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Where is your start point in BC? You are right, it is a huge province and giving a general area will help you get better suggestions.
If I had one suggestion it would be to end the Canada portion of your trip in Victoria, on Vancouver Island. One because the island is lovely. And two because from there you can take a ferry to the Washington Coast and skip the I-5 for the coastal highways. I’ve done that trip from Victoria down to northern California twice and it is amazing. If I had to live elsewhere it would be your beautiful Oregon Coast!
You could do a loop where you go up through Vancouver up the Sunshine Coast highway to Powell River, then over to Vancouver island, down to Victoria, then down to Oort Angels in the Washington peninsula. This would take like 5 ferries, btw. But is beautiful country and would be a great start to your trip.
Second this 100%! I just got back from a version of this trip which skipped Victoria, as we had been there many times before. We went from Horseshoe Bay over to Nanaimo and up to Campbell River where there is plenty of beach side lodging (Saratoga Beach Resort). Outside of Campbell River there is a fabulous whiskey distillery (Shelter Point) which has some of Canada's best single malts (Sherry Cask finished Evans Reserve for-the-win) Then took the Comox/Powell River ferry route, which has a high chance of wildlife (we saw porpoises and Humpback whales). Powell River is beautiful and has some stellar restaurants (Shout-out Costa del Sol), a great brewery (Townsite) and wonderful nature and beaches (Inland Lake was a great hike). We ended the trip in Gibsons, where we stayed a few nights and hit up ciderys (Sunday cider and Banditry) and some definitely funky restaurants (The Bay and Smitty's). We capped this trip with a successful day on the water where we caught coho salmon and dungeness crab (shout-out Ed @ Angler Management). It was a great way to spend a week not too far from home!
If you have a few days, my suggestion for a route would be to cross into Canada at Sumas crossing, then head north on Hwy 1 as far as Lytton.
From Lytton, take hwy 12 to Lillooet, and then head back south on Hwy 99. From Hope to Pemberton is a fairly quiet route and has an impressive variety of landscapes.
If you are into camping, the Seton Lake campground in Lillooet is a gem of a free campground. If you want more luxury, consider a night in Whistler.
That drive offers some amazing scenery and from Pemberton down to Vancouver is of course filled with tons of things to do and places to eat.
Really depends on what your goals are. The beaches of Oregon, Washington, BC, and Alaska are all similar.
If you want a fun experience along with scenary then I would do a loop using the ferry system. It is expensive but you can do a lot of cool stuff.
Are you flying and renting a car or driving up and then down?
The ferry from Vancouver Island connects to Vancouver, mid/northern BC and Washington. So many versions to choose from. The island itself has a great coastal drive and some of the most beautiful parts of BC/Canada.
All depends on your time, budget, and starting points.
We'll be driving up I-5 and then back down along the coast.
I've heard a lot of good things about taking the ferries so I'll definitely check that out
Thanks!
>I've heard a lot of good things about taking the ferries so I'll definitely check that out
You could go from Horsehoe Bay to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, drive up to Powell River and take the ferry over to Vancouver Island and drive down the island to Victoria and take the ferry across to Port Angeles.
I would suggest though going up to Squamish and maybe Whistler before you do it, the drive is beautiful and can check out The Chief is Squamish.
You could go through Vancouver and see the city sights and Stanley Park, then take departure bay/horshoe bay ferry to Nanaimo. Then hit Tofino (Do the hot springs boat tour from Jamie) and then head down to Victoria. Then ferry to Washington.
If you have more time there are other cool spots on the island- Cape Scott (North), Juan De Fuca trail/beaches (Southwest).
If you have more time and money then I would definitely look into the ferry trip from Porty Hardy to Bella Coola or Prince Rupert. Long trips but all kinds of opportunities to see whales, bears, etc on those big trips.
Do a little research on places on the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Take the ferry over from Tsawassen (just north of the border). Leave the island taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and head down the coast from there. That way you skip the whole Seattle traffic mess.
Hwy 1 though the Fraser Canyon, up Highway 12 to Lillooet, Hwy 99 to Pemberton, then Hwy 99 to Vancouver. Beautiful road trip. If you have extra time, take the ferry from North Vancouver to Langdale, then drive up to Earls Cove and take the ferry to Powell River. From Powell River, take the ferry over to Comox, then take to Old Island Highway to Nanaimo, and then Hwy 1 to Victoria.
