Ride Statistics
Ride Difficulty Rating: Expert (due to the 100 km/h speed limit on the road)
Distance: 58.5 km
Estimated time: 3 hours assuming 20 km/hr
Elevation Gain: 728 m
Maximum Elevation: 1430 m
Maximum Grade: 4.8% uphill at 8.5 km, 4.8 % downhill at 52.4 km
Best Parking Option: From Nanton, turn west on Hwy 533, travel to the 3-way stop intersection of Twp Rd 163 and Hwy 533, pull safely off the road onto the gravel road and start your ride here.
Points of Interest: Amazing west views that will take your breath away…as will the hill climbing. Very good quality pavement with a 3 foot shoulder the whole way. No shoulder rumble strips to fight with.
Chain Lakes at the turn around point.
Amenities: Outhouses at the Chain Lakes picnic day use area at the half way point. During the summer months there is an ice cream / hotdog stand.
Comments from our test riders:
Beginner Road Cyclist: Too much traffic and too many long hills.
Intermediate Road Cyclist: A great route but the traffic was an issue.
Expert Road Cyclist: I have done the Nanton / Chain Lakes route many times. The last time I went that way (2021) I made a loop to the Bar U Ranch and Cayley for about 115 km with 800 m of elevation gain. It is a fairly demanding route but the scenery is nice, particularly in the spring when the flowers first come out. If you choose to park right in Nanton, the section right out of Nanton may be a bit intimidating for the first 10 km due to a very narrow (essentially none) shoulder. Note: the cyclealberta recommendation is to avoid this section by parking west of Nanton (see Best Parking Option recommendation above ).
What to expect from this ride
We are only recommending this route for the very experienced road cyclist. Below are the Pros and Cons. If you decide to ride this route we would recommend picking a quiet weekday and cycle in a group (ride single file, wear high visibility clothing and have a taillight for sure!).
Pros: stunning views of Alberta Foothills, long climbs and long descents, amenities at the half way point, very good quality pavement on a ~3 foot shoulder along the entire route.
Cons: high speed limit road 100 km/hr, a major connector route for semis, recreational vehicles and agricultural vehicles going from Hwy 2 to Hwy 22.
Cycle Alberta 