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Heading up to Jasper, Canada in a week. Any suggestions?


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I have a small group of riders and one car all trekking from Portland to Jasper. I am mostly hoping for local info. Like whats the ticket like for being 20kph over he speed limit?
 
I vaguely remember someone in a thread saying that 50kph over the speed limit will get your bike impounded in one of the provinces. I generally dont speed like crazy but lonely highways tend to bring out the squid in me :)
 
[span]Camping near the north end of Jasper, thinking of hitting Miette hot springs, anyone been there?    [/span]
2015 Red FJ 09
2013 WR250R - little boy blue - sold
2012 DL650 V Strom - sold
2007 FZ6 - sold
1986 FJ600 - sold
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I got a ticket for 30 K over in Jasper last year. The fine was not too bad, a road tax. My Mountie was friendly.
 
I have heard many times that 50K over (30 MPH over) will get your bike impounded everywhere in Canada.
 
Take warm gear. I got snowed on during the afternoon in June of this year riding Jasper.
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From Portland I would definitely recommend taking the backroads through Gifford Pinchot National forest. Take Hwy 14E to Carson and head north from there, some truly phenomenal (very twisty!) roads and scenery. From there I would either head directly north to Vancouver and do the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Hwy 99) and taking the TransCanada east from there until you hit Jasper, or, stay in Washington and do the North Cascade Hwy as you make your way east, then head north and catch the TransCanada somewhere around Kamloops if you want to see the best that BC has to offer along the way. There's definitely a few ways you could do it, depending on how much time you have.
 
As for Jasper/Banff itself, I have only ridden through there in the early spring when there was still snow on the ground. Although a little bit cold, it was especially nice that time of year because of limited tourists and police enforcement. If I recall the speed limit is 80km/h through most of the park and on that particular day I was cruising at 110-120km/h without any issues, as there was hardly anyone on the roads. As mentioned, you don't want to be caught exceeding the speed limit by over 40km/h. This time of year, I would expect that it will be extremely busy - between the tour buses, loaded down SUV's and "Cruise Canada" rented RV's piloted by senile retirees I wouldn't expect to be riding that stretch in any sort of a spirited manner. You may find yourself stuck behind a long line of slow moving vehicles, and as frustrating as that can be I would recommend that instead of trying to get around them you just take your time and enjoy the scenery. There will definitely be a lot more police presence this time of year and passing vehicles will only find you stuck behind another one 30 seconds later. Riding through the park during the middle of the week (and absolutely avoiding the long weekend) will mitigate these problems, but your mileage may vary.
 
Other than that, there's no fuel between Banff and Jasper so fill up at either end. Canmore is pretty cool also and Calgary is a nice city if you feel so inclined to check that out. Take a decent camera with you and have fun!
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I have a small group of riders and one car all trekking from Portland to Jasper. I am mostly hoping for local info. Like whats the ticket like for being 20kph over he speed limit? 
I vaguely remember someone in a thread saying that 50kph over the speed limit will get your bike impounded in one of the provinces. I generally dont speed like crazy but lonely highways tend to bring out the squid in me :)
 
[span]Camping near the north end of Jasper, thinking of hitting Miette hot springs, anyone been there?    [/span]
Just got back to Vancouver WA from our yearly two week ride.  This year we did the Rockies.  From Pagosa Springs Co to Jasper.  Total 5K.  We also had a auto along.  Good thing too, as I crashed in MT and hitched a ride in the car, a Honda S2000, which could actually outrun the bikes, I believe.  We were cautious and limited our speed to about 15kph over the posted speed, but I did see where we were 30kph once in a while (not including passing).  We did not see many CMP.  Have fun, it is a beautiful ride.  I mosltly enjoyed these roads:  Hwy 99 thru Whistler and Hwy 24 both in BC. 
 
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Ken, Candy Ass L.D.R. Sleeps 8 hours
(2)2005 FJR1300abs:  230,000 m
2015 FJ-09:  114,000 m (Replaced engine at 106K)

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