Canadian Beauty: Road Trips In British Columbia And Alberta – The Ultimate British Columbia and Canadian Rockies Road Trip (Part 1 of 3) Reviewed by Simon Sulyma on 9/22/2020 Rating: 5
Alberta British Columbia Canada National Parks COVID-19 rainforest scenic drives The Ultimate British Columbia and Canadian Rockies Road Trip (Part 1 of 3)
Canadian Beauty: Road Trips In British Columbia And Alberta
Road trips – my favorite road trips! I love them for many reasons. Sitting behind the steering wheel and enjoying the beauty of the surroundings that…
Aerial View Scenic Highway Surounded Beautiful Canadian Mountain Landscape Summer — Stock Photo © Edb3_16 #249677884
Road trips – my favorite road trips! I love them for many reasons. Sitting behind the steering wheel and enjoying the surrounding beauty that slowly unfolds before my eyes seems like a meditation. Road trips are also perfect for bonding as a family. Although long driving can seem quite monotonous and boring for rookies, you will be surprised how much you can learn from your travel companions without any time pressure if only you are able to listen patiently. I invite you to virtually join me on a 9-day road trip across most of southern British Columbia as well as Banff and Jasper National Parks. For a flatlander like me, the lure of snow-capped peaks, emerald lakes, mighty glaciers, vast ocean and damp smell of old rainforests was such a delight.
My trip involved flying to and from Vancouver International Airport (YVR), but it can be easily adjusted if your flight is bound for Edmonton, Calgary, Kelowna or Victoria. Add a day or two to explore the City of Vancouver (Here and Here) if you haven’t been there before. Be sure to check out my previous article on traveling during COVID to know what to expect and what to be prepared for.
Catch an early flight from your home airport and take advantage of a time difference. It will probably still be morning in Vancouver. After renting a car and having breakfast (no food is served on domestic flights during COVID-19), take a short drive – 40-60 minutes depending on traffic – to the Tsawwassen BC Ferries terminal where you will catch a ferry to Vancouver Island.
Remember I mentioned about booking your seat on BC Ferries in advance? Those without reservations can spend half a day waiting in a stand-by line on a busy summer long weekend.
Best Things To Do Between Seattle And Vancouver, B.c
Scenic drives between gulf islands, snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains in Washington, multi-million dollar waterfront homes, lots of wildlife including birds, seals and even whales!
Once in Swartz Bay, consider taking an alternative route to Victoria: slower but very charming byway 17A. Pass through little-known Gowlland Tod Provincial Park where you can swim in the warm salty waters of Saanich Inlet.
There is no better place to get acquainted with Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, than starting your walking tour at Beacon Hill’s Park. In addition to recreational and sports facilities, it contains very beautiful botanical gardens, perfect for late afternoon pictures.
Victoria has such pleasant weather and such a laidback vibe, so most Canadians dream of retiring there.
Highlights Of British Columbia
I can even compare Victoria to my favorite part of California – the coastal area between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The air is surprisingly dry despite the fact that the city is located next to the Pacific Ocean.
Mile 0 of the Trans-Canada Highway – the mother road of all roads in Canada. It stretches for 7,821 km / 4,860 mi in all 10 provinces.
When you get hungry, be sure to check out Fisherman’s Wharf, famous for its seafood. Whether you go with traditional fish and chips or a more exotic Hawaiian poke, you won’t be disappointed.
Spend the rest of your day in Victoria’s beautiful Inner Harbor – a great place for strolling, people watching or just relaxing on the lawn in front of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
Riding On A Motorcycle On A Beautiful Scenic Road Surrounded By The Canadian Mountains. Taken Between Lillooet And Pemberton, British Columbia, Canada. Stock Photo, Picture And Royalty Free Image. Image 137326328
At golden hour, get ready to drive to Port Alberni, BC (2 hours). Why Port Alberni? It is halfway between Victoria and Tofino making it a convenient 2 night base to explore Vancouver Island.
Tofino, aptly named the “wet coast” of British Columbia, would surely win the award for the most haunted place in the entire province if not for its outstanding surf, wildlife viewing and, of course, the rarest type of rainforest on Earth. – the temperate tropical forests.
