Magellan Motorcycle Tours

Wilderness and Wildlife of the Yukon, BC and Canadian Rockies - Northbound

Canada, USA

Overview Highlights Itinerary Questions

Wilderness and Wildlife of the Yukon, BC and Canadian Rockies - Northbound

Canada, USA

Select Date

Select Rider Type

Select Accommodation Type

Rider 1 Preferred Motorcycle

Rider 2 Preferred Motorcycle

Select Preferred Motorcycle

View Pricing table

See bears up close and personal and visit some of Canada’s most treasured national parks on this extensive tour of the world’s second largest country.

Find out more about the Magellan team.

This Canadian trip has something for everyone! One day will see you in no man's land riding past bears on the side of the road and other days will see you in mountain ranges that resemble the Swiss passes on steroids. Whether it's the endless stream of wildlife or scenery so beautiful it makes your eyes hurt, this tour is sure to send you home with new experiences and memories to last a lifetime.

Self Guided Tour
16 Days
3100 miles
Portland, USA
HIRE BIKE AVAILABLE

BEST TIME TO GO

May to August

You begin this extensive North American adventure in Portland, setting off through Washington State on a wonderful opening stretch of riding that takes you into the foothills of Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier before climbing into the jaw-dropping scenery of the North Cascades on the way to Winthrop. Crossing the border into Canada the following day, you continue to Nelson, where the scale of the landscapes and the sense of adventure only grow stronger.

Talk to us about Canada, USA

🇬🇧 +442039621162 9am - 5pm GMT, M - F
🇺🇸 +1 206-558-0990 5am - 12pm EST, M - F

Send an Enquiry

Book Consultation

Talk to us about Canada, USA

🇬🇧 +442039621162 9am - 5pm GMT, M - F
🇺🇸 +1 206-558-0990 5am - 12pm EST, M - F

Send an Enquiry

Book Consultation

Speak to us on WhatsApp

From Nelson, the route pushes deeper into British Columbia, with ferry crossings, hot springs and proper Canadian back country on the way to historic Revelstoke. You then ride on into the heart of the Canadian Rockies, edging ever closer to the fantastic Icefields Parkway. Here you are afforded stunning scenery with snow capped mountains and turquoise lakes around every corner. You have 2 nights on the Icefield Parkway, where there are rideouts that take you further into the national park or you can take a day off the bike and enjoy the many outdoor activities the area has to offer from waterfalls to glacier hikes and much more.

Leaving the Rockies behind, you make your way north-west through Prince George and on to Smithers before the road begins to feel ever more remote. From here you join the lesser known Cassiar Highway, famed locally for wildlife sightings, in particular black bears, which can often be seen roaming alongside the road. You spend the day on the Cassiar dodging bears through deep forested sections on a series of fantastic twisty roads before reaching your boutique lodge at Bell Crossing.

Leaving the lodge, you ride past wide, open lakes and glaciers on small twisty roads before reaching the towns of Hyder and Stewart that straddle the Canada / Alaska border. You can cross over for a few hours to spot grizzly bears in the lake catching salmon at the wildlife centre, or ride half an hour off road up to Salmon Glacier itself. Crossing back into Canada, you continue north before rejoining the Alaska Highway at Watson Lake, with time to visit the famous Signpost Forest before pressing on across the Yukon to Whitehorse for the second and final 2 night stay of the trip.

We’ve planned a wonderful rideout from Whitehorse in the shape of the Klondike Highway to Skagway, a tiny coastal town in Alaska that will see you on very scenic roads including the White Pass that drops you into a picturesque town lined with cruise ships. You can also opt to stay in Whitehorse and explore the hippie downtown district and the SS Klondike itself. From Whitehorse you travel further west along the Alcan and back towards Alaska, before a final overnight stop in Tok and one last magnificent day on the Glenn Highway past Wrangle St Elias National Park and into Anchorage. By the end of the tour, you will have crossed borders, ridden some of North America’s greatest roads and experienced a journey packed with wildlife, wilderness and unforgettable scenery.

There’s more to Canada than ice hockey and maple syrup! Follow our itinerary to be immersed in picture postcard mountain ranges, unrepressed wildlife, deep forests, glaciers and more!

Contact me about this tour

Tour highlights

Taste of Alaska: Enjoy an epic final day riding from Tok to Anchorage along the Glenn Highway and past the gorgeous Wrangle St Elias National Park.

Yukon wilderness: Spend several days riding through the epic Yukon, endless curves that wind through iconic parks, glacier-fed lakes and world-famous rivers in this stunning conifer-wreathed wilderness.

Alcan Highway: The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II to connect the contiguous United States to Alaska across Canada. Today it is a bucket list road trip undertaken by plucky souls in RVs and on motorcycles each year. You’ll join it at Watson Lake, ride west through the Yukon to Whitehorse, and then continue on towards Alaska.

'Riding the Cassiar Highway to see not one but 6 bears over the course of the day just wandering about on the side of the road has to be one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. To be that close to them in the wild was terrifying and immense in equal measure. A wonderful tour with very special memories.'

Naomi

Cassiar Highway: You’ll ride the full length of the Cassiar highway. This road is known as the more adventurous route for those looking to traverse Canada and for good reason. Only recently paved, calling it remote is an understatement. The main reason to do it however is the sheer number of black bears along the route. One of our groups last year saw 6 in one day!

Wildlife: This trip more than any other that Magellan runs is all about the wildlife you see along the way, including bears, moose, big horn sheep, and everything in between. There is nowhere better to see all of these magnificent creatures in their natural habitats.

Icefield Parkway: Paralleling the Continental Divide through some of the most wild and stunning parts of Banff and Jasper national parks. We spend two days here and you’ll get to see why its one of the best riding areas in the country as you cruise past glaciers, lakes, mountains and yet more bears!

North Cascades: A truly jaw dropping ride over the Cascades is something every biker should experience once in their lives, nothing in Europe quite compares to this.

Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier: Riding through the devastation still apparent from Mount St Helens’ eruption in 1980 gives you some idea of the power nature can unleash on the landscape, while the views of the iconic 14,000ft peak of Mount Rainier make for a spectacular opening to the tour as you leave Portland behind.

View Tour Images

Read Trip Report

Tour Map / Itinerary

Full Itinerary

Day 1

Hotel check-in and a nice relaxing evening to get over any jetlag!

Day 2 189 Miles

Portland to Enumclaw. Ride beneath Mount St Helens and Mount Rainier before arriving in Enumclaw.

Day 3 275 Miles

Enumclaw to Winthrop. Another stunning day riding across Northern Washington and along the epic North Cascades mountain road.

Day 4 220 Miles

Winthrop to Nelson. Cross back into Canada and ride through British Columbia to Nelson.

Day 5 177 Miles

Nelson to Revelstoke. A ferry crossing takes you back into proper Canadian back country with stops at hot springs, another ghost town and a small hippie enclave for lunch.

Day 6 230 Miles

Revelstoke to Icefield Parkway. Ride past Lake Louise and into the spectacular scenery of the Rockies on the way to your 2 night stay on the Icefield Parkway.

Day 7 Icefield Parkway Rideout Day

Spend the day exploring the wonders of Jasper and Banff National Parks with their waterfalls, glaciers and roving wildlife.

Day 8 283 Miles

Icefield Parkway to Prince George. Another day spent on route 16, the Trans Canada highway, lined with forests and small towns before leaving the park and riding on towards Prince George under the shadow of Mount Robson and along Red Pass.

Day 9 295 Miles

Prince George to Smithers. A lovely winding day along the highway of tears visiting a historic fort and stopping for lunch by the lake.

Day 10 300 Miles

Smithers to Bell Crossing. Your first day on the Cassiar comes with a detour down the 37a to the border towns of Hyder and Stewart where you stop to spot bears hunting for salmon and to visit the aptly named “salmon glacier”.

Day 11 310 Miles

Bell Crossing to Watson Lake. Your second day on the Cassiar brings new meaning to the word remote. Bear sightings on the road are almost guaranteed today so keep your eyes peeled before rejoining the Alcan at Watson Lake.

Day 12 270 Miles

Watson Lake to Whitehorse. Another day crossing the Yukon with some pretty picturesque stops along the way before arriving in Whitehorse for the second and final 2 night stay of the trip.

Day 13 Whitehorse Rideout Day

Choose to ride down the Klondike Highway to Skagway over the White Pass or stay in Whitehorse and explore the funky areas in Downtown and the SS Klondike.

Day 14 380 Miles

Whitehorse to Tok. A day riding along the famed Alcan Highway, crossing the border from Canada back into the US and past stunning lakes and forests.

Day 15 300 Miles

Tok to Anchorage. An exceptionally rewarding final day as you ride the Glenn Highway past Wrangle St Elias National Park all the way to Anchorage to drop off the bike.

Day 16

Fly home with memories of a tour of a lifetime.

arrow

What's included

If you select motorcycle rental, insurance is included.

15 Nights accommodation in a variety of traditional hotels, lodges and guesthouses.

Full use of all hotels’ leisure facilities.

Detailed route plans and maps.

GPS routes (Garmin / Tom Tom).

Detailed daily itinerary including sights and suggested coffee / lunch stops.

What's not

Airfare and Visas.

Travel / Medical Insurance.

Meals and beverages not mentioned above.

GPS on rental bikes. We don’t include SatNav units with the bikes as most people already have one of their own they are familiar with and bring this along.

Fuel, National Park admission fees and optional excursions.

Common questions about this trip

The days look quite long on this trip, will this be an issue?

While some days have high mileages on this tour by European standards the actual saddle time is the same as all our other tours (5-6 hours). The regions you ride through on these longer days are very remote, with never ending views and almost no other traffic meaning you can maintain a good constant speed without it becoming an endurance event.

How remote do we get and what’s the accommodation like on this tour?

You will be staying in many remote places on this tour. As always all our accommodation is in private rooms with en suite bathrooms, however on occasion you should expect some of the facilities to reflect the remote nature of the locations we are travelling through.

Can I combine this with the Alaska tour for a discount?

Yes! This tour and our Alaska tour are designed to run consecutively, so you can easily ride one after the other. If you book these tours together, you’ll receive £1,000 off your total.

Are flights included?

We don’t include flights with any of our tours but are happy to offer advice on where to fly into and your best options for trips that start and end in different locations.

Can you help me sort my Visa?

Yes of course, we include full details on how to arrange a visa in the pre trip documentation and tour pack.

Do I need a SatNav for this trip?

You will need to bring a SatNav with you to load up the routes and ensure you have the correct map coverage for this. Full details on SatNav prep and setup are provided in the tour pack and we’re always here in the office to help if you get stuck.

arrow

More information

For general information on planning and preparing for motorcycle trips including what to pack please see our Prepare for your trip section.

More Information

Magellan Hub

Want to ask one of the team a question, or a get a previous tourer’s take on a trip?

Visit the rider group

Other similar trips

14 days STARTS Anchorage, Alaska
BEST TIME TO GO: May to August

Alaska, USA

The Last Frontier

Experience a journey of discovery, adventure and remoteness in one of the planet’s last great wildernesses.

SELF GUIDED
HIRE BIKE AVAILABLE

MORE INFO

16 days STARTS Portland, USA
BEST TIME TO GO: May to September

USA

Pacific Coast Highway, Wonders of the West Road Trip

Magellan's pure Americana tour, Highway 101, the Redwoods, San Francisco, Yosemite, Death Valley, Vegas, Route 66 and much more. Ride from Portland to LA across Oregon, California, Arizona & Nevada.

SELF GUIDED
HIRE BIKE AVAILABLE

MORE INFO

16 days STARTS Portland, USA
BEST TIME TO GO: May to September

USA

Pacific Northwest, Yellowstone Adventure

Ride across 5 states exploring the Colombia Gorge, Hell's Canyon, Yellowstone, the Rockies, the Lolopass, North Cascades and much more. Regularly voted as one of the best riding tours that Magellan offer anywhere.

SELF GUIDED
HIRE BIKE AVAILABLE

MORE INFO

Bike Option	Single Rider Price (Total for 1 rider, 1 bike)	Rider & Passenger (Total for 2 riders, 1 bike)	Two Bikes, Shared Room (Total for 2 riders, 2 bikes)
Own Bike	£7995	£11590	£14190
BMW R1300GS	£11075	£14670	£20350
BMW F850GS	£10515	£14110	£19230
BMW F750GS	£10375	£13970	£18950

Wilderness and Wildlife of the Yukon, BC and Canadian Rockies - Northbound

Canada, USA

Wilderness and Wildlife of the Yukon, BC and Canadian Rockies - Northbound

Canada, USA

Tour highlights

Tour Map / Itinerary

Full Itinerary

Full Pricing

Common questions about this trip

Other similar trips