Bikepacking - Edmonton to Devon (August 2021)

Edmonton to Devon Bikepacking Trip

We love bike riding. And we wanted to combine it with our love for travel and camping. Bikepacking seemed perfect for us! 

Our big dream was to ride Sydney to Gold Coast in Australia. 

In preparation for that trip we wanted to do a practice run. 

We live in Edmonton, Canada, and found a nice campground in Devon that became our destination. 

Devon is only 21km from our home, so we needed to lengthen our ride to have a true practice run. 

We live in south Edmonton and decided to head North first. Edmonton has an awesome river valley with an extensive network of trails that run approximately 160 km, an excellent option for lengthening our day of riding. 

View to downtown Edmonton over a section of the River Valley

We entered the Millcreek Ravine from the intersection of 91 St and 63 Ave. 

We followed the ravine until we got to the river valley, and then headed west as far as we could go - which is the Anthony Henday (Edmontons ring road). 

From there we crossed the Henday bridge to the north and continued on the path until we reached a strip mall. Just in time, we were hit by a storm just as we were crossing the bridge. 

We reached the strip mall and found some shelter. And were very happy to find Malina Ukrainian Bakery. They had some yummy pastries and decent coffee. 

The storm passed quickly and we were back on the road within 20 minutes. Which actually worked out as a nice break. 

From there we got onto Maskêkosihk Trail. There’s a nice bike path that keeps you completely away from traffic. 

There was a lot of construction work going on at the time, and the route we took no longer exists. But the path along Maskêkosihk Trail has been extended, which is probably a much nicer option anyway. 

We had headed south through Stillwater and just kind of zigzagged our way across country roads until we reached Devonian Way. 

From there we crossed over the bridge and snuck through a little break in the barrier on the side of the road. This took us on a dirt trail down to the river (which ended up being a mistake). 

Devon Bridge

Passing under the Devon Bridge

Our goal was to get into the River valley and follow trails as long as we could. It is very beautiful along the river trails in Devon. But it lead us to the aptly named Legs of Fire stairs 🫣… Dean had to carry both bikes up in stages. It was a whole thing. 

Legs of Fire Stairs, Devon

If you’re going to try this trip, just stay up on Devonian Way to get into town - unless you want to carry your bike. 

Once we were up the stairs, we just followed the roads to bring us to the campground. 

After checking in and setting up camp we rode back up into town for some dinner. The Devon Lions Campground is quite nice.

Tent sites at Devon Lions Campground

River View from our tent

River View at Devon Lions Campground

The whole ride to Devon was around 70km, and only took around 5-6 hours (with a couple stops). Not bad for a practice run. 

Snack break along 73 Ave SW

The following day we were both feeling it, and decided to take an easier route home. We still took a route that was almost 40km - so not directly home. But we stayed on the roads the whole way. 

Lessons Learned: 

There were a few...

We initially left our house Friday afternoon. But just as we reached the Millcreek Ravine Dean got a flat tire. 

It was the first time we had to deal with a flat. But we didn’t have spare tubes. That was our first lesson - have spare tubes! 

Dean ended up waiting while Kay rode back to the house to get the truck. We spent the afternoon picking up spare tubes, and repacking - our bikes were so heavy at first, it was hard to ride. 

Once all of that was figured out, we tried again Saturday afternoon. And we made it to Devon - but not without another flat. We stopped on the side of the road to change it out and were so thankful when one of the neighbours saw us and offered his air compressor to fill the tube. Doing it with the handpump would have just taken forever. 

After two flat tires we decided to figure out a better situation. That lead us to buying puncture resistant tires. That solved our problem. Our whole trip in Hawaii and Australia, riding our bikes well over 2,500 km and never another flat.

Dean also realized that the bike he had at the time wasn’t good for riding long distances. After several hours of riding the position was giving him pain in his neck and back. Adjusting the handlebars didn’t really help. So he bought another bike. 

We also realized we needed other upgrades - like new saddles, suspension seat posts, frame bags, bike computers... We will write about all our upgrades in a future post. 

For now, we hope that you feel inspired to try bike packing. We did have obstacles on our first go - but once all the issues were ironed out, we have had some of the best experiences bike packing. Even this trip to Devon, with all the learning, was really fun.

Happy Riding

Dean & Kay