Driving through part of Canada - advice and coment requested please

[tbob]

This is how I would do the trip. Most rentals now have a GPS so I will list the waypoints. This is the scenic route avoiding major roads and big cities.

Vancouver aeroport-Tswassen ferry-Mill Bay to Brentwood Ferry-Nanaimo-Tofino/Ucluelet-Nanaimo-Comox (do not take the new Island Highway, take the old highway along the coast)-Powell River ferry-Gibsons Landing-Horseshoe Bay-Pemberton-Liilloet-Lytton-Spences Bridge-Merritt-Kelowna-Osoyoos-Cranbrook-Pincher Creek-Waterton Lakes Park-Fort MacLeod-Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump-Pincher Creek-Longview-Kananaskis Country-Banff-Jasper-Edmonton

[JBW]

Might I suggest an alternate route?

From Vancouver head up to Whistler and keep going till you reach Tyax Resort. Then head to Edmonton from the north. Great scenery and lots of small towns.

[William W]

Which part of Alaska are you headed to? . . .

Anchorage – Talkeetna – Denali – Seward. Or similar. We need to get from Anchorage to Seward. That origin and that destination are both set: though the origin date is flexible, the destination date is not.
We are also thinking maybe it is a better choice to not hire a car for that leg of the trip – there are structured tours which do very similar, but I am not an overly enthusiastic bus or train traveller – not because I don’t like the mode of travel, but just that I like to be able to stop at whim.

I'm that guy on dry sunny days that's taking a roundabout with the wipers going . . .

Hilarious, we see that here quite a lot - not only because of tourists, also because there are so many ore European Cars filtering into typical Aussie Mum and Dad households now, where traditionally the Holden, Ford, or Toyota reined supremo.

WW

[William W]

Hi again,

Manfred - yes I expect the 'city driving' is kind of a necessary evil. We're thinking of a ferry trip to Victoria, maybe before hiring a car - not sure about this yet. I know Victoria quite well, as I have worked there, a while ago, 1994. My Wife has not been to any part of Canada except to visit Niagara Falls and that was only for a day. An early start ferry trip to Victoria and Lunch and walking is in our idea at the moment. Thanks for the extra details.

Trevor, thanks so much for the detailed itinerary: I have put that into MAPS and I am plotting the days necessary. That's certainly a valuable and tailored plan we'll consider in depth.

Brian, thank you: we'll research Tyax and the surrounds this evening, it looks amazing. Noted the trip to Edmonton from farther north could be interesting and via a road less traveled, that appeals.

Thanks again to all.

Bill

[LePetomane]

The Kindersly Pass in Kootenai park is a spectacular hike.

[Urbanflyer]

If you will be open to northern B.C there are a couple of good spots I would point you to.

Atlin is gorgeous

Gingolx often has lots of eagles on the beach.

[CP140]

Anchorage – Talkeetna – Denali – Seward. Or similar. We need to get from Anchorage to Seward. That origin and that destination are both set: though the origin date is flexible, the destination date is not.
We are also thinking maybe it is a better choice to not hire a car for that leg of the trip – there are structured tours which do very similar, but I am not an overly enthusiastic bus or train traveller – not because I don’t like the mode of travel, but just that I like to be able to stop at whim.



Hilarious, we see that here quite a lot - not only because of tourists, also because there are so many ore European Cars filtering into typical Aussie Mum and Dad households now, where traditionally the Holden, Ford, or Toyota reined supremo.

WW

Sounds like you are doing a cruise from Alaska to Vancouver? If so, there's another option for you to consider...

[xpatUSA]

Thanks Manfred. Yes lots there to think about. That's exactly what I required. Very helpful. I will get to researching all the places mentioned.

I can second the Kootenay Park, Drumheller - and not forgetting Crowsnest Pass where I worked for a couple of months in the '90s.

[Andrew1]

William, if you've lived in Victoria you'll find not much has changed in Victoria proper. The surrounding 12 burgs however have exploded with people and businesses. If you're staying in town you'll know all the places your wife would enjoy.

