A remote 1,000 km loop around the furthest reaches of Vancouver Island - bears and eagles everywhere, rain and sun, big hills and endless scenery.
Introduction
In early July 2022 I set off on a two week bikepacking tour of North Vancouver Island. The previous year I had done the BC Epic 1000 race from Merritt to Fernie during the infamous heat dome in June (I was the lanterne rouge) and vowed I would subsequently aim for shorter less strenuous bikepacking trips.
Yet, after reading about the new Tree to Sea loop on North Vancouver Island and realizing I had a 10+ day window in early July, the next thing I found myself doing was cycling up the Sunshine Coast to catch a ferry with my bike and gear over to Comox to start the ride.
Trip Log
I kept a running trip log of traveling into and out of the loop and what follows is the story of the ride. Overall it was about 1,000 km of riding up and down about 14,000 metres of elevation. I camped 7 nights and stayed in a hotel or motel 3 nights.
The route looked like this - starting by heading up the centre of the island from Comox to Sayward, then off to the west coast to Gold River, Tahsis and Zeballos, around the top of the island to Port Alice, San Josef and Port Hardy, down the west coast through Port McNeill, Telegraph Cove, back to Sayward and then down to Campbell River and Comox.
My bike setup, gear and packing list wasn't much changed from my original, first bikepacking trip in 2020. If you are interested it is summarized in detail in that original post over here with the switch last year to the Revelate Spinelock seat bag vs the Terrapin seat bag. The biggest change this year was consciously bringing gortex riding shorts as it was clear from the forecast I would get rain. I chose shorts because the ones I have - 7mesh Revo short - were relatively long in cut and I felt (correctly) I would be warm enough in them.
Day 0 - Saturday, July 2, 2022
Where: Vancouver to Sunshine Coast and Comox
Distance/Elevation: 40 km, 471 metres
My wife Kelly drove me to Horseshoe Bay from where I took the ferry to Langdale and through a combination of buses and ferries arrived in Comox. The reason I did not take the ferry from Vancouver directly to Vancouver Island is I could not figure out how to transport my bike up to Comox from Victoria or Nanaimo - the starting point - without a car whereas using the Sunshine Coast, I could travel without a car as the public transport options were pretty straightforward.
This trip started with a bit of a dilemma as Kelly had just diagnosed with Covid after a trip and we weren’t sure what to do. We decided to leave Kelly on her own in the well supplied house and if things didn't go well I could get home within a couple of days. Yes, we wore masks in the car and clearly since I finished this ride, I did not catch COVID (though I had earlier in the year)!
Once over to the Sunshine Coast, I bussed with bike up to Earls Cove on the local bus transport service (like I had the previous year when I rode the Sunshine Coast mountain bike route). There I caught the Earls Cove ferry to Saltery Bay and biked the 30 km to Powell River. Finally, I caught the ferry to Comox and camped at the very pleasant seadside Kin Provincial Park, about 3-4 km away from the ferry.
This was also close to the Griffin Pub where I had a burger and cider while listening to some conspiracy theorists discussing all the good ones you could think of - Bill Gates, computer chips in vaccines, deep state and more.
Day 1 - Sunday, July 3, 2022
Where: Comox to Sayward
Distance/Elevation: 139 km, 967 metres
I had some nice single track in the morning out of Comox and then onto a long 100 km stretch of FSR. I had a little bit of rain but pretty manageable with just a rain jacket. I stayed at the homey Sayward Motel instead of camping out as it was expected to be heavy rain that night and had burger at the local Sayward Crossroad Restaurant and Pub.
Overall the day was a good ride on reasonably nice gravel roads with the singletrack in the morning being the highlight. It seemed like bear country given the droppings but I didn't see any.
Day 2 - Monday, July 4, 2022
Where: Sayward to Moutcha Bay vis Gold River
Distance/Elevation: 126 km, 1,763 metres
This was another big day but this time with a lot of climbing over to major passes and it rained heavily the entire day. The clouds shrouded the mountains in a picturesque way but did limit any views of the coast in the later day.
It was good FSR riding first into Gold River with 5 or 6 logging trucks that I had to stay aside from. Once in Gold River I had a nice omelette at the Uptown Cappuccino Cafe while trying to dry out - I was completely soaked. After warming up and slightly drying out, I carried onto Moutcha Bay and along the way checked out Upana Caves. I saw a very small bear who scurried away as soon as it knew I was there.
