Where Is Benjamin?

Adventure Across the Americas

Map

Live updating map of my travels! This will often be a few days behind, but should give a general area of where I’m at! I try to update it whenever I can. In some instances in which I stay at people’s houses I will adjust the map slightly to hide exact addresses to protect their privacy.

_whereisbenjamin

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 101-115 Total Di

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 101-115
Total Distance: 7,095 km / 4,409 mi

From Wells Gray Provincial Park, one thing became immediately clear to me: it was time to get out of Canada and head towards the west coast. Winter was catching up with me, I was running out of Canadian currency, and I was almost out of my daily medication that I could pick up in Washington state.

My route back towards the states would first involve riding through Canada's only desert. I didn't even know Canada had a desert! It was really interesting to see how quickly the landscapes changed from temperate rainforest to dry desert. This section totally took me by surprise but the sights were pretty!

Along the way I met up with @forrestmackay who I had first met while cycling across New Zealand. It was awesome to catch back up and share stories of our trips and hang out for the night. He also brought burritos from a Mexican restaurant in town. It was like having my own support vehicle for the day!

From there I rode the Sea to Sky trail through some of the steepest roads I've ever ridden. It was consistent 13% grades going up and down while crossing over the coastal mountains. Reaching the summit was a great feeling, because from there it was mostly downhill mountain bike trails straight to see level. The Sea to Sky trail was pretty awesome, I probably could've just made that it's own post.

Coming into Vancouver was a bit jarring. After cycling the remote north for so long it was almost a culture shock to see so many people out and about. I got more comments on my Alaska license plates in one day than the entire rest of the trip!

1-2. Slowly coming into desert and farmlands from the temperate rain forest.

3. Kamloops Lake

4. @forrestmackay

5-7. Sea to Sky Highway

8-10. Sea to Sky Trail

11. Archer Point

12. Vancouver

13-14. Riding through flat coastal farmlands in Washington

15. The journey so far

#biketouring #bikepacking #bicycletouring

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 99-100 Total Dis

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 99-100
Total Distance: 6,230 km / 3,871 mi

From Clearwater, BC I took a two day northbound detour into Wells Gray Provincial Park, which is known as Canada's waterfall park. I had heard from many people that this place is incredible, so I had to make the trip out. I'm so glad I did because the park is beautiful!

Getting up into the park by loaded bike is a bit rough. The road is steep and has a lot of ups and downs. On the first day I did 1,000 m of climbing, but the views of incredible waterfalls make it all worth it. All day I stopped over at parking lots and did short walks to the falls viewpoints, each one more spectacular than the last. The final fall of the day was Helmcken Falls, the grandest in the park. Pictures will never do these falls justice, you really have to see them for yourself if you get the chance!

In the evening after visiting the falls, I stopped at the Pyramid Campground. This park operated campground is supposed to cost $20, but the ranger said I could stay for free because it was near the end of the season and spots wouldn't fill up. On top of that, he brought over some firewood and lent me an axe to enjoy a hot fire on a cold night. 10/10 camp site, would be an 11/10 if there were showers!

On the way back to Clearwater I stopped at the Moul Falls hike. This short hike was 2.9 km down to the falls where you could see it from the top, then hike down to the bottom and walk behind the falls. Pretty cool experience and definitely worth the extra walk.

Today was day 100 on the road so I'm celebrating with a nice hotel room for the night. Got a pretty decent rate on it now that peak season is over in the north! It's getting a lot cooler here now, so I'll have to start making my way towards the west coast and Vancouver where temperatures are more moderate in the autumn months!

