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Spences Bridge Loop
Type: Full Day Trip
Distance: 618 km
Rating: Intermediate
Roads: Paved, good surface, some minor roadwork expected
Notes: Good roads, few service stations in Fraser Canyon, gas in Hope, BC.
Photos: Spences Bridge Album
View Larger Map
This loop trip is one of the staples of the Vancouver, BC area. A full day trip, the loop can be modified to include multiple side roads and scenic routes. The basic loop shown here uses Vancouver as the start and end point. The information here can be used as presented or included in any Southern British Columbia adventure.
General:
The loop shown starts and ends in Vancouver. The round trip should take approximately 8 hours of riding time to complete as shown. I completed this trip in just under 12 hours with multiple stops for sightseeing, meals and (as I figure it) about 2 1/2 hours of sighseeing and photography. The trip was relaxed and I was quite comfortable and rested at the end of the tour. I don't speed or ride like a sport bike and I was simply out to enjoy the area and sunshine on this occasion. I prefer to place the main highway driving at the end of my trip as I always feel better with a straight ride back to homebase. In this case the section from Merritt to Vancouver was taken directly on the main highway and provided relaxed easy highway riding at the end of the day.
Vancouver to Hope via Highway 7:
Starting on Hastings Street, the route goes out through Burnaby. Hastings Street turns into the Barnett Highway through Port Moody, and into Coquitlam. The same road joins Lougheed Highwy right at the Coquitlam Center Mall and you are now passing into the bedroom communities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam. You'll have to deal with in-town traffic here with stoplights etc. but the route is not too bad for traffic on an off day. Just don't try this in rush hour since it is a main commuter coridor. Once you pass into Port Moody you are on the Lougheed HIghway and when you get past Coquitlam Center Mall the traffic thins a bit and you get out of the main section of town. Just a little farther, you cross the Pitt River Bridge and you are on your way out of town.
You are now into the community of Pitt Meadows and you'll start to feel like you are leaving the 'big city' behind. Most of this area is farm land turned into housing, condos and shopping malls. I still remember the farms in this area (sigh) and you can still glimps some of them on the drive. Moving right along now you approach Maple Ridge. THe Haney Bypass branches off to your right and will take you around the small core of the Maple Ridge business district. The route now skirts the shore of the river shore. The first real breath of pine scented air will greet you as you pass the sawmill that always marked the end of the city proper for me. Glimpses of the river front, barges and the surrounding groves of trees make this the start of the 'country-side' in my mind. On to Langley, and you have reached the old farm country. The valley starts to give a little more room between the road and the river and your view will open up to show more farmland. You are able to see more of the Fraser Valley now with odd hills and the flat rivervalley floor spread to the south. The Fraser River has roamed across the width of the valley for centuries leaving a classic landscape with some of the richest farmland in the world. Different seasons will bring views of all types of crops, from blueberries, corn, grapes to chrismas trees.
Harrison Mills approaches and with it the choice to visit Harisson Lake (a popular destination in the Valley) or continue on out the valley. Past Harrison you approach Agassiz (ag-a-see) and another choice. You can rejoin the main Highway 1 via a short connector or continue out Highway 7. Highway 7 now becomes much less travelled by cars and is a great ride. Out a little further and you will pass the Sasquatch Inn which is a very popular ride stop for motorcycles out in the area. Past this you are approaching Hope and the end of this leg of the journey. Hope is a small community with all the amenities of a small town. Gas, food, motels and the quiet ambiance of a sleepy village. Historically, Hope was the gateway to the interior of BC from the coast. Strategically located at the end of the Fraser River Canyon and the intersection of Highway 1 and Higway 3. All traffic once passed directly down the front street of Hope en-route to or from the interior. Now the fast new highways pass a kilometer out of town and the Fraser Canyon is a secondary route to the interior in favour of the fast Coquihalla route for tourists and truckers. The Fraser Canyon still has plenty of tourists and it's share of trucks as well, but nothing like the old days when nearly all traffic to northern BC shuttled through Highway 1.
Hope to Spences Bridge
The Fraser Canyon: One of the great rivers in Western North America, the Fraser River was instrumental in the travel and lives of people throughout the west coast. The Fraser was at once a great source of food, trade and a landmark route of travel. The Fraser Canyon marks one of the first travel routes to the south coast from the interior and much later a major pass from the interior of British Columbia to the port of Vancouver. Railways and the Trans Canada Highway follow the route of the Fraser River from the northern interior of BC to the flat valley approaching Vancouver.
The Fraser Canyon is a true river canyon; narrow and twisting with barely navigable waters in some sections such as Hells Canyon. Now a tourist attraction with a tram car to the base of the canyon, Hells Canyon is an extremely rough section of water in the narrow gorge. Along the river today you can enjoy rafting, boat tours and the scenic stops along the way, but don't underestimate the river. It still holds much of it's original power to flood low-lying sections all along its length. Fishing, camping, some motels and tourist venues dot the lenght of the Fraser Canyon and Highway 1 provides great access to the entire area.
Weather in the canyon can change quickly and is apt to dish out cross winds which can be serious when the weather is rough. The road winds along the canyon side and you are constantly exposed on one side to the open canyon and directly against the walls on the other side. Not to say the ride can't be enjoyed on a good day, just remember to check the weather and keep an eye on the sky. As with all canyon rides, things can change quickly and you should keep this in mind.
The ride takes you through some features unique to canyon and mountain travel: tunnels. It's not often that you get the chance to ride a route with as many tunnels as the Fraser Canyon. These were created with the original highway and are not the giant pass-throughs of the modern age. Narrow, some long and curved, and not overly illuminated you will not want sunglasses under your helmut when riding the lower section of the canyon. Not frightening in any respect, but I sometimes wonder at the bicyclists in the canyon as they can't use the road lanes when passing through the tunnels.
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