Motorcycle Road Trip In The Canadian Rockies

This summer I rented a Harley Davidson motorcycle for a Canadian Rockies road trip through beautiful national parks in both Alberta and British Columbia. The area is full of scenic landscapes and diverse wildlife.

The motorcycle road trip began in Calgary. I was able to rent a Harley online before arriving in Canada, picking out a black 2013 Street Glide I nicknamed “Black Betty”. At 1600 cc’s, she is a beast. To practice handling her on the road, I initially avoided the Trans-Canada Highway, enjoying the scenic and winding route 1A West towards Canmore.

Banff National Park was next, motoring North along the famous Icefields Parkway. Passing pristine turquoise blue lakes and ancient snow-covered glaciers along the way. Deer and elk were plentiful on the sides of the road. After slowly making my way to the town of Jasper enjoying the epic views and cold fresh air whipping past, I grabbed a bite to eat in town, and found a nearby Hosteling International hostel to spend the night.

The Golden Triangle

My motorcycle adventure through the Rockies continued when I reversed direction and sped back through Icefields Parkway with completely different views. Stopping for a few hours to stretch my legs with a hike to the very top of Parker Ridge, overlooking snow-covered Mt. Athabasca. The slow-moving and impressive Saskatchewan Glacier carving its way into the valley below.

Next it was on to the Golden Triangle, a scenic motorcycle route that takes you into 3 different national parks: Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay. Right in the middle of the action is the small town of Golden, British Columbia. It’s not nearly as touristy as Banff, costs a lot less, and is surrounded by 5 different national parks.

Following the stop-off in Golden, Black Betty and I proceeded South down route 95 to Radium Hot Springs, turning East into Kootenay National Park. The road slices right into Sinclair Canyon before winding its way through the wilderness along the ice-cold Kootenay river. It was the perfect road to maneuver my powerful Street Glide through the curves.

I finished the Golden Triangle route in Banff before heading back to Calgary to drop the bike off and complete my Harley Davidson motorcycle road trip through some of Canada’s greatest national parks. It was one hell of an adventure!