I was so wet at the end of the day! I was just on the verge of being too cold but somehow wearing the gortex shorts and jacket with hood up kept me just about right - slightly cold but ok. I got to Moutcha Bay and fortunately they had showers, heated washroom, laundry (no soap but rinsing the dirty clothing was good).
My bike was very gummed up from gravel, mud and sand and fortunately they had a good pressure water tap that I was able to use to clean it up. My campsite was well protected from the rain so it also felt like a good choice despite being super expensive - $80. This was a somewhat high-end fishing resort that really didn't cater to bikepackers. Despite a free recreation site being just down the road another 10 km, I felt getting dry, showering and having a good meal was worth the overpayment. Finished the day by having delicious fish tacos at the restaurant.
Chatted with Kelly again and it seemed like the worst of the Covid had passed and she was now just dealing with a lingering cough and rough vocal cords. This was good as I was about to transition to a fairly remote section going into Tahsis and Zabellos the next day.
Day 3 - Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Where: Moutcha Bay to Lake Atluck via Tahsis and Zeballos
Distance/Elevation: 105 km, 1,350 metres
This was a fun day where I rode first 20 km into Tahsis and had breakfast at Alice’s Restaurant. It had just opened when I arrived at 9 am and I filled up my spare hour with eating and coffee along with a brief chat to a local talking about bears and the flock of eagles outside the restaurant. I would like to come back to Tahsis and maybe doing some kayaking or a fishing trip - it is a pretty little town.
Next I biked the 6 km to the boat pickup point - a log boom on a beach - and arrived on time for the 11 am pickup. It was a bit tricky loading the bike on the boat on a log boom but once on it was a fun open air ride up the inlet to Zeballos. I really felt like I was off to the end of the world loading the bike on the boat and heading off for the 20-25 km boat ride!
The ride itself was not cheap - I don't have the number anymore but Google says Cdn$400. The operators were friendly and helpful but I think were having a hard time coordinating across different people needing rides - I would learn I could have shared with another bikepacker who left from a slightly different spot earlier in the day and cut both our costs in half.
Once I got to Zeballos I stocked up on some treats at the store that opened for me - the only customer - and thought about my next steps. I originally was going to stay in Zeballos but as it was just 12 noon I thought I would ride at least to Atluck Lake - another 40+ km or so on a big uphill - and then decide if going to Port Alice made sense.
On route, I ran into Colorado bikepacker Dave about 30 km in and we briefly chatted since we were on the same trip (he was the guy I could have shared the boat with). Something he mentioned was his first plan was to use a float plane to fly from Moutcha Bay to Zeballos vs the boat but due to the bad weather the day before had switched to the boat - that would have been an equally entertaining choice! I thought we might ride together as we had a good chat but it seemed like I was much faster as I got ahead of him. He did not stop at Atluck Lake, I think he may have ridden longer, maybe into Port Alice.
Just before I arrived at Atluck Lake I ran into a bear - mid sized black one who was ignoring me until my loud talking finally got through to him. He got on his hind legs, checked me out and before I could get my bear spray ready and take his picture he was off. So I carried on and parked myself at Atluck Lake and setup right next to the beach.
I was pondering at this time a bit with how to deal with ongoing dirty laundry given my plan for this section was around 2-3 days of camping between towns. With periodic rain and the resulting mud I was getting fairly dirty each day but because it was chilly and damp late in the day it was hard to dry hand washed clothing. I figured the easiest would be to find somewhere to do it in Port Alice ahead of my target campsite the next night at Marble Recreation Site - 30 km past Port Alice.
Day 4 - Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Where: Atluck Lake to Port Alice and Marble River Recreation Site
Distance/Elevation: 104 km, 1,457 metres
I left in the morning around 8 am after meeting some new bikepackers - Sean and Liam (father/son) - also riding the route but starting from Sydney, Vancouver Island and heading to Cape Scott - where they would stop and meet family and visiting friends.
It was a beautiful sunny morning as the picture shows and for the first 20 km the road was freshly groomed - it got significantly rougher after than with a fast and flowy downhill that took me into Port Alice. Sean and Liam had left earlier than me but I caught up to them a few hours later in the rough section and got to Port Alice around 1:30 PM.
This section had some beautiful mountain views - still snow capped in early July - and the mostly sunny riding made for some of the nicest riding all trip. When I got to Port Alice I called Kelly who was much better which was great to hear. I got food for the next two days at the local grocery and then was surprised to find a bike packer friendly laundry and shower which I used (even with free laundry soap for bikers).
