BC Tour
In and around Canada
This is all about our nearly-six-week-tour of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. Tour starts in Vancouver on 25 August 2007 and finishes in Calgary on 02 October 2007. We are still making up the bits in between !
There are lots of entries so the map shows our whole route, but there is not a lot of text - just plenty of photos. The ones with a strapline may contain more text.
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Warwick Travellers
-
1
Day 1 - 4: Vancouver
Stayed downtown in the Georgian Court (very nice) and visited:
* Robson, Canada Place, fish & chips on Denman etc etc
* Granvi... Continue reading »
-
2
Goodbye To Warwick
Waved godbye to the horses - who didn't look too concerned ...
... we left them some tents, so they could have a holiday too.
Travelled... Continue reading »
-
3
Day 5: Travel to Penticton (Okanagan Valley)
Drove from Vancouver to Penticton - took 2 hours to get out of Vancouver, then another 3 - 4 to get to the Okanagan Valley.
Penticton i... Continue reading »
-
4
-
5
- Naramata to Osoyoos
Day 6 itinerary.
Very hot and desert-like, but with a beautiful lake. Got there too late for the recommended museum.
Continue reading » -
6
- Osoyoos to Penticton
Day 6 itinerary.
Returned to Penticton. Still too hot !
--------------------------------------------
Continue reading » -
7
Day 7: Penticton to Summerland
Lots of fruit stalls and 'Summerland Sweets' (syrups and jams).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Continue reading » -
8
- Kelowna to Vernon
Escaped from Kelowna traffic and headed up the valley to Vernon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------... Continue reading »
-
9
- Summerland to Kelowna
More fruit stalls and lakes and … traffic ! Turns out this area is the Canadian version of Cornwall and the days we picked were on the busiest week... Continue reading »
-
10
Day 8: Vernon to Sicamous
Visited the O'Keefe Historic Ranch on our way out of Vernon (avoiding the IPE Fair & Stampede traffic with difficulty) ... heading (in a rounda... Continue reading »
-
11
- Sicamous to Salmon Arm
Lots more lakes, but quieter and cooler. Salmon Arm is the House Boat capital of Canada - they do look fun ! Continue reading » -
12
- Salmon Arm to Kamloops
Kamloops is BCs 5th largest city, but the hotel was just off the freeway and out of town, so easy to find. Continue reading » -
13
- Cache Creek to Lillooet (Fraser Valley)
Drove down the Fraser Valley (where the road clings to the side of the canyon ...) to Lillooet, which has lots of historic buildings. I struggle... Continue reading » -
14
Day 9: Kamloops to Cache Creek
Visited the Hat Creek Ranch (another historic one) and learned all about how the Shuswap First Nations lived in days gone by ... also had a ride on a... Continue reading » -
15
- Lillooet to Lytton
Stopped off here, where the Fraser River meets the Thompson - they are different colours and the river is half yellowy and half greeny blue until t... Continue reading »
-
16
- Lytton to Chilliwack
Headed south to Chilliwack for the night.
------------------------------------------------
Continue reading » -
17
- Langley To Tsawwassen (Ferry)
Got lost round Langley but got there in the end. The ferry is out on the end of a pier and they are very, very efficient at getting you on and o... Continue reading » -
18
Day 10: Chilliwack to Langley
Drove from Chilliwack to Langley and visited:
* Historic Fort Langley - where BC was made a colony and the Hudson's Bay Company traded.&... Continue reading »
-
19
- Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay
Shortish ferry crossing - around an hour or so - just time for an icecream.
-----------------------------
Continue reading » -
20
Day 11: Victoria
Went to Miniature World at the Fairmont, bought new Tilley Hats and more Eddie Bauer clothes, then walked around the harbour.