1-2. Spahats Falls (75 m / 246 ft)

3. Park sign

4. Clearwater River (I think)

5. Dawson Falls (20 m / 66 ft)

6-7. Helmcken Falls (141 m / 463 ft)

8. My site at Pyramid Campground

9. Behind Moul Falls (35 m / 115 ft)

10. My day 100 hotel

#wellsgray
#bikepacking
#biketouring
#camping

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 91-98 Total Dist

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 91-98
Total Distance: 6,124 km / 3,805 mi

After taking a rest day in Prince George to edit, I started pedaling east towards the Rocky Mountains. While my original plan was to follow the Rockies south for a while, I quickly realized that winter is close behind me, so I would have to settle for an abridged route across the west side of the mountains.

Shortly after leaving Prince George, a rain day set me back. However, for the last (probably lol) time of the trip @veganvanvoyage came through to save the day! We hiked through the Ancient Forest Provincial Park and then they let me wait out the worst of the rain in their van playing card games. Can't ask for a much better rain day than that!

After saying our goodbyes for the 3rd time, I finally came into the Rockies and had perfect weather to see these giant mountains. Mt Robson, the most tallest and most prominent peak in the Canadian Rockies, was totally worth the 200m of extra climbing just to see.

Finally I cycled through a valley where you have the Rockies on the left and the Cariboo Mountains on the right. There were a ton of cool views along the way. Now I'm in Clearwater, BC, preparing for a side trip through Wells Gray Provincial Park which is supposed to be one of BC's best! I have a nice weather window so I'm looking forward to it!

1. Wild camping in Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den Provincial Park

2. Misty morning at Lasalle Lakes

3-4. Exploring the Ancient Forest

5. Coming into the Rockies

6. Mt. Robson

7-9. Views along highway 5

10. The journey so far

Instagram vs. Reality, riverside camp edition #ca

Instagram vs. Reality, riverside camp edition

#camping #biketouring #bikepacking

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 77-90 Total Dist

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 77-90
Total Distance: 5,601 km / 3,480 mi

While taking the ferry back to mainland British Columbia from Haida Gwaii, I truly want sure if I would continue on to Vancouver Island or just cycle from Prince Rupert. I ended up getting pretty sea-sick on the boat, so I ended up just resting in Rupert before getting back on the bike heading east. There's no southbound roads for the next 700 km to Prince George, so it would be a while before I'd make any real southbound progress.

As it turns out, even that progress was slowed as I ended up running into bike issue after bike issue. First it was a puncture, then my rear brakes failed, then another puncture, etc.

Despite the frustration of bike troubles, it felt like I was living in luxury for this of the ride. I'm getting closer to civilization which means towns are more populated and more frequent. Not only was I was fortunate enough to stay with a few incredible Warmshowers hosts for a few nights, but I hopped around campsites with my friends @veganvanvoyage who kindly refilled my water, charged my electronics, and even let me use their van's shower! (I also got to pet their cats 😻)

This part of the road was a bit less scenic than prior sections, but hanging out with friends at campsites and meeting the kindest hosts will make the Yellowhead Highway one of the most memorable for me of the trip. I'm now in Prince George taking a rest day to edit my next video before heading towards the Rockies!

1. A totem pole in Prince Rupert

2-3. Fixing my bike on the side of the road, twice in one day!

4. I'm starting to see a lot of farms and agriculture for the first time

5.Witset Canyon

6. River in Telkwa, BC

7. Getting off the highway to ride gravel forest service roads

8. Sunset at Sunset Lake

9. My friends Reid and Timea @veganvanvoyage bought me a fizzy drink for the end of a hot day!

10. The journey so far

30 Second Campground Review for a random forest on

30 Second Campground Review for a random forest on #haidagwaii

#camping #bikepacking #biketouring

30 Second Campground Review for North Beach on Hai

30 Second Campground Review for North Beach on Haida Gwaii!

Do you prefer staying at campgrounds or wild camping like this?

#bikepacking #biketouring #camping

Adventure Across the Americas Days 70-76 Total Di

Adventure Across the Americas

Days 70-76
Total Distance: 4,849 km / 3,013 mi

Something to know about me is that I'm one of the most indecisive people you will ever meet. I always wait until the last possible second to make a decision. After arriving in Prince Rupert last week I honestly had no idea which direction I would go. Would I take the ferry south to Vancouver Island? Take a train back to Terrace and continue cycling south from there? Well as fate would have it, neither option was available the morning I happened to be in town, but there was a ferry going out to Haida Gwaii. I heard from many people it's a worthwhile side trip, so my decision was made for me!