Port Alice is a beautiful little town. It is clearly well taken care of by the residents and is right on a scenic harbour. Aside from the regular amenities like grocery, pharmacy, coffee shop and bonus bikepacker laundry and shower, it also had a friendly legion where you could stop for a drink as well. Kelly and I would visit in 2023 and stay at a local AirB&B.
Lastly before leaving town I had a tasty gf bagel sandwich at the Foggy Mountain coffee shop and headed out to Marble River around 4:30, just missing a soaking patch of rain. Literally 200 metres down the gravel road out of town I ran into 2 juvenile bears (bigger than dogs - maybe a Saint Bernard size) who would not move for me so I edged my way by them talking in a loud voice. They were 5-6 metres up a hill and sort of moved out of the way. Phew!
As I rode on about a km later saw another quite large black bear who starting running down the road the way I was riding which wasn’t too helpful. Eventually he turned off into the woods and I carried on past.
I got into Marble River around 6:30 PM and scouted out a site that had some tree cover and had access to the river for water. There were lots of mosquitoes here for some reason. I ate dinner, hung my bear bag and slept. As seems usual on this trip, I was worried about rain as it was forecast to rain the next day and I wanted to be packed as dry as possible.
Day 5 - Thursday, July 7, 2022
Where: Marble River Recreation Site via Coal Harbour to San Josef Beach
Distance/Elevation: 123 km, 1,448 metres
I got up early and rode from Marble River to Coal Harbour where I checked in with Kelly, washed the mud off my bike and bought a snack and drink. It was a dry ride but the gravel was again muddy from the overnight rains that somehow I fortunately did not seem to have had in campground. I then carried onto Holberg with some nice scenic riding alongside some lakes and inlets.
In Holberg the plan was to have lunch at the most northern pub on Vancouver Island but it was closed till 3 pm. My backup was to have a cider at the local grocery store that happened to be licensed too - open at 10 am for drinks! I ran into Sean and Liam again for a chat about the ride.
I was just in the middle of leaving to carry onto San Josef Beach in Cape Scott Provincial Park - another 20-25 km ride down a gravel road when the store owner suggested going out to Cape Palmerston to stay at a free hiker cabin there … theoretically a 5 km side trip on the way to check it out.
After a bit of discussion, I decided to go for the cabin and after getting halfway to San Josef, it turned into a 13 km detour (not 5 km!) to get to the washout she mentioned. After crossing the washout on foot and hiking around the trails I found on the other side - there were stairs and other artifacts of people having lived there - as well as hiking down to the beach and along it for 500 metres I did not find it.
Giving up meant it was 13 km back and then another 10 km out to San Josef to camp. It wasn't too bad and made for an extra 26 km to log on Strava and I explored a nice beach. For what it is worth, Kelly and I came back in 2023 by car and tracked down the Palmerston Cabin which we found via a path about 500 metres *before* the washout I started my search from - probably a kilometre away in the opposite direction where I had been searching.
San Josef beach turned out to be a beautiful beach to camp at - it's at the end of a 3 km trail and you camp on the beach. I rode the trail that I subsequently learned you were not supposed to ride on, though I did stop and dismount for the couple of hikers I ran into. This section was unexpectedly sunny and warm so it made for a great end to the day.
One thing of note here was that there was no water easily accessible at San Josef (some was down the beach at a trickling stream) but fortunately I had two full water bottles which made dinner, porridge and one coffee. Combined with a cider with dinner and an OJ for the morning it was just right. When Kelly and I came back in 2023, we also found limited water and carried our own water in.
Day 6 - Friday, July 8, 2022
Where: San Josef Beach to Port McNeill
Distance/Elevation: 115 km, 1,150 metres
The ride to Port Hardy was uneventful with some nice gravel riding on another sunny day. I did check out a couple of sites - Ronning's Gardens, a 2 kilometre side trip off the road near San Josef and the Holberg Shoe Tree half way to Port Hardy. I also ran into flock of eagles and buzzards eating a carcass near Port Hardy - kind of blocking the road but flew off as I arrived.
In Port Hardy called up Kelly to check in with her and she seemed to be continually getting better. Port Hardy is a pretty port town with a beautiful working harbour - I stopped for hot chocolate and brownie before heading out to Port McNeill.
This last leg included a bit of highway riding and then the final ride of 20 km on gravel. In Port McNeill I checked out the world's largest burl and was lucky to see it as in 2023 some vandals burnt it down. I decided to stay at the Haida Way Motel due to threatening overnight rain again. It was cheap, not so nice but had laundry and was close to IGA and a pub for dinner!
