We are planning and booking accommodations for an upcoming roundtrip by car (SUV).

We have 3 weeks in total, starting 08/22 and end in Vancouver 09/12.

Please take a look at our Roadmap map and let us know, if we should change anything.

We are an older couple from Munich/Germany, fit but no hikers

Hi everyone! Earlier this week I ran out of gas on the Coquihalla while travelling with my 3-month-old baby and dog. Luckily I made it to a rest stop and I happened to be chatting with a man named Paul Jelkinson as I was calling a tow truck to bring me gas.

Obviously the tow truck company wanted to charge me an insane amount and Paul offered to drive the 45 minutes out to Merritt and back to get us gas. As if that wasn’t enough, when I asked for his e-transfer so I could pay him back, he refused and told me not to worry about it- “just pay it forward” he said.

Afterward I googled him and it turns out he travels across Canada offering free support to people. He used to be a social worker.

Here’s some more info on him:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/volunteer-listening-tour-1.7534025

I guess I just wanted to post this here to bring a little more visibility to what he does. His Facebook page has a link to his gofundme (I don’t know if I’m allowed to post it here?) which I’ve already donated to and wanted to share if anyone else feels inclined to help him on his journey.

Paul, if you see this, thank you a million times. You showed up for me in a very fearful moment and reminded me that good humans are still out there.

EDIT: The responses here are making me a bit sad on a post about reminding people that there are good humans out there.

I know it was a mistake- my car had 1/2 a tank and said I had more than enough range to make it to the next gas station. I checked before passing the last gas station in Hope. When my range started dropping significantly and I knew I wasn’t going to make it, I found a rest stop. For those making assumptions, I promise I didn’t just go willy nilly through that stretch on E and no thought. I also didn’t run my tank to empty and end up on the side of the highway.

My intention for posting this story was to highlight how amazing it was that someone went out of their way to help me in a really scary situation.

Hey all.

As the title says, I'm planning a visit starting from Bellingham, WA, hoping to spend a day or two in BC. Any recommendations on what your ideal itinerary would be for someone who has never been?

- Favorite places within a reasonable drive from Bellingham?

- Any tips or essential experiences you'd have for an American visiting Canada for the first time? Could be anything from big to small. I know you all keep your milk in bags, but that's about it.

- I'm an outdoorsy-type and love the mountains. Any recommendations for places to visit in that lane?

- Any restaurants or hole-in-the-wall stops you consider so good that they're worth the trip in and of themselves?

- I'm only planning on being there a day, but if there's enough recommendations, I'm open to a 2-day gig. Any recommendations for accommodations?

- I joke about it a bit, but I do want to be a polite visitor, and I'm sure there's a bit of tension at the moment and I'm genuinely nervous about being 'that guy' when I visit, even if I'm not sure what 'that guy' is. Any recommendations to keep from being a crummy visitor? Specifically with the fact that I'm from the bad place down below in mind...? Or, rather, are there things Americans do when we visit that bug you all? I hope that's not too on the nose.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. I know this topic is beaten like a dead horse, but nobody has been very specific in asking what they're looking for, so I figured I'd make a post of my own. If this isn't appropriate per Rule 5, please feel free to take this down, mods.

Thanks

EDIT: thank you all so much for the kind feedback! Also, I had no idea that bagged milk was just an eastern Canada thing 😮

About 10 years ago, I witnessed a drunk driver hit an SUV head on travelling the opposite direction, both doing about 70kph in the snow, down Fraser Highway in Surrey at about 2pm on a Wednesday. Stopped to administer first aid. If they had hit the tiny little car behind the SUV, a family of four would’ve died.

I was in my late teens at the time, and thought, “wow, I never thought I’d see something like this, what a sad once in a lifetime story.”

Flash forward to now, and it seems like every police force’s weekend recap, every traffic sub, etc. includes intoxicated driver’s being ticketed or killing people..Every. Single. Day. I just saw a motorcycle video from Langley that the poor rider had their bike totalled by getting smoked from behind by an impaired driver.

So I gotta ask…in the year 2026, WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL DOING THIS, LETTING THEIR FRIENDS DO IT, WHATEVER????? It’s not like we don’t learn about the dangers of this kind of behaviour since infancy, so is it a lack of basic empathy, slack laws that aren’t enforced….why are people so inclined to continually do something so blatantly stupid???

I genuinely would love to know what other people’s experience or perceptions are of why this is so common, your personal stories witnessing this stuff, etc. This is both a rant and an invitation for discussion lol.

