Hidden Gems

Parked right at the Jasper Way Inn, this unassuming food wagon has become a genuine word-of-mouth legend among road-trippers heading north. It's the kind of stop that doesn't look like much from the highway — but pull in, and you'll find freshly made food that punches well above its weight. Hot, satisfying, and made with care, it's exactly the kind of roadside discovery that makes a long drive feel like an adventure. Truckers, locals, and travellers in the know have been stopping here for years, and once you've tried it, you'll understand why. A debit machine is available for bank card payments.

Tucked just off the highway, the Clearwater Stop is one of those unpretentious little roadside gems that earns its reputation entirely through the quality of the food. Pull up to the counter, grab a picnic table outside, and prepare to be pleasantly surprised. The menu runs from thick, juicy burgers and smoky grilled sausages to real ice cream — but the standout is the European specialties. The Jäger schnitzel arrives with four generous slices of tender meat in a rich mushroom cream sauce, accompanied by a crisp fresh salad with crunchy lettuce and cucumber. Whether you go for the schnitzel Viennese style, a bacon cheese pizza, or a classic cheeseburger, everything is made fresh and packed with flavour. Friendly service, a welcoming atmosphere, and food that punches well above its roadside setting — this one is absolutely worth stopping for.

A three-storey log home bed and breakfast sitting at the gateway to Wells Gray Provincial Park — one of BC's most spectacular wilderness destinations. Host Louise opened the Canadian Bear Guesthouse in 2022, drawn by a love of the mountains and a desire to share this uniquely Canadian landscape with guests from around the world. Four bear-themed suites (Brown Bear, Black Bear, Kermode Bear, and the private Grizzly Bear Cabin) offer everything from king beds with soaker tubs to a self-catered cabin sleeping six. Panoramic windows open onto a large patio with unobstructed mountain views, and a homemade breakfast is included with every B&B suite. Walking distance to shops and restaurants, and a direct route to 40+ waterfalls and 200 km of trails.

Tucked right in the heart of Hope, Sharon's Deli is the kind of place that doesn't advertise — it doesn't need to. Locals have been pointing road-trippers here for years. Stacked sandwiches on fresh-baked bread, scratch-made soups, and a warm counter-service atmosphere that makes you feel like you've stumbled onto a secret. Whether you're heading into the Fraser Canyon, climbing the Coquihalla, or just passing through, this is the stop that turns a pit stop into a memory.

A short forest walk leads to a powerful series of turquoise-water falls carved through volcanic rock. The Green River thunders through a narrow basalt gorge before plunging 60 metres in a series of cascades — one of the most dramatic and accessible waterfall walks in the Sea to Sky corridor.

A tucked-away shoreline on the wild west coast of Vancouver Island where a small waterfall drops directly onto a driftwood-strewn beach. The Salish Sea stretches to the horizon, and on a clear day you can see the Olympic Mountains across the water. Almost no one stops here despite being just off the Pacific Marine Circle Route.

A remarkable collection of heritage buildings relocated from across BC and reassembled beside a glacial lake beneath towering mountain walls. The outdoor ghost town includes a Chinese laundry, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, and a full-size steam locomotive — all set against one of the most dramatic backdrops in the province.

A dramatic mountain outlook where the sheer scale of Mount Robson — the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies — takes centre stage. The Berg Lake trail is one of BC's most celebrated backcountry routes, passing thundering waterfalls, turquoise glacial lakes, and the massive Berg Glacier calving icebergs into the lake below.

A serene old-growth forest park hiding a stunning waterfall that tumbles through mossy canyon walls. The trail winds through towering cedars and firs before revealing the falls — one of the most photogenic and least-visited spots in the Kootenays. The park sits just minutes from the charming lakeside village of Kaslo.

Standing four times taller than Niagara, Helmcken Falls is one of Canada's most spectacular waterfalls — yet most travellers drive right past it. The falls plunge 141 metres into a volcanic bowl, sending mist billowing above the canyon rim. A short walk from the parking area delivers one of the most jaw-dropping views in the province.

