Adventure Cycling Association

One of Adventure Cycling's flagship routes, the Pacific Coast runs roughly 3,000 km of paved coastal touring from Vancouver to the US-Mexico border. The BC leg is its opening chapter: 65 km from Vancouver south to the Peace Arch crossing, flat to rolling on city routes and suburban highway. Modest riding on its own, but every ride to Mexico has to start somewhere.

A 503 km multi-day loop, ridden clockwise, that circles the Salish Sea region on a chain of trails and ferries, crossing between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Nearly half unpaved but gently graded throughout, with about 3,200 m of climbing spread over the distance. The ferries are half the fun; the trail connections do the rest.

The British Columbia section of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, the famous off-pavement ride tracing the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico. The BC leg crosses the Flathead Valley, one of the wildest corners of the Canadian Rockies, mostly on gravel and dirt roads far from traffic. About 307 km with around 3,100 m of climbing and long gaps between services, so treat it as a self-sufficient backcountry ride.

Adventure Cycling's Great Parks North runs from the Jasper area south into the United States, and its British Columbia leg gives you 373 km of it through the Kootenay Rockies. Nearly all paved and rolling, with around 3,200 m of climbing, built around big mountain scenery. Expect to share the road: this is classic highway touring, best for riders comfortable riding with traffic.

The British Columbia stretch of Adventure Cycling's Selkirk Splendor, about 355 km through the Selkirk Mountains before the route drops toward Sandpoint, Idaho. Mostly paved and never flat: the BC leg piles up around 5,500 m of climbing through lake and mountain country. A committed road tour for riders happy sharing the highway.

The British Columbia stretch of the Alaskan Golden Circle, a roughly 890 km loop through Alaska, the Yukon, and northern BC, famously closed by about 250 km of ferry travel to and from Haines, Alaska. The 130 km BC leg is paved highway riding through genuinely remote northern country, with long gaps between services. Plan carefully and expect to share the road.