Parks Canada is doing their best to lay on a few pandemic perks in Banff National Park. For example, the Bow Valley Parkway is closed to vehicles between Banff and Castle Junction. With fresh asphalt and no cars, it's a great summer of 2020 highway ride for cyclists.
The summit stretch of HIghwood Pass is closed to vehicle traffic from Dec 15 through June 14 each year. Depending on snow pack and spring temperatures, that means there's a short window each spring when it's possible to ride from the locked winter gates to the summit of HIghwood Pass. We made our first attempt in 2016 (successful) on mountain bikes and have returned each spring since, usually on our cyclocross wheels which make for an easier ride. Highlights from our 2020 ride include spotting a couple of white-tailed deer, riding into strong and gusting headwinds on the descent and seeing a grizzly bear on the drive out. At the date of publication, there are two more weekends to ride Highwood Pass before it re-opens to vehicle traffic on June 15, 2020.
It's early June and the mountains are calling. Canada's highest public paved road is snow free but closed to motor vehicles until June 15th. What to do? Join the steady stream of cyclists and pedal to the summit of Highwood Pass!
This year, we cycled the Rocky Mountain Legacy Trail from mid-May through mid-October, when the trail officially closed for the winter. Thanks to a wide range of extensions available on either end, our rides ranged from 53 to 86 km and included a good mix of destinations in both Canmore and Banff. Amazing scenery and minimal elevation change make this a "must ride" trail for those visiting Canmore/Banff during the riding season.
Thanks to the multitude of community partners backing the Rotary-Mattamy Greenway, Calgarian's have pathway access to more neighbourhoods than ever before. Wondering where to start your exploration of the Greenway? We offer up five recommendations based on pedaling more than 500 km on Calgary pathways over the last six weeks. We also share advice on which areas to avoid - at least until the final construction phase is complete. Once the missing bits are finished, the Greenway is gonna be truly awesome! We might even try to ride the whole thing in one day!