Tofino attracts people from all over the world. Before the place became mainstream, hippies enjoyed its long sandy beaches and carefully kept the life of the place a secret…
…until Parks Canada took over much of the land and created the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. This is how most of the coastal land between Tofino and Ucluelet is known today.
British Columbia Best Road Trip: Whistler Fall Getaway
Take your time and make as many photo stops as you like on your way to Tofino. Be careful while driving though – lots of animals can cross the road unexpectedly. We saw a baby black bear!
Once you reach the junction where the road splits between Tofino and Ucluelet, pick up a map with local trails and beaches at the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve visitor center. It may be cheaper to buy a day pass at the visitor center than to pay at each parking lot depending on how long you plan to spend in the park. Did I mention I bring a rain jacket?
If you’re into surfing, you already know what you’re doing in Tofino. If surfing in the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean is not your cup of tea, you can spend the rest of your day on a whale watching tour or explore beaches and islands near Tofino on a sea kayak.
There is another attraction that is worth your time, but unfortunately it was closed due to COVID-19 this year. I’m talking about Hot Springs Cove in Maquinna Provincial Park accessible only by water taxi from Tofino. Drive back to Port Alberni in the evening.
Top Road Trips In The Rocky Mountains
Drive from Port Alberni to Nanaimo where you catch a ferry to Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) takes about an hour. If not for COVID-19, be sure to stop at Cathedral Grove to take a slow stroll along giant 800-year-old Douglas fir trees. Maybe next year?
Once on the mainland, you’ll be driving one of the most spectacular roads in all of Canada – the Sea to Sky Highway. Unfortunately, my camera died after a rather wet zodiac boat ride in Tofino the day before, so the pictures from Day 3 and 4 will be from my cell phone.
You can drive from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler in less than 1.5 hours, but that would be a huge mistake. Ideally, you need two days to fully appreciate the beauty of all the main attractions along the way, but try to visit at least a few of them. I will list those attractions that I personally check out: Britannia Mine Museum, Shannon Falls, Sea to Sky Gondola, Stawamus Chief in Squamish, and Brandywine Falls (pictured below). Squamish, nicknamed the “Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada”, offers world-class hiking, climbing (think El Captain in Yosemite), mountain biking, boating and much more. I didn’t even live there!
Just north of Squamish, you’ll be ascending “in the sky” when you drive through a narrow gorge between the Tantalus Mountain Range and Garibaldi Provincial Park. Pay attention to the road as those sharp snow-capped peaks on both sides of the highway have real power to pose! A word of advice: for the best views and more scenic views you should drive in the opposite direction – from the north (Whistler) to the south (Vancouver).
Winter Road Trip Through Beautiful Bc
There is never a shortage of activities in Whistler, regardless of the season. Leave your car in a parking garage and explore this famous Olympic village on foot. You’ll find all sorts of familiar places – restaurants, cafes, bakeries, ice creameries, clothing stores, etc. Quite similar to other resort villages, but more variety, I would say. Locals actually complain that since the Whistler resort was bought by Vale, Colorado, prices have gone up and authenticity has gone down.
You don’t want to miss the Peak to Peak Gondolaride which offers breathtaking 360 Degree views of the surrounding mountains, lakes, glaciers and Whistler Village!
My other advice is to take your time and take enough time to enjoy the beauty of the alpine meadows, great peaks, and pristine mountain lakes once you have taken one of the gondolas above the village.
Both Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains offer many scenic hiking trails for different skill levels. I particularly recommend the Harmony Lake trail on the Whistler side of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola.
Stops For The Ultimate Alaska Highway Road Trip
By the way, if you are into mountain biking, there is no better place in Canada to bring out your inner adventurer.
Day 5 marks the halfway point of the trip and requires a fair amount of stamina due to a tiring 9 hour drive from Whistler to Lake Louise in Alberta.
The road is beautiful, but it requires a lot of concentration and patience. Especially with slow moving RVs in no through zones.
If you hit the road early enough, you’ll have a better chance to stretch your legs a few times and even take a swim in one of the sparkling blue lakes around Kamloops, BC and Salmon Arm, BC. Both cities are on top of the
Angela Pan — Based On The Beautiful Scenery On Our First Road
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