Great Parks North
A ride through the crown jewels of the Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park, tracing glacial lakes and mountain passes from Jasper down into western Montana.
- Distance
- 741 miles
- Surface
- 95% paved
- 1 week–3 weeks
- Route Type
- Point to Point
Ride the Great Parks North
Starting in Jasper, Alberta, this route runs south through four Canadian national parks before crossing into the U.S. To continue through Glacier National Park to Missoula, Montana.
What to Expect
Riding here means turquoise lakes, hanging glaciers, and a good chance of elk or bighorn sheep on the shoulder, all framed by some of the most accessible high-mountain scenery in North America. The roads through the Canadian parks are wide and well maintained, but this is still a mountain ride, with long climbs over three Continental Divide crossings and cold mornings even in July. Expect heavy summer traffic between Jasper and Banff, where RVs and tour buses share the road.
The Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff is the headliner, passing Athabasca Falls, the Columbia Icefield, and Peyto and Bow Lakes on its way to Lake Louise. A steep descent out of Kootenay National Park leads to Radium Hot Springs, where a soak in the mineral pools is a well-earned reward after 230 miles of mountain riding. Farther south, Fernie draws mountain bikers to its trail network, and Waterton Lakes National Park sets up the climb over Logan Pass on Glacier National Park’s spectacular Going-to-the-Sun Road. Side trips abound, from aerial trams to glacier hikes to whitewater rafting.
This route crosses the Continental Divide three times, alternating climbs over mountain passes with descents into river valleys. It starts at about 3,500 feet in Jasper, tops out near 6,800 feet at Bow Summit on the Icefields Parkway, and finishes at about 3,200 feet in Missoula, leveling out considerably after Glacier National Park. Along the way, limestone peaks and icefields give way to the broad Rocky Mountain Trench south of Radium Hot Springs. The full route includes detailed riding conditions and field notes for every climb and descent.
Small towns at regular intervals provide services along most of the route, but the Icefields Parkway and the 65-mile stretch through Kootenay National Park have few services and little to no cell coverage. U.S. riders should check international roaming or pick up a Canadian SIM card before crossing the border, and download their Ride with GPS route for offline use. Tourist crowds, not remoteness, are the bigger factor here, especially inside the Canadian park system and Glacier National Park.
Ride this route from early summer to early fall, roughly June through mid-September, when the Chief Mountain border crossing is open. Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park often doesn’t fully open until late June or later, depending on snow, so check its status before you set your dates. Snow is possible at any time in the higher elevations, even in the height of summer, and late-summer wildfire smoke can affect air quality in some years.
Route Sections
Jasper, AB to Fernie, BC, 370.2 miles
From Jasper, the route heads south through Banff and Kootenay National Parks on generally good, wide-shouldered roads, descending steeply into Radium Hot Springs before continuing along the Columbia and Kootenay river systems toward Fernie.
Alternates:
- Banff Spur, 19 mi. A detour into the town of Banff via the Legacy Trail.
- Gravel Alternate, 20.9 mi. A quieter option between Elko and Fernie along part of the Elk Valley Trail.
Fernie, BC to Missoula, MT, 370.8 miles
This section crosses into Waterton Lakes National Park before the seasonal U.S. border crossing at Chief Mountain, then continues through Glacier National Park on Going-to-the-Sun Road before following river valleys south into Missoula.
Alternates:
- Tobacco Valley Alternate, 100 miles. Bypasses Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Parks, and the seasonal Chief Mountain crossing, entirely.
Great Parks North Photos
Plan Your Ride
With a seasonal border crossing and Glacier National Park’s road closures to work around, this route rewards riders who set their dates well before departure.
Trip Planning & Logistics
Jasper can be reached by rail from Edmonton, Alberta, making it a workable starting point without a car, and Missoula Montana Airport makes for an easy trip home at the other end. You’ll need a passport or other approved travel document to cross the border, plus park entry along the way: a Parks Canada pass covers the Canadian national parks, and Glacier National Park charges its own entry fee. Riders flying into Calgary can reach Jasper via the Sun Dog Tours shuttle from Banff. This route is available in paper and digital formats through Adventure Cycling’s shop and includes routing, detailed service information, riding conditions, and field notes for trip planning.
This route can be linked to Great Parks South using TransAmerica Trail Sections 4, 5, and 6 for one continuous ride from Jasper to Durango.
