Canada Calling: Epic Road Trips Through The Canadian Rockies
Canada Calling: Epic Road Trips Through The Canadian Rockies – In a two-week drive, you can take in many of Western Canada’s top attractions, from Vancouver to the Canadian Rockies and back. See the sights of Vancouver, then day-trip by ferry to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Take another day to get outdoors in the mountains in Whistler.
Stop at Mount Revelstoke, Glacier and Yoho National Parks as you enter the Canadian Rockies, preparing for real mountains as you head east. In Alberta, you’ll visit Lake Louise, follow the scenic Icefield Parkway to Jasper, then head back south for a couple of days outdoors in Banff National Park. From there, travel through BC’s Kootenays region with stops in the fun towns of Fernie and Nelson, and wine tasting in the Okanagan Valley on the way back to Vancouver and the coast.
Canada Calling: Epic Road Trips Through The Canadian Rockies
Start your tour in Vancouver, walk around the beautiful sea wall in Stanley Park, have breakfast on Granville Island and get an introduction to Aboriginal culture at the Museum of Anthropology. Peaceful Dr. Explore Chinatown at the Sun Yat-sen Classical Chinese Garden and the neighborhood’s increasingly hip restaurants, or head to the North Shore to enjoy the views from Grouse Mountain. With several beaches downtown, round off your day with a sunset stroll along the sand.
Eight Day Alaska Road Trip
Take a day trip to Vancouver Island today for a quick visit to Victoria. From Vancouver, drive south on Highway 99 to the early morning B.C. ferry from Tsawwassen; It is a 90 minute trip to Swartz Bay. When you leave the ferry terminal, follow Highway 17A to Butchart Gardens to wander among the floral displays.
From the gardens, take Keating Cross Road east to Highway 17 towards downtown Victoria. Park your car, then tour the Inner Harbour, have afternoon tea at the magnificent Fairmont Empress and visit the Royal British Columbia Museum. Before returning to Swartz Bay for the ferry to Vancouver, have a drink at one of the city’s craft breweries and dinner at a contemporary bistro in or around Chinatown.
Head north from Vancouver to take the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Hwy. 99), a scenic route between the mountains and the ocean, leading to the resort town of Whistler. Consider stopping in Squamish for a ride on the sea-to-sky gondola; Have lunch overlooking Gondola Peak or continue to Whistler. Visit the Squamish Lilwat Cultural Center to learn more about the local First Nations community, then choose to ride the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, climb via ferrata, go zip-lining or simply hike.
Today is a long day of driving as you head into the mountains of eastern British Columbia. Leave Whistler on Highway 99 North to Highway 1 East; If you start early, you can reach Kamloops for lunch. Try to arrive at Mount Revelstoke National Park in time to wind through the Meadows of the Sky Parkway and take in at least a short hike before settling in the town of Revelstoke for dinner and a well-deserved rest.
Day Epic Alberta Road Trip
After breakfast, make a brief stop at the Revelstoke Railway Museum to learn about the railroad’s importance to the region before continuing east on Highway 1 toward Glacier National Park. Stretch your legs on the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk Trail or Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail (in Mount Revelstoke National Park) or Glacier’s Hemlock Grove Trail before stopping at the Rogers Pass Discovery Center. After checking out the exhibits, drive to Golden for lunch; You can ride the gondola at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to dine at Eagle’s Eye Restaurant, Canada’s highest restaurant. Don’t forget to move your clocks forward; Golden Mountain is in the time zone.
Continue east on Highway 1 to Yoho National Park. Stop at Natural Bridge and the beautiful Emerald Lake, and if you have time, drive to Takakkaw Falls. Have dinner and spend the night in one of the luxury lodges inside the park.
Today will be another long one, but keep your camera handy. You will pass through some of the most scenic terrains of the entire trip. It’s just 20 minutes east of Yoho National Park’s Field on Highway 1 to Lake Louise, where you can hike or paddle along its famous namesake lake.
From Lake Louise, take Highway 93 north onto Icefield Parkway. There are several places to ooh and aah along the way; Highlights include Peyto Lake, Wilcox Pass and the Columbia Icefield, where you can walk on the Athabasca Glacier. Continuing towards Jasper, another beautiful place to pause is Athabasca Falls. Arrive in Jasper for dinner and a microbrew at a local pub.
