A Sunny Summer Inspires a BC Road Trip

What makes a road trip in British Columbia stand out from other road trips like a radiant, colorful butterfly among brown moths? The scenery.

Non-stop scenery, to be exact. You don't drive through flat prairies. You don't have to drive through a desert to get to your destination (but you could head through Osoyoos, Canada's only true desert, if you wanted to do that).

As soon as you start, you're surrounded: trees, mountains, lakes, greenery--nature at its finest. Even the stops are scenic; no pull-out stops here to drive into and take a nap because you've been staring at monotony for the past few hours. Instead, you'll stop at glaciers or waterfalls--which are rather unboring.

Where to start? Oh, the possibilities.

HelloBC.com offers route itineraries for seven to ten full days of BC road trip fun. Try their Mountains & Vineyards Circle Route to get a taste of mountain grandeur, succulent Okanagan fruits, and outdoor adventure. Wander in ghost towns, play a round of golf, soak in the hot springs, and visit fine wineries. Here's how the trip starts:

The mountain's hiking, mountain biking and awe-inspiring alpine scenery may keep you at Kicking Horse longer than you planned. Then, the route takes you along to Yoho National Park, where you must make sure to visit Takakkaw Falls, through Invermere, home of the Fairmont Hot Springs, through the strongly Russian-influenced Castlegar, and then through Rogers Pass, one of BC's great mountain crossings between Revelstoke and Golden.

But there is no set beginning or end. You can begin your journey from any point along the route, or create your own trip, of course.

Tips & Tools

Comprehensive maps of BC are also available on HelloBC.com. TravelinBC.com has helpful driving distance & time estimates as well as BC Interior travel info to assist you in your trip planning. Get creative--after all, whichever route you take won't be boring because of the sublime scenery that will accompany you the entire way.

Canadians, take advantage of BC before thinking about taking a vacation overseas. Don't you want to be able to compare a jaw-dropping hiking experience here to a hiking trip in, say, South America? If you haven't had that experience yet, then perhaps you should begin your next road trip at Garibaldi Lake, just almost 2 hours from Vancouver, BC; climb up to Black Tusk and enjoy the spectacular view of the kool-aid blue lake. You won't be disappointed.