My wife and I will be biking through Canada this June. We'll join some friends in Toronto and bike to Bruce Peninsula Park. Then, my wife and I will go on by ourselves, biking up Manitoulin island all the way to Espanola. Our original idea was to turn left and ride the Great Trail until the end of our vacation, but we thought of taking the train (from Sudbury or Capreol) to Winnipeg and biking up there. That's when our friends suggested that, since we were alrady thinking of taking the train, to go all the way to Jasper, in the Rockies.
We liked the idea and planned to bike from Jasper to Banff through the Icefields Parkway, then ride down to Calgary and Edmonton, where we would take the train back to Toronto. Problem is: tickets are around CND$ 350 per person per leg. We would rather not spend that much on transportation. We can't rent a car, because I don't know how to drive and my wife's license has expired (we don't really use a car anymore in Rio). We looked at airfare, which is about the same price (though a few hours flight compared to the 2-day train trip), but, given we have panniers, handlebar, bags etc., might be a hassle to board.
Does someone know of alternatives? Like sites where people can pool and share expenses?
Thanks for any info you might have.
Tchau!
Hi Fred and Sandra,
Wow, sounds like a great trip planned!
Taking the train to Jasper is beautiful, but expensive. Also, I'm not sure what the regulations are for taking bikes on trains. Viarail is not user friendly and Canada does not have a very good national public rail system (like in Europe).
The trip from Ontario to Jasper is longgg, we're talking around 3,000kms. Its a long journey by road, but a cheaper option is Greyhound bus, although I don't know what taking a bike with you would be like. There are also ride share options, but not the most reliable when yu are on a tight timeline.
I think perhaps as easier option would be to take the train to Halifax and bike the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Not as far, cheaper, and still really beautiful. I haven't biked it myself but know people who have and said it was amazing. Or another option is to catch a ferry to Gross More national park in Newfoundland. Eastern Canada doesn't get as much love as the rockies, but there are still some really amazing places to check out, plus the people are super friendly.
If you have any more questions or need clarification just let me know!
Cheers,
Kara