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OVERVIEW:
The Washington-BC tour is a 480 mile loop, starting and ending in the town of Republic in Eastern Washington. This tour travels along beautiful valleys and quiet roads and climbs up mountain passes in the Okanogan highlands of northeastern Washington and the Kootenay Mountains of southeastern British Columbia. We have included a couple of ferry rides and scenic roads along several gorgeous lakes to round out the tour.
Download the route map (PDF).
WHAT TO EXPECT:
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
This tour is rated Advanced. This seven-day tour has a 70-mile daily average, with one day at 95 miles and another at 90 miles. There are two mountain passes though neither is extremely difficult.
WEATHER
July is in all likelihood going to be warm and dry but you should also be prepared for thunderstorms (which may even include some hail) which can drop temperatures suddenly as this tour goes through stretches at high elevation and over two mountain passes.
MEALS
This tour will provide both snacks and lunch on riding days. Breakfast and dinner are your responsibility; however our accommodations provide breakfast a couple of mornings.
LODGING
Quality of lodging varies from quite nice to quite basic. In at least two places we find ourselves limited as to what is available. In one case it’s an historic hotel with clean rooms but without the modern amenities such as TV, hair dryers, or even separate bathrooms in your room.
PASSPORT REQUIRED
Since we are traveling into and out of Canada a passport or enhanced driver’s license is required to get back into the US. If you need one, start the process early!
ITINERARY:
Saturday, July 9
We meet the first night in Republic and get to know each other over dinner and an introductory meeting.
Sunday, July 10 – 95 miles and 4,470’ elevation gain
Day One will be our longest day at 95 miles and goes down SR 21 through the beautiful Sanpoil Valley, climbs over a ridge and goes down to Lake Roosevelt, across on a ferry, and up to Kettle Falls.
Monday, July 11 – 60 miles and 3,400’ elevation gain
The second day we will ride east on SR 20 through Colville, over to Lake Pend Oreille, and up to Metaline Falls where we will stay in two historic hotels after a 60 mile day.
Tuesday, July 12 – 65 miles and 5,206’ elevation gain
The third day we go 65 miles north from Metaline Falls into British Columbia and over the lovely Kootenay Pass at 5,823 feet and down into Creston – the location of the Kootenay Brewery.
Wednesday, July 13 – 75 miles and 4,165’ elevation gain
The fourth day we go north from Creston along Kootenay Lake and crossing the lake on the longest free ferry in North America. From the west side of Kootenay Lake we go farther north to the tourist town of Kaslo after a 75 mile day.
Along the way we will take a dip in the famous Ainsworth Hot Spings.
Thursday, July 14
Rest day in the beautiful town of Kaslo. Lots of things to do including walking, kayaking, swimming, shopping, etc. You can even take a pretty bike ride north along the west side of Kootenay Lake.
Friday, July 15 – 90 miles and 5,000’ elevation gain
The fifth day is another long day at 90 miles. Our route takes us over a small ridge along a pretty little creek to New Denver and down south along Slocan Lake to Castlegar on the Columbia River. You’ll experience some of the quietest roads ever.
Saturday, July 16 – 60 miles and 4,500’ elevation gain
The sixth day we climb out of Castlegar over the Crowsnest Highway along Nancy Greene Lake, over Bonanza Pass (5,036’) and cruise down to Christina Lake, staying at Grand Forks, a 60 mile day.
Sunday, July 17 – 35 miles and 1,400’ elevation gain
The last day we cross the border back into the US, zip quickly along Curlew Lake and return to Republic after a mere 35 miles. Leaves you plenty of time to drive home!
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