This route runs mostly on paved highways and park roads, so a standard touring bike suits it well. A water filter is worth carrying for refilling from streams on the low-service stretches. Pack cold-weather gear and rain protection regardless of season, since snow is possible at high elevations even in summer. Carry bear spray where you can reach it quickly, not buried in a pannier.
You can camp the entire route, with established campgrounds in or near every park and town, and hostels and motels offer indoor options along most of it. Reservations for both are recommended, especially inside the Canadian park system and Glacier National Park, where tourist crowds run heaviest. Rustic hostels along the Icefields Parkway make memorable stops, and Glacier National Park sets aside first-come, first-served hiker/biker sites at several of its campgrounds. Some campgrounds charge solo cyclists the same as a full tent or RV site, often $10 to $20 per night.
Small towns along the route provide regular services at reasonable intervals, though the stretch through Kootenay National Park runs nearly serviceless for 65 miles, so stock up before entering. Check your digital route in Ride with GPS for service phone numbers, and call ahead for anything outside peak season.
Going-to-the-Sun Road has specific bicycle restrictions in effect from June 15 through Labor Day, including a ban on riding certain stretches between 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM, so check current rules before riding it. Ride early in the day near national park entrances to avoid the heaviest RV traffic, and use bright clothing or a reflective triangle for visibility. This is grizzly country from Jasper to Glacier, so store food properly, make noise on quiet stretches, and keep bear spray within reach. Read our guide to riding in bear country. Watch for elk, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife on or near the road, especially at dawn and dusk.
Always check Adventure Cycling Route Updates and Corrections before you go.
Routes change. Bridges wash out, businesses close, and construction pops up overnight. We strive to keep routes updated as those things happen. When we learn about a change, we reroute around sections that have become dangerous, update service information as businesses open, close, or move, and reroute around temporary road and bridge closures or construction. Digital routes are updated as soon as we’ve reviewed a reported issue.
You’re often the first to spot these changes out on the road. Help us keep this route accurate for the next rider by reporting anything you notice with our Route Feedback Form.
This Route Is Part of Something Bigger
It’s one piece of the Adventure Cycling Route Network, began in 1976 and built on a simple mission: to empower people to travel by bike. Our team maps and maintains it; our members and donors make it possible.
-
Explore the Adventure Cycling Route Network
Our premium routes are well researched by our cartographers and well traveled by thousands of cyclists.
Adventure Cycling Route Network -
Support Route Development
Our members are the reason we can offer three route networks tailored for specific experiences and riders.
Become a Member -
Stay Connected
Find your stoke with our newsletter all about routes, gear, stories, and cycling news in your inbox twice a month.
Sign up for Bike Bits
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s our flagship, staff-built route network. The one that started it all 50 years ago with the TransAmerica Trail, the route that launched bicycle touring and bikepacking in America. Every route in it is designed and researched by our own team of cyclists and cartographers: months of research and on-the-ground testing go into each one, so what you get is more than a line on a map. Each Adventure Cycling route has detailed logistics, terrain and elevation info, points of interest, camping and lodging, safety alerts, and history, all in one place. It’s the most in-depth of our three networks, available as digital routes and most as paper maps too. It’s the route network we update most regularly as conditions change.
They’re related, but not the same thing. The Adventure Cycling Route Network is made up of routes we’ve researched, ridden, and mapped ourselves, chosen specifically for a great touring or bikepacking experience. The U.S. Bicycle Route System (USBRS) is a state-by-state national system that we serve as technical experts for, made official through each state’s department of transportation. The two overlap in a lot of places, but an ACRN route carries our own on-the-ground vetting; a USBRS route carries official state recognition.
It depends! If you want a route we’ve personally scouted end to end, with services, camping, and terrain notes built in, start with the Route Network. The ACA Route Network has routes of many different lengths and can be a much easier starting place for someone new to bicycle travel. If you’re an experienced cyclist piecing together an officially designated corridor, or riding somewhere the two systems converge, the interactive USBRS map is a good resource to use.
The Adventure Cycling Route Network is a premium network because of everything that goes into it. Unlike the U.S. Bicycle Route System (built by state DOTs) or Short Routes (submittedby cyclists in their own communities), every Adventure Cycling route is researched, ridden, and vetted end-to-end by our own team. Unlike other routes, Adventure Cycling routes come with extensive information on riding conditions, terrain notes, camping and lodging info, logistics, safety alerts, and points of interest. We also keep it current as roads and services change. The price supports that ongoing research and maintenance work, done by a nonprofit whose whole mission is making sure the route in your hands is one you can trust.
