| The Duffy Lake Road…the mere mention of this road on the West Coast will bring a wistful smile to any biker’s face, when he remembers his last trip…and a stirring in the loins of those who have yet to make the journey.
The journey usually begins at Vancouver, but you can start in Chilliwack, or Hope, or anywhere and do a loop back to wherever you started. It looks completely different heading east than it does heading west…I’ve done it both ways.
Heading north from Horseshoe Bay, you get to ride the fabulous Sea-to Sky
Hwy 99. This twisty, narrow route is a bain to those with 4 wheels as they are focused on the destination; Whistler, Squamish or Pemberton, and can’t really appreciate the beauty of leaning into a wonderfully rounded curve, then straightening up to look out over the ocean on your left to see ferries & tugboats while the evergreens whiz by in the foreground. On the right is a sheer rock wall for part of the way, like a giant, natural Armco barrier…with the same dangers…miss a turn and you’re in for a world of hurt. Let’s get real…about 30 people a year die on this road, so let’s be careful out there.
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| Highway 99 follows the ocean for most of the way north until you start inland toward Squamish. The ocean views are replaced by spectacular mountain vistas on your right, and these remain all the twisty way past Whistler up to Pemberton, where everyone stops at the PetroCan for the last fuel top-up before the final push up the legendary road. All the way to Pemberton there are a ton of gas stops, coffee shops and historic sights to keep you fuelled, fed and interested. The mining museum at Britannia Beach is awesome, with the huge, abandoned mill taking up the entire hillside. This is not a boring piece of road.
Fuelling at the PetroCan were Dominic and Leah, from Ireland and Australia, respectively. Outfitted with brand new KLR’s, they had just flown in 3 days ago…were on their way to Alaska…and their introduction to Canada was THE road.
The way east starts through the Mount Currie Reserve and, now that the road is entirely paved, following a motorhome through the dust a few years ago is just a bad memory.
You’ll ride along the north shore of Lillooet Lake for a short while before climbing a staircase of switchbacks to the plateau above.
Switchbacks…..every one is a hairpin… if you don’t get this one just right, then just set up for the next one a little farther down the road.
Heading east along the high road, keep an eye on your right for the gushing mountain streams…some are so cold that you can feel a gust of frosty air as you ride by…and all the way you will have trouble keeping your eyes on the road with the awesome beauty that surrounds you.
Before you know it, you’ve arrived at Duffy Lake and if you spend a quiet minute, you will hear….
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…the wail of a distant sport bike approaching. Wait, here it comes…..and there it goes…with all the intensity of standing trackside at Mosport.
Sooner or later you have to carry on…more outstanding eye candy awaits…like the swollen
river trying to overflow it’s banks alongside the road. These rivers run back and forth across the course of the road and have to be spanned by one lane wooden-decked bridges With a little courtesy, this can be a piece of cake., and be sure to check the upstream view as well.
From here, the road gets really interesting, the closer you get to Lillooet…Massive rock falls on one side………….and sheer drops on the other. That concrete barrier is your best friend along this stretch, but there are places
where the barrier is absent and you are on your own…this is not the big city, boy, and you won’t hit bottom until 800-1000 feet passes by. There are still wrecks down there where the bodies have been retrieved but it isn’t feasible to bring the metal back up.
Here comes a single headlight—another bike heading the other way—you wave to each other and smile unseen in your fullface….there is one sure friend if you fall down or something kakks on the bike.
| The last corner, and you find yourself on the long curving downhill grade to Lillooet, across the old bridge at the south end of Seton Lake and up the short grade into the town itself.
You can carry on across the large bridge that spans the mighty Fraser River and make a north or south decision on the other side…but only if you have fuelled up in town.
Besides, isn’t it better just to kick back, relax and reflect on what just happened? You’ve finally ridden BC’s legendary road through some of the most spectacular scenery this coast has to offer.
And yes, there’s lots more around the bend……
Bill Gedye
Two Wheel Tales |
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