Canadian Wilderness 7 Reasons to go right now

Canada is a beautiful country to ride in. Armed with soaring mountain ranges, large emerald lakes, glaciers like you’ve never seen before, an unlimited amount of wildlife and some of the most enjoyable biking roads to be found anywhere in the world, it’s a true paradise for motorcyclists looking for adventure. Every single day sees you in an untamed wilderness, riding alongside bears, moose, bison, wolves and birds of prey. This beautiful land affords you more than just great scenery and epic wildlife spots though, it’s an adventure in its truest form. Hours pass riding through the isolated wilderness and you gain a real appreciation for what it means to live and survive in an area this harsh and vast. The isolation will astound you, the scenery will entrance you and the wildlife will enrapture you. Canada will take you in for a journey the likes of which you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

Wrangell St Elias National Park
Wrangell St Elias National Park is the largest national park in America. Spanning an area of 13.2 million acres, it’s so big, you not only can fit Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks into its space but the country of Switzerland too! The park is home to several of the United States’ highest mountains, including Mt. St Elias, the second highest peak in the entire country; soaring at over 18,000 feet. On top of this, the national park also has the largest glacial system in the US, covering 35% of the park. Hubbard Glacier alone measures 76 miles long, 7 miles wide and 600 feet tall and is the largest tidewater glacier in North America. Magellan ride through the park on the first day of the tour after leaving Anchorage, riding past the mighty Mt.St Elias to get down to the small town of Tok.

The Yukon and Alcan Highway
Constructed in WW2, the Alcan Highway was built to connect the lower 48 states of America to Alaska. Running through British Columbia all the way to Delta Junction via Whitehorse in the Yukon, its approximately 1,387 miles long and one of the most well known road trips in North America. Think of the Alcan like the M1 in the UK, its an integral road for getting from one end of the country to the other. However, unlike the M1, the Alcan has little to no traffic, beautiful mountain ranges, serene lakes and for the parts we ride on at least you’re in the middle of the Yukon wilderness, meaning wildlife and epic scenery every day. Magellan join the Alcan in Alaska and its not long after crossing the border into Canada before the scenery changes from desolate pine forests to rolling green mountains and large clear lakes. We spend 3 days on the Alcan before peeling off onto the famed Cassiar Highway.

Cassiar Highway
Like the Alcan, the Cassiar, also known as Highway 37, is the only other paved road you can join that eventually runs up into Alaska. Even more desolate than the Alcan, the Cassiar runs through the most scenic and isolated area of the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the road is simply stunning. Peeling away from the Alcan at Watson Lake we get onto Highway 37 on narrow, undulating roads with steep climbs and even steeper drops through miles and miles of never ending trees to reach the tiny town of Jade City, where the coffee is free and the temperatures near baltic! As we make our way further down the Cassiar the chances of seeing black bears on the road are incredibly high, this road more than any other has the reputation for great wildlife spots. On the recent tour, our staff managed to spot six bears over the course of the day, close enough you could reach out and touch them! Further down and the scenery changes once more to deep, green forests and surging rivers with the road changing its steep climbs for long sweeping bends as we arrive in Bell Crossing.

Hyder and Stewart
Straddling the Canada/Alaska border sits the quaint towns of Hyder and Stewart, where there’s more than just twisty roads to enjoy! Just after crossing the border into Alaska you will find the wildlife centre, where you can stop on the boardwalk with a viewing platform to spot bears, wolves and bald eagles catching some dinner down by the lake. For the adventurous souls you can carry on down the narrow road, where the tarmac disappears and the gravel begins for a 16 mile off road ride to Salmon Glacier, the 5th largest and most accessible glacier in Canada. This area is nothing but high mountains and unparalleled scenery and once you reach the top of the glacier you are afforded simply beautiful views.

Icefield Parkway
Hailed as one of the most scenic drives in the world, the Icefield Parkway has a smorgasbord of natural wonders just asking to be marvelled at. High snow capped mountains, lush green forests, clear emerald lakes, surging waterfalls, wide valleys and epic glaciers all line up to make a beautiful backdrop for what is one of Canada’s most popular tourist attractions. Linking Lake Louise, Jasper and Banff National Parks this 232 km stretch of road takes in some truly stunning sights, including the famed Canadian Rockies themselves. Magellan have several days riding through the park with a rest day encorporated to fully appreciate this beautiful area, with visits to the Columbia Glacier and skywalk, Sunwapta Falls, Bow Lake, Pytow Lake and much more..

Secret local biker favourites: Highways 23, 6 and 31A
Starting with a ferry ride from Shelter Bay, you disembark at Galena and immediately get thrown on to some of the most stunning roads of the entire trip. Highway 23 winds it way through the forest on small twisty roads, with beautiful views over the bay to reach the town of Nakusp. Here, you peel off onto the 6 with a visit to the New Denver Nikkai Interpretive Centre; a museum dedicated to the history of Japanese Canadians who were relocated during WW2 by the Canadian government. From this point the road gets even more twisty and remote as we make our way to a ghost town in Sandon, which was once the unofficial capital of the mining region known as Silvery Slocan. As we leave Sandon, we get onto the 31A, a gorgeous road with cliffs on one side and surging rivers on the other to twist our way down to Kaslow, where you can jump off the bikes and go for a wander around this historic town on the waterfront with it’s beautiful steam wheeler. In a day full of the best riding roads in Canada, it just keeps getting better as the road gets more technical, with a few hairpins thrown in to keep you on your toes as we finally arrive into the hippie mecca of Nelson.

The North Cascades
The North Cascades are home to many of our favourite things – waterfalls, glaciers, snow covered mountains, alpine lakes and of course incredible roads! In a tour packed full epic roads and gorgeous scenery, the Cascades come in and steal the show! A series of hairpins and sweeping bends thrust you up into the alpine mountains through densely wooded sections, opening up every so often to reveal breathtaking views out to the endless horizon.
The moist climate and rich soil allows greenery to flourish, making the colours of this area so vivid, every colour stands out brighter than anywhere else, deep green trees broken up by bright blue glacier lakes coupled with crisp, fresh air make the Cascades a very special place to ride through. Completely natural and unspoilt and the perfect way to end our journey.