I am thinking of riding to Harisson soon, I am trying to avoid highways as much as possible. I don't mind gravel roads as I have 32mm tires on my bike.
This is what I came up with so far https://www.komoot.com/tour/436190896
Does that look reasonable? Any way to avoid any more of the highways?
Any feedback appreciated.
Thanks
9 comments · 100% upvoted · other discussions
Any deviation from that route would just add time and wouldn’t be that special. Without checking each intersection, you’ve for the route and seem to have good intuition on it. I’d say you’re good to go.
Nice! Is there any sketchy part I need to be wary of?
I tried something very similar last year. I DNF because (I think) Dewdney Trunk rd was so busy with big trucks, and angry Maple Ridge rednecks in pickups who hate cyclists, soft gravelly shoulders etc. It wasnt safe. Too sketchy for me. I am not 100% sure which stretch it was, but somewhere in Maple Ridge IIRC. I am sure if you are determined you would be fine and can find a safe route. Be cool.
Dwedney trunk rd is the best route in this region. It’s not a great road, but it’s commonly used by cyclists and is the best option.
Your route looks pretty good. I've ridden a lot of the parts of your route.
In Coquitlam, instead of Dewdney Trunk Road you could take Guildford Way as it has a bike lane. You would then make your way to Patricia Avenue and take the bridge across the Coquitlam River. Then take Prairie Avenue, Burns Road and Fremont Connector to the Pitt River Bridge. Approaching the Pitt River Bridge from the north is much nicer than from the south.
I'm not familiar with the gravel portion you have on Nicomen Island. But there are some fences you will need to get around from what little I see on Google Street View. That part appears to bypass most of the sketchy part of Lougheed where there is no shoulder.
The Nicomen island portion, do you think it’s private? Can I even go through?
I honestly don't know. To research your question, I tried looking at OpenStreetMap.org. Most of it is marked accessible to all, but there is one portion between Deroche Landing Road and Dyke Road marked as private. But since OpenStreetMap.org is crowdsourced info, it may not reliable.
Alternatives are riding Nicomen Island Trunk Road which is paved, or ride Lougheed Highway itself as the shoulders are okay there. The part of Lougheed Highway you really want to avoid is the 6 km after the town of Deroche, as that's the sketchy part with no shoulders. It appears you can take Dyke Road instead, which is a gravel portion which wasn't marked as private on OpenStreetMap.org.
Can’t see your map. It’s private
BlueCobbler [OP] 1 points · Jul 2021
Oops, fixed