Haida Gwaii is an archipelago about 150 km off the coast of British Columbia. It's a pretty easy 7 hour ferry ride that I hear is expensive if you take a car, but a walk on ticket with a bicycle was under $100 Canadian round trip. The islands are all temperate rain forest, so it rains a lot and everything is super green. I spent a week exploring the islands, and it rained at least a little bit every single day. But despite the rain, I had the time of my life. Haida Gwaii is absolutely stunning, and still relatively unknown among international travelers. While cycling the gravel logging roads I encountered just 5 vehicles and 0 other cyclists in an entire day.

From the beautiful beaches to the fantastic forests, Haida Gwaii made for an amazing week long bikepacking trip. I definitely could have stayed longer and there was certainly more to explore here, but the seasons are changing so I must continue south!

1-2. The temperate rain forests of Haida Gwaii

3. Cycling the enpty logging roads

4. A paddleboarder on Rennel Sound

5. A banana slug in the forest. These big slugs are everywhere!

6. The Tow Hill "Blowhole" where water shoots up into the air as the tide rolls in

7. Sunset on North Beach

8. A 5 km hike through the rain to the Pesuta Shipwreck

9. An island with a small rainbow near Skidegate

10. The journey so far

#campground review for Cone Head in #haidagwaii #

#campground review for Cone Head in #haidagwaii

#camping #biketouring #bikepacking #canada

Review for Kagan Bay Recreation Site on Haida Gwai

Review for Kagan Bay Recreation Site on Haida Gwaii.

Let me know if these are fun or really stupid and if I should do more or stop LOL

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 62-69 Total Dist

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 62-69
Total Distance: 4,442 km / 2,760 mi

If the previous 2 weeks were the weeks of good swimming and camping, this was the week of good friends. So many people are surprised when they see that I'm cycling alone, but I never feel lonely on the road. One of the joys about traveling solo is that you just meet all the friends along the way.

The night before I planned to go up to Salmon Glacier, I met @veganvanvoyage at the campsite. Not only did they make pancakes for me in the morning, but they also drove me up over the steep road to the glacier! We ended up hanging out for 3 days, watching bears in Hyder and camping at the glacier viewpoint.

On my way back to the Cassiar Highway, my empty campsite quickly filled up with new friends to enjoy the night with. @demon_rides, @adv_charlie, and @bikemituns came by on their motorbike trip to enjoy the free camping. They even gave me a cider and took some nice drone shots of me swimming in the lake!

Not pictured: I also cycled, camped, and ate with a couple of cyclists for a while, but they aren't on Instagram so I'd feel weird about posting our pictures haha

A few nights later while cycling down the Nisga'a Highway I asked some campers for water on the hot day, and they invited me into the party, fed me tacos, and we roasted marshmallows over the fake propane fire (there's currently a ban on real fire in BC due to eilsfire activity). I don't have a of your Instagram @ s so oscarcarlick @morgyn_b feel free to tag the others in the comments!

It's unfortunate that when you meet people while traveling you have to say goodbye too soon. The bright side is that it opens up opportunities to meet even more. You never know who you'll meet on the road, but in 69 days I've not had one bad experience in talking to strangers!

1-4. Salmon Glacier

5. Camping with the motorbikers

6. Fake fire with BC locals. I need to take these selfies in 1:1 resolution so they don't get cut off so bad lol
EDIT: I'm an Instagram noob, apparently you can post in 16:9 hahaha

7. Lava beds along the Nisga'a Highway

8. Kalum Lake

9. The road to Prince Rupert

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 51-61 Total Dist

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 51-61
Total Distance: 3,915 km / 2,432 mi

After a rest day of Watson Lake it was time to take on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. This road is 750 km of some of the most remote riding of the trip. The entire length of the road has no cell service at all, and there are only a couple small towns to resupply.

