mev

Mostly agree with this on several spots. I have cycled through both LA and NYC and none of those cases did I have a reservation. Relative to the sizes of the urban areas - and how far one can travel by bicycle, there are a large number of options if you start looking long enough before dark.

As far as the illegal camping thing goes, I work it mostly as a set of probabilities and set things up to keep the need for illegal camping vanishingly low but not zero. This includes:
- trying to make internet based reservations at reasonable time, even if a week or few days before
- expanding the modes to include hostels; a hotel overnight, etc.
- if still stuck - going through the campground and asking if I might double up with someone. We know there is a certain amount of churn or even people that don't show up in their sites but I would mostly ask/offer to help pay - or try to turn it into a problem solving exercise with others e.g. at campground if they are aware of anything else to do...
- eventually as last resort camp if I needed to do that

So far, I've been lucky - both with parks and also other situations where I've traveled and at times bookings were mostly full or places overseas where there were no hotels

Atlas Shrugged

This is the issue with these forums unless you are asking a question regarding the type of brazing rod used on your 1974 Olmo you usually get scolded and talked down to.

The major issue with the tour you have planned is it is a extremely popular place in a national park thus lots of people and given the national park status plenty of rules. That said stealth camp when you need to and plead your case if caught. The last thing a park ranger is going to do is throw the book at you given your low footprint and reasonable situation. These reservation sites sell out months in advance usually within hours of the booking opening so it is silly to think you must pre booking the whole trip.

indyfabz

In 2019 I took mostly US 93 from Eureka to Whitefish. Still not sure how I survived all the close passes. Going to the Sun had opened. I think that had something to do with traffic levels as it was not as bad in 2017, when GTS was still mostly closed.

mev

The Whitefish Divide route was beautiful. Saw deer and scared a bear coming around a bend. There were some miles of corrugated gravel road and rest was smooth gravel road.

My sister in law owned/managed a motel in West Glacier for close to a decade. They would have considerably more business after GTS opened - so August much busier than early June and not sure what predictions are this year.

indyfabz

When we left the park via W. Glacier in 2009 it was the first full day the road was open. The left turn lane from US 2 was stacked full of vehicles. That was late June. These days you need a reservation to enter the park in the GTS corridor during the peak season from around 6 am until early evening or so. That was implemented a year or two ago.

jamawani 

I can summarize the above in 5 words - "Rules don't apply to me."
It really gives touring cyclists a bad name and is perfect reason for park managers to add more restrictions.

From the National Parks Act of Canada

The national parks of Canada are hereby dedicated to the people of Canada
for their benefit, education and enjoyment, subject to this Act and the regulations,
and the parks shall be maintained and made use of
so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.

Notice that Canadian national parks have been created for Canadians.
Canadians welcome people from all over the world to their parks.
But it is Canadians who determine the regulations, not Americans nor cyclists.
And protection of the parks is central to their management.

I am profoundly disappointed that so many people posting here - probably very few Canadians -
advocate disregardimg Canadian park regulations so glibly.
It is a long-standing characteristic of Americans that Canadians loathe.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

PS - If you are Canadian and want to stealth camp in the parks - - fine.
Then again, most of the people cited are Canadian.

PPS - I think that I have more than responded to the OP's questions.
Can I find a rationale for stealth camping in the Canadian national parks? No.

John N

I don't think "so many" are "disregarding Canadian park regulations so glibly". I have repeatedly said it is not my preferred choice and will be proactively seeking the proper reservations in advance. If you re-read my original post you will see I was asking for comments on how people dealt with the issue. I think only three have said they would consider it and I have repeatedly said I would ONLY if there was no other choice. To me, that is not being glib. I also am not trying to disregard Canadian laws because they are Canadian. If you would, again, reread my comments, you will see I am trying to obey them by learning about them, the sites/procedures, etc. This is the exact same as I do anywhere in the world. The question, which you refuse to answer because you probably agree with me but have painted yourself into a corner, is what to do if no other option is available. I at least had the guts to tell the truth and say I would camp illegally instead of hiding behind holier than thou snide comments.

For the others who actually have answered my question of what you did while riding the Icefields, I thank you. If others have comments on how they got their camping sorted out, I would appreciate further comments.

jamawani 

Snide?
After I spent hours outlining all kinds of options??
And didn't tell you what you wanted to hear.
Geez.

L134 

I rode the Icefields Parkway last summer. We spent 3 nights on the Parkway, all with reservations - June 30 at Rampart Creek Campground, July 1 at Beauty Creek Hostel, July 2,3 at HI Canada hostel in Jasper. I don't remember Rampart Creek as being crowded. Beauty Creek Hostel was manned by extremely bike friendly staff. I would call them and ask if you would be able to camp on their grounds even if no beds are available. The HI Canada hostel in Jasper is extremely nice and quite large. They have a very large lawn area out back. Maybe call them to find out if they would permit tent camping on that lawn if no beds were available? I recognize the dates aren't the same as yours but we were there over a holiday weekend.

