Kananaskis Highway 40 opening?

[MPowered]

Anyone know if Highway 40 from Longview to Highway 1 will open up this after the flood from last year? I know alot of the bridges were wiped out. This was the best riding road in Alberta.

[e31]

There's still snow up there atm, but even when it normally opens each year (june 15) it won't be all the way to Longview. There are still sections of bridge scheduled to be installed late summer.

[revelations]

Truth be told, there a some incredible slower rides out to Sundre the back way. Hwy 40 is only really interesting if youre going 150 or higher - which puts you at high risk of wildlife or RCMP.

[MPowered]

I realize it is closed until June 15. I was hoping they would have it open all the way to Longview before the end of summer

Care to share some of you slow roads to Sundre?

[revelations]

haha, it was one of those accidental discoveries. I 'think' its also called HWY 40, and it heads north from 1A, north West of Cochrane.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.3905515,-114.8942506,11z

I'd have to ride it to confirm, but a very nice scenic ride in the foothills. Used to drive around there while working in the field so its been a few years, not sure what the pavement condition is like now.

[MPowered]

That looks like a great road. Hopefully someone can confirm the road conditions for a bike ride. I may just have to go explore that area and head north.

Thanks!


Originally posted by revelations
haha, it was one of those accidental discoveries. I 'think' its also called HWY 40, and it heads north from 1A, north West of Cochrane.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.3905515,-114.8942506,11z

I'd have to ride it to confirm, but a very nice scenic ride in the foothills. Used to drive around there while working in the field so its been a few years, not sure what the pavement condition is like now.

[Graham_A_M]

I cant wait for it to be open, that (along with Highway 1A) are my two favorite roads in southern Alberta, I think two years ago I took that road about 20 or so times on the bike, its just so un-cannily beautiful.
:eek: I absolutely love it, not NEARLY as curvy as highway 1A, but still an unbelievable ride in either a car or a bike.

[BlackArcher101]

IIRC, Hwy 40 north of Cochrane/1A changes to gravel about 25km in. Gravel was really rough in spots and the pavement had some decent potholes.

[120Comm]

Originally posted by BlackArcher101
IIRC, Hwy 40 north of Cochrane/1A changes to gravel about 25km in. Gravel was really rough in spots and the pavement had some decent potholes.

Correct - it is gravel from the 90° turn at Bar C Ranch (just west of Capture the Flag Paintball). I've been up as far as the Hunter Valley (another ~25km) and it remains gravel. It's gravel at least all the way up to the junction of Highway 11 at Nordegg, and surely beyond that for I don't know how much further.

A couple of years ago while going up to the Hunter Valley to volunteer for a rally, I hit a rock about half the size of a basketball with both right side tires on my WRX. Knocked about 80% of the air out of the front one, bent a suspension member, and blew the sidewall out of the rear. And that was on a freshly graveled section north of the Ghost Airstrip. I wouldn't recommend anybody take a bike up there unless it was a dirt bike.

[e31]

The commercial logging/O&G traffic on 40 is stupid for a gravel road. Would not recommend.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by BlackArcher101
IIRC, Hwy 40 north of Cochrane/1A changes to gravel about 25km in. Gravel was really rough in spots and the pavement had some decent potholes.
Yeah thats why you only take it from Longview to highway 1, dont go past/north of highway 1.

[revelations]

No its not HWY 40 - its actually West of Sundre itself. Had to look back at some of my pics from work.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@51.798833,-114.837986,3a,75y,288.84h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sCcBC71dWJa3ccgiNw6QigA!2e0

HWY 584.

[Tarzan]

You want an epic motorcycle road head south to Coeur D' Alene Idaho. Find the east side of the lake and give er. We ran this highway in a truck and after an hour my wife started getting ill as there was no straight sections at all. The road follows the lake in the most twisting way possible and in the middle is a little town with awesome icecream. The north section is the twisty part till you reach Harrison. The road runs from St Maries to Wolf Bay at Hwy 93 into Coeur D' Alene. I wished I still had my 280Z cause that road screams come drive me. Hwy 97

[revelations]

^ that is an awesome road - even better than to the sun road - as its not filled with tourists .... but the occasional wild horse pack though