While challenging due to this remoteness, it proved to be one of the most incredible rides of my life. It felt like every night I was camping on crystal clear lakes and swimming to wash up in the evenings. There was a heat wave so the ice cold glacier melt felt amazing after a long day's ride!

I had been traveling mostly just east for a while, so it was nice to make decent southbound tracks. Finally I'm far enough south to have real night. Not only did I see stars for the first time of the trip, but I also experienced the Aurora for the first time in my life! I've never seen anything quite like it and it truly has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

Yesterday I arrived in Stewart, the first town with cell service in 10 days. From here I crossed back into Alaska one last time to the ghost town of Hyder. This town is famous for being one of the places you can watch grizzly bears catching salmon as they swim upstream to spawn. With millions of fresh fish all congregated in a small creek, it's like a buffet for the bears! This es another truly special experience I will never forget.

1. Blue lake with trees that burned in a forest fire last year

2. Sunrise on Boya Lake

3. Camping on the Stikine River

4. Camping on Eddontenjon Lake

5. Lake/mountain view

6. Aurora Borealis, at this time of year, in this part of the country

7. Floating picnic table on Clements Lake

8-9. Grizy bears catching salmon

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas Days 46-50 Total Dist

#AdventureAcrossTheAmericas

Days 46-50
Total Distance: 3,227 km / 2,005 mi

I was planning to come to with more clever hashtags for each leg of the journey, but I think it's easier to stick to something I'll never have to change 😂

From Carcross, YT, I briefly stopped at the Carcross Desert before heading east. This "desert" is really just a few sand dunes. Worthy of a stop none the less! The next leg would follow the Alaska Highway to Watson Lake, YT.

I didn't really have much on the list to stop and see here, pretty much just cycling through. However, I ended up really enjoying this section thanks to the awesome free campground along the way! It felt like every night I had a nice private camp along a lake, and the wind coming off the lakes was enough to keep mosquitos out.

I met up with Javi from Spain (I'm sorry I don't have your Instagram handle!) and we rode together for a few sections. He's carrying a ton of gear but is crushing it on these mountains!

I'm now stopped at Watson Lake, taking a rest day before heading down the Stewart Cassiar Highway. The next section is about 450 miles / 800 km without cell service or much resupply along the way. Next update will be when I come out the other side!

1. Carcross Desert

2. Camp at Squan Lake

3-4. Camp at Teslin Lake

5, 7. Camp at Morely Lake

6. A generous park ranger gave me a ton of fresh food!

8. Riding with Javi through the rain

9. Found a sign for my hometown of 22,000 at the signpost forest in Watson Lake!

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossAlaska Days 41-45 Total Distance:

#AdventureAcrossAlaska

Days 41-45
Total Distance: 2,802 km / 1,741 mi

Yeah, that's right, I told you I'd return to Alaska soon! From Haines Junction, YT I detoured south instead of following the Alaska Highway. This route, known as the Golden Circle, would take me briefly into the Alaska panhandle.

This region of Alaska's weather is influenced by the ocean, and creates a temperate rainforest at lower elevations. It was incredible watching the mountains turn green as I descended from the barren alpine tundra down into the forests below. Here I entered back into Alaska in the town of Haines.

From Haines I took a short 45 minute ferry ride north up to Skagway, which connects back to Canada. Skagway is a cool town that gets a lot of cruise ship visitors, so it was bustling with tourists. From there it was a grueling 1000 m / 3,200 ft climb straight up to the border with Canada. I'm back in Canada now and will be heading south again!

