Duffey Lake Road

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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

   Whistler is where the day begins. Next is Pemberton.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is Cayoosh Pass.

3. 3. Cayoosh Pass

   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.

   Read the complete Cayoosh Pass write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 70 km into the recorded legs you reach Cayoosh Pass. Nothing on this route is higher. Next is Duffey Lake, mostly downhill.

4. 4. Duffey Lake

   Duffey Lake is a long, green-blue lake lying beside the road in a bowl of high mountains, and when the wind drops, it holds a clear mirror image of the peaks. On the far shore the slopes rise in forest and then in grey rock, topped with snowfields and small glaciers, and the whole scene feels remote, though the road runs right beside it. The provincial park at the lake provides a pull-out, a picnic area and a trail, so it is easy to stop and look.

   Read the complete Duffey Lake write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Duffey Lake, late in the day. Next is Lillooet.

5. 5. Lillooet

   Lillooet announces itself as a change of climate. You come down from the mountains of the Duffey Lake road, with their dark spruce and old snow, and within an hour the land has turned to sage, dry benches and bare golden slopes above the Fraser River. The town sits right on that river, in one of the hottest and driest corners of British Columbia, and a summer afternoon here can feel like Spain has been dropped into the Rockies.

   Read the complete Lillooet write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Lillooet. That is the ride.