I'm going to be in Vancouver for most of the month of August, and was wondering what are some nice twisty roads for the MINI in the lower mainland? I'm going to be driving up from the Bay area, mostly along I-5, but may make some detours in Northern California.

I will need to stretch my MINI legs in BC. I am familiar with the area (lived there for six years) but never really have driven in alot in the area. If anyone wants to get together for a run, I'm down for it while I'm up there!

 

If you are coming up the 5 from the Bay Area go up to Red Bluff and then take Highway 36 all the way to the coast. 150 miles of pure MINI bliss. You will not regret it. Fantastic road. You can then go up 101 to Arcata and back east on 299 all the way back to Redding and the 5. Not as good as 36, but still a good ride.

The Web site to look at is http://pashnit.com You will spend hours looking at all of the great California roads. If it is good for bikers it is also good for MINI's!!

 

Pashnit is awesome! I have that site bookmarked. Whenever I get a chance, I try a different road every weekend on Sunday. Really fun! I will take a look at 299 and northwestern California.. How long do you think it will take to go from Red Bluff via 36 to Eureka to 299 to Redding? Would it be better to go straight up 101 to Eureka and go east on 299 to Redding? Just looking at a map right now.

 

Rune -

Depends on how many pictures you stop and take. I had breakfast in Eureka and lunch in Red Bluff and I stopped a couple of times for pictures. From Red Bluff on 36 to Eureka and back over 299 east to Redding would probably take all day.

 

There are lots of good roads through the hills almost anywhere out of town around Vancouver, but the drive up the coast to Whistler is tons-o-fun with twists and cliffs and plenty of view ...

 

Sounds great

 

One of the first drives my wife and I plan after the MCS arrives is the Circle tour in BC up to Lund and then south on Vancouver Island. Has anyone done that drive?

 

heard this is rated #6 in the world to ride a bike on so it must be fun

planning to make the trip my self..just gotta save some more $$

Highway 99 is the Sea to Sky Highway, which winds through five distinct biogeoclimatic zones in the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region of BC, from coastal rain forest at Horseshoe Bay, through Squamish, Garibaldi Provincial Park, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Intensely scenic, the Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99) crosses paths with two historic routes, the Pemberton Trail and the Gold Rush Heritage Trail, which linked the coast with the interior in the days before the automobile. Along these ancient pathways, generations of Coast Salish people traded with their relations in the Fraser Canyon, while in the 1850s, prospectors stampeded north towards the Cariboo gold fields. In 1915, the Pacific Great Eastern railway began service between Squamish and the Cariboo. For those in search of outdoor recreation, the railway proved an ideal way to reach trailheads in Garibaldi Provincial Park and fishing camps such as Alta Lake's Rainbow Lodge, situated at the foot of London Mountain.