As for the rest of the trip you will be in the mountains from the coast to the Alberta Foothills. For many people they all look the same but if you're driving there's lots of surprises around every corner from waterfalls to animals. Don't get too close to the critters. There's been lots of tourists injured trying to get a selfie with an elk. If big mountain scenery is your main interest I would suggest bypassing the Calgary to Edmonton trip and go from Banff to Jasper. The trip from Calgary to Edmonton it's pretty much a non-event. They are just two big cities with bald-ass prairie and grain fields most of the way in between with a few trees thrown in around Red Deer. It's so flat that if you stand and look really really hard you can see the back of your own head.☺ Yes there's the dinosaurs at Drumheller and they are great to see if you have the time and it's of interest to you but it's a bit out of the way and would eat up a full day of your trip. You could still take in both cities but a short one hour back-track from Calgary puts you back to Lake Louise where you can head north again.

You may already be familiar with the Calgary Stampede but if not run through some Google searches for info and photos. If that celebration is to be part of your itinerary I'd suggest you make reservations now or you could find yourself some distance away from the activities. I love the Stampede and would recommend at least two days there to see everything. The afternoon rodeo and the evening chuckwagon races are of particular interest to locals and tourists alike. There's the main midway and lots of other activities going on in the barns. One of my favourites was always the heavy horse pulls. Anyway, check it out. When you look through Google select the "images" and "videos".

Take a look at some alternate routes through the mountains rather than the #1 and Coquihalla Highway. Others have given you some favoured routes and it really depends on what you wish to see. I happen to like the Hope to Princeton route then up through wine country. A great photo route.

Lots to consider and you've got the time to plan. (When we go, we don't plan. We just wander) I would say though that the area you are going through is way over-populated with tourists for the full two months of July and August. (the reason we go in September) Traffic is horrible especially through #3 highway or the route I just eluded to. You'll need patience if you are driving. Again, at that time of year, reservations in advance are pretty much mandatory or you may find yourself sleeping in your car on the side of the road.

I could go on but won't. I drop in on the forum pretty regularly but don't contribute much any more. I lived in Calgary most of my 60+ years and am living in Victoria for the last 8. If you have any questions in particular about either location or points in between drop me a message and I'll be please to offer whatever assistance I can.

[Cantab]

Bill, some time ago I promised in a pm that I’d provide some comments concerning your future trip here to BC. I’ve not forgotten. This is Part A – standing for architecture.

You’ve received a lot of good advice from others on CiC. Manfred is correct when he notes that there are no truly old buildings in western Canada. However, there are several buildings which you may find of interest.

One such building in Vancouver is the Marine Building: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Building

The Vancouver Public Library may well be of interest. I still think of it as new but it’s now almost 25 years old: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanc...Public_Library and https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouverpubliclibrary .

A slightly older building is the Law Courts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Courts_(Vancouver) . For a good number of years I worked near or in this building. One of my offices had a window which will looked down on part of this building and allowed me to watch part of a Sidney Poitier movie being filmed. The Law Courts was built by a well-known Canadian architect, Arthur Erickson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Erickson ).

The current Law Courts in Vancouver replaced a building which subsequently has been used by the Vancouver Art Gallery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Art_Gallery . The earlier courthouse was designed by Frances Rattenbury, who was responsible for a number of the public buildings constructed in the earlier years of British Columbia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Rattenbury ).

Frances Rattenbury takes us over to Victoria, where he designed the Legislative Buildings as well as the Empress Hotel. You may well have seen one or both of these when you were here on your previous visit.

There are at least two churches which may be of architectural interest. The first is the Anglican Cathedral: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chri...tish_Columbia) and https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractio...er=7&autoplay= . I know this building well; the orange tinge in the photos on the wikipedia site does not exist in reality. The Roman Catholic Cathedral is another example of ecclesiastical architecture: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._...tish_Columbia) .

I know virtually nothing about the architecture in Edmonton – except perhaps the enormous West Edmonton Shopping Mall. At one time it may have been one of the larger shopping malls in North America.

My primary recollection of architecture on my occasional visits to Calgary is that many of the older buildings in the downtown area were demolished and replaced with larger and more modern office buildings in probably the 1960’s – 1980’s. But my brother-in-law, who lives in Calgary, suggested that I mention The Bow building (comleted in 2012). Like a number of other buildings designed in the last few decades (e.g. Toronto City Hall and the Vancouver Public Library), it is built in a curve: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bow_(skyscraper) . The following link has additional photos, some of which include the Calgary Tower: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki...w_(skyscraper) . When I first saw the tower it was known as the Husky Tower (the name of an oil company).

