trustnoone

Hello All,

I am planning to ride the Golden Triangle via Radium Hot Springs - Golden - Lake Louise - Radium Hot Springs.

Has anyone done this ride in the last year or two? How are the road upgrades from Golden to Yoho? How are the rest of the roads?

Are there any recommendations for accommodations or camping in around Lake Louise?

Cheers,
TNO

spinninwheels

Sounds like an awesome trip. I cycled two thirds of the triangle back in 2006 (Junction #93 to Radium to Golden). Though I can't give you a more recent update on the roads, I recall that the #95 north to Golden had virtually no shoulder. But traffic was lighter.

Back in 2002, the campground was closed at Lake Louise when I cycled through because of an aggressive Grizzly. I stayed at the hostel there instead.

When do you plan on doing this ride? If there is some flexibility in your time frame, I would shoot for June. There will be less camper/rv traffic.

trustnoone

I'm hoping for the Victoria Day week-end.

mercator

I last rode the GT in Sept. '09 and it was great. The new bridge east of Golden is in good shape although there was still some construction east of the gorge. Overall the road conditions were fine.

The weather in May is pretty unpredictable. I guess the Elbow Valley club ride has had pretty bad conditions the last couple of years.

The hostel at Castle Mountain is a good place to stay, just east of Lake Louise. If you prefer to camp there are a couple of nice little spots along the 1A.

spinninwheels

You should be fine, but as mercator stated, mountain weather can be very unpredictable. Just be prepared for cool/cold nights if you are camping (especially around LL) and pack full-fingered gloves. Maybe even a neck tube. I find that after sweating up a climb, the descents can be downright frigid. And I hate being cold.

On my Vancouver-Calgary-Vancouver trip in 2006, I climbed and descended many passes/summits - and the westerly side of Sinclair Pass was by far the most fun. I'm envious.

coldfeet

If You want to do it on the May long weekend, the Elbow Valley Cycle club does it as their season opener, fully supported, great deal, lots of company, (400 riders) generally a great time. haven't done it myself for a few years, but remember it as a great weekend.

trustnoone

You bet. I've had a few cold rides this winter. As long as I don't need the snow tires anymore I'll be happy. I plan to stage my camping gear somewhere near the 100mi point or hostel or hotel it.

I may be riding with at least one west coast friend so I'm thinking a radium start on a clockwise route will work the best. We're planning on getting it done on two days so I think we'll always be at least a day ahead of the Elbow group. Their ride looks pretty good though.

mercator

Sounds like the hostel at Lake Louise would be about halfway.

If camping, you might want to stop at Takakkaw Falls in Yoho, they have a nice tents only spot and warm showers. Then you could start the next morning with a nice climb up the big hill

trustnoone

Yes, LL should be about the 1/2. Arfe either the campsite or hostel hard to find? Links?

mercator

Hostel
Takakkaw Falls

trustnoone

Google Earth is a pretty cool application for route planning. The street level views enabled me to check out the roads at any suspect spot. I think there is a 360 panoramic ever 25 metres.

I've posted some links. It should flush out after the May long:

https://home.portal.ca/~mrt/gt/gt.htm

trustnoone

I may have a spot open in our group. If anyone is insterested PM me. It is May 22-24.

mercator

Are you still planning on doing it in two days? I looked at your site but it wasn't clear what your itinerary is.
Note that the Elbow Valley club ride will be that weekend as well.

trustnoone

We're planning on three days. EBTC is also doing the round trip that weekend but both they and Elbow are starting at Castle Junction while we are starting at Radium.

trustnoone

The Golden Triangle was a great trip. We saw literally hundreds of cyclists from at least two if not three clubs doing the route over the long weekend. 330km over three days of riding with every day being unique. It was challenging but the climbs were not as hard as I thought they would be. The head winds were a treat. Anyone with moderate fitness will love this ride. The Alpine Club HI Hostel in Lake Louise was fantastic. The Kicking Horse Hostel in Golden was comfortable. Both let us keep our bikes inside which was nice and both are close to amenities.

Trikin'

WOW....glad you had a great ride, I've ridden in that area (Icefields Parkway) and your right, the hills are not too bad. Amazing scenery, I camped that tour.

mercator

Sounds like you had a good ride and picked the right weekend for it as well! One week later and the temps are below freezing and we have snow on the ground.

trustnoone

Too true. We were gifted the weather especially considering what the forcaste at the start of the week was. I would not have complained of a few more degrees in BTU's but cool weather keeps the H2O consumption down.

I highly recommend this trip to anyone living within 10 hours of Radium or Lake Louise. Three days is pretty easy with a bike and body in relatively good condition. With a little bit of preplanning it can be done light and self supported. I believe it could be done in two days with good conditioning and an early start from Radium. I'll have to try it one year.

Jumping in with one of the clubs that do this regularly looks to be a lot of fun too. Elbow has been doing it for decades so it must run like clockwork.