Northern Canada

[aurorasparkle]

Dear fellow riders,

I feel there's some alone-riding coming to me mid of next year. I love Canada and want to ride from Southern BC to the Yukon or the Northwest Territories. My tank will require an upgrade - would you have any other advice with regard to travelling alone into scarcely populated areas of Canada as a woman?

General advice on vigilance aside. My questions are more about my lack of skills when it comes to fixing the bike; means of support in case I get stuck - out of gas, out of water, surprise weather or such.

Comments are appreciated.

Thanks, Barbara?

[shu...]

What is your previous travel experience?
What is your previous travel experience on motorcycles?
What bike do you ride?
Do you do any of the maintenance on your bike?
Are you planning to camp?
What is your previous camping experience?

I'm not sure how to offer anything that might be constructive without a little more info.

.................shu

[Scrabblebiker]

That sounds like a great trip and I hope you have a blast doing it.

As for anything specific for women in Northern Canada, nothing in particular comes to mind. As far as being a woman is concerned it shouldn't really be any different than your home town of Cranbrook, except maybe your favourite specific products not being as readily available in small villages. I've only been as far north as Watson Lake but I can't see the more northern parts being any different for women in particular.

Notwithstanding the above, there was, and possibly still is, an issue with women disappearing on the so called highway of tears between Prince George and Terrace/Prince Rupert. To the best of my knowledge they were all hitchhiking, so that shouldn't affect you personally. Just be aware that there is/was a problem along that highway which affected the local population for the most part.


The other questions you asked are probably better off being posted in a different forum since they affect all genders and don't specifically relate to women. Limited travel and mechanical experience has been asked about before by many men on these forums. The same applies to general information about travel in more remote places. You'll probably get a much better response rate elsewhere.

Good luck and happy trails

...Michelle

[JfNS]

Hey,

Great trip. Do it.

As we live in the Yukon, I'll give my impression of travel here for you.

Compared to southern Canada driving, it is a stress free breeze so to speak. It is hardly that sparsely populated, just spread out a bit. Some of the distances between places is longish. But that means you can pull over where ever you want, you can camp most anywhere you want, and you will never be in danger of being run down should you need to stop on the side of the highway to take a picture of a moose or bear or pick a bug out of your eye.

The highways are not that quiet, especially in summer. You won't wait too long for the next car to come along and chances are very good they will stop to offer assistance. We still do that here. You might even get a lift for you and the bike.

The roads are generally in great, chip sealed condition, but this can mean flying stones. With the exception of the Dempster highway, Top of the world, and Liard Highway you could drive any bike you please around here happily. And even the Dempster gets ridden on some pretty street oriented machines when it's dry.

You should find the summer beautiful, the sense of isolation invigorating, and the people friendly. Whitehorse is the driest Capital city in Canada. You'll have a blast. The roads are very full of bikes here in season, I have no doubt you could find companions if you wanted along the way.

Hope you make the jump! Have fun. Get in touch if you have any specific questions.

Oh, and I'll preface this by telling you what a fantastic town Yellowknife is, but mile for mile I think the Yukon will be more interesting riding. NWT roads tend to be long, straight and flat.

[poorbuthappy]

It's a fabulous trip. Don't let anyone discourage you. If you encounter any issue, don't worry in Yukon you are never stranded. There is no reason to worry. Nowadays, there is not much that break down. You might have to adjust the chain a few times, no more.

[msamsen]

Originally Posted by poorbuthappy

It's a fabulous trip. Don't let anyone discourage you. If you encounter any issue, don't worry in Yukon you are never stranded. There is no reason to worry. Nowadays, there is not much that break down. You might have to adjust the chain a few times, no more.

I concur with this response. I traveled there for a few weeks and never experienced long periods of time during which I didn’t see other vehicles. That said, you may need to be patient if you do have an issue. Most folks will stop, not all will be able to help with mechanical issues should one occur.

As a single rider (male or female) I would strongly encourage you to carry a two-way communicator (like an Garmin InReach, not SPOT) AND a PLB. I’ve had occasions to use each for different levels of emergency.

Here’s a great article on PLBs.

https://www.adventure-journal.com/20...eid=2a4a94f767