Can you Cycle the Trans Canada Trail in British Columbia?

 Can you Cycle the Trans Canada Trail in British Columbia?

 

“To me it doesn’t matter whether it’s

Raining or the sun is shining or whatever:

As long as I’m riding a bike I know

I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

 

Mark Cavendish

 

Cycling the Trans Canada Trail in BC – What to Expect

 

Having written about our experiences and shared our reflections from hiking across our tenth province on our #Hike4Birds - British Columbia on the Trans Canada Trail, and in doing so, completing more than 14,000 kilometres from the Atlantic to the Pacific, we found ourselves returning once again to the question that has followed us across the country.

 

Not whether the Trail exists on a map, or how it is designated - but whether it can be travelled in a way that is both practical and meaningful by bike.  In this case, the question being - can you cycle the Trans Canada Trail across British Columbia?

 

By the time we reached the West Coast, this question had already changed. In the Atlantic provinces and Quebec, it had been direct, often giving way to clear answers. Moving through Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, it became more nuanced - less about possibility and more about expectation, terrain, and the kind of journey one was prepared to undertake to stay on the full route of the Trans Canada Trail.

 

British Columbia brings all of those elements together.

 

A Province Defined by Terrain - and Disruption

 

The Trans Canada Trail in British Columbia is shaped first and foremost by the landscape. Mountain ranges, valleys, forest corridors, and river systems define its route in ways that are both inspiring and, at times, limiting. At the same time, the Trail here has been repeatedly reshaped by forces beyond its control. Forest fires have burned through sections of the network, while floods and erosion have washed out large portions of routes such as the Kettle Valley Railway.

 

As a result, what exists on paper and what exists on the ground do not always match.

 

And yet, despite these challenges, British Columbia offers some of the longest and most sustained off-road cycling opportunities we encountered since the well-developed corridors of Eastern Ontario and Quebec. The difference is that here, those opportunities are embedded within a landscape that is constantly shifting.

 

The Interior – Long Trails and Working Landscapes

 

After descending from the High Rockies Trail out of Alberta, the route connects into the Elk Valley, where the Trans Canada Trail follows a network of rugged logging roads interspersed with trail sections. These routes are active, working corridors, but they are also surprisingly accommodating. Recreational campsites appear at regular intervals, and while there are technical sections, it is often possible to remain on the broader logging roads and continue forward without interruption.

  

 

From here, a sequence of well-developed trails across British Columbia begins to emerge.

 

The Chief Isadore Trail, the pathways through Cranbrook, and the North Star Rails to Trails are all maintained, accessible, and well-suited to cycling. They offer a sense of continuity that had been largely absent across much of the prairie provinces. Even where the route becomes more demanding - such as along the Grey Creek Pass Connector - the challenge is one of effort and elevation rather than impossibility. The climb is long and sustained, but the road itself is wide, stable, and ultimately passable.  Though at times, there are other vehicles here.

 

This is a pattern that repeats across much of the interior.

 

Rail Trails - and Their Limits

 

The Columbia and Western Railway and the Kettle Valley Railway stand out as some of the defining features of the Trail in British Columbia. These are the types of routes that cyclists often imagine when considering the Trans Canada Trail - long, gradual grades, panoramic views, and the ability to move steadily through the landscape, off-road and easily.

 

And for the most part, they deliver exactly that.  However, they are not without their limitations.

Sections of the Kettle Valley Railway, in particular, are incomplete. Washouts, fire damage, and ongoing forestry operations mean that the route is, at times, fragmented. When we crossed this region, floods and wildfires had forced us onto the highway between Princeton and Hope - a reminder that even the most iconic sections of the Trail are not immune to disruption.

 

There are also areas where the designated route becomes highly specialized. A 16.7-kilometre stretch west of Nelson functions as a BMX bike park, with terrain that is vertical, deeply rutted and technical. It is not suited to touring bikes, and in truth, we would not recommend it for hiking either.  We were glad to escape what is a daring area for BMX bikers on foot. 

 

These moments do not define the province - but they shape how it must be travelled and planned for.

 

The Lower Mainland – Connectivity Returns

 

As the route approaches the Lower Mainland, the nature of the Trail shifts once again.

From Chilliwack through Abbotsford, Mission, Maple Ridge, and into Coquitlam, the Trans Canada Trail becomes a network of connected pathways, river corridors, and local trails. While there are still short sections of roadway, the overall experience is far more continuous and accessible. The stretch through Pitt Meadows, in particular, stands out as both scenic and well-designed.

 

Within the cities themselves - Coquitlam, Burnaby, Vancouver, and North Vancouver - the Trail becomes something different again. Parks, urban greenways, and neighbourhood streets combine to form the route. There are beautiful sections throughout, but they are interwoven with city infrastructure, and at times, the continuity of a single “trail” gives way to navigation through urban space in the Greater Vancouver Area with all of its inherent challenges.

 

Still, for cyclists, this region offers support, services, and flexibility that was less available in earlier provinces.

 

Vancouver Island – A Fitting Continuation

 

Across the water, Vancouver Island provides a final extension of this pattern.

 

There are sections that are less suited to cycling, particularly south of Nanaimo, where conditions become more uneven and taper towards backcountry hiking trails.  But beyond this, the Cowichan Valley Trail offers a sustained and enjoyable ride, linking into the Sooke Hills Wilderness Regional Trail and the Galloping Goose Trail.

 

As the route approaches Victoria, the infrastructure improves once more.  Here, well-developed urban trails guide the final kilometres to the Pacific, offering a clear and fitting conclusion to the journey across the province and perhaps across the country itself.

 

Conclusion - Can you cycle the TCT in BC?

 

So, can you cycle the Trans Canada Trail across British Columbia?  The answer is a clear yes – in fact, it can be undertaken far more so than in many of the provinces that came before it.

 

There are long, continuous stretches of trail, particularly through the interior and along historic rail corridors, that are not only rideable but deeply rewarding. The urban networks of the Lower Mainland and the trails of Vancouver Island further support this, providing both access and continuity.

 

And yet, as we have found across the country, there is a distinction between what is possible and what is practical and possible at the time trail users are there.  British Columbia is a province of extraordinary riding - but it is also a province shaped by disruption. Logging roads remain active, rail trails are sometimes incomplete, and natural events continue to reshape the route. To cycle here is to accept that the TCT is not fixed, and that adaptation is part of the journey.

 

In many ways, British Columbia represents the culmination of what we have experienced across the Trans Canada Trail.  It is not a single, continuous path.  But for those willing to adapt, to navigate its gaps, and to embrace both its structure and its uncertainty, it offers one of the most compelling cycling experiences in the country.

 

See you on the trail!

Remember to follow our entire adventure here : www.comewalkwithus.online