The Perfect Nova Scotia Road Trip Itinerary In 5 Days
Start your morning by riding the Jasper Sky Tram. Return to town to pick up a picnic lunch and take a look through the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum. Bring your picnic to Maligne Canyon to hike through this deep limestone gorge.
In the afternoon, drive to Lake Maligne for a 90-minute excursion. Have an early supper in town, then head to Miet Hot Springs to end your day with a relaxing visit to these natural mineral pools.
If you didn’t make all the stops you wanted to on the Icefield Parkway, you’ll have another chance today, as you’ll retrace your steps south in this beautiful park. When you return to Lake Louise, detour to glacier-filled Moraine Lake for a short hike or canoe paddle. Then follow the Bow Valley Parkway south toward Banff, stopping to walk along Johnston Canyon. In Banff, have a leisurely dinner and a late evening soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs.
Spend part of the next day exploring Banff’s in-town attractions, including the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the Banff Park Museum and the White Museum of the Canadian Rockies, and part of the day outdoors. Approach Mount Norquay via ferrata, take a cruise on Lake Minnewanka, or ride the Banff Gondola and hike a bit at the top. In the evening, see a play, concert or other event at the Banff Centre.
The Great Lakes Tour: A Circle Road Trip Itinerary
Grab a coffee and pastries at Banff’s best bakeshop, Wild Flour Artisan Bakery. Then, leaving Banff, take Highway 1 west and turn south on Highway 93 to Kootenay National Park. Stop at Marble Canyon and the Paint Pots and keep your bathing suit handy for a dip in the Radium Hot Springs. Continue south on Highway 93/95, where the town of Invermere has several options for dining.
If you’re interested in history, stop by Fort Steele Heritage Town, a living history village. Follow Highway 93/95 south and turn east on Highway 3 to Fernie, where you will spend the night. In the morning, check out the Fernie Museum, browse the downtown shops, and dine at one of the cafes. After you eat, head to Ferny Alpine Resort to test your balance in the aerial park or go for a hike up the mountain.
Leaving Fernie on Highway 3 west, visit the First Nations-run Ktunaxa Interpretive Center at St. Eugene Resort in Cranbrook, a former mission and residential school for Aboriginal students; Call ahead to make sure the center is open. Continue west on Highway 3, where you’ll switch to the Pacific time zone (set your clock back an hour), back to the junction with Highway 6, where you’ll head north to Nelson.
Touchstones Nelson: Visit the Museum of Art and History and browse the shops along Baker Street. When you’re ready for a coffee break, stop by Oso Negro Cafe. Another option is to take a trip to the Nikki Internment Memorial Center in New Denver on Highway 6, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Nelson. Nelson has plenty of great restaurants, so take time to enjoy your evening meal.
How To See Alberta: A 10 Day Suggested Driving Itinerary (updated 2024)
From Nelson, follow Highway 6 west to Highway 3A south and stop in Castlegar at the Doukhobor Discovery Center to learn about the pacifist Russian community that settled in BC. In the early 1900s. Then take Highway 3 west toward the Okanagan Valley.
You should arrive in the Osoyoos-Oliver area early enough to spend the afternoon sampling local wineries. Plan a special dinner at The Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl or Miradoro Restaurant at Tinhorn Creek to celebrate the end of your vacation.
If you’re not in a rush to get back to Vancouver, pick up freshly baked cinnamon buns at Lake Village Bakery in Osoyoos, then stop at the Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Center or take a morning stroll along Lake Osoyoos. When you’re ready to hit the road, follow Highway 3 west to Hope, where you pick up Highway 1 toward Vancouver.
About the Author Carolyn B. is a travel writer based in Vancouver, Canada. Heller celebrated spring in the Canadian Arctic, swapped fairy tales with a Druze family in the Golan Heights, studied Spanish in Ecuador and Costa Rica, and road tripped across North America. . He writes about cultural, culinary and offbeat adventures for Travel + Leisure, Atlas Obscura, Verge Magazine, Explore, The Takeout, Rhodes & Kingdoms, Montecristo, Canadian Traveler, and many other publications. And she is the author of three guidebooks: Vancouver, Toronto and Ontario, and Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies Road Trip.
The Best Road Trips In Canada
From the ocean
Train ride through the canadian rockies, canadian rockies trips, rail trips through canadian rockies, train through the canadian rockies, railroad trips through canadian rockies, train trips through the canadian rockies, canadian rockies railroad trips, train trips through canadian rockies, canadian rockies train trips, train trips through the rockies, canadian rockies hiking trips, trips to canadian rockies