Personally, I didn't think jamawani was necessarily referring to you but if there are "no other options," there are no other options to suggest? Since you are starting in Alaska, I think you will find many nights where you have no other options - there are some very remote stretches. We camped in rest areas posted "no camping," we camped in turn outs. We were very bear aware and left the areas cleaner than we found them. We had no problems. I will add that many businesses that once were, were no longer, having closed down (seemingly permanently) due to COVID or had been taken over by construction companies to service their employees only. There was a lot of road construction and laying of fiber optics. I think we had a stretch of 6 days without services so a food carry of 6 days. I recognize this was not a subject of your inquiry but, you might want to confirm in advance that remote services along your route are actually still there.

John N

Thanks for the comments on what you had done and how it worked out. I will give the hostels a shout and see if they are able to accommodate with a week's notice.

To be clear, I am not opposed at all to LEGAL disperse camping; I actually enjoy it and have only camped illegally maybe a handful of times in 45+ years of touring as I am not a fan of it at all. I know I will have a lot of dispersed (legal) camping prior to Jasper but am not overly concerned as there seems to be a ton of that. It is disheartening about all the businesses closing.

It was John's (Jamawani) repeated snide (at least to me) comments about stealth camping and my supposed lack of planning (which is just the opposite of what I am trying to do) that caused me to say that. John & I have had brief private email exchange and he knows how and why I said what I said. I have valued his experience overall for 10+ years (early CGOAB days) and think others should at least listen to what he offers as will I. I just think repeatedly putting down people's suggestions and ideas without offering an alternate solution is something one should not strive for.

Thanks again for the comments on what you did when riding the Icefields.

jamawani 

If you reread through this thread, you will note that I offered multiple alternatives.
And I spent considerable time doing so.
It does appear, however, that I did not offer the solution you kept asking for.
That is - "Well, if you can't find a campsite, then go ahead and stealth camp."
Others suggested as much.

Bike touring is one of the most privileged activities - esp. multi-month, epic tours.
I am beyond fortunate to have done many - - as are you.
The vast majority of people in North America, let alone the world, do not have the time & money.
And so - no - heavily-used parks are under no obligation to make special arrangements for cyclists.
It is a generous special accommodation where it is available.

I have toured the Canadian national parks in the Rockies a half dozen times.
From the U.S. / Canadian border to 60 degrees north and further.
Not once have I been stranded or had to go off into the woods in the parks.
Nor would I ever do so. Because to do so simply adds to the ongoing human impact.

We are witnessing one of the greatest mass extinctions in the history of the planet.
If that means that I can't do everything I want to - when I want to -
in some of the few remaining wild places, places that already have high human impacts,
then I am more than o.k. with that.

And if that sounds "preachy" - then so be it.

VomitSpeed

The walk-in (no motor vehicles allowed) hiker-biker sites at the Whistlers campground near the town of Jasper survived the recent Whistlers campground renovation. Those sites are available to cyclists without reservations. The walk-in sites at Whistlers are not advertised. I have never had a problem getting a site there without a reservation. The number of cycletourists on the Icefields Parkway has been falling rapidly over the last few years due to the horrendous increase in motorists on the Icefields Parkway, especially at the Lake Louise end of the Parkway.

The rest of the Parkway is a camping issue for cycletourists due to filthy motorists reserving all the camping spots. I never wild camp along the Parkway. It's not allowed and there is a very real bear issue along the Parkway which you can make more dangerous for everyone by wild camping. There's the hostels and also the hotels, which can come in handy if you are lazy (like me) and can't be bothered to set up a tent, especially at the Icefields Center, where the hotel is attached to the restaurant (I am also too lazy to cook). I always seem to get good rates at the hotels as a walk-in without a reservation. Room availability may be an issue mid-summer.

You can also ride the whole Parkway in one day and avoid camping between Jasper and Lake Louise or Banff. There is much less motorized traffic late at night.

John N

Thanks for the info. It is good to hear about the fairly good chance of availability @ Whistler. The Park Office has said they fill up but I have heard a couple others say what you say. However, while you may be able to ride the ~230km from Jasper to Lake Louis in one day, I would not be able to, especially since I am fully loaded. Oh, to be a young again.

VomitSpeed

Most Parks Canada employees are not aware of the Whistlers Campground hiker-biker area. It is kind of a confidential secret amongst cycletourists, backpackers and the Parks Canada employees at the Whistlers Campground. The numbered sites in the hiker-biker area (hidden in the woods) are not even shown on the campground map:


https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jas...s/whistlers-cg


The absence of non-reservable hiker-biker campsites on the rest of the Icefields Parkway is a real failure on the part of the Government of Canada, which is hellbent on making sure Canada is the most car-dependent/F150-dependent nation on earth.


Sometimes you can meet other cyclists along the way to share a camping site on the Icefields Parkway. If I have a site I always invite the other cycletourists to share it. I have met lots of interesting people that way.


