Although the Golden Triangle Ride itself is about 350 kilometers, when you start from Calgary, the total distance is just under 700 kilometers (depending upon side trips).  With the one side trip I took to Tawkawka falls, my odometer reading was 697 kilometers.  This is a full day trip at a minimum.  It can easily be turned into a multi-day trip, especially if you want to do any exploring or hiking!  This particular time, I was gone for 10 hours and that is with only one side-trip (some 30 kilometers to Tawkawka falls and back) and only 3 fuel stops in total plus a lunch break.

   This ride is a favorite amongst both bicyclists and Motorbikers.  However, bicyclists usually do the GT over a 3 day period, staying for one night in Radium and the other in Golden.  The Calgary "Elbow Valley Cycle Club" has their Golden Triangle supported bicycle ride on the May long weekend and having ridden that a number of times I can testify that we have ridden in the snow.  I've ridden this route as early as mid April but again hit some snow.  To ride this early, you have to make sure that you're going to have nice weather and still wear electrics.  I wouldn't recommend riding this route much past the end of September.  As you'll see, there was fresh snow on the mountains during this ride.

   So, on with the pictures and the ride:
 

Alright, off we go, notice the bright blue sky!	Here we are heading West, notice the beautiful blue sky!	Heading West with the Mountains in the distance.
We turn North at the intersection of Richard Road and highway 22. (Turning South would have us heading to Bragg Creek but that's a different ride).	Looking North as we approach the Highway 1A intersection in the town of Cochrane. (in 1999 this was a 4-way stop, it is now controlled with a traffic light).	We turn left at the intersection and head West. Mountains in the distance and to the left, a gas processing plant. (hmmm, a few whispy clouds in the background).
We are on the "1A" highway, the signpost states that Banff is 101 Kilometers away!	I think this is a gorgeous shot looking West. The road at this point dips down, has a nice left hander, then a right. I find them to be a real nice ride at 100KPH although there are signs warning you to go slower.	We've just gone by Nakoda lodge on the Indian Reserve that we are riding through. There are often people fishing in the lake off to the left.
This little lake is just outside of Canmore, at the end of the 1A. There are often folks fishing in this lake.	As you can see, we are truely in the mountains now. A "Mountain" does NOT have any trees on top. If trees can grow on top then it is a "hill", NOT a "Mountain".	We are now just outside of Banff. We've gone through the Park Gates (long lineups if you don't have a park pass) already. The Mountain in front of you has a waterfall year round (visible as a darker coloured vertical mark).
	Continue the Journey