Stayed at the B... Continue reading »
-
21
- Chemainus to Nanaimo
Arrived in Nanaimo for tea and stayed at the Buccaneer Inn - another TripAdvisor favourite. They haven't been wrong so far ! Continue reading » -
22
- Butchart Gardens to Chemainus
Chemainus, between Victoria and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, has loads of murals painted on the town walls. New ones are added each year. Continue reading » -
23
Day 12: Victoria to Butchart Gardens
Drove up to Butchart Gardens (very expensive, but lovely when you got in there), just missed the nearby ferry, so drove the long way round, via Victor... Continue reading » -
24
Day 13: Nanaimo to Ucluelet
Headed west for the Pacific Rim ... with a very pleasant lunch stop.
--------------------------------------------
Continue reading » -
25
Day 14: Ucluelet
Stayed at the He Tin Kis lodge, which was perched on the side of a cliff overlooking Terrace Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Went for ... Continue reading »
-
26
- Tofino to Campbell River
Headed back across the island towards Campbell River and another TripAdvisor favourite, the Rustic Motel. Stopped off in Cathedral Grove al... Continue reading » -
27
Day 15: Ucluelet to Tofino
Visited Tofino and the Pacific Rim National Park (charges apply ...) before heading back across the island. The beaches are really amazing ! Continue reading » -
28
Day 16: Campbell River
The Rustic Motel was so nice, we decided to stay another night and sample the delights of Campbell River. Spent the day looking at museums (it h... Continue reading » -
29
- Port McNeill to Port Hardy
Port Hardy is dominated by the Inside Passage ferry - people rarely go there for any other reason, although it seemed quite nice. The hotels... Continue reading »
-
30
Day 17: Campbell River to Port McNeill
Last bit of driving to the ferry - stopping off in Port McNeill for lunch.
----------------------------------
Continue reading » -
31
Day 18: Inside Passage To Prince Rupert
Very foggy to start (as per usual) but finally cleared after lunch to give the most amazing views. Some wildlife was seen by Tony (a seal and... Continue reading »
-
32
Day 19: Prince Rupert
Lazy day in Prince Rupert - we can slow down now as the only deadline we have is the flight home.
Wandered round Cow Bay, had lunch at Cowpuc... Continue reading »
-
33
Day 20: Bear Tour !
Wow ! Flight in a 1949 De Havilland Beaver float plane (Tony was the co-pilot !) to the Khutseymateen Valley Grizzly Bear Sanctuary... Continue reading »
-
34
- Quiet afternoon sightseeing
Had lunch at Cowpuccinos in Cow Bay again then off to the North Pacific Historic Fishing Village ... which is built out over the water as they ran out... Continue reading » -
35
Day 21: Prince Rupert to Terrace
Drove up the Skeena valley but didn't get many photos as the driver was going too fast ...!
Stopped in Terrace for lunch and went round the H... Continue reading »
-
36
- Terrace to Hazelton
Stopped off at Gitanyow to look at the totem poles. The one with the whole in it is 150 years old.
Stayed in the Robber's Roost Motel i... Continue reading »
-
37
Day 22: Totem Poles !
Spent the day around the Hazeltons looking at totem poles (when we finally got up - all this driving is very tiring, we have done thousands of ... Continue reading »
-
38
- Smithers to Vanderhoof
Continued south to Telkwa to see more historic buildings ... and couldn't find them (and it was only a village). Most of the time, we re... Continue reading »
-
39
- Vanderhoof to Fort St James
More straightish roads up to Fort St James, then round Stuart Lake to our cabin. We had cabin #5 at Stuart Cabins, which is run by a couple from... Continue reading » -
40
Day 23: New Hazelton to Smithers
Drove down the Bulkley Valley and stopped off at a First Nation fishing spot at Mauricetown. The canyon narrows so it is easy to net the salm... Continue reading »
-
41
- Prince George to Quesnel
Another straight road ... with trees and mountains. Turned off at Quesnel for Wells and Barkerville. Continue reading » -
42
- Quesnel to Barkerville
Road gets a bit twisty now as you head into the mountains for Wells and Barkerville ...
