Ride to Alberta | GTAMotorcycle.com

Ride to Alberta

Prophet

Prophet

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Hello all,

I just started riding last year and I'm planning to ride out to Alberta in May to visit family. I'll have just finished exams for my final year at University of Toronto.

Being new and naive, I would appreciate questions, comments, concerns, advice, and offers from people who would ride a bit of the way.

Jon
 
What bike will you be taking? My advice is to take some extra time and ride through the states. Going through the prairies is asking for hwy hypnosis.
 
I lived in Saskatoon for 5 years and have driven it a few times. I would love to ride my sport bike across the top of superior. Those roads would be awesome. Only thing is if you binned it, you may not survive. I would agree with AF though. When you cross the Manitoba border all of a sudden the forest stops and the prairie starts. Pretty well flat straight boring roads all the way to the rockies.
 
I would be taking a kawa ex500 pictured here. Im worried about long lonely roads and being boredCgosms_2012-11-1102-55-04.jpg
 
Prophet said:
I would be taking a kawa ex500 pictured here. Im worried about long lonely roads and being boredView attachment 31448
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Music helps. Speeding also does when your in the middle of nowhere.

It wouldn't be boring for me. I like the loneliness and I sure like the open, empty spaces in nature, especially I'm on the motorcycle. I know a few friends, who would take it as a torture tho..
 
Bring a friend/s and buy a Scala.
Do an oil change prior to leaving, check tire tread, pressue, lines, chain and everything.
Extra fuses because 1 spare one included in the bike isn't just enough. (It happens)..
Plan your stops, and know how your fuel milage is.
You might also want to get some sort of gel pad for your butt too. lol
 
I rode up to thunder bay last year via 17(across the top of lake huron then around the east and north of superior)
I solo'd it,I would not do a ride like that again alone,I found I was just too bored in the evenings,but the weather was **** most of the time too so it kept me indoors a lot.What ever you do don't stop in blind river on 17 ,that town is a **** hole.Their are a lot of bears north of sue saint marie that like to wonder onto the road(i've heard about the moose too but i didn't see one)also the opp are everywhere north of the soo.I was told by a local in wawa that's where they train new opp recruits.The best riding was north of a town called marathon and the scenery is the best ontario has to offer in my opinion.Meh I'd probably do it again and just hope for better weather.I've never been passed thunder bay so i don't know about manitoba,saskatchewan,but I think the posters above are probably right on the money when they say flat and boring.I wouldn't worry about gas ,their are gas stations a plenty,I think the longest stretch between stations for me was about 175 kms.I met some really cool people when i stopped for food/gas,country folk seem to be much more friendly than city people

edit-threw up a couple pics-just give er man lol i doubt you'll regeret it !
To avoid taking the 400 all the way up to sudbury,I would ride to robermory and take the ferry across to manitoulin,it's nice to chill on the ferry for a couple hours,manitoulin island is georgeous and east manitoulin has some decent twisties also....ahhh now i'm jonesing to do a long ride again,hope it warms up soon......
 
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What time in may? How will you spend the nights- Motel, camping, etc?
 
Where in alberta you going? Ill be heading west for the summer but by flight, still looking for a place to stay for the summer up in fort mac
 
Ugur: I guess i will bring music, I wouldnt want to zone out to that either though. I will probably enjoy the riding but once my body is tired dont want to be sad and alone with no scenery.

Lanny: I will check everything and make sure it is in working order, and keep my fingers crossed that it doesnt blow up on the route. Gel pad sounds fun too :)

guevara: I kind of want to take the ferry from tobermory and see those pretty islands but i feel like it would be so much faster to go through the states. If i get bored in northern ontario and get caught going way over the limit things wont end well.

sabex: not sure exactly, hopefully within the first 2 weeks depending if i can get everything in order. I dont really have the money for hotels so I was hoping to get some kind of small tent and just camp in off the side of the road somewhere

smack: ill be going to caroline which is near red deer but I plan to visit fort mac while Im in alberta to look into getting a job there as a newly graduated civil engineer.

.
 
Check out ADVrider.com. There are a ton of posts on tripping, with gear lists and the like.

I use the MSR HubbaHubba 2-man tent so I have room for all of my gear, especially if I find myself weather-bound. The Trangia stove easily saved me a thousand euros last summer when I backpacked across Spain, also from MEC. Easy to use and because it burns alcohol you can buy fuel practically anywhere.

