Canada

A collection of 62 posts

British Columbia Premium Content

Canada: Beautiful British Columbia

The slogan on British Columbia license plates is “Beautiful British Columbia,” and the riding here lives up to that reputation. The best time to avoid the Canadian province’s notorious rain ranges from July to August, but my partner Aidan and I have an extra long weekend in June and

Travel Guide

Easiest Countries to Travel to for Motorcycle Tours

An international motorcycle tour is just what the doctor ordered when you start getting tired of American asphalt. But traveling internationally with a motorcycle can seem like a daunting undertaking. You’ll likely have many questions when planning your first moto tour abroad. Can you bring your own bike or

Reader Ride Premium Content

Capacity’s Fearless Adventure: A Coast-to-Coast Adventure

I always wanted to do a cross-country solo ride, but I had no idea how to break it to my business partner. This past summer, he entered my office and announced, “I’m going to Europe for a month.”  “Enjoy!” I said. “I’ll hold down the fort—but when

News

2024 Tour Operators Guide

If you've been on the fence about planning that motorcycle trip you've been dreaming of, don't fret. You no longer need to plan the tour, line up the motorcycles, or worry about anything other than showing up on day one. RoadRUNNER has partnered with

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

City Escape: Vancouver, British Columbia

The Sea-to-Sky Highway is one of those famous motorcycling roads that you have to ride at least twice. Once to revel in the sweeping bends and smooth surface, and then again to soak up the spectacular views over the turquoise-blue waters of Howe Sound and the majestic pine forests reaching

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Cape Breton: The Road to Gampo Abbey

It was just a sign by the side of the road. We wouldn’t have seen it. But we stopped because the day was hot and the road was long and we needed a break. The sign read, “Gampo Abbey, 9 km.” My wife Julie and I were in the

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

A Solitary Quest From Anchorage, AK to Portland, OR

It wasn’t supposed to be a solo trip. A group of three or four of us had decided we’d ride from Anchorage, AK, to Portland, OR, taking advantage of the tour company MotoQuest’s seasonal transporter special offer. By agreeing to ride MotoQuest bikes from Alaska to Oregon,

Mar/Apr '21 Premium Content

British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alberta

Oh look, thar she blows! Out in the distance a whale blew, and a column of water fountained up. My eyes widened at the humpback’s gentle beauty. Calmly voyaging for two days from Juneau on the panhandle to Prince Rupert—our port gateway to a week of Canadian wilderness—

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

Yukon: Tuk or Bust

Over the years I have motorcycled through many of the world’s most exotic places, but in recent years I have been dithering about options for the next great ride. Can you hear a bit of desperation there? Finally, I was presented with a new road I could not refuse,

Sep/Oct '19 Premium Content

New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Quebec: Upper East Side

We’re passing through Bloomfield, VT, when we stop at the country store for a cold drink. A clearly exasperated farmer named Bob is at the counter, prattling on about the “Moose Fest,” a fair and classic car gathering in the town of Canaan, 20 miles north. (It also happens

May/Jun '19 Premium Content

Penticton, British Columbia: Discovering the Undiscovered

The teacher in The Truman Show, who stated “Oh, you’re too late. There’s really nothing left to explore,” was incorrect. There is always something new to be discovered. Exploration can be as simple as visiting a place you’ve never been—perhaps venturing across the US-Canada border, as

Jan/Feb '19 Premium Content

Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario: The Superior Trip

This story is a gift to my father, Daniel Lynn Swab, the most important person to me on earth. In fact, he’s the reason that I got into photography when I was younger. Not because he enjoyed taking photos, but because there were no photos taken of him. Born

Mar/Apr '18

City Escape: Québec City to the Island of Orléans

The tour starts at the Fontaine de Tourny, travels around Québec City and the Plains of Abraham to Quai des cageux along the Promenade de Champlain to the point where you can see the old Québec Bridge over the Saint Lawrence River. It continues through the historic part of Québec