The good news is the Alaska Highway is more-or-less back to normal this year and pretty well all the businesses that were running when Covid arrived are back up and running. Robert Service Way in Whitehorse is currently closed due to revenge by mother earth (slope instability) so if you go into Whitehorse (Midnight Sun Coffee Shop!) take Two Mile Hill if the closure is still on. Between Teslin and Watson Lake at kilometer 1152 of the Alaska Highway the Swan Lake Rest Area has a sign up warning about a bear that did not hibernate so don't camp near there. It is probably a cocaine bear. I mean it is definitely a cocaine bear.


https://midnightsuncoffeeroasters.com/



Doing it one day does kind of ruin the sightseeing and the climbing is ferocious if you have stainless steel pots and pans, hardcover books and puncture-resistant tires. I am so old I have one foot in the grave but I occasionally do it straight-through with light camping gear. It is stunningly beautiful on a starry night with no cars. I always go straight through from Prince George to McBride on the Yellowhead Highway. I have lights. There is no way on earth I am camping at Slim Creek like everyone else. I have never heard of someone camping there who has not been startled awake by the rustling of the Slim Creek Mystery Horror Beast that is so elusive it has never been seen. Same goes for Hungry Hill (west of Houston, BC). World record-size Grizzlies (hence the name of the hill). I do not camp there. The only thing worse would be giant Grizzlies on cocaine.

Doug64

I believe the Parkway is a place that would be hard to ride fast on. It is something that should be savored. My wife and I rode it from Jasper to Bow Lake, I took 799 pictures (edited). If I only spent one minute per picture, which is pretty conservative, it would take about 13 hours. That was only my pictures, my wife took a similar number of photos. We were headed to Winnipeg and Fargo, ND, and didn't mind the time spent. We could make up a little on the Prairies.





Why would you want to ride this at night?

VomitSpeed

Good point. If you don't have good lights you could also hit an elk or something in the dark.

It's not really cycletouring if you do it at night. The self-respecting tourist should do it during daylight hours. I have done it at night in the winter because the days are so short and nothing is open. The Parkway is also a through-route to Banff and Jasper so I have done it in the dark because I had to get somewhere and I was never a good tourist in the first place. The Parkway is also a brevet route so you may have to do it in the dark.

John N

I actually spoke with the Jasper Rangers (not the national call center) and they mentioned that even the walk-in sites typically fill by 11am (may have been 1pm, I forget) in August. I specifically asked about H/B sites and that is when they mentioned the walk-in, which are mostly filled by tenters in cars. I do think H/B sites in the the larger campgrounds would be a positive thing. Even if I could do the ride in one day, I probably would not unless I had ridden it before many times and then I would do it only to see it in a different light, no pun intended.

John N

Doug64, nice pics, especially the one with the bike in it. What time of year was this taken?

VomitSpeed

That could well happen. The Whistlers Campground has been closed for the last few years for renovations so monster-size RV's can now fit in without knocking down the trees (the trees were bulldozed). Prior to the renovations there was no place for motorists to park and sneak into the hiker-biker camping area pretending to be hikers. Now there is a brand-new parking lot right across the street from the hiker-biker area and it will be difficult to police the conniving, sneaky motorists from the new administration building.

Cycletourists should form an unruly weed-smoking, beer-swilling mob and camp on the lawn of the Jasper Park administration building to protest the bad treatment of cycletourists by Parks Canada.


Potential site of angry mob.

John N

Sorry, but I am not from Portland so that doesn't appeal to me .

pdlamb

So John, given that Adventure Cycling published its PPP route about the time we came out of Covid hibernation, do you think it was a mistake to route it through the Bighorns? I doubt anyone could have imagined the surge of people heading outdoors; I sure didn't. And while I doubt bike tourists have the numbers or the impact of monster RVs, we're adding to the overload of the backcountry. Should cycling tourists stick to what trail designers refer to as "hardened routes," meaning here paved roads with bike lanes/wide shoulders, established camping areas, or indoor accomodations?

Doug64

It was the later part of June for the Parkway portion. We had a couple of wet cold days through there, and one of the campgrounds we planned on staying at was not open yet.

gauvins

There's very probably more RVs x nights post COVID. But I am not so sure WRT bike tourers. I was in Jasper 2 years ago - very few tourers. And on the GDMBR/ACA route (essentially Glacier>Grand Tetons) and met just a few.

Feels as if today's fashionable activity is shortish bikepacking on gravel. Now, the OP might chime in with, say, the number of fellow tourers seen on a typical day.

IPassGas

I have backpacked the Canadian Rockies many times, truly beautiful. Like many mountain areas, hiking up a bit gets one away from most people and the RV traffic. It is sad that the Icefield Parkway has become overrun with road vermin. So go elsewhere, lots of other places to bike. If you really want to see the Canadian Rockies, hike up a bit. Otherwise, enjoy the many other splendid places in North America that a bike can take you and yet people in RVs don’t find worthy.

John N

I will do that once I complete the tour. But I won't start pedaling until June 1st due to the shuttle not opening before then.