It’s awfully early to start planning a motorcycle trip that’s at least nine months away, but it’s turning cold outside and I have to keep myself excited about something. So after looking around on Google Maps I’ve come up with this, which is one of two ideas for my 2011 motorcycle trip. This trip would be a tour through the heart of the Rocky Mountains, both in the United States and Canada. Here’s the map:
This ride would take me past the Sawtooth Range of Idaho, then into Montana through Missoula. Next it’s northwest to Idaho’s Lake Pend Oreille, then north into Canada, to the mountains of British Columbia and Alberta. This route will be along the Ice Fields Parkway through incredible Banff National Park. There will be a lot of this:
Glaciers in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta
In Alberta, coming out of the Rockies for a while, the route turns east toward Edmonton, then south to Calgary, through the northern Great Plains. Out there, there will be a lot of this:
Lush northern plains outside Calgary
From the plains the route turns southwest back into the mountains, into British Columbia then Montana. Just past Kalispell is huge Flathead Lake, familiar territory for me, then past the beautiful Mission Range and back to Missoula. Out of Missoula the route turns southeast along a bit of interstate, then along the west side of the Teton Range to Jackson, Wyoming. From there I’m home free, riding through Star Valley and Afton in Wyoming, and back to the Salt Lake Valley.
The route is about 2,700 miles which is about right for a week long ride. I think the route should generally be straighter and faster than my route along the California coast, so I’ll cover a lot of ground quickly. Still, I’ll have to check each road carefully before departing. One 25 mile winding road can set me behind schedule. Like my other trips I’ll have to ride in July or August because up there I could run into snow.
This Rocky Mountain trip is one of two places I’m considering for my 2011 ride. The other is a desert ride through Arizona and New Mexico, and I’ll update with a proposed route. Hey, maybe I can do both next year…