The gates were closed.
At leas that’s what it looked like at first. In fact, a rental car with Saskatchewan plates stopped for a few minutes, seemingly not understanding the fact that Parks Canada had closed this road to all things four-wheeled. That includes him.
Someone took pity eventually and explained to the flummoxed tourist what was going on.
“The Bow Valley Parkway is closed,” he said. “It’s open to bikes and runners, but no cars. You’ll have to go around.”
The closure is part of Banff National Park’s experiment this year to see if people like being able to ride on a highway without worrying about being hit by a semi. They closed off 17 km of Highway 1A to car traffic, letting only bikes through. That means 17 km of freshly-paved highway through some of the most beautiful country anywhere, with vistas from mountain peaks, overlooks of the blue-green glacier-fed Bow River, and alpine meadows full of roses, Indian Paintbrush and the occasional black or grizzly bear.
From the number of cars in the lot with empty bike racks, it seemed like things were going well.
I flashed a peace sign at the trail counter as Kristen and I crossed the beam, adding our wheels to the thousands that have taken this spin over the last two summers. I weaved over the centre line for the first time without fear. Not having to worry about some bus coming bawling around the corner and taking me out was a relief. That being said, I still naturally gravitated to the shoulder to take my natural place in the highway hierarchy, but then remembered that I was the hegemon here and could ride like it.
We waved at the hundred-or-so riders who passed by: from avid club riders in lycra on $10,000 racing bikes to tourists on rented e-bikes and even the odd hippie/dirtbag on an 80s mountain bike, everyone seemed to enjoy it a hell of a lot more than they would driving.
Two spruce grouse, a family of ground hogs, and birds I couldn’t quite see, but heard all around also eemed to enjoy the quiet and calm of the closed road. The purple of fireweed and clover mixed with the white of daisies and yarrow, punctuated by the occasional bluebell and Indian Paintbrush along the road. Further in the forest were poplar stands and lodgepole pine which alternated due to differences in soil, or just because they felt like it.
There were a few climbs on the route, but they were followed by the kinds of descents that only pros get to enjoy. The kind where you can pick your optimum line, lean into the curves, actually use the banks and let go of the brakes without having to worry about what’s coming around the bend. One of the descents ended in a meadow with Cockscomb Mountain, the Finger and Mt. Fifi in the background.
We stopped for lunch of crackers, cheese, apple and chocolate, before turning back. We paused to say hello to more grouse, take photos of the Bow River, and to get ready for the last climb.
As we crested that hill, thunder boomed behind us. We raced on, passing some e-bike tourists before crossing the line, yet again with a peace sign.
To email comments about keeping Bow Valley Parkway open, visit: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/info/gestion-management/cyclisme-cycling. Comments are open until Sept. 9, 2021.