I’ll do a separate post with some thoughts about travel routes.

[William W]

Sounds like you are doing a cruise from Alaska to Vancouver? If so, there's another option for you to consider...

Yes. Seaward to Vancouver, it's about six days. What is the option you have in mind?

WW

[William W]

Trevor:
Thanks again for the detailed route suggestion. Spent yesterday refining the car route and included your suggestions.

Andrew:
Thanks for those details. We're still considering a day or two in Victoria, as you mentioned we are planning in advance so yes we will have accommodation sorted. I have had a few comments about (congested tourist) traffic. Our present plan is that we'll be leaving Vancouver AM Thursday 28 May 2019, arriving Calgary Sunday 9 June 2019. (i.e. final destination in Canada is now Calgary).

Bruce:
Thanks for the detailed response, especially the details concerning the two Churches. One of the reasons that I want to visit Victoria again is because when I was working there, I only had one day off in the (about) four week period and I think I really want to visit the Legislative Buildings - I didn't know about the hotel, thanks.

From my Wife and myself, thanks so much for all your suggestions - we are very appreciative.

Bill

[CP140]

Well... the cruise ship will dock at Canada Place in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

There are a number of hotels within a few blocks (save yourself taxi fare) and stay for a night or two.

If you really want to go over to Victoria... skip the ferry and take the float plane or the helicopter... downtown harbour to downtown harbour in 40 minutes. Both the plane and the helicopter leave from within two blocks of the cruise terminal in Vancouver.

Take the "seabus"... rather like the Sydney harbour ferry boats... over to North Vancouver and back... see the city from the water side.

Go and walk the seawall around Stanley Park... about a 10km loop on all level terrain...

Take the tramway up Grouse Mountain and see the lumberjack show and the bears...

Capilano Suspension Bridge...

Take a day trip up to Whistler and take the chair lift/gondola up the mountain. Hike around in the alpine climate...

If you want an old building... well old for here... go see Fort Langley... a wooden palisades fort... about 90 min drive east of Vancouver.

I would not spend too much time touring Vancouver... it's nice enough (albeit, like any city, with areas to be avoided) but Sydney reminded me a lot of Vancouver... apart from the accent of course...

[William W]

Thank you Martin.

It looks like we'll be one day in Vancouver, and an half day either side, so the float plane/helicopter is a good idea to visit Victoria.

Yep we're visiting Whistler.

Noted the other locations and shall investigate them later this week. Thanks again for the ideas.

Bill

[Cantab]

Bill, this is Part B – comments on travel routes.

As others have noted, your best choice of routes depends on how you balance the competing pressures of this type of driving trip. In the limited time available, is your goal to reach as quickly as possible the leading iconic locations (unfortunately those that typically attract the most tourists)? Or do you prefer traveling more slowly and having an opportunity to absorb the ethos of different areas and perhaps enjoy moments of silence, enroute to some of the iconic places? Only you and your wife know what balance is right for you. As you’ll see from my following comments, my tendency is towards routes that are not always crowded with tourists.

You’ve indicated that you’ll be going to Whistler and I believe Pemberton. I don’t know what your plans are for how you’ll leave those areas and reach other parts of the province. Partly since my personal choice would be to skip Whistler at this time of year, I’ll pretend that you’ll be taking some other route out of Vancouver.

The most direct route to the Kamloops area is via the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) from Hope to Kamloops. It is the least interesting of the routes. My preference would be to take the TransCanada Highway (Highway 1, aka TCH) north from Hope up through the Fraser Canyon. The canyon area is very rugged but has a few places that you could stop at. One might be Hell’s Gate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hells_...tish_Columbia)

(photo by Jonathon Rodgers, at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hells_Gate.jpg ) and https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki...ump-to-license .

If you take this route, you then have two options for reaching the southern central/ Kamloops/Okanagan area of the province.

One is to remain on the TransCanada Highway for the entire drive to Kamloops. My choice, however, is slightly different. I’d stay on the TransCanada until Spence’s Bridge then turn right onto Highway 8, which heads in a south east direction towards Merritt. I’d then take one of my favorite stretches of road, Highway 5A up to Kamloops. The 5A goes through typical ranch country and is a relatively quiet drive (for a highway). There is a pullover near Stump Lake, from which I’ve taken pictures in the past. An alternative route is, shortly after passing Quilcheena on Nicola Lake (on the 5A), turn right onto the road to Douglas Lake, where the headquarters of the Douglas Lake Ranch is located. This is the largest ranch in Canada: https://www.douglaslake.com/ranch/ .

