Cycle Canada's Sunshine Coast Bicycle Touring Route - Itinerary
Cycle Canada's Sunshine Coast Tour starts in Vancouver.
It's a cross-town ride to catch the ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. The cycling distance on the first day is not long. But you need to deal with timetables for a shuttle service through a tunnel under the Fraser River and then the ferry crossing to Vancouver Island.
Once on the island the scene is mostly rural and the terrain is gentle. Riders can visit Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, or the world-famous Butchart Gardens. Days are long at this time of year so there is lots of time to explore.
On the second day, the Package gives you three options -- ride through Saltspring Island, over Malahat Mountain or a shortcut by ferry that bypasses The Malahat. Heading up-island, we go through Nanaimo, along the east side of the island and on to Courtenay. Terrain is mainly gentle.
At Comox, near Courtenay, we catch a ferry to Powell River. Here, we are back on the B.C. mainland in the district known as the Sunshine Coast. It will still feel like being on an island, through, because land access is only by ferry. Terrain is more challenging on this section of the ride where the Coast Mountains rise steeply out of the water and the road frequently twists away from the rocky shoreline.
South of Powell River, there is a ferry to the Sechelt Peninsula. Near Gibsons, a town made famous by a popular TV series called The Beachcombers, where you catch a ferry to Horseshoe Bay. You are now at the northern edge of Greater Vancouver and go through Stanley Park on the way back to your start-point.