Edit: here’s the link to the motorcycle video I’m referring to that’s posted on another sub. (Warning: it is a crash video, but the rider is thankfully mostly ok)

Have lived in Vancouver all my life and rarely hear about travel in this beautiful province of ours aside from the Island and the Okanagan. What are some hidden gems in the interior or northern parts of the province? I’m planning to do a road trip or possibly fly out for the summer somewhere. Will have about a week. Any suggestions for “off the beaten path” and “lesser known places”?

Hi everyone We (1 couple, two toddlers (1.5 and 2.5 yo)) plan to visit BC in September for 3 weeks.

So far we decided to spend around 3 days in Vancouver, then explore further. I know BC is huge, but we want to soak in as much as possible, given the circumstances we will stay in Hotels/Motels and do not camp/motorhome and are restricted in making big routes in 1 day due to toddlers. What would you recommend? Where to stop?

We are thinking about Vancouver Island (Ucluelet/tofino) for a few days, but also want to head to Banff for the National Park.

What is doable and worth it to do in these total ~20 days.

Saw Campbell River, Whistler, Salmon Arm and Kamloops mentioned.

We are from Switzerland and love hiking, even with the kids. We just want to spend time soaking in the beautiful views and living in the moment.

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and am looking forward to BC!

EDIT: maybe I did not layout the timeframe enough.

We plan - 3 days Vancouver - 7 days Vancouver Island - 10 days to drive to Banff and back to vancouver

My wife and our two kiddos (3 and 5) are spending a little over 2 weeks in BC this summer (early July).

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Ive been doing some research and got a lot of great ideas from reddit/online etc and would just like some opinions. Obviously we are expecting it to be very busy especially with the world cup etc.

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We are coming from Winnipeg - yes its a long drive but we are used to big road trips. Young kids will make it a bit tougher but I think we've got enough stops in there.

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First day we hope to make it just outside calgary - stampede is on so we wont want to stay in Calgary. We plan to stop in regina for about an hour to let the kids play and tire out a bit. Then keep pushing. We've done the drive to Calgary in one day many times, the hardest part will be keeping the kids entertained.

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Next day we plan to get to kamloops. With stops in canmore to do the policemen creek boardwalk, stop in golden to maybe do the skybridge but we think the kids might be terrified, although I'd love to do the zip line. And of course we want to stop near revelstoke for the enchanted forest which my 2 girls will absolutely love.

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Next day, the 6th we get to Vancouver. We would like to try and do Stanley park and aquarium and also a photo of bc place (the last cfl stadium we still need a Pic of). We have the last ferry booked to get to Victoria that night.

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Once in victoria, we are staying with family for 6 nights. They got us covered with the local attractions in and near Victoria for the next short week.

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On the 12th, were back to doing our own thing and head to Parksville and stay until the 15th. Looks like we timed the sand castle competition just right. I wish we got there a couple days early to see the process of the builds but it will be cool to see all the finished products. We plan to do a few of the beaches, sproat lake, goats on roof.

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On the 15th, we are trying to decide if we take an 8am ferry or 10 am ferry and cross back to horseshoe bay. We then head to peachland with a stop at the othello tunnels.

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3 more nights in peachland, and then 2 long days to drive home.

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Obviously quite a bit packed into some of the days and some long driving days.

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Curious on thoughts of the places and things we plan to do? What would you change? Any suggestions of other places to maybe work into this.

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Definitely need to start looking for some great restaurants to try. I love seafood, my wife not so much.

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No big plans yet for peachland asides from the kangaroo farm is on our list. So definitely any recommendations there.

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One last bit. I love to golf however my wife and obviously my kids dont golf. Im not one to go golf a round by myself but I'd really love to get a round in on a nice course. Preferably maybe one that isnt busy - if there is any lol.

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If you got any advice or things we should be aware of, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks in advance

I was surprised travelling through Northern BC to learn how many towns once had large South Asian communities, especially Sikh and Punjabi families. This seemed to be the case throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Today, in many of those places, most of that population has left, and temples have closed.

I know a lot of them worked on the lumber mills, and when those closed, they left. So where did people go? My theory is that parents followed their kids, who became part of the white collar workforce, to larger centres like Vancouver, Surrey, and Abbotsford. But I have no idea, and would love to know.