We stayed at the St George Hotel which is right in th... Continue reading »
-
43
Day 24: Fort St James to Vanderhoof
The Fort St. James Heritage park is a really lovely spot and a really good museum. The attention to detail (i.e. interiors as well as bu... Continue reading »
-
44
- Vanderhoof to Prince George
More straight roads, trees and mountains. By-passed Prince George this time - coming back later. Continue reading » -
45
Day 25: Barkerville
Barkerville is a re-constructed pioneer town that was at its height in the Cariboo Gold rush of the 1890s. It is rather like a Canadian versi... Continue reading »
-
46
- Quesnel to Prince George
Prince George is weird - no wonder people don't stay long and it doesn't feature in the guide books ! It looks like a trading estate and you... Continue reading »
-
47
Day 26: Barkerville to Quesnel
Spent the morning at Barkerville - the weather was fantastic, although it was -3C overnight. Took the stagecoach ride, then heard all about g... Continue reading »
-
48
Day 27: Prince George to McBride
There is absolutely nothing between Prince George and McBride, except mountains and trees and a fairly straight road. 207km. But it was prett... Continue reading »
-
49
Day 28: McBride to Jasper
Carried on towards the mountains, stopping off at Mount Robson (highest mountain in the rockies), and crossed the border into Alberta ...
All... Continue reading »
-
50
Day 29: Jasper
Spent most of the day in Jasper, including booking a trail ride for tomorrow, before heading out for a drive north up the Yellowhead Highway alongside... Continue reading » -
51
- Miette Hot Springs
We drove so far up the highway that we decided to go to the Miette Hot Springs - lovely ! Weren't quite sure what to expect, but it is basica... Continue reading »
-
52
Day 30: Jasper Trail Ride
Got up early and went out for a three hour hack to look at the view, see wildlife, etc etc ...
We went along peaceful woodland tracks, u... Continue reading »
-
53
- Edith Cavell Mountain (Glaciers)
Despite being very stiff and tired after our ride, we rushed off to hike at over 2000m in the afternoon ... are we mad ?
It wasn't a lon... Continue reading »
-
54
- Athabasca Falls
And then we stopped off for a soothing waterfall on the way home ... but it was very impressive and rather noisy instead ! The force of... Continue reading »
-
55
Day 31: Jasper (Tony's Birthday)
Had a lazy morning eating bacon and pancakes and opening presents, then went for a drive to look at Pyramid Lake (beautiful mountain) and Mali... Continue reading »
-
56
- Patricia Lake
When we got back to Patricia Lake, the elk had invaded. They don't care whose lawn they stomp on ...
It is the beginning of the rutting... Continue reading »
-
57
Day 32: Jasper (Maligne Lake Drive)
Took the pleasant drive down to Maligne Lake, stopping off at Medicine Lake on the way. Went searching for Moose (at Moose Lake) but didn't f... Continue reading »
-
58
Day 33: Icefields Parkway
Said goodbye to the Patricia Lake Bungalows (after being woken up, yet again, by a bugling elk!) and set off south down the Icefields Parkway towar... Continue reading »
-
59
- Athabasca Glacier
I know its touristy, but we had to do it ! Luckily, it wasn't too busy (we went up after 3pm) so we didn't feel too much like we were on... Continue reading »
-
60
- Banff National Park
Headed on to Banff, the scenery changing all the while, past the Weeping Wall (waterfall seeping out through a rockface) to Peyto Lake. Hiked... Continue reading »
-
61
Day 34: Banff to Drumheller
Began our hunt for dinosaurs today - headed down to Highway 1 and civilisation. One minute you are in the mountains, the next it is as f... Continue reading »
-
62
Day 35: Alberta Badlands !
Wasn't sure how I would feel about a dinosaur museum, being the child of two geologists and having been brought up on fossils, but it was actually... Continue reading »
-
63
Day 36: Drumheller to Calgary
A last look at Drumheller, then headed back to Calgary ... and yet more roadworks, despite taking a detour to miss Highway 9 ...
Eventually f... Continue reading »
-
64
-
65
-
66
Would you like to comment or ask a question?