✅ Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish
✅The Butchart Gardens in Victoria
✅ Tofino
Best suggestion yet is leaving Canada via ferry to Port Angeles. If you do go that route consider Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park.
Safe travels.
*Edit: check out [this channel](https://youtu.be/qNmswsco-NA?si=o1sga-sZXkh6Z5lF) on YT that did a good vlog on driving to Tofino and why you should hit it up
If you want desert mountains, try heading to Kamloops. The Sea to Sky highway is gorgeous for forest mountains and water. I personally love the Cariboo region, and the islands are all wonderful - the ferry itself is a beautiful trip.
Places to hit:
• Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands
• the Kootenays, specifically Rossland, Nelson, etc
• Vancouver - obviously for city stuff rather than the outdoors but its a top-notch city
• the Okanagan amd interior lakes
Obviously you won't hit all of this in one trip, so take your pick and see as much as you can!
1. Stanley Park - just explore or bike around
2. Granville Island - various markets including a farmers market
3. One of the mountains and associated chairlift - Grouse Mountain, Squamish Sea to Sky Gondola, or Whistler Blackcomb
4. Victoria, B.C. if willing to take the ferry over … the ferry is an experience and the city is really nice…much to do.
Farwell Canyon: a sand dune area with cactus and sweeping views of wacky sand formations.
Tofino: endless beach, misty, mysterious vibes.
Liard Hot Spring: long drive to get there. Best hot spring you'll ever soak in. Can't express how beautiful this place is. Even the walk in across the swampy boardwalk is dreamlike.
Hello and thanks for posting to r/britishcolumbia! Join our new [Discord Server https://discord.gg/fu7X8nNBFB](https://discord.gg/fu7X8nNBFB) A friendly reminder prior to commenting or posting here: - **Read [r/britishcolumbia's rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/britishcolumbia/rules/)**. - **Be civil and respectful** in all discussions. - Use **appropriate sources** to back up any information you provide when necessary. - **Report** any comments that violate our rules. Reminder: "Rage bait" comments or comments designed to elicit a negative reaction that are not based on fact are not permitted here. Let's keep our community respectful and informative! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/britishcolumbia) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Where is your start point in BC? You are right, it is a huge province and giving a general area will help you get better suggestions. If I had one suggestion it would be to end the Canada portion of your trip in Victoria, on Vancouver Island. One because the island is lovely. And two because from there you can take a ferry to the Washington Coast and skip the I-5 for the coastal highways. I’ve done that trip from Victoria down to northern California twice and it is amazing. If I had to live elsewhere it would be your beautiful Oregon Coast!
You could do a loop where you go up through Vancouver up the Sunshine Coast highway to Powell River, then over to Vancouver island, down to Victoria, then down to Oort Angels in the Washington peninsula. This would take like 5 ferries, btw. But is beautiful country and would be a great start to your trip.
Second this 100%! I just got back from a version of this trip which skipped Victoria, as we had been there many times before. We went from Horseshoe Bay over to Nanaimo and up to Campbell River where there is plenty of beach side lodging (Saratoga Beach Resort). Outside of Campbell River there is a fabulous whiskey distillery (Shelter Point) which has some of Canada's best single malts (Sherry Cask finished Evans Reserve for-the-win) Then took the Comox/Powell River ferry route, which has a high chance of wildlife (we saw porpoises and Humpback whales). Powell River is beautiful and has some stellar restaurants (Shout-out Costa del Sol), a great brewery (Townsite) and wonderful nature and beaches (Inland Lake was a great hike). We ended the trip in Gibsons, where we stayed a few nights and hit up ciderys (Sunday cider and Banditry) and some definitely funky restaurants (The Bay and Smitty's). We capped this trip with a successful day on the water where we caught coho salmon and dungeness crab (shout-out Ed @ Angler Management). It was a great way to spend a week not too far from home!