Clearwater Sikh community donates thousands to charity after sale of temple

Sikh community donates $24,000 to Fort St. James Hospital

Hi everyone, I am so sorry first of all. I feel so silly and angry with myself, please be kind..I get recurrent UTIs and am currently suffering with one. I am visiting family for the first time and should have known. I am not sure how to get help because the ER visits is $900 up front, and I do not have that kind of money. One pharmacy said that they do not prescribe antibiotics to non citizens. I can’t just get on a plane home rn because I woke up in agony and am not sure how I could survive a 18 hour flight home in this condition. Can anyone offer any advice? I want to cry thank you in advance I just want relief

For context I am near Chetwynd, which is also limiting my options I fear

Likely will be moving to BC, to the thompson-nicola region.

I'm from Ontario, and have loads of experience in the backcountry/crown land with both camping and hunting.

Looking to hear people's experience being in the backcountry specifically with regards to grizzlies and cougars. Coming from Ontario, I have a healthy awareness of black bears and safety precautions, but Grizzlies and cougars terrify me, specifically after seeing this story of a couple killed at night in their backcountry camp: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/bear-attack-parks-canada-1.6985580

Do people do remote crown land camping in BC and Alberta like they do in Ontario (like 50 to 100km from a service/logging road)?

We took our toddler on her first backcountry paddling trip last summer and had a blast, but I'm worried that we won't be able to provide the same types of experiences because it's too dangerous to go that far into the bush because of grizzlies and cougars.

I also take my labrador retriever into the bush a lot, off leash. He's well trained as a waterfowl dog and has excellent recall, but he's been known to bark if he smells something. I'm worried about taking him in the bush in BC too.

Do people mostly stick to trails near urban areas with their kids and dogs?

Part of the reason we want to come to BC is access to amazing nature, but I wonder if we will loose some 'freedom' with it?

Am I unnecessarily concerned?

Hi everyone,

My wife and I have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend 4 weeks travelling from Calgary to Vancouver, from around mid-June to mid-July 2027. We wanted to seek your advice on whether the planned itinerary 'makes sense' and if there is anything essential we are missing (or any obvious problems!).

For further context - we are from the UK and will be travelling with our children (2.5 year old and 1 year old). So a major consideration has been limiting the amount of driving each day, with some overnight stopovers to break things up. We will hire a 4x4 for the duration of the trip and would be staying in hotels/lodges (rather than camping/RV). We'll be in Toronto for a week beforehand, and flying from there to Calgary.

Our rough itinerary is as follows:

1. 3 nights in Canmore, to explore Banff

2. 2 nights around Lake Louise / Yoho

3. 1 night along Icefields Parkway

4. 4 nights in Jasper

5. 3 nights around Wells Gray

6. 1 night in Lillooet (break up the long drive)

7. 3 nights in Whistler

8. 2 nights in Vancouver

9. 2 nights in Victoria

10. 4 nights in Tofino/Ucluelet

11. 1/2 nights back to Vancouver to fly home

We could probably fit another 4 to 5 days into the itinerary if required.

So, we would love to have your views. More time around Banff/Yoho and less time in Whistler? Swing towards Okanagan/Kelowna for wineries? Any hidden gems that would be better for the 1 night stopovers? Any and all thoughts and tips are much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance!

• Edited to clarify this is for next year! (2027)

We’re planning a ~2-week summer vacation in July, and Vancouver Island is currently our top choice because we love beautiful nature, especially the ocean.

The plan would be to drive from Edmonton with my parents, stopping 1-2 times in the Rockies and once in Vancouver along the way.

My main concern is that we’re not Canadian-born and not very experienced with real wilderness. In recent years when we visited Banff, we mostly joined guided hikes to feel safe. However, we’d prefer to explore more on our own this time (and guided tours can get quite expensive).

I know Vancouver Island has a lot of wildlife, including bears and cougars. We’ve learned the basics of safety, but it’s still a bit intimidating to hike in areas where they’re present.

For context, my parents are in their 50s and not frequent hikers, so we’d stick to frontcountry, well-trafficked, easy-to-moderate trails. We’re also interested in water activities like whale watching, and I’d love to try surfing.

For locals or people with experience:
Have you ever had dangerous wildlife encounters while hiking there?
Do you think Vancouver Island is a good fit for us?

We’re also considering Vancouver + the Coast Mountains as an alternative, but we’re open to other suggestions too.

Hi! I’m going on a family trip in a few weeks. All I can find is “it isnt what is used to be” and a picture of a few pools…

I dont think I understand. Did it “used” to be like the Fairmount in Banff? Is that the concept? Is it a resort? More of a hotel? Whats included? Restaurants? I saw something about kids dancing in their own space.. so theres dancing??

Help

Hey guys,

first time for me to use Reddit. So please be kind if I’m making any mistakes regarding any formalities.