Mar/Apr '18 Premium Content

Nova Scotia: Prince of Rides - The Cabot Trail

For the fourth time in one day, I am mangling the pronunciation of town names in Nova Scotia. Is it Why-COCO-maw or Why-COG-ama? Anti-GONE-ish or An-TIG-anish? Meredith and I have been in Canada for three days, but I haven’t gotten any better at this. Meanwhile, our traveling companions, Jimmy

Nov/Dec '16 Premium Content

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Northern Exposure

I’ve been curious about Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (aka the U.P.) for a number of years. This northern exposure has plummeting wintertime temperatures and lake-effect snow piling high. The U.P. constitutes 29 percent of Michigan’s total landmass, but the unforgiving winter weather explains why only three

Sep/Oct '16 Premium Content

Revelstoke, BC Shamrock Tour®: The Unexpected Motorcycling Mecca

To many drivers, Revelstoke is just a stopover between Vancouver and Calgary. But for motorcyclists, the Kootenay-Columbia region around the city contains some of British Columbia’s best highways and byways, from sublime cruising to cuss-word challenging. Salmon River Raid It’s a brisk June morning when my buddy Bevin

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

Prince Edward Island: Carving Coastal Canada

Thomas Wolfe said you can’t go home again, but every summer I try to prove him wrong by taking a motorcycle trip to Prince Edward Island, where I grew up and learned to ride. In 2015, I tried something new; I took my brother-in-law Ty on his first two-wheeled

Jan/Feb '16 Premium Content

British Columbia and Washington: The Border Tour

The Canada-U.S. border disproves the old saying that good fences make good neighbors. It’s famously the world’s longest, undefended international border and, in much of the West, it’s simply a line drawn along the 49th parallel. There are no walls or fences, just a column of

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Newfoundland, Canada: Licking Ice

I’m a Newfoundlander born and bred and I’ll be one till I die. I’m proud to be an Islander and here’s the reason why. I’m free as the wind and the waves that wash the sand. There’s no place I would rather be than

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Kaslo, British Columbia “Lookout” for Your Friends

Our 2010 KTM 990 Adventure easily rolls along the smooth forest service road adjacent to the Columbia Wetlands, the largest of their kind anywhere in the province of British Columbia. This portion of our tour was unplanned, but we did take the advice of our innkeeper the night before to

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

Labrador, Canada: Just Keep Riding North

Bouncing down the endless gravel roads of the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH), it becomes clear why Labrador is nicknamed “The Big Land.” It’s vast with a capital V. “How far north can I ride from Lake George, NY?” That question arises with an email from Tom Nelson, an architect, sports

May/Jun '15 Premium Content

Québec: Epicurean and Moto Delights in Nouvelle-France

A trip to the Canadian province of Québec is like going to France but skipping the long plane ride. Having been to Montreal and Québec City on a previous occasion, though, I’m looking for deeper immersion into the province’s culture and exquisite cuisine. Riding my BMW F 800

Mar/Apr '15 Premium Content

Ontario, Canada: Riding Explorers' Edge

It’s early afternoon, and the sky is overcast with intermittent drizzle filling the air. I’m in the little town of Severn Bridge, ON, about 60 miles north of Toronto preparing to “Ride the Edge.” Up here, the locals still don’t think they’re that far north, citing

Jan/Feb '15 Premium Content

Reader Ride – Cape Breton, Nova Scotia: Island Hopping

Sometimes you have an idea you know isn’t smart, but you go ahead regardless. Sometimes it turns out you were worried about nothing. Sometimes it turns out you were dead right, but things work out anyway. That’s what happened when I went off-roading in the Cape Breton Highlands—

Jul/Aug '14

City Escape: Québec City to the Charlevoix Area

> Panoramas, mountains, history, geography, and gastronomy are along this route. Venture on Avenue Royale (Route de la Nouvelle-France), one of the oldest roads in Canada. Take the side roads to quaint villages on the shores of the St. Lawrence and enjoy bakeries and local cheeses. Length Approximately 200 miles