Cannon Expeditions

Ride · Sample expedition

Whistler & the South Chilcotins.

Two warm-up days in the world's most famous bike town, then a floatplane into high-alpine singletrack that most riders never earn.

Duration

8 days

From

$4,300 pp

+ air, double occupancy

Effort

●●●●○

Ride Level 4

Season

Jul–Sep

Group

4–6 riders

Prerequisites

Blue/black+

Riding 5+ hrs/week

This is a starting point, not a package. Every Cannon trip is rebuilt around you — your dates, your riding, your budget. The numbers here are from itineraries we've actually priced.

The South Chilcotin Mountains hold the best alpine singletrack in North America: wildflower meadows at 2,200 meters, ridgelines that run for kilometers, and descents that drop 1,500 vertical meters through five ecosystems. The floatplane is how you skip two days of climbing to get there. Your legs are how you get around once you've landed.

Why Level 4: days run 25–40 km with real climbing at altitude, there are honest hike-a-bike sections, and the weather is mountain weather. The two Whistler days up front aren't padding — they're where you and your guide calibrate what the alpine days should look like.

Day by day

The shape of the trip.

Day 1

Arrive Vancouver → Whistler. Shuttle up the Sea-to-Sky, bike fit or rental pickup, legs spin-out on the valley trails.

Day 2

Whistler warm-up. A guided day mixing park laps and technical valley singletrack — this is where your guide learns how you actually ride, which shapes everything after.

Day 3

The floatplane. Drive to Tyaughton Lake, load bikes into the floatplane, and fly into the alpine. Afternoon shakeout ride from the lodge; dinner with tomorrow's route on the table.

Days 4–6

The Chilcotins proper. Three big alpine days — meadow passes, ridgeline traverses, and the long descents the range is famous for. 25–40 km and 5–7 hours per day, with hike-a-bike sections that buy the views.

Day 7

Buffer day — by design. If weather grounded a day, this absorbs it. If not, one more alpine ride, or the lake, the sauna, and a book. Fly out in the afternoon.

Day 8

Decompress and depart. Easy morning, shuttle to Vancouver, evening flights home with legs you'll feel for a week.

Included

  • — Certified guide throughout, riding with the group daily
  • — Floatplane flights in and out, bikes included
  • — Lodge nights in the Chilcotins, hotel nights in Whistler
  • — Most meals (all meals in the backcountry)
  • — Vancouver ↔ Whistler ↔ Tyaughton Lake ground transfers
  • — Our routing, booking, and on-call support throughout

Not included ($)

  • — Flights to Vancouver
  • — Your bike — fly yours (we'll route the fees) or rent a current-year enduro (~$80–110/day, spec confirmed in writing)
  • — Whistler lift pass on park days (~CA$95/day)
  • — Guide gratuities (customary: 10–15%)
  • — Travel insurance with backcountry evacuation coverage — required

Honest notes

What the brochures skip.

Make this one yours.

More Whistler, less alpine — or the reverse. A camp-based version. A September trip for the larch colors. Tell us how you ride and when.

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