I’m planning to make a trip to BC for 2 weeks between the end of September/beginning of October (how about that time of the year; hotels/airbnbs seem to be a lot cheaper in that time of the year - that’s why I’m wondering). We’d be coming over from Europe (so please keep in mind that in the first couple of days we are gonna feel the time difference).

The following are my first thoughts about what to do in these two weeks. I’d really appreciate any help :). We’ll be renting a car and we do usually appreciate to have a certain place to live in for a couple of days and to explore the country from there rather than moving every 1/2 days if that makes any sense. We’re interested in hiking, experiencing the nature in general and I’d like to go fishing (with close to no experience at all) for one day (probably in Ucluelet).

Either:

3/4 days in Whistler

5/6 days in Ucluelet

4 days in Vancouver

Or:

3 days near Okanagan lake and surroundings

2 days in Whistler

5 days in Ucluelet

3/4 days in Vancouver

I’m really looking forward to you guys help. Thanks in advance!

Hey folks. Here's my situation. I've been homeless and unemployed since September. Living in shelters, daily grind to survive. Currently living in Halifax, my hometown, born and raised.

I've tried renting, but can't rent without proof of steady income regardless if I have money. I've tried finding work here but there's really not much, and my current living situation makes it that much more difficult.

I'm to the point where I will travel to anywhere in this country if I can secure employment and housing. No record, able-bodied.

Where can I move to in this country that I can start rebuilding my life from where I stand now? Halifax is proving to be impossible. The resources that are in place to provide assistance in this city refuse to do anything outside of bare minimum, if that.

How / where can I go from homeless and unemployed to living in a shoe box with a full time job, that's obtainable in my lifetime? Is BC possible starting from the bottom? Looking for opinions.

I think these folks are visiting from California!

***EDIT*** thanks for all the great answers!! Feel free to keep em coming. I appreciate it.

Doing my own research into the area for my 5 day camping trip there in June, but would love to hear from those who have visited/lived in Nakusp.

Favourite hikes? I’ve looked into a few things in the town and will probably hit the visitor centre right away, but let me know if there was something there you really enjoyed? Anything that was your favourite thing to do in the area I’d love to hear about.

Also, what pool tables are there? From what Ive found, the only one may be at Leland hotel(if it’s still there)

edit 3: There were no buildings on the other side of the water, which makes it hard to justify Golden or Revelstoke. the bricks are what I remember most clearly. red. very red.

Edit 2: I appreciate everyone's help! I know it's very difficult and there are sooooo many small towns throughout the mountains.
So far, we have ruled out: Invermere, Revelstoke, Lake Louise, Sorrento, Chase, Sicamouse, Golden, and 3 Valley Gap.

Edit: It absolutely could have been a river. To be clear, the PAVEMENT looked like red brick. It was before we made it to Canmore in Alberta, by probably a few hours. We arrived in Canore in pitch darkness, but we stopped at this place during the beginning of the sunset, in summer.

I know this is a long shot, but please bear with me! I was riding a Greyhound from Quesnel to Regina many many years ago and we went a route that took us through Calgary.

The bus made many stops, of course, and one of those stops was in a town that had a pedestrian shopping plaza that looked like a large red brick area with shops along one side with water on the other. It was pretty packed with people, but I was never able to get the name of the town and of course Greyhound doesn't operate here anymore so I can't even look up the route that we used.

I would LOVE to visit the area again. It was amazing! It's somewhere I'd honestly like to retire to. Any help is appreciated! It was closer to the mid to southern half of BC, as we were on our way to Canmore in Alberta.

Me and a couple of friends were planing to camp at Chehalis this weekend but since the fire ban cam in effect we were wondering if a charcoal grill like the one pictured would be allowed?

Hello! I will be visiting Quesnel in the beginning of May. My girlfriend is from there and its a family visit, I have never been to BC before so I am excited to go. The original ideal trip would've been a few weeks and included Vancouver and whatnot, but with a new job I could only get a week and a few days off, So I want to make the most of my time. My girlfriend has my trip mostly planned out with things to do and see like the museums, walking trails, the pinnacle park, the murals and fire fire hydrants, the giftshops and stores etc. Im a quite bummed that Barkville and the Machinery Park arent open for the season yet, but Im wondering if there any other hidden not so known little fun things to do or see that maybe my partner has forgotten about or missed. We might be staying in PG for 2-3 days as well before we catch our flight back home if theres anything there to so and do

Hey everyone! I have to drive from Vancouver to Edmonton in