Not Just a Ride for the Sake of Riding
“There’s a certain stillness that only comes when you’re far enough north that the noise of the world fades into the crackle of a campfire and the slow thawing of frost from every blade of grass. That was the rhythm of our days this fall – a slow, steady pulse of motion, reflection, and discovery as we set out to chart a backcountry adventure route through Northern British Columbia.”
A Mission Across Route 16
Those are the first words from long-time REV’IT! Ambassador Golnoosh Namazi, as she reflects on her most recent adventure. Being born in Iran and raised in Canada, she now lives among the remote mountains and valleys of the North Coast of Northern BC, where she explores and documents the region’s adventure riding opportunities.
This latest adventure wasn’t just a ride for the sake of riding. Her mission was to create a backcountry adventure guide for Route 16, a motorcycle touring destination that spans Highway 16 and the communities, side routes, and landscapes it connects. Running east to west from Mount Robson to Prince Rupert, the route cuts through the heart of British Columbia, binding the region together with vast wilderness, constantly changing scenery, and a string of small towns and unforgettable stops along the way.
Collective Responsibility to Protect the Flora and Fauna
By contributing to Route 16, she helps support the community and the land itself. A project like this encourages riders to move through the region with intention, helping to foster a deeper respect for its ecosystems and the people who depend on them. As more travellers experience the route, awareness grows, and so does the collective responsibility to protect the flora and fauna that make this place unique – something that is close to our hearts here at REV’IT!.
Over the course of a few weeks, she covered over 4,000 kilometers, mapping together a trail that covers roughly 1,500 km – a patchwork of logging roads, snowmobile routes, and quiet stretches of tarmac that reveal the kind of beauty most people only glimpse from airplane windows. “The first few days were wet,” she tells us. “The kind of rain that soaks you to the bone. After five days of mud, puddles, and washing gravel from our boots, we rode back home to Terrace to dry out and regroup.”
Views That Make You Feel Small
Then came the middle section of the route, starting from Houston, a town nestled in the heart of BC. It turned out to be Golnoosh’s favourite stretch of the whole project. “It’s one of the most underrated regions in the province. I was actually seeing it for the first time – a vast network of dirt roads weaving through alpine valleys, lakes, and forgotten industrial corridors that most travelers never see.”
She continues, “We watched a mother grizzly pull salmon from the river while her cubs tumbled along the bank, learning the rhythm of survival. We wandered through an abandoned mine perched above a wild valley, the kind of view that stops you mid-step and makes you feel small in the best possible way.”
Then the Nechako Reservoir came into view – a place so vast and still it felt almost lunar. It’s a man-made ‘lake’ created by a massive dam that powers an aluminum smelter – one of many industrial projects that form the backbone of life in these remote northern towns. Every turn revealed another hidden corner of this incredible wilderness, and still there were entire valleys they didn’t have a chance to explore. Exploring all these roads would take a lifetime.
All You Need: Warmth and Good Company
At night, fire became a ritual for Golnoosh and her riding buddies. Often a slow, hand-sawing labour of love to collect the deadfall, but occasionally they would find a pile of wood left behind by summer campers. “Some nights, we lingered by the fire, drying socks and swapping stories,” she recalls. “Other nights, all we wanted was to shove a hot meal down and retreat into our sleeping bags. Between bites and laughter, we shared strategies for staying warm until morning – the most reliable being a hot water bottle, filled from a pot boiled over the flames and tucked deep into the sleeping bag, radiating heat through the long, frosty night.”
Those nights around the fire were the heart of the trip. They stripped everything down to the essentials. Out there, warmth, food, and good company were all you needed – that, and the right gear to keep you in the fight when the weather turned. “My REV’IT! Component 3 H2O Jacket, Sand 5 H2O Pants, and Expedition GTX Boots never let me down, adapting from pounding rain to freezing mornings and back to mild afternoons without missing a beat,” she tells us.
Proud of the Wild Beauty
In the end, what stayed with her the most were the people. “In every small town we passed through, folks were quick to wave us down, ask about the bikes, and share stories about their favourite trails or hidden lakes. They told us where the road really goes, which bridge had washed out, which mountain track might still be passable.
When we looked half frozen, strangers offered us places to dry out, a hot meal, or a story to carry with us. There was no gatekeeping, no hesitation – just pride. People here want others to discover what they’ve always known. They’re proud of their backyard, proud of the wild beauty that defines it.”
Sharing What This Place Means
Adventure riding, at its core, is about connection – to the land and the people. “I realized that was the real purpose of this ride,” she shares. “Not just to map routes and record waypoints, but to share what this place means. To create something worth passing on – something that helps others see northern BC the way we do: not just as a line on a map, but as a living, breathing part of who we are.”
“Northern BC has always been a gateway to somewhere else – to Alaska, to the Arctic, to the edge of the map. But maybe, if you take the time to look closer, you’ll see that it’s not just the way north. It’s a destination in itself – one that still has the power to shape you, the way it shaped me.”
What Is Route 16?
An initiative focused on inviting and inspiring riders and tourists alike to discover the vastness and the immense beauty of British Colombia, Canada. Highlighted by local ambassadors like Golnoosh, who don’t just show the way but aim to tell the stories of what this amazing place is truly about – beyond the brochure.
