Canadian Rockies Motorcycle Tour

Two weeks in British Columbia and Alberta, and one of the finest roads on the continent in the middle of it. Thirteen nights out of Vancouver, around 1,700 miles, taking in the Okanagan wine valley, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper and a Vancouver Island loop to finish.

The route works east first through Manning Park into the Okanagan, which is orchard and vineyard country and a long way from most people’s idea of Canada. Kelowna and Kamloops follow, then Revelstoke and Rogers Pass on the climb into the Rockies proper at Golden.

Then comes the Icefields Parkway. It runs north from Lake Louise through Yoho and on to Jasper between walls of glaciated rock, and it is routinely named among the best drives anywhere. Mount Robson and the Yellowhead Pass follow, then the route turns south and west through Prince George, Quesnel and the old Gold Rush Trail towards Cache Creek, before the Sea to Sky Highway carries it into Whistler. A ferry crosses to Vancouver Island for Nanaimo and Victoria, where there is a free day, and a second ferry returns to Vancouver.

EAGLERIDER supplies the bike and books all thirteen nights, with Harley-Davidson touring models and Triumph and BMW sport machines available. Fuel, meals and insurance are arranged separately. Daily distances are mostly 105 to 245 miles, with a free day in Victoria to break the fortnight up. Wine valleys, glaciers, gold rush history and an island finish, inside a fortnight that starts and ends at the same airport. For riders who have ridden the American West and want something greener and emptier, this is the obvious next one.