Photo: Toby StierFernie, BC

Great Parks North (BC Only)

A ride described at Adventure Cycling Association

How we describe routes →

Challenging Demanding on several fronts at once, or a lot of riding on busy roads.

Difficulty Our overall read of how demanding a route is. We score surface roughness, climbing, singletrack, and how far it runs from services. The route publisher's own rating, a lot of busy road riding, or sheer scale can push the tier up, never down.

Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.

How we describe routes →

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.

Get the route on Adventure Cycling Association →

Where this ride goes#

Approximate lineGet the real route ↗

Map key & layers

Show stops Mute other bike trails

Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodationBike Services

Riding near fast trafficFastest stretches

Dashed line = our rough sketch of where the ride goes. The rideable route lives at get the route from Adventure Cycling Association.

Fast-road stretches#

We believe these are the fast, unprotected roads on this route. We can tell you which roads and roughly how far, but not the order you will ride them. If you see an error, tell us and we'll fix it.

about 107 km of Crowsnest Highway · near Morrissey
about 105 km of Kootenay-Columbia Highway · near Torrent
about 89 km of Banff-Windermere Parkway · near Vermilion Crossing
about 22 km of Westside Road · near Rushmere
about 20 km of Wardner - Fort Steele Road · near Fenwick
about 10 km of Wardner Fort Steele Road · near Bull River
about 1 km of Athalmer Road · near Windermere
short stretches on other roads · 2 km total

☕Stops worth stopping for132 along this route

Fernie Historic Oil Derrick: BC's last standing wooden oil derrick, at Fernie's eastern gateway on Highway 3. · Fernie

Radium Hot Springs: Parks Canada's hot spring pools below Sinclair Canyon in Kootenay National Park. · Radium Hot Springs

Sparwood Visitor Centre: Visitor centre beside the Terex Titan, one of the world's largest trucks, on Highway 3. · Sparwood

Fernie (37)

Fernie Historic Oil DerrickInfo· Activity / Experience · Free

Fernie Heritage LibraryWelcoming· Library · Free

Fernie Brewing CompanyInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Fernie MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

Fernie Stanford ResortInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range

Fernie Visitor Information CentreInfo· Visitor Centre

Straight Line BicyclesInfo· Repair Shop

The LocalInfo· Grocery Store

Raging Elk Adventure LodgingAccredited· Hostel · $ · Rock-bottom

Red Tree LodgeAccredited· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Boston Pizza, McDonald's +2 more

+22 more in Fernie →

Radium Hot Springs (37)

Radium Hot SpringsInfo· Activity / Experience · $$

Inn On CanyonInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Radium Hot Springs Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free

Redstreak CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

The Old Salzburg ResterantInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Alpen MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Apple Tree InnInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Big Horn CafeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Cedar MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Conrad Kain's Kitchen + Grill & Asia Nova LoungeInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Plus the fast-food chains — Subway, Wildside Pizzeria

+25 more in Radium Hot Springs →

Invermere (19)

Konig Meat and Sausage CompanyInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Pizzeria MercatoInfo· Restaurant · $ · Cheap eats

Windermere Valley MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

BegginningsInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

BirchwoodInfo· Restaurant · $$$ · Upscale

Eddie Mountain Memorial ArenaInfo· Community Centre · $

Invermere HostelInfo· Hostel · $ · Rock-bottom

Invermere Inn & SuitesInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range

Invermere Public LibraryInfo· Library · Free

Smokehouse 93Info· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W

+8 more in Invermere →

Sparwood (12)

Sparwood Visitor CentreInfo· Visitor Centre · Free

Sparwood MuseumInfo· Museum / Gallery · Free

Causeway Bay Hotel & Conference CentreInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

Mountain Shadows CampgroundInfo· Private Campground

Sparwood Public LibraryInfo· Library

Valley MotelInfo· Hotel / Motel · $$ · Budget

EssoInfo· Convenience Store

HuskyInfo· Convenience Store

Overwaitea FoodsInfo· Grocery Store

Plus the fast-food chains — A&W, Subway, Tim Hortons

Windermere (6)

Black Forest RestaurantInfo· Restaurant · $$$ · Upscale

Kicking Horse CafeInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Invermere Liqour StoreInfo· Liquor Store

Joe's No FrillsInfo· Grocery Store

Plus the fast-food chains — McDonald's, Tim Hortons

Fairmont Hot Springs (5)

Fairmont Mountainside MarketInfo· Grocery Store

Fairside InnInfo· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Hoodoo Mountain ResortInfo· Private Campground

Spruce Grove RV Park and CampgroundInfo· Private Campground

Gas PlusInfo· Convenience Store

Jaffray (3)

First Perk Coffee HouseInfo· Café / Coffee · $ · Cheap eats

Will-O-Bend RV ParkInfo· Private Campground

Jaffray Pump & PantryInfo· Convenience Store

Bull River (2)

Kootenay Trout HatcheryInfo· Activity / Experience · Free

Bull River InnInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Cokato (1)

Timberline LodgeAccredited· Hotel / Motel · $$$ · Mid-range

Copper Creek (1)

Blacksmith Landing Eco CampInfo· Private Campground

Dry Gulch (1)

Dry Gulch Provincial CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Edgewater (1)

McLeod Meadows CampgroundInfo· Public Campground

Slice and dice these stops in the directory →

These stops come from our directory of welcoming places across BC. Spot something wrong, missing, or closed? Tell us and we'll fix it.

⛴Getting here, bike and allFernie

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

Fernie is the handiest transit doorway for this ride. Buses, ferries, trains, and the SkyTrain will carry you and your bike there:

Sparwoodbest: bus
Vancouverbest: bus
Victoriabest: ferry + train + bus
Nanaimobest: ferry + SkyTrain + bus

Also on the bike-transit map: Sparwood

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories

The BC portion of this route travels through the traditional territories of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, Michif Piyii (Métis), Niitsítpiis-stahkoii ᖹᐟᒧᐧᐨᑯᐧ ᓴᐦᖾᐟ (Blackfoot / Niitsítapi ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ), Secwepemcúl’ecw (Secwépemc), and Tsuut’ina.

Territory data from Native Land Digital, for educational purposes only.

Ready to ride it?

Get the route on Adventure Cycling Association →Got the GPX? Add BC Bike Stops to it →