Delta Run

Comments:

This is a good "inside the city" run.  You'll put on 100+km easily with minimal stoplights and plenty of interesting places to stop.

Living in Burnaby, we usually take the Patullo Bridge to Scott Road and from there River Rd.  River Rd is best right at the start with some twists and hills while the rest scores well due to the environs and limited stop and go.   Deas Regional Park is always a pleasant place for a break. 

River Rd doesn't connect across #99 so you have to drop down #17 to Ladner, take the first right, head north to Crescent Dr and then follow it back on River Rd.  Or, instead of taking the first right in Ladner, stay on Ladner Trunk Road until it picks up River Rd...you miss a few kilometers and see less of Ladner but no-one will complain.

Once back on River Rd, head south to Westham Island.  The island connects to the mainland via a rustic single lane wooden bridge.   There isn't much in the way of roads on the island...they all dead end quickly so you can safely skip the offshoots.  But the blast along Westham Island Rd is pleasant.  This road terminates in the Wildlife Preserve where you can count the 200+ bird species that apparently hang out there.

From Westham Island, we usually do a quick jaunt to the end of West River Rd for a walk along the dike (or if we're lazy just a turnaround).   We then retrace our steps back to 41B (or the more curvy but busier Arthur Dr) before heading south via Tsawassen Rd (watch for dogs and speed bumps) to the Ferry Terminal.  This is another good pit stop if you like the Ferry Corporation's cafeteria.  If not, one can always stretch their legs on the beach.  The beach makes a nice camp area for supper if your bike can carry some cargo.

After Tsawassen,  we may detour into Boundary Bay (Centennial Beach) or head straight home.  Straight home means north along #17 and east along the Ladner Trunk Rd for a pleasant ride across Delta.  Don't miss the view of Mt Baker while riding this stretch.  If the weather/smog cooperates it is spectacular.  #91 to New Westminster provides a chance to take it out of first gear, and if you aren't dragging your feet the sweepers from the Alex Fraser Bridge to Queensborough Bridge can be great fun.

Alternatives:    The alternative route shown in yellow provides the best that Richmond has to offer, a ride through the George Massey Tunnel, and circumnavigates most of Ladner.  Start at the Queensborough Bridge, take the first right after the bridge onto Westminster Highway and then the first right onto River Rd.  Follow River Rd to #6 (nice section) where you head straight south to Steveston Hwy.   Then take #99 through the Tunnel and the first right after the tunnel onto River Rd (west).  If we take this route we usually skip #10 and return home via #17 and River Rd to either the Alex Fraser Bridge (if we are returning via the Queensborough) or to Scott Road (if we are returning via the Patullo).

Map (Click on map for full size):

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