Pemberton write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Pemberton, late in the day.