1. Someone let me get a picture with their cat at Kathleen Lake

2. The Rock Glacier hike in Kluane National Park

3. A shelter available for cyclists or anyone to spend the night in for free

4. Camping near the summit

5. Haines highway summit

6. Snow covered mountains coming into Haines

7. Crossing back into Canada

8. Views of Tutshi Lake

9. Camping on the beach in Carcross, YT

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossAlaska is now #CyclingAcrossCanada

#AdventureAcrossAlaska is now #CyclingAcrossCanada I suppose!

Days 35-40
Total Distance: 2,444 km / 1,519 mi

After crossing the Alaska border into Yukon Territory 🇨🇦, I made my way to Kluane National Park. This park is home to the tallest mountains in Canada as well as the largest non-polar ice fields in thr world.

Surprisingly, the road conditions up in the Yukon have been worse than Alaska so far. Lots of sections of loose gravel that kicks up crazy amounts of dust when cars drive by. At least the Yukon has not disappointed in the scenery department!

One thing that surprised me about Yukon is that it really does feel quite American. I see way more US license plates than Canadian, and most of the people I've met have been travelers driving up from the lower 48!

1. A nice lake near the Donjek River

2. Kluane River rest area. I camped here for the night.

3. Coming into Kluane I saw tons of purple flowers that made a nice foreground for the mountains.

4. Swimming in the freezing cold Kluane Lake

5. Wild camping on Kluane Lake

6. Entering into Kluane National Park

7. Dry lakebed near the Thechàl Dhâl Visitor Centre

8. Mountain and river near Haines Junction

9. Taking a rest day to edit the next episode for YouTube. It's up now btw! Link to my channel in my bio

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossAlaska Days 29-34 Total Distance:

#AdventureAcrossAlaska

Days 29-34
Total Distance: 2,140 km / 1,330 mi

Today I crossed the border from Alaska 🇺🇸 into Canada 🇨🇦, completing the Adventure Across Alaska! Alaska has been my top bucket list destination for a long time, and now I can finally cross it off the list. It was everything I hoped for and more.

I saw the most beautiful and untouched nature I've ever seen. The landscapes of glacier covered mountain ranges and the close encounters with wildlife were truly awe inspiring.

But it wasn't the animals or the mountains that will most stick with me from my time in Alaska, but rather the people. From the cars that stopped to give me snacks to the Warmshowers hosts who took me in on a moment's notice, I'll never forget the kindness I received from complete strangers here.

I noticed that Alaska attracts a certain kind of adventurer, so every person you meet already has a core value in common. It was so nice to meet travelers from around the world going on their own Adventures Across Alaska, sharing stories and tips about the road ahead and inspiring each other on our journeys.

Alaska is an amazing place that will have a special place in my heart. I had such a great experience here, but it's time for the next adventure, Canada! Goodbye for now Alaska, I will return soon!

1-2. Views of the Wrangell mountains

3. River near Tok

4. My first bear encounter from the POV of a passing RV

5. My POV of the bear

6-7. Camping on Yarger Lake

8. Goodbye Alaska

9. Hello Yukon!

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossAlaska is now on YouTube! This is

#AdventureAcrossAlaska is now on YouTube! This is my first video showing the first few days of my trip starting in Deadhorse and going to Coldfoot. I don't have much experience with editing of IRL / vlog style content so constructive criticism is much appreciated! Subscribe if you are interested in seeing my journey in greater detail!

https://youtu.be/0iHAwLgGNig?si=v94i-XhApqlwWQep

#AdventureAcrossAlaska Days 19-28 Total Distance:

#AdventureAcrossAlaska

Days 19-28
Total Distance: 1,710 km / 1,063 mi

Things don't always go as planned on a long tour and you have to be ready to adjust! After coming out of Denali I found that my rear tire was slow leaking. As I went to replace the tube I realized that the valves on my spare tubes don't fit my rims! My planned route into Canada wouldn't have a bike shop for another 700 miles, so I changed course to Anchorage along the Parks Highway.

To make matters worse, the area along this road had rain on the forecast all day for the next week! With no other choice I pressed on. Drenched and with all my gear wet, I grabbed spare tubes that fit and took my first rest day in town.

