Your Ticket to Ride - The Final Frontier

TourBC 2011 Itinerary

Thompson Rivers   University , Kamloops – Salmon Arm – Lumby – Fauquier – Naksup – Revelstoke – Armstrong - Kamloops

758 kilometres/471 miles

Day One

Sunday, July 17^th – Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops – Salmon Arm

132 km/82 miles  

The start of our trip involves a wonderful downhill as we head out of the university, through downtown Kamloops and out along the highway heading east.  We quickly turn back into the hills and make our way to Falkland and the Salmon River Valley. 

Although this is our longest day, it is one of the easiest and most scenic. Map and profile 

Day Two

Monday, July 18^th – Salmon Arm - Lumby

108 km/68miles

Day 2, we travel back through the Salmon River Valley on different roads skirting through Armstrong and Vernon   where we will have lunch.  From there we will join Highway 6 and head east towards the foothills of the Monashee Mountains .  Passing through Coldstream and Lavington, we will finish off the day’s ride in the picturesque town of Lumby .  Map and profile

Day Three

Tuesday, July 19^th – Lumby - Fauquier

112 km/70 miles

Though not our longest day, Day 3 will be our most challenging.  Still following Highway 6, we now start to climb through the Monashee Mountains.  There is very little urban development along this route.  We will lunch just east of the summit before starting our descent into Needles and the Arrow Lakes. 

We finish the day with a short journey on the Needles Cable Ferry across Arrow Lake to Fauquier and we are now in the Kootenays.  Map and profile

Day Four

Wednesday, July 20^th – Fauquier to Nakusp

58 km/36 miles

On the Wednesday, we have planned a short day, which will allow us some time to enjoy the local hot springs and beaches.  The ride along the east side of Arrow Lake is very picturesque and known for the osprey nests  on the hydro poles along the route.

Nakusp  is a quaint town with a lovely setting right on the shores of Arrow Lake.  Looking over at the Monashee Mountains , Nakusp is also famous for its music festival  and hot springs.  Map and profile

Day Five

Thursday, July 21^st – Nakusp to Revelstoke

101 km/63 miles

Carrying on from Nakusp, we will cycle along Highway 23, a very quiet highway which travels along the length of Upper Arrow Lakes.  We will have spectacular views to our left of the Monashee Mountains and we have the satisfaction of knowing that all our climbing in those mountains is complete. 

Our lunch stop will be at the ferry terminal at Shelter Bay , across the lake from Galena Bay where we catch the ferry.  On the ride into Revelstoke, keep your eyes open for wildlife.  Map and profile

Day Six

Friday, July 22^nd - Revelstoke to Armstrong

132 km/83 miles

Turning west out of Revelstoke, we are now headed back into the Thompson/Okanagan region over Eagle Pass.   We will have a water stop at Craigellachie Rest Area where there an historical monument commemorating the driving of the last spike on the trans-Canada railway, joining east and west. 

We will follow some backroads on our way into Sicamous and again into Armstrong, the cheese capital of BC.  Map and profile

Day Seven

Saturday, July 23^rd – Armstrong - Kamloops

115 km/72 miles

Our final day from Armstrong back into Kamloops takes us through the Salmon River Valley and back along Highway 97.  We will descend to join Highway 1 for a short way before taking a backroad along the railway into Kamloops on the north side. 

Our climb back to the university finishes our tour with a flourish.  We have arranged for TBCers to be able to take showers at the Canada Games Pool, adjacent to the college. Map and profile

Click for a global, overall & daily maps and route profiles

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, Danelle Laidlaw, toll-free at 1-877-606-BIKE (2453), (604) 737-0043/737-0374 Fax, or tourbc at tourbc.net (replace at with @).

As in previous years, our tour is fully supported with mobile tour leaders to help keep you on track and to point out interesting features along the route. Our medic will provide us with qualified emergency service support and we will have mechanical assistance available.  Both the mechanical and the medical support personnel accompany the tour and monitor the course.  Bicycle racks are provided for our support vehicles by ATOC Topper Racks.  Each participant will receive daily route maps and notes.  In addition, the entire route is fully signed. 

All meals are provided on the tour as well as a morning and afternoon water and snack stop where appropriate pull-outs can be found.  Please note, breakfast on the first day, and dinner on the final day are not included in the Tour package.  Camping is provided and for those participants who wish to stay in motels, we will provide a list of motels close to our campgrounds.  It is your responsibility to ensure that your luggage is tagged and if you have chosen to stay in motels, you must give our truck driver a written list of the days you will be staying in motels and the name and address of each motel.  Getting to and from your motel is also your responsibility.  Any assistance with this is on an "as available" basis. 

Where we can along the route, we invite local artists to provide us with entertainment, focusing on the flavour of the area.  In the past, we have had native story telling, old time bands, slide shows, a native pow wow, etc.  In addition to our mechanical and medical support, the tour has a massage therapy team, and photographers to record your adventure. 

If you have not been to these diverse regions of British Columbia before, you are in for a treat.  If you are returning for a 2^nd, 5th or 15th time, we are sure we still have some surprises and discoveries for you.