Music. Its the soundtrack for your adventure. I few years ago I travelled to Banff on a glorious road-trip. Went up through the Soo and was expecting the tedium of the prairies, and it never came. It was beautiful. There were constant rolling plains, and the occasional coyote running along the side of the road. And the sunsets were spectacular. Didn't know how beautiful this country was until I took that trip. In a car. A bike would be amazing, I'd just try to find a way to not do it alone. ADVrider would be the place to find a companion if there's one to be had.

Good luck and Godspeed.
 
RobVN said:
I lived in Saskatoon for 5 years and have driven it a few times. I would love to ride my sport bike across the top of superior. Those roads would be awesome. Only thing is if you binned it, you may not survive. I would agree with AF though. When you cross the Manitoba border all of a sudden the forest stops and the prairie starts. Pretty well flat straight boring roads all the way to the rockies.
Click to expand...

Avoid the Superior loop any time soon...still heavy snow, gravel and pothole coverage. Tenting along the roadside is risky, but technically legal. Look for a map of where "Crown Lands" are located. You can camp for free on Crown land.

I would not be opposed to riding up as far as the Sault, maybe a little further but I can't speak as to my schedule in May right now.

One particularly interesting ride would be this:

Hwy 129 which is off of Hwy 17 (Thessalon to Chapleau) is a great riding road. Then if you're ballsy enought to tackle the gravel and if you have the fuel range (plan for about 160km plus or minus 50km), you can ride back down 129 a bit and take 556 (regional road) to Heyden (a nothing town about 25km north of the Sault).
 
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I'm from Regina, and went to university in Calgary (also an engineer).

I made the drive by car - was long but I enjoyed it. I went through the UP of Michigan. I'd like to do it the all-Canada way sometime but through Michigan would be quicker - there's interstate (I-75) all the way up from Detroit area to Soo. I've driven up to Lake Superior Prov Park and Wawa, and the driving is fairly slow - especially through all the towns from Sudbury - Soo.

There's a Hosteling International hostel in Regina. Unfortunately, not in Winnipeg.

If you spend time in Calgary, the good motorbike roads are:

  • Highway 1A from Calgary to Canmore;
  • Highway 66 from Bragg Creek to the end of pavement (Elbow Falls);
  • Highway 22 from Black Diamond to Crowsnest Pass;
  • Farther into BC, the ride from Revelstoke to Castlegar/Nelson.

It does snow and get nasty in the mountains in May so watch the weather.

Good luck!
 
I was thinking about riding out to BC. But, for me, it'll be more like July-Aug.

Anyway, safe travels, and keep us posted. It's good reading for touring-newbies like me! :)
 
If timing is right in May I could join you on the trip. but I will be doing one way only.
 
seven- thanks for pointing me towards adv, ive been reading lots of the ride reports and hopefully it will be a wealth of information. The two man tent sounds like an excellent choice for what i had in mind as well. im not sure if i will try riding through rain and ****** weather or just pull over and set up camp somewhere. i really dont like riding though rain. what kinds of things did you make using the stove?

macs - yea if i could set up camp in crown lands that would be amazing. i like to just be in nature and make a small fire and relax. do you know a good way to go about doing it? you company would be greatly appreciated and i dont think the residents of heyden would like you addressing their town like that :p

hondu - the more of adv i read (thanks seven), the more inclined i am to wander around and take my time getting to my destination in alberta, so your recommendations will be taken to heart.

yum - i will be bringing along my go pro that i bought at christmas time so hopefully i will be able to provide with some interesting videos and pictures along the way. safe travels to you too!

djez - as the date gets closer hopefully we can work something out! why are you only going 1 way?

my route i was thinking about was to go up to soo and then cut through the states instead of going to thunder bay, but i want to get back into canada as soon as possible.
 
How long you going to be in Alberta for? And how long do you expect the trip there and back to be?
 
I'm doing this ride in late May. Staying in Canada on the way there, then diving through state on the way back. Planning on 3 day trips. I'm packing light, so camping is def out of the picture for me. Just a tank bag :) Will only be in Calgary for 3-4 days.
 
sabex - i have to be back in Toronto for my convocation on june 19, but other than that i dont have any commitments. since i am new and havent taken any real trips on my bike I dont have much of an idea on timing. im not sure if i will hole up when its raining or cold, that sort of thing.

matt - why are you going for such a short time?
 
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