My new route would then go over the Glenn Highway that connects Anchorage and Glennallen. Following the Matanuska river along the way, I was finally rewarded with great weather again and incredible views of glaciers.

From here I make my way towards Canada following the Tok Cutoff to Tok and then the Alaska Highway to the border. With plans constantly changing I'm not sure where the route will go after that, I'll just have to wait and find out!

1.Wild camping in Cantwell

2. Moose + baby moose along the Parks Highway

3. An abandoned gas station

4. Hurricane Gulch in Denali State Park

5. Matanuska River Overlook in Palmer

6. Views along the Matanuska River

7. Baby moose strolling past my campsite

8. Cycling with glacier views along the Glen Highway

9. The Wrangells on the way in to Glen Allen

10. The journey so far

#AdventureAcrossAlaska Days 15-18 Total Distance:

#AdventureAcrossAlaska

Days 15-18
Total Distance: 1,123 km / 698 mi

While cycling out of Fairbanks through forest fire smoke, I met @sometimeofffornow who was cycling the same direction towards the Denali Highway. We ended up cycling together for the next 3 days until arriving at Denali National Park. From here, he continued onto the Denali Highway while I got backcountry permits to cycle the closed down Denali Park Road.

The Denali Park Road is a 90 mile gravel road that goes from the national park entrance to an old mining town called Kantishna way at the back of the park. In 2021 there was a rock slide at mile marker 43 which has closed the road down at that point while a new bridge is constructed around the slide. While vehicles have no way through, bikes can get around the construction via a 5 mile hike-a-bike across a gravel bar along a river. If you can reach the other side you are rewarded with the most beautiful road in the world to yourself without any vehicle traffic.

After pushing past the slide, I spent two days camped in the back of Denali National Park with no connection to the outside world. Cycling the park road past abandoned visitor's centers and campgrounds was the most surreal experience of my life. Areas that should have been bustling with tourists were eerily quiet. I only saw a few other cyclists and hikers each day.

After 2 nights in the backcountry, I made it back to civilization via a camper bus. The driver told me to take the bus back to the park entrance because there is a big forest fire that closed down the whole park. Us backcountry people had no idea.

1. Park entrance sign with @sometimeofffornow.

2. The start of the gravel bar detour around the rock slide on the Park Road.

3. Pushing through a section of water.

4. Caribou walking down the same section of river I was pushing up.

5. Made it past the hike-a-bike section!

6. The empty Denali Park Road.

7. View of Denali from my tent at 2:15 a.m.

8. Morning view from my campsite. Some forest fire smoke began to blow in from the west.

9. Firefighters at work on the Denali fire.

10. The journey so far.

#denali #bicycletouring #bikepacking #alaska

#AdventureAcrossAlaska Days 6-13 Total Distance:

#AdventureAcrossAlaska
Days 6-13

Total Distance: 850 km / 528 mi

Coming into Coldfoot Camp, the first truck stop for 240 miles from Deadhorse, I met another cyclist heading south, @reedroffis. The two of us cycled the remaining 240 miles to Fairbanks together for the next week. We battled remote roads with no cell service for days, steep 16% inclines, hordes of mosquitos, and slept under the midnight sun. It was challenging but rewarding, and it's a route I'll never forget.

1. Mountains just south of the Brooks Range. The Dalton Highway was built in just 5 months, so they didn't exactly take time to plan the optimal route. Instead it just goes straight over every mountain in its way.

2. Crossing over the Arctic Circle on the summer solstice.

3. More remote mountains on the Dalton.

4. Crossing the Yukon River.

5. A moose on the side of the road.

6. Reaching the top of a long climb.

7. Mosquitos trying to find a way into my tent.

8. Camping on the bank of a creek. There were large moose prints in the dirt.

9. Riding out of Fairbanks through thick forest fire smoke.

10. The journey so far.

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