Wild Flour Bakery Café is Clearwater's beloved community gathering spot — a warm, welcoming café where everything is made from scratch. From freshly baked breads and pastries to hearty soups, sandwiches, and daily specials, the kitchen puts real care into every plate. It's the kind of place where road-trippers heading into Wells Gray Provincial Park stop for a proper breakfast before hitting the trails, and where locals linger over coffee on a slow morning. The baking alone is worth the detour — expect golden loaves, flaky pastries, and the kind of cinnamon bun that makes you wish you'd ordered two.

Five hand-drilled railway tunnels carved through the sheer granite walls of the Coquihalla Canyon — one of BC's most dramatic and least-known walks. Built between 1911 and 1916 for the Kettle Valley Railway, the tunnels thread through the canyon with suspension bridges spanning the roaring Coquihalla River below. The combination of dark tunnel passages, emerald water, and towering rock walls makes this one of the most photogenic short hikes in the province.

One of North America's most powerful tidal rapids, where the ocean surges through a narrow channel creating standing waves, whirlpools, and boiling eddies that can reach speeds of 30 km/h. Twice a day the tide reverses and the narrows transforms into a churning spectacle of white water. The 8 km return trail through old-growth forest to the viewpoint is as rewarding as the destination itself.

A sacred First Nations site and one of the world's most unusual natural phenomena — a shallow lake that transforms into a mosaic of coloured mineral pools each summer as the water evaporates. The circles range from pale yellow to deep green and blue depending on their mineral content, creating a landscape that looks more like abstract art than nature. The lake is visible from the highway and holds deep spiritual significance to the Syilx Okanagan people.

Once a booming silver-mining city of 5,000 people with electric streetlights, running water, and 24 hotels, Sandon was nearly wiped out by a catastrophic flood in 1955. Today a handful of weathered buildings cling to the narrow valley floor, surrounded by the rusting remnants of one of BC's most dramatic boom-and-bust stories. The old city hall still stands, and the creek that destroyed the town still runs through what was once the main street.

A little-known collection of hoodoo formations rising from the hillside above the Columbia Valley — tall, mushroom-shaped pillars of glacial sediment capped with harder rock that has protected the softer material beneath from erosion. The hoodoos stand 5 to 10 metres tall and glow warm amber in the late afternoon sun, with sweeping views of the Columbia River wetlands below. Almost no one stops here despite being just minutes from the highway.

A high alpine plateau carpeted in wildflowers from mid-July through August, with panoramic views of Garibaldi Provincial Park's volcanic peaks and the Black Tusk rising above the treeline. The 14 km return trail climbs steadily through old-growth forest before opening onto one of the most beautiful meadow landscapes in the province — yet it sees a fraction of the crowds that flock to nearby Garibaldi Lake.

Eighteen historic wooden trestle bridges and two tunnels spanning the dramatic canyon walls above Kelowna — part of the legendary Kettle Valley Railway built between 1910 and 1916. The 12 km return trail along the old rail bed crosses bridges suspended high above the canyon floor, with sweeping views of the Okanagan Valley below. Rebuilt after a devastating wildfire in 2003, the trestles are a remarkable feat of early 20th-century engineering.

A provincial marine park where BC Parks deliberately sank two ships and a barge to create an artificial reef — now one of the most accessible scuba diving and snorkelling sites in the province. The sunken vessels are encrusted with sea life and visible in the clear water just offshore. Above the surface, the cove offers dramatic views of Howe Sound's fjord walls and is a popular spot for camping, kayaking, and watching the bioluminescence on calm summer nights.

A short but jaw-dropping walk through a narrow limestone canyon carved by a glacial meltwater stream over thousands of years. The turquoise water of Tokumm Creek rushes through walls that close to just a few metres apart in places, with a series of bridges crossing the canyon at progressively greater heights. The final bridge looks down 37 metres into the churning water below — one of the most dramatic viewpoints in the Canadian Rockies.

Part of the largest protected wilderness area on Earth — a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Alaska and the Yukon — the Tatshenshini-Alsek is BC's most remote and spectacular wild place. The Tatshenshini River flows through a landscape of glaciers, grizzly bears, Dall sheep, and mountain ranges that have never been logged or mined. Multi-day river expeditions here are considered among the world's great wilderness journeys.

