BC Road Trip Itineraries

One of the most scenic drives in North America begins just north of Vancouver. This route follows Howe Sound past waterfalls and granite cliffs to Whistler, with side trips to Squamish's climbing walls, the Sea to Sky Gondola, and the alpine meadows above Whistler Village.

Start in Osoyoos, wind north through the Naramata Bench, explore Kelowna's waterfront, and loop back through the North Okanagan. This route is best in late summer when the orchards are heavy with fruit and the wineries are buzzing.

A full loop of Vancouver Island from Victoria to Tofino, up the west coast to Port Hardy, and back down the east coast through the Comox Valley and Cowichan. Every landscape BC has to offer in one week.

The Kootenays are BC's best-kept secret — a region of hot springs, heritage towns, world-class skiing, and mountain lakes. This loop from Revelstoke through Nelson and back via Cranbrook hits the highlights.

For the true road tripper, Northern BC is a revelation. This route from Prince George to Prince Rupert along the Yellowhead, with a side trip to the Cassiar Highway, covers some of the most remote and beautiful terrain in North America.

Hop between Salt Spring, Galiano, Mayne, and Pender Islands by BC Ferries — each one a distinct world of artists, farmers, and ocean views. This is slow travel at its finest: no rush, no agenda, just island life.

The Cariboo Wagon Road once carried thousands of gold seekers north from Yale to Barkerville. Today it's one of BC's great heritage drives — through canyon country, cattle ranches, and the perfectly preserved gold rush town of Barkerville.

Cross the Rockies and back on a loop that takes in Yoho and Kootenay National Parks, the Columbia Valley hot springs, Radium, and the Icefields Parkway. One of the most visually spectacular drives on earth.

Haida Gwaii (formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands) is one of the most remote and extraordinary destinations in Canada. Accessible only by ferry or floatplane, this archipelago off BC's north coast is home to ancient Haida villages, towering Sitka spruce, and wildlife found nowhere else on earth.

The Fraser Canyon is where BC's history began — the route of the 1858 gold rush, the CPR railway, and the original Cariboo Wagon Road. This loop from Hope through the canyon to Cache Creek, then back via the Coquihalla Highway, packs extraordinary scenery and heritage into four days.

The Shuswap is BC's lake district — a sprawling network of warm, clear lakes connected by the Thompson River system. This loop from Kamloops through Salmon Arm, Sicamous, and Chase takes in the houseboat capital of Canada, the world-famous Adams River salmon run, and some of BC's best freshwater beaches.

The Sunshine Coast is only accessible by ferry — which means it stays wonderfully unhurried. This route takes two BC Ferries crossings to reach Powell River and the Malaspina Peninsula, passing through Gibsons, Sechelt, and the Skookumchuck Narrows along the way.

Highway 20 from Williams Lake to Bella Coola is one of the great road trips in North America — 460 kilometres of ranch country, First Nations territory, and Coast Mountain wilderness ending at a remote fjord. The final descent into Bella Coola — 'The Hill' — drops 1,500 metres in 10 kilometres on an unpaved road. Not for the faint-hearted.

Wells Grey Provincial Park is BC's most underrated wilderness destination — a vast plateau of ancient volcanoes, turquoise rivers, and more waterfalls per square kilometre than anywhere in Canada. This route follows the North Thompson River from Kamloops through Clearwater to the park, then continues north toward the Yellowhead Pass.

The Columbia Valley between Radium and Revelstoke is home to more natural hot springs than anywhere else in Canada. This route strings together Radium, Halcyon, Nakusp, and Ainsworth hot springs with Kootenay National Park, the Columbia Wetlands, and the legendary free Kootenay Lake Ferry.

The Alaska Highway was built in 1942 in just eight months — a remarkable feat of engineering through some of the most remote terrain on earth. Starting at Mile Zero in Dawson Creek, this route follows the highway north through Fort St. John, Fort Nelson, and Stone Mountain to the Yukon border, passing through landscapes of staggering scale and beauty.

The Stikine River cuts the deepest canyon in Canada through the Coast Mountains — a place so remote and dramatic that John Muir called it 'a Yosemite 100 miles long.' This route follows the Cassiar Highway north from the Skeena Valley to Telegraph Creek, the historic terminus of the Collins Overland Telegraph, and the gateway to the Stikine.

The Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) crosses BC from the Alberta border to Prince Rupert — one of the great transcontinental drives. This route focuses on the mountain section from Jasper to Prince George, passing beneath Mount Robson (the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies), through the Robson Valley, and into the vast forests of the central interior.