Labor Day weekend ride - Selkirk Loop

One of my favorite weekend motorcycle rides from Spokane is the Selkirk Loop www.selkirkloop.org/.   The roads are great, the scenery is beautiful, and there are plenty of fun places to get off the bike for a stretch.  The ride can be comfortably completed in two days, but if you aren’t in a hurry, three days would be just fine.  Keep in mind though, that with the new regulations in place, you will need the Enhanced Driver’s License www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/edl.html or a passport because you will be crossing into Canada.

The Selkirk Loop website details the roads, but there are a few things a motorcyclist isn’t going to want to miss.  Albeni Falls Dam is a nice first stretch after leaving Spokane, far enough down the road that the kinks are out, but not so far that your butt is getting uncomfortable!  Besides, it’s beautiful!

Sandpoint, Idaho is a nice place to stop for a late breakfast and morning snack.  There are lots of cool little places, www.sandpoint.com/Entertainment/casualdining.asp.  Try Panhandler Pies for a treat you’ll appreciate!

From Sandpoint continue North into Canada and finally all the way up the east side of Kootenay Lake.  At Kootenay Bay, you can take the 45-minute free ferry ride across the lake to Balfour.  It is the longest free ferry ride in North America, and offers some beautiful views.  Motorcycles aren’t given priority boarding, but last time we took the ferry we were waved up on side of the ferry where we got priority disembarking.

After crossing the lake, you’ve got some great choices for places to stay and eat.  If you want to pamper yourself a bit go to Ainsworth Hot Springs www.hotnaturally.com/.  Not only is it a nice hotel with a good restaurant, the hot springs are worth a trip alone.  Not your usual sit in a manmade tub on a slab of concrete, these hot springs are inside a cave!  Or try eating at Mc Q’s North Country Grill www.kootenaylakeviewlodge.com/f_mcqs.html.

If you don’t mind roughing it just a little. Plan on spending the night at Toad Rock Motorcycle Campground.

www.toadrockcampground.com/index.php.  This is place is a motorcycle rider’s dream come true.  Nice scenery, a good place to camp or stay in a cabin, hot coffee in the morning, and surrounding roads that offer some of the best riding in Canada!  There isn’t a restaurant here, so eat in town or bring something with you.

As you complete the loop you will pass through Nelson, BC.  Like so much of British Columbia, Nelson is in a beautiful setting and has just about every choice you can think of for food and lodging. 

From Nelson it is an easy ride back across the border and to Spokane.  By adding on some of the optional side trips you can extend the loop into a three or even four-day adventure, all with the promise of providing a perfect end of summer journey.

To request a brochure, click here: www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/request-a-guide

For More Information on Side Trips See:

South lakes super side trip - www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/places/super-side-trips/south-lakes-super-side-trip

Lake Pend Oreille – Kootenay River super side trip - www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/places/super-side-trips/lake-pend-oreille-kootenai-river-super-side-trip

Orchards galore super side trip - www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/places/super-side-trips/orchards-galore-super-side-trip

Silvery Slocan super side trip - www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/places/super-side-trips/north-kootenay-lake-a-silvery-slocan-super-side-trip

Rivers, dams, & mines super side trip - www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/places/super-side-trips/rivers-dams-a-mines-super-side-trip

Flowery Trail super side trip - www.selkirkloop.org/index.php/places/super-side-trips/flowery-trail-little-pend-oreille-super-side-trip