A series of natural hot spring pools tucked into a forested canyon above the Sloquet Creek — completely undeveloped, free to visit, and reached only by a rough 4x4 road and a short hike. The pools range in temperature from scalding at the source to perfectly warm lower down, and the surrounding old-growth forest and creek canyon make the setting feel genuinely wild. One of the last truly undeveloped hot springs accessible from the Lower Mainland.

Three stacked glacial lakes of an almost impossible turquoise — fed by the Matier Glacier above and connected by short trails through old-growth forest. Joffre Lakes is one of BC's most photographed spots, and for good reason: the colour of the water is genuinely surreal, shifting from pale mint to deep jade depending on the light. The lower lake is a five-minute walk from the parking lot; the upper lake requires a moderate 5km hike with 370m of elevation gain. Go early — the parking lot fills by 8am on summer weekends and a reservation system is in place.

One of the world's great canoe routes — a 116km chain of lakes, rivers, and portages forming a near-perfect rectangle through the Cariboo Mountains. The full circuit takes 6–10 days and passes through some of the most remote and beautiful wilderness in BC: moose wading in shallows, grizzly bears on the banks, osprey diving overhead, and the silence of a landscape that feels genuinely untouched. A limited number of permits are issued each season, which keeps the circuit uncrowded and the experience extraordinary. Even a day trip to the first lake is worth the drive.

An inland temperate rainforest — one of the rarest ecosystems on Earth — just 115km east of Prince George. The Ancient Forest protects a stand of western red cedars up to 2,000 years old, their massive trunks draped in moss and fern, their canopy filtering the light into something cathedral-like. A fully accessible boardwalk winds through the lower grove; a steeper trail climbs to the upper forest and a viewpoint over the McGregor River valley. It's one of the most awe-inspiring short walks in BC, and almost nobody outside the region knows it exists.

The stretch of Highway 99 between Pemberton and Lillooet is one of the most dramatic and least-driven scenic routes in BC. The road climbs through the Cayoosh Range past Duffey Lake — a stunning turquoise body of water ringed by peaks — then descends through the Cayoosh Creek canyon into the dry desert landscape around Lillooet. The contrast between the alpine world at the top and the arid canyon at the bottom is extraordinary. It's a genuine alternative to the Sea to Sky Highway, and on a weekday you may have the whole road to yourself.

BC's oldest provincial park and one of its most spectacular — a high alpine wilderness of glaciers, turquoise lakes, and rocky peaks rising above the Kootenay Valley. The park is accessible only on foot, which keeps it beautifully uncrowded. Day hikes lead to Kokanee Lake and the toe of the glacier; multi-day routes connect a network of backcountry cabins maintained by the Kootenay Mountaineering Club. The wildflower meadows in late July are extraordinary, and the views from the ridge above the glacier stretch to the Selkirk and Purcell ranges.

A vast, remote reservoir in the Columbia River valley north of Golden — 220km long and almost entirely roadless, surrounded by the Selkirk and Rocky Mountains. Kinbasket is one of BC's least-visited large bodies of water, accessible mainly by boat or floatplane. The shoreline is wild and undeveloped, the fishing for bull trout and Dolly Varden is exceptional, and the silence is absolute. A handful of remote campsites are accessible by boat. For travellers who want to feel genuinely far from the world, Kinbasket delivers.

One of the last remaining boardwalk villages in BC — a cluster of heritage buildings perched on stilts over a sheltered inlet on northern Vancouver Island. Telegraph Cove was built in the 1920s as a telegraph relay station and later became a salmon saltery; today it's a base for whale watching, kayaking, and grizzly bear tours in the Broughton Archipelago. The boardwalk itself is a delight to walk, with interpretive signs explaining the history of each building. The Orca Lab research station nearby has been studying killer whales here for decades.

The only hot springs in Canada set inside a natural cave — a horseshoe-shaped tunnel carved by an underground river, with pools at different temperatures as you move deeper into the rock. The cave is warm, dimly lit, and genuinely otherworldly; the main outdoor pool overlooks Kootenay Lake and the Purcell Mountains beyond. Ainsworth is a proper hot springs resort with changing rooms, a cold plunge pool, and a café. It's been drawing visitors since the 1880s, and the combination of the cave and the lake view makes it unlike any other hot springs experience in BC.