Admittedly there’s not a lot of ranch activity to see apart from the General Store but the drive-in is through pleasant country. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to take a back road route, you could continue on the road on which you drove into the Douglas Lake area until it reaches Westwold on Highway 97. The road turns to gravel shortly after leaving the ranch. One difficulty might be that my recollection is car rental companies do not want their cars driven on gravel roads; however, I believe the road is a public road (i.e. not a logging road, forest service road, etc. etc.). The road is dusty in summer but provides a route which allows you to circumvent Kamloops and definitely gets you away from the madding crowd.

Once you’re in the Kamloops area, the big decision is whether to drive north on Highway 5, then turning off that road, past Valemont, drive on to Jasper. My recollection of that route is that the area north of Kamloops is very pleasant. But if you want to see some of the iconic places on the original TransCanada route through the mountains, you need to head east on the TransCanada Highway. For the most part, the highway follows the same corridor as the rail line for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR is what tied the different areas of Canada together during the early years of European settlement: https://cpconnectingcanada.ca/#building-the-railway , https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cana...acific_Railway .

If you decide to take that route, you should consider visiting Mount Revelstoke Park. One of my regrets is that I have never taken the time to do so even though I’ve stopped the night in Revelstoke. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/revelstoke , and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_..._National_Park .

East of Revelstoke is Rogers Pass: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers...tish_Columbia) .

After Golden, the TCH goes up the Kicking Horse Pass: https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/yoh...spirale-spiral . Shortly east of Field, there is a viewpoint from which you can see the spiral tunnels for the CPR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hill .
If one’s timing is fortunate, it’s possible to take a photograph showing the front end of a train traveling underneath and at right angles to the rear part of the train:

(photo by By David R. Spencer, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...wer_Spiral.jpg ) I have a similar photo but this one appears to have been taken from trackside.

When you leave Lake Louise, you have two choices for the drive to Banff. The more obvious one is on the TCH. This stretch of the TransCanada replaced the original route between Lake Louise and Banff a number of years ago. The original route is now Highway 1A. There are two advantages to using the 1A. The first is there is less traffic and, if memory serves correctly, there are greater opportunities for stopping along the way. In particular, there is an opportunity to stop and photograph Morant’s Curve: http://banffandbeyond.com/morants-cu...cific-railway/ and http://trainsandsuch.com/morants-curve/ .


(Photo by Dan Carr, at https://shuttermuse.com/photographin...national-park/ .)

Nicholas Morant was the official CPR photographer for many years. He was much more than a documentary photographer and took a number of truly iconic photographs. I have a book of many of these photographs: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sea...adian&kn=&isbn . Several of his most famous photographs were taken on this particular bend in the Bow River; in subsequent years it became known as Morant’s Curve.

I’ve taken photographs there myself but unfortunately not with a train in sight. Being the official CPR photographer, Morant had the distinct advantage that he could have vantage point platforms constructed and trains brought to a stop at a particular location while he photographed them. This is not something that other people are able to do! Nonetheless the following website has a number of stock photos taken at Morant’s Curve with a train on the tracks: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/morant's-curve.html . I came across this website which has comments which may or may not be helpful if you decide to take photographs at Morant’s Curve: https://shuttermuse.com/photographin...national-park/ .

It’s time to bring this post to an end but I’ll provide one last comment. On the off chance that you have a spare day in the Calgary area, there’s a pleasant day trip/loop. It includes time in the foothills as well as driving up a valley through the Rockies. Drive south out of Calgary to Black Diamond, continue south on Highway 22 to Longview then head west on Highway 541 which takes you through Highwood, and then continue driving north on Highway 40 through the Kananaskis area until you rejoin the TransCanada and then head back in the Calgary. It’s a little over 10 years ago that my wife and I did this trip with my Calgary-based brother-in-law but I have pleasant memories of it.

[William W]

Bruce, That's sensational.
Thank you so much.
Printed the text and will be looking through the Links tonight.

Bill