After I mentioned my plans to visit the Tennessee and South Carolina to drive The Dragon there's been some discussion on the concept of road trip vacations to see epic roads. I've been on a few brief road trips before, but I've never attempted anything particularly lengthy, and I've certainly never been on a road trip where the driving was the focus of the vacation rather than just a means to an end. I've got to say that I'm pretty fascinated by the whole concept and I'm really looking forward to our trip down to The Dragon to experience what can really be called a "driving holiday" first-hand.
That brings me to my topic for this week. I was telling a friend from work about my desire to drive out to B.C. along the Canadian route, just to see a huge swath of our country. He said that such a voyage sounded just a bit too arduous (I think it's the Prairies that seem unappealing) but he suggested a less logistically-challenging alternative: fly to Calgary, rent a car, and drive to Vancouver from there. It's a way to see some of the country without having to take a month or two off work. I'm pretty keen on the idea, and may join my friend on such a voyage in the near future.
If you just put Calgary to Vancouver into Google Maps it will, of course, give you the most direct route, largely following the Trans-Canada Highway. However, Google Maps also lets you click and drag your route around, changing it up in certain sections as you see necessary. As this would be a scenic trip the direct route defeats the purpose. However, a few slight alterations seems to yield a more interesting path. In the midst of Banff National Park Highway 1 branches off towards Yoho National Park and continues on to Glacier National Park. These are two places that I'd like to hit, but I think they could be done as a side trip, with the intention of heading back to the fork in the road and taking Highway 93 North towards Jasper. Beyond Jasper the road drops sharply to the South towards Kamloops. Once the route hits Kamloops I alter it again, pulling it off it's Southerly course and turning it West to swing through Whistler before dropping down to Vancouver. Of course, once in Vancouver the obvious thing to do it to grab the ferry and head over to the Island.
Now, this is where you, my loyal readership come in. My experience with the West of our fine country has been confined to Vancouver Island and a small taste of mainland Vancouver. I'm not familiar with the roads and mountain passes that cover the rest of Southern B.C. or any of Alberta. So, has anyone been driving through these areas? How does my route look? Any suggestions for side-trips, or alterations to see and/or avoid certain regions would be very much appreciated. Also, anyone who wants to join in the adventure is more than welcome to do so.
That's all of my trip-planning for this week. Stay tuned, and watch the comments section of this post for any useful Western Canada travel tips. See you next week!
6 comments:
Loyal Reader #1: I love this part of the country, and between family visits over the years and the work trips out the Ranch, I've been lucky enough to be in the Rockies every month of the year. So this question is right up my alley.
Your route sounds solid, except that you're skipping Revelstoke, which is a mountain you can drive up and enjoy amazing views. Plus the drive down Hwy 5 to Kamloops is a very dull trip through forests which have been half-razed by the lumber industry. Oh, and you skipped Radium Hot Springs, which is worth seeing if only to see how devastating a forest fire can be, and how curiously the forest recovers. Plus you get to drive through a massive rift in the mountain which makes Killarney look like a foxhole.
If I might offer a suggestion, it would be to fly into Edmonton (and subsequently leave as soon as possible) and take the amazingly boring drive through Edson & Hinton into Jasper. Approaching from the north would mean less back-tracking, and I find Jasper to be much more wild than Banff, and I would always recommend it if you're looking for nature without Japanese subtitles. From there, definitely take the time to take the backroad out to Maligne Lake, and maybe take the time to see Mount Robson (usually in clouds). The trip down 93 is fantastic, especially the icefields and the very steep hill afterwards into the valley. It's about 300km to Banff, but expect it to take all day with all the stops, sponsored by Nikon.
Here's where I'd suggest detour to Radium Hot Springs, before returning to #93 and doing the hop over to Golden through Yoho (watch for a train taking a spiral tunnel through a mountain - wild). You're pretty much guaranteed to see big horn sheep heading into Golden.
I really like Glacier & Revelstoke - completely different places - and then you end up in central BC with the cottage life in Sicamous & Salmon Arm, where you'll be the only person without a boat. I haven't done the Kamloops to Vancouver route, but at that point I figure you're on a mission. You could mix it up and take the northern route through Whistler though, entering Vancouver on the Sea to Sky highway.
Long-winded, sorry. It's a part of our country that I love..
Oh, and one more thing - I really enjoy the mountains in November or April - everyone assumes you should go in July/August, but it's just a conga-line of bumper-to-bumper RV's. In November you might catch the first snow, which is a glorious thing to experience from a hot spring. In spring, the moutains are snow-covered which makes them much more impressive in my opinion.
I'll be quiet now. Have fun.
Sounds like it would be fun. The only road I have been on out there was the sea to sky highway, it is a nice road,(hopefully nicer when the construction is complete) and once you reach the end you are in beautiful Whistler.
I would do some research on car rental agencies, I have heard many of them change their definitions of vehicle class based on what they have on the lot. I have read a story of someone reserving a large SUV for a move, when he picked it up the gave him a much smaller one (think Ford Escape) and claimed it was in the same class (not according to their own web site).
When we moved out here we took the southern route and entered back into Cda at Sweetgrass (near Lethbridge). Ask G&G for more info. But take CB's advice and fly out and pick up a vehicle in Alberta. Would suggest you stay away from the Coquihalla Hwy in BC as it's known for accidents and bad weather.
Note to Jay: how did Corey manage to get past you with 2 e-mails
Sorry Aunt J I have been slacking. I hope to be faster next week.
This is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for! We've already started making revisions to the proposed route based on the information you guys have provided us. You all rock!
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