Two outdoor pools fed by natural hot springs in a forest setting above the Arrow Lakes — one hot (40°C), one cooler (36°C) — with the smell of cedar and the sound of the creek running alongside. Nakusp Hot Springs is municipally owned and beautifully maintained, with changing rooms, a snack bar, and a campground adjacent. The drive up from Nakusp through the forest is lovely, and the town itself — a quiet Kootenay lakeside community — is worth an overnight stay. Far less crowded than Radium or Harrison, and far more atmospheric.

A high alpine plateau in the Cascade Mountains above the Similkameen Valley — a landscape of turquoise lakes, granite peaks, and wildflower meadows that feels like a secret Switzerland. The core area is accessible only by a private jeep road (operated by Cathedral Lakes Lodge) or a strenuous 21km hike with 1,500m of elevation gain. The reward is extraordinary: Quiniscoe Lake, Ladyslipper Lake, and the Rim Trail with views stretching to the Okanagan and beyond. Cathedral is one of BC's finest backcountry destinations and one of its least-visited.

A 61-metre waterfall plunging into a dramatic volcanic canyon just minutes from the highway — one of the most accessible and spectacular waterfalls in BC, and somehow still overlooked by most travellers. The canyon walls are layered lava flows from ancient volcanic eruptions, and the viewpoint platform puts you directly above the falls with nothing between you and the drop. It's the first major stop on the road into Wells Grey Provincial Park, and it sets the tone perfectly for everything that follows. Five minutes from your car, and you're standing above something genuinely extraordinary.

A hidden swimming hole at the base of a 15-metre waterfall deep in Wells Grey Provincial Park — reached by a 4km trail through old-growth forest along the Murtle River. The pool is cold, clear, and perfectly formed, with a natural rock shelf for sitting and the falls thundering down in front of you. It's one of the best swimming holes in BC, and because it requires a proper hike to reach, it never gets crowded. The trail passes through some of the finest old-growth cedar forest in the province — the walk itself is worth the trip.

The narrowest navigable point on the Fraser River — where 200 million gallons of water per minute squeeze through a 35-metre-wide gorge, 180 metres below the Trans-Canada Highway. The Airtram descends into the canyon for a perspective that's impossible to get any other way: the roar of the water, the spray on your face, and the sheer scale of the rock walls above you. The canyon floor has interpretive displays about the Gold Rush, the CPR railway, and the salmon fishways built to help sockeye navigate the gorge. A genuinely thrilling stop on the drive between Vancouver and the Interior.

A small, shallow lake on the South Okanagan desert floor that is one of the most productive wildlife watching spots in BC. California bighorn sheep graze on the cliffs above the highway; white-headed woodpeckers, canyon wrens, and Lewis's woodpeckers nest in the ponderosa pines; trumpeter swans and Canada geese winter on the water. The lake is a National Wildlife Area and a Canadian Heritage River — a protected oasis in the middle of wine country. A short boardwalk trail leads to a bird blind with views across the marsh. Completely free, completely uncrowded.

The Coquihalla Highway climbs from Hope to a 1,244-metre summit through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in BC — a landscape of granite peaks, avalanche chutes, and subalpine meadows that most drivers pass through at 120km/h without stopping. The summit rest area has short trails into the alpine, views of the Coquihalla River headwaters, and in summer, wildflower meadows that rival anything in the Rockies. In winter, the summit is a world of snow and ice that feels genuinely remote despite being 2.5 hours from Vancouver.

A fully restored 1890s boomtown on the banks of the Kootenay River — 60 heritage buildings staffed by costumed interpreters who bring the Gold Rush era to life. Fort Steele was the commercial centre of the East Kootenay during the Wild Horse Creek gold rush, and at its peak had a population of 4,000. The town was bypassed by the railway in 1898 and quietly preserved by its isolation. Today it's one of BC's finest living history museums: a working blacksmith, a steam-powered threshing machine, a narrow-gauge railway, and a genuine sense of a world frozen in time.

