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Thanksgiving Bike Trip. Nanaimo - Victoria. · Sat. Oct. 6th, 2018 - Mon. Oct. 8th, 2018
Warning: This is an old trip - it already happened
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Start: Saturday, Oct. 6th
End: Monday, Oct. 8th
Pre-trip meeting: Wednesday, Oct. 3rd, 6:30 pm
Pre-trip meeting location: Clubroom
Description:
Hi everyone! Vancouver Island is fabulous in fall: leaves on the trees turn bright yellow and red, the days are still dry and chilly and even if it rains the weather is still beautiful. CRD recently finished the last section of Trans- Canada Trail (TCT) on Vancouver Island finally connecting Victoria and Nanaimo. Now there is an option to go through the entire south side of Vancouver Island without doing a single mile on the highway.
This Thanksgiving I want to ride the entire TCT from Nanaimo to Swartz Bay (220 km) in 3 days. The trail is very flat in most parts with a few exceptions at Nanaimo and at the new section where we might have to walk our bikes.
The itinerary:
Day 1: Nanaimo – Cowichan Lake (we may stop a bit earlier)
Distance: 85 km
Elevation gain: 1000 m (mostly mellow slopes)
Time: 6 hrs of riding + 2 hr of faffing = 8 hrs. (Assuming moving speed ~14 km/hr)
This day is going to be more urban. We are going to bike through such lovely towns as Nanaimo, Ladysmith with its lovely street art and Duncan if we make a small detour. All have good coffee shops, and farmer’s markets with lots of seasonal fruits. We can camp at “Cowichan Valley demonstration forest rec site” or a bit further at “Bald Mountain rec site”. Latter has picturesque views and access to Cowichan Lake, but it will add another 20 km on a flat trail.
Day 2: Cowichan Lake – Devereux Lake
Distance: 68 km
Elevation gain: 800 m (the final uphill is the hardest uphill of the trip)
Time: 5.5 hr + 2 hours faff
This day we might hang around at Cowichan Lake in the morning if we manage to get to Bald Mountain Rec site in the first day (it is awesome!). I might go for a half-an-hour swim in the lake before breakfast (I won’t go if we decide that we don’t have enough time, or the weather is poor). The trail is super chill except for the last 8 km which are going to be steep. That day we will be mostly in the forest, passing swamps, and some farm fields. It’s going to be beautiful. We are going to camp at Devereux Lake. I have never camp there and there is no official camp-site but looks like it is Crown land, so we should have no problem pitching tents there.
Day 3: Devereux Lake – Swartz Bay (- Vancouver)
Distance: 70 km (assuming we go to Victoria)
Elevation gain: 450 m
Time: 4.5 hr + 2 hours faff
On the third day we will be exploring the recently finished trail in Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Park. The trail is steep and winding – should be lots of fun! Then we can drop by Victoria and pretend to be British road cyclists for a few hours – we ca drop by a tea house for tea or a pub for a pint of beer. Make sure to know how to sound like British otherwise we will not fit well into Victorian vibe. From Victoria we have another 30 km of flattest bike trail to Swartz Bay.
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28671093
FAQ:
-What bike to take: Any bike that can tolerate good gravel road should work. Keep in mind that We will be following a gravel bike lane most of the time
-I don't have a tent, can I still join the trip: Yes, sign up and we will figure it out later. The earlier you sign up as commited the more chance you have to get a tent spot
-How much is it going to cost: The absolute minimum is $38.40 for the ferry tickets. The campgrounds are free
Email me to ask more question
Posted: 2018-09-25 16:14:15
Last modified: 2018-09-25 16:36:57