Turn-by-turn directions with a bike icon aren’t the same as a route built for specifically touring or bikepacking. Every mile in the Adventure Cycling Route Network has been researched and ridden by our staff and researchers, chosen to avoid dangerous traffic, and mapped with what a touring cyclist actually needs — food, water, camping, hotels, bike shops — spaced out along the way. The Adventure Cycling Route Network was built for cyclists by cyclists, is regularly updated, and comes with the resources and information needed to plan your ride.
No. The network includes routes for a wide range of experience and difficulty levels, from a first multi-day trip to a cross-country expedition. What every route has in common is that it was chosen with a touring cyclist’s needs in mind, whatever kind of trip you’re planning.
Not at all. Alongside iconic long-distance routes like the TransAmerica Trail, the network includes shorter regional routes, so it works for a weeklong vacation or a two-month journey.
For many years, we focused on paved routes, but today the network includes plenty of unpaved gravel riding for bikepacking. In fact, Adventure Cycling mapped the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in 1998, arguably the most impactful bikepacking route in the world. The Adventure Cycling Route Network also includes the Golden Gravel Trail, Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route, Arkansas High Country Route, and more. Some routes are a 50/50 mix of pavement and gravel. Some routes follow paved and unpaved bike paths and rail trails. The Adventure Cycling Route Network has terrain for every cyclist.
We revisit our printed maps every three to five years, and push corrections to our digital route data as we learn about changes on the ground. If you have an Adventure Cycling Route in Ride with GPS that we’ve updated, you’ll get a notification when you open the route to update to the newest version of the route. Updating will ensure you have the latest data, information, and points of interest vital to being on route. For cyclists who have Adventure Cycling paper maps, we keep a list of route- and section-specific updates current on our Map Updates and Corrections page.
Change comes from two directions: our own staff research and reports from the cyclists actually out there riding them. If a bridge washes out, a shoulder disappears, a campground closes for repairs, or a town loses its only grocery store, that’s the kind of thing that triggers an update. You can help us keep our routes accurate; fill out our Route Feedback Form.
Most of our Adventure Cycling Routes come as waterproof print maps and digital Ride with GPS navigational data. Our print maps are the #1 longstanding popular resource for traveling cyclists. They are waterproof, highly detailed and always work. For long trips, many cyclists use a combination of print maps and digital routes.
If you’re already comfortable and familiar with a GPS navigational aid such as Ride with GPS or a Garmin, our digital data packages are an excellent choice. We do not recommend GPX data for beginners since there are a few extra steps to installing and troubleshooting.
Once you purchase a digital route, you’ll get an email with a link to unlock it in the free Ride with GPS app — no separate subscription required for basic navigation. From there you get turn-by-turn voice directions, curated points of interest like campgrounds and bike shops, and field notes on the history, geography, and climate along your route, all available 100% offline. If you’drather use a dedicated GPS device, you can export the route as a GPX file to load onto a Garmin, Wahoo, or similar device.
To export GPX files of your Adventure Cycling digital route, use your laptop or desktop to open the email you received after purchasing your digital route. Click on the link that allows you to access your Digital Route. Finally, click on EXPORT ALL at the bottom of the screen. This is the only way to export files that include the route line, points of interest, and services. Files will be exported as one ZIP file.
Adventure Cycling uses abbreviations across its paper and digital routes to indicate particular services, land or road types, route names, direction of travel, and route type. Please see our key to abbreviations.
If you have questions on how to purchase a digital route or about the route content, please contact Adventure Cycling: cartography@adventurecycling.org or 406-721-1776.
If you have questions on how to use your Digital Route in Ride with GPS, please check the Ride with GPS support page or email them at info@ridewithgps.com.
If you’re new to Ride with GPS, please check out the following resources:
Our print map panels aren’t always oriented northwards for space and layout reasons. Refer to the north arrows to help orient yourself if you’re not sure.
No. The Routes and Mapping Department does not do custom routes for individuals. Check out the routes we’ve already mapped, and use the interactive map to piece our route networks together, forming a route that gets you from a point A to point B of your choice.
It started with a single route. In 1976, we mapped the TransAmerica Trail, and more than 4,000 cyclists crossed the country together for Bikecentennial — the nation’s bicentennial cycling celebration our founders organized. That one route became the seed of a network we’ve spent the decades since expanding. Today it’s more than 58,000 miles of mapped routes across the U.S. and Canada, from classic epics like the TransAmerica Trail, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, and Pacific Coast, to shorter regional routes.