The northeastern corner of Haida Gwaii — a vast, windswept park of ancient spruce and cedar forest, sand dunes, and 97km of wild Pacific coastline. Naikoon is one of the most remote and otherworldly places in BC: the beaches are strewn with driftwood the size of houses, the forest is draped in moss and lichen, and the light has a quality you won't find anywhere else. The Tow Hill hike leads to a basalt bluff with views across Hecate Strait; the East Beach trail is a multi-day wilderness walk along the open Pacific. A place that changes how you think about wilderness.

BC's driest and hottest town sits in a canyon so dramatic it looks like it belongs in the American Southwest — the Fraser River cutting through layers of rock and sand, ponderosa pines clinging to the slopes, and the temperature regularly hitting 40°C in summer. Lillooet was the Mile 0 of the Cariboo Wagon Road during the Gold Rush, and the town's heritage district preserves that history beautifully. The surrounding landscape offers rattlesnake habitat, desert wildflowers, and views that are genuinely unlike anything else in BC. A completely unexpected corner of the province.

A UNESCO Global Geopark in the Peace River foothills where dinosaur footprints, waterfalls, and fossil beds sit within hiking distance of a small coal-mining town. The Tumbler Ridge area has produced some of the most significant dinosaur discoveries in Canada — including the first ankylosaur trackway ever found — and the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery in town displays casts of the finds. The surrounding landscape is spectacular: Kinuseo Falls (higher than Niagara) is a 30-minute hike from the road, and the Murray River canyon offers multi-day wilderness hiking through country that sees very few visitors.

The Grand Canyon of the Stikine is one of the most remote and spectacular river canyons in North America — 80km of sheer basalt walls, boiling rapids, and wilderness that has never been permanently settled. The Stikine River drops 300 metres through the canyon in a series of cataracts that are unrunnable by any craft; the only way to experience it is by floatplane or on foot along the rim. The canyon is part of a 400,000-hectare wilderness recreation area that also includes the Spatsizi Plateau — BC's Serengeti — to the north. For travellers who want to see something truly wild, this is it.

The Turtle is Clearwater's beloved local diner — the last proper sit-down meal before you head into Wells Grey Provincial Park, and the first one when you come out. It's been feeding locals and road-trippers for years with honest, unpretentious cooking: all-day breakfast, house-made burgers, BC salmon, and pies baked in-house. The staff know the regulars by name and the food is made with real care. Not a chain, not a franchise — just a genuinely good small-town restaurant that road-trippers remember long after they've left.

When your phone screen shatters mid-road-trip or your laptop dies before you have backed up your photos, FixMyMobile on Hastings Street in Burnaby is the place to go. With 11+ years of experience, same-day repairs on most common issues, and a lifetime warranty on eligible screen repairs, this is one of the most trusted device repair shops in Metro Vancouver. They handle everything from cracked iPhone screens to MacBook motherboard repairs, iPad glass, Apple Watch, gaming consoles, and data recovery — and every device gets a free diagnosis. Walk-ins welcome.

Forever Yours Engraving and Design is a Canadian artisan studio proudly based in the Victoria, BC area. Using cutting-edge 3D laser engraving technology, they bring your most treasured memories to life — portraits, beloved poems, breathtaking nature scenes, and more. Each piece is meticulously crafted with unparalleled detail and depth, turning your memories into art that lasts a lifetime. Whether you are looking for a one-of-a-kind gift or a permanent keepsake, Forever Yours creates something truly unique that no mass-produced item can match.

Right in the heart of Clearwater, Brickfront Food Shop is a road-tripper's hidden gem — a specialty grocery store focused on fresh, organic, and locally sourced food. Locals absolutely love this place and plan their week around it. It's the kind of quality stop you don't expect to find on a highway run through the North Thompson Valley, but once you know it's there, you'll never drive past without stopping. Stock up on wholesome provisions before heading into Wells Grey Provincial Park, grab something fresh and satisfying after a long stretch of highway, or simply treat yourself to food that actually tastes like something. From fresh produce and artisan pantry goods to specialty items you won't find at a chain store, Brickfront has earned its reputation as Clearwater's go-to spot for real food.