Day 7 - Saturday, July 9, 2022
Where: Port McNeill to Telegraph Cove and Woss
Distance/Elevation: 100 km, 1,170 metres
I was glad to have stayed in the motel as overnight it rained heavily. The ride today was mostly cloudy but fine riding with some scenic areas with occasional light spitting rain.
The best part was stopping over in Telegraph Cove for a coffee and little tour around the wooden docks and houses - kind of like Ketchikan. Also note showers and laundry were available for tourists - something I appear to have been obsessing on!
I arrived at Woss and debated heading out to the recreation site at the lake to camp but found a cheap motel there and again stayed in it to avoid what looked to be another rainy night. Subsequently, Kelly and I came back to Woss in 2023 and drove out to the recreation site - it was quite stunning, very much like Atluck Lake with some nice camp sites right on the lake.
Day 8 - Sunday, July 10, 2022
Where: Woss to Naka and back to Sayward
Distance/Elevation: 129 km, 2,000 metres
This was a very long day with a big climb at the end of day and steep ride downhill into Sayward. I ran into a bear again which spooked me and him! Overall it was starting to seem like a bear a day and they would all generally move on as quick as they could once they spotted you. On the downhill into Sayward ran into a very large elk who eventually moved on despite lingering for 5 minutes in a bit of a standoff with me.
I camped this time in Sayward Motel site which was pretty nice and had dinner again at the Crossroads pub. At the pub I ran into a set of bikepackers starting out on the route and gave them all the intel they asked about - bears, hills, rain, boats, beaches and more. One of them was pulling a bike trailer which worried me particularly on the steep hill on the return when they got to Sayward. They subsequently posted on Facebook that they had a fine time so it all must have worked out.
Day 9 - Monday, July 11, 2022
Where: Sayward to Campbell River and Miracle Beach Provincial Campground
Distance/Elevation: 129 km, 1,328 metres
This was a beautiful sunny day of riding - probably the most scenic of the entire trip and had I more time I would have liked to have camped at Stella Lake (lake front camping) or Elk Bay (seaside camping with a river)
I ran into another bear which just moved on - I was starting to feel perhaps a bit too comfortable with my bear encounters. For about 10 km after Elk Bay I ran into quite a number of loaded logging trucks. While it was disconcerting to deal with them as the roads were narrow, it was kind of the nature of the beast given they were in fact logging roads I was riding on.
One thing that is a little unsaid on Vancouver Island and this route in particular is this is all forest service roads and there is consequently a lot of logging, logging trucks and associated equipment. As such you will see a lot of clear cut land and active logging. There’s tons of untouched wilderness but it can be jarring to ride through some large areas of recently clear cut forest and hillsides.
I got into Miracle beach late in the day and not too unexpectedly it was sold out of campsites. Fortunately they did keep an unreserved bikepacking site that they would allow up to 2 tents on. It was still free when I got there and I was joined by two European car campers later that night. I spent some time chatting with them as they were on a big tour of BC and having a great time.
Day 10 - Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Where: Miracle Beach Provincial Campground to Fanny Bay
Distance/Elevation: 62 km, 426 metres
After checking out the beach at Miracle Beach, I rode to Fanny Bay and met Kelly and her mom there. Covid was all done for her and I was happy to see her and be finished the ride!
Conclusion
Overall this was a tough but fun trip - mixing some challenging rainy weather with some great sunny days, riding across a wide variety of territory with plenty of wildlife and spectacular scenery.
I was happy with my gear and bike - one person tent, sleep quilt, cook stove, change of clothes, rain gear, water making, bike repair etc etc - a fully loaded ride for camping out and no bike services while in remote areas. It rained a few days and heavily one day so rain gear made it work (but as the photos show, it was sunny and probably dry 80% of the time).
I was time constrained so my schedule felt a little fast for the territory covered. I would have liked to have spent more time at Cape Scott - a 2 day stopover - and likely an extra day between Sayward and Campbell River at one of the very nice recreation sites on the ocean and lakes. Finally I would have probably added 2 more days to get the riding days down to 80-90 km vs 110-120 km. With these changes it really is a 14-15 day trip.
In term of the route, the west coast from Gold River up and the northern most island part were the highlights for me. These sections are very scenic, feel very remote, need a boat ride (or float plane) to connect roads, bears are everywhere, there are a few tiny, nice towns (Tahsis, Port Alice, Holberg) and there are several nice waterfront or beach camping options - all this made the area special. The east coast was good too - as noted the Sayward to Campbell River section was probably the most scenic mixing lakes and sea views over to the mainland - but on that side of the island it felt more like touring (with more frequent bigger towns) than adventuring if that makes sense,
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