Fraser Canyon and Hope
Two passes and 327 km
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Why this ride
A rider’s loop: clean exit, memorable middle, calm return. Out of Vancouver and back again: 327 km, roughly 5 h 57 in the saddle. On the way it passes Mission and Hope. The highest point is about 1,150 m.
Roadbook
- Vancouver
start
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.
The island rides begin with the boat. BC Ferries sails from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Nanaimo's Departure Bay, and from Tsawwassen, south of the city, to Duke Point near Nanaimo and to Swartz Bay near Victoria. Motorcycles usually load first and get squeezed into corners of the car deck, which is one of the small pleasures of riding here, but summer weekends and long weekends are busy and booking ahead is wise. Once across, the road west to the Pacific Rim runs through Cathedral Grove's giant Douglas firs and over the mountains to Tofino and Ucluelet.
Getting out of the city itself takes patience. Traffic is dense, lights are frequent and the bridges choke at rush hour, so an early start pays off. The route to Horseshoe Bay along Marine Drive in West Vancouver is a pleasant way to leave, with glimpses of the water between big houses and cedars, and the Stanley Park causeway is short but memorable. Rain is part of the deal. The coast is green for a reason, and from October to April a wet day is more normal than not; summer is drier and often gloriously clear.
Before Europeans arrived, this was and is the territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, and you will see their art and names across the city, from the totem poles at Brockton Point in Stanley Park to the public art at the airport. The modern city grew around a sawmill settlement and the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s, with Gastown, the old core, now full of brick warehouses turned into bars and cafes.
Fuel, food and coffee are everywhere, and the city's food scene, especially its Asian restaurants, is a good reason to spend the last evening of a trip here. Fill up before the ferry, since prices on the island and especially out on the west coast tend to be higher.
- Mission
fuel
Mission takes its name from St. Mary's Mission, a Catholic mission and school founded in the nineteenth century by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate on the north bank of the Fraser River. The residential school that grew out of it is now remembered for its painful role in the history of Indigenous people in Canada. On a hill above the town stands Westminster Abbey, a Benedictine monastery whose modern church tower is visible from far away, and whose grounds offer peaceful views over the river valley.
Today Mission is a growing town in the Fraser Valley, about an hour east of Vancouver, and it serves as a practical fuel stop on the ride to Hope and the Fraser Canyon. The town has fuel, supermarkets and restaurants, as well as Mission Raceway Park, a drag strip and road course that hosts motorcycle and car events. The bridge across the Fraser connects Mission to Abbotsford on the south bank.
The ride east from here follows Highway 7, the Lougheed Highway, along the north bank of the Fraser. It is a much more pleasant route than the busy Trans-Canada Highway on the south bank, with farmland, forests and views of the river and the mountains. The road passes through small communities and past the turnoff to Harrison Hot Springs, a resort town on a large lake, before reaching Hope at the mouth of the Fraser Canyon. The traffic is moderate, the curves gentle, and the mountains grow steadily closer.
North of Mission, Stave Lake and Hayward Lake, reservoirs for hydroelectric dams, are surrounded by forests and mountains, with quiet roads, picnic areas and trails. The Golden Ears, a distinctive twin-peaked mountain, rises to the west. Weather in the Fraser Valley is mild but often rainy, and in winter the outflow winds from the interior can bring cold, gusty conditions. Summer is the best time to ride, with long days and generally dry weather.
- Hope
food
Hope is where the Fraser River leaves the mountains. Upstream, the river roars through the narrow, steep-walled Fraser Canyon; downstream, it widens and slows across the flat, fertile valley towards Vancouver. The town sits at the junction, surrounded by forested peaks, and it has always been a crossroads: the Trans-Canada Highway heads north through the canyon, the Coquihalla Highway climbs north-east over the mountains to the interior, and the Crowsnest Highway runs east through Manning Park towards the Okanagan.
Film fans may recognise the town: in 1982, Hope stood in for the fictional town in the first Rambo film, First Blood, and the local tourist office will happily point you to the filming locations. The town is also known for its chainsaw carvings, wooden sculptures scattered through the streets. Just outside town, the Othello Tunnels, a series of old railway tunnels blasted through the granite of the Coquihalla Canyon for the Kettle Valley Railway, are now a walking trail, with the river rushing through the gorge beneath wooden bridges. It is one of the most impressive short walks in the province.
East of town on Highway 3, a vast scar on the mountainside marks the Hope Slide of 1965, one of the largest landslides in Canadian history, which buried the highway under tens of metres of rock. A viewpoint explains what happened. North of town, the Fraser Canyon road follows the river through tunnels and along cliffs, with the famous Hell's Gate, where the river squeezes through a narrow gap, about an hour away.
Hope has fuel, restaurants and motels, and it is the last large settlement before the mountain highways, so top up here without fail. The weather can change dramatically here. The coastal mountains catch a lot of rain, and the passes to the east can have snow from autumn to spring. Summer is the best time to ride, but even then, carry warm clothing for the higher roads, and check conditions before setting out on the Coquihalla or Highway 3.
- Vancouver finish