If you have a few days, my suggestion for a route would be to cross into Canada at Sumas crossing, then head north on Hwy 1 as far as Lytton. From Lytton, take hwy 12 to Lillooet, and then head back south on Hwy 99. From Hope to Pemberton is a fairly quiet route and has an impressive variety of landscapes. If you are into camping, the Seton Lake campground in Lillooet is a gem of a free campground. If you want more luxury, consider a night in Whistler. That drive offers some amazing scenery and from Pemberton down to Vancouver is of course filled with tons of things to do and places to eat.
Really depends on what your goals are. The beaches of Oregon, Washington, BC, and Alaska are all similar. If you want a fun experience along with scenary then I would do a loop using the ferry system. It is expensive but you can do a lot of cool stuff. Are you flying and renting a car or driving up and then down? The ferry from Vancouver Island connects to Vancouver, mid/northern BC and Washington. So many versions to choose from. The island itself has a great coastal drive and some of the most beautiful parts of BC/Canada. All depends on your time, budget, and starting points.
We'll be driving up I-5 and then back down along the coast. I've heard a lot of good things about taking the ferries so I'll definitely check that out Thanks!
>I've heard a lot of good things about taking the ferries so I'll definitely check that out You could go from Horsehoe Bay to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast, drive up to Powell River and take the ferry over to Vancouver Island and drive down the island to Victoria and take the ferry across to Port Angeles. I would suggest though going up to Squamish and maybe Whistler before you do it, the drive is beautiful and can check out The Chief is Squamish.
You could go through Vancouver and see the city sights and Stanley Park, then take departure bay/horshoe bay ferry to Nanaimo. Then hit Tofino (Do the hot springs boat tour from Jamie) and then head down to Victoria. Then ferry to Washington. If you have more time there are other cool spots on the island- Cape Scott (North), Juan De Fuca trail/beaches (Southwest). If you have more time and money then I would definitely look into the ferry trip from Porty Hardy to Bella Coola or Prince Rupert. Long trips but all kinds of opportunities to see whales, bears, etc on those big trips.
Do a little research on places on the east coast of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Take the ferry over from Tsawassen (just north of the border). Leave the island taking the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and head down the coast from there. That way you skip the whole Seattle traffic mess.
Hwy 1 though the Fraser Canyon, up Highway 12 to Lillooet, Hwy 99 to Pemberton, then Hwy 99 to Vancouver. Beautiful road trip. If you have extra time, take the ferry from North Vancouver to Langdale, then drive up to Earls Cove and take the ferry to Powell River. From Powell River, take the ferry over to Comox, then take to Old Island Highway to Nanaimo, and then Hwy 1 to Victoria.
✅ Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish ✅The Butchart Gardens in Victoria ✅ Tofino Best suggestion yet is leaving Canada via ferry to Port Angeles. If you do go that route consider Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park. Safe travels. *Edit: check out [this channel](https://youtu.be/qNmswsco-NA?si=o1sga-sZXkh6Z5lF) on YT that did a good vlog on driving to Tofino and why you should hit it up
If you want desert mountains, try heading to Kamloops. The Sea to Sky highway is gorgeous for forest mountains and water. I personally love the Cariboo region, and the islands are all wonderful - the ferry itself is a beautiful trip.
Places to hit: • Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands • the Kootenays, specifically Rossland, Nelson, etc • Vancouver - obviously for city stuff rather than the outdoors but its a top-notch city • the Okanagan amd interior lakes Obviously you won't hit all of this in one trip, so take your pick and see as much as you can!
1. Stanley Park - just explore or bike around 2. Granville Island - various markets including a farmers market 3. One of the mountains and associated chairlift - Grouse Mountain, Squamish Sea to Sky Gondola, or Whistler Blackcomb 4. Victoria, B.C. if willing to take the ferry over … the ferry is an experience and the city is really nice…much to do.
Harrison Hot Springs is a beautiful destination!
Farwell Canyon: a sand dune area with cactus and sweeping views of wacky sand formations. Tofino: endless beach, misty, mysterious vibes. Liard Hot Spring: long drive to get there. Best hot spring you'll ever soak in. Can't express how beautiful this place is. Even the walk in across the swampy boardwalk is dreamlike.
This doesn't fit with your plan to stick to the coast but you really should go through the Canadian Rockies if you want to see the spectacular nature.