Ride: Vernon to Needles via Hwy 6

A great ride along a secondary highway through valleys, farm land, canyons and a mountain pass. While there are some straight sections, there are a lot of twisty sections (some very tight) that will make you grin. This is one of the best motorcycle roads in BC. Side trip to Edgewood.

This is a great motorcycle route with usually light traffic. Total distance from Vernon to the Needles Ferry is about 135 km. Destination Highways ranked this as the second-best motorcycle road in BC. The route leaves Vernon, which is semi-arid, and runs through Coldstream, Lavington, Lumby and Cherryville. The vegetation becomes lusher as you travel east. You pass by semi-rural areas, farmland, small golf courses, canyons and a stretch along the Shuswap River where there is a BC Hydro Canoe launch and picnic spot. The highway rises and falls and hugs the hillsides in place. There are some nice corners along the way.

After Cherryville the road climbs and dips quite a bit and is quite entertaining with some very tight corners with posted speeds of 20 - 50 km/h. The route goes over the Monashee Pass (elevation 1241m), and there is a nice little lake at the rest stop at the summit. The road descends over the next few km with several great corners, but there is some cracked pavement along here. The road then straightens up a bit for a few km. Continuing on, the road becomes very twisty as it descends quite a bit. There is a single lane bridge across a narrow gorge (watch for sand and rocks on the road just after the bridge). The curves continue for a while before the road straightens out with three lanes for 9 km. The road continues to descend until you reach farmland. In a few more km you have the option for a side trip to Edgewood (10 km, gas, store, camping) or continue on to the Needles Ferry (rest stop).

There are limited passing opportunities along some sections, so if you happen to get stuck behind a transport truck or an RV, you may just want to pull over for a few minutes and take a break so that you can run the corners at a quicker pace. The ferry across Arrow Lakes at Needles is free. The road is more fun to ride from east to west.

Watch for deer, cattle (especially just east of the summit) and sometimes bears and moose along or on the road. Watch for sand on the road in the spring (until at least June) at higher elevations. I would say that majority of the road surface is in good condition, but it varies with some of it in poor shape. There are some frost heaves, dips, patches, cracks and sections of broken pavement. Watch for some large cracks or gaps (up to 15 cm wide) running mostly lengthwise west and east of the summit. This degraded pavement can pose a hazard to motorcyclists - use caution. Also, watch for rocks on the road, especially after a significant rainfall.

Gas is available in Lumby, Cherryville, Edgewood and Fauquier (did not confirm gas in Fauquier for 2025). You can get a meal at the Cherryville golf course and the Gold Panner Cafe.

Enjoy the ride!

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