I’m planning to do a scenic drive from Calgary to Vancouver/Victoria and back at the end of the month. The dates are reasonably flexible. None of us have ever been to BC, I really don’t have any real idea of what’s good and what’s not.
Tentatively I’m thinking of heading west and spending a night in Sicamouse/Kamloops, maybe another night in Whistler, then 2 nights in Vancouver, 1 night in Victoria, and then going back, one night in Kelowna/Okanagan.
Any suggestions on must-see stuff on the way? Nice places to stop/spend the night? We want to see as much of the place as possible.
I don’t know how flexible your “week-long road trip” will turn out to be–in other words, could you lengthen it if necessary? I’m a little unsure if you’re trying to cover too much geography in a week, but I’ll let a BC Doper advise as to how long your trip might take.
Anyway, if you’re heading out of Calgary with Kamloops as an overnight destination, you’ll be travelling Highway 1. This will take you through Banff National Park, which has many attractions: the Cave and Basin hot springs, the ghost town of Bankhead (Upper Bankhead is a nice place for a picnic), and Lake Louise, among many others. Then, the road goes into BC, where you can see the Spiral Tunnels (and if you’re lucky, you can watch a train go through them). You’re in Yoho National Park at this time, and you might want to take in Takkakaw Falls.
Because Highway 1 goes through a number of national parks, there is a lot to see and do. Be prepared to be distracted by something; and you might want to keep your schedule flexible enough that you’re not bypassing something just to keep to schedule in getting someplace else.
Well I do live in Calgary so I’ve been to Banff before. The main goal is to hit as many cities/towns as possible. The driving route is pretty scenic already and I don’t have any plans for any extended stays in any of the parks or natural wonders.
The legs from Calgary to Kamloops, Kamloops to Whistler, and Victoria to Kelowna will be long drives so you won’t have much time in those locations for sightseeing. Is there a specific reason you are going to Whistler? You might enjoy spending an extra night in the interior instead touring the local wineries (it’ll be harvest season) or some of the small towns.
Yeah, maybe it’s a better idea to sped the night somewhere else and drive through then during the day, but I thought it would be easier to find lodging in a larger town.
No reason other than I’ve heard the name on the news before and I have to drive through it to get to Vancouver anyway. Is there anything to see in Whistler?
It’ll be offseason, you shouldn’t have problems finding places to stay anywhere.
It’s a lot like Banff, which is why I wondered, since you mentioned that you’ve been there and done that. If you want to drive highway 99, then you’ll be going through it and you could plan to stop there for lunch and window shopping and then continue on to Vancouver or you certainly can stay overnight there if you want. Hop out of the car at Squamish, that’s your first look at the ocean.
You mentioned wanting to see as many cities/towns as possible, so you might want to take highway 3 instead of the highway 5 (Coquihalla) from Victoria/Vancouver to Kelowna. It will take you over a couple of passes to Osoyoos and then north up the Okanagan valley through quite a few towns along the way.
I thought making hotel bookings in advance would keep costs down, but would obviously limit flexibility. It’s been years since I’ve stayed in a hotel on the road. Am I likely to get good rates just showing up at the front desk?
Take Hwy 22 down to Hwy 3. The heart and soul of the Alberta ranch lands. Stop in Longview and have breakfast in Heidi’s Food Saloon.
Take Hwy 3 west to B.C. border. Stop at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre.
Continue on 3 to Cranbrook, then Hwy 95A to Kimberley. Have lunch somewhere downtown. Probably mid-afternoon if you left Calgary early.
Backtrack to Cranbrook, continue west on Hwy 3 to Creston. Not much to see in these towns.
Take Hwy 3A north to Crawford Bay. There is a free ferry across Kootenay Lake to Balfour, and then on to Nelson. Spend the night in Crawford Bay or Nelson - both are charming little towns. I love this part of B.C. - although tourism is important there, it isn’t crazy busy like the Okanagon.
From Nelson you can take Hwy 6 to Castlegar. See the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia rivers.
Then back on Hwy 3 to Christina Lake, Grand Forks, Osoyoos. You have a choice: Vancouver is 6 hours away if you stay on Hwy 3. Or you can go north through Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops… spend the night, maybe in the Shuswaps somewhere if you do that.
Then on to Vancouver the next day. The quick way is by taking the Coquihalla (Hwy 5), or Hwy 1 which is the slower, older road. If you take Hwy 1 you can take Hwy 97 at Cache Creek, which connects to Hwy 99 and on to Whistler. Or you can stay on Hwy 1 south through the Fraser Canyon and Hell’s Gate and then on to Hope, Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Vancouver.
Chiming in to say “take the 3!” We did that this summer from Calgary to Vancouver. It’s a hell of a long drive in one day (the No. 1 was closed due to a mudslide) but for a longer, more flexible trip it would be lovely.
All right, so I’ll go to Vancouver using the Crowsnest Pass and do this stuff that K364 says, and stay maybe a night or 2 in Kelowna on the way, and use the northern route through Whistler and Kamloops for the return trip.
I was surprised who expensive a car ferry to Vancouver Island was, maybe I should leave Vancouver island for another seperate trip? Kind of not worth it just to stay 1 night in Victoria. I’ve seen a suggestion that I could park at the ferry terminal and do a day trip to Victoria on foot, but I’m kind of on the fence. Is there much to see in Victoria on foot?
I think it depends on where the ferry arrives in Victoria - is it the main Harbour? I’ve never taken the ferry and I’ve only been to Victoria a couple of times for work, but the one day I had to myself I walked around the harbour and the areas around there. It was beautiful and worth it! I’m excited to go back for three weeks for University next month and spend more time (on foot - I’ll have no vehicle) exploring the area more.