Feeling adventurous, my husband, Monte, and I decided to sample some of B.C.'s best motorcycling roads on our newly revived 1985 Honda Magna. It was a hot day in July 2012 and we left Cranbrook, B.C., heading west on Highway 3/95. Our destination was Scotch Creek on Shuswap Lake in the Okanagan region of B.C., where we were scheduled to meet up with my husband’s family for a weekend of camping.
The section of Highway 3A between Creston and Kootenay Bay—which follows the shoreline of Kootenay Lake—has been on my husband’s list of must-do rides for many years. This twisty, scenic stretch of highway is a well-known route among bikers and we met up with several other riders on the free ferry ride across Kootenay Lake. When the ferry landed on the other side of the lake, many of them headed toward the city of Nelson, but we turned north on Highway 31, which would lead us through Ainsworth Hot Springs to the village of Kaslo. Shortly after the ferry ride, we started to see clouds forming overhead—and rain showered us a few minutes later. My optimism for this journey diminished a little as I clung to Monte, shivering and soaking wet.
Thankfully, the sun came out again and I was back in good spirits. We turned off Highway 31 at Kaslo and followed the road leading to New Denver and Nakusp. By the time we rode into Nakusp, it was getting late and the sun was starting to go down. We pressed on and made our way to Revelstoke, where we spent the night. After eight hours of riding, I had gained a full understanding of what it’s like to have numb bum. Quite frankly, there were times when I thought about ditching the back seat of the old Honda to walk the rest of the way to Shuswap Lake. We did make it though.
The last segment of our ride was completed the following day. We arrived at the Cottonwood Family Campground at Scotch Creek around lunchtime. We spent the next few days boating, water-skiing, tubing, swimming and resting our weary bodies on the beach. The weekend went by in a flash, and a few days later, it was time to head home.
To save some hours, we returned home via the Trans-Canada Highway through Rogers Pass and Glacier National Park. Although the scenery is incredible along this section, I do not recommend travelling it on a bike. With bumper-to-bumper traffic and large frost heaves in the road, riding a motorcycle over Rogers Pass can be stressful—for us it was anyways. On the other side of Rogers Pass, we turned off the Trans-Canada Highway and travelled through Golden and back home to Cranbrook on Highway 95. Here, the road was quiet and the sun shone brightly overhead. It was haying season, so all the way home, we were greeted with the smells of freshly cut grass. It was a trip I would definitely do again—on a bike that is better suited for two-passenger touring, that is.
Cranbrook motorcycle ride
Living in Cranbrook, we don’t have to venture far to find roads that make for fun motorcycle rides. A nice afternoon or evening ride to try is the Cranbrook-Kimberley-Wasa loop.
From Cranbrook, head out on King Street. This joins up with Wycliffe Park Road, which then leads to Highway 95A going to Kimberley. The Kimberley highway will take you through Marysville and Kimberley to Highway 93/95. Turn at the junction and head back to Cranbrook. Wasa Lake Provincial Park, Fort Steele Farms and Fort Steele Heritage Town are some stops you can make along the way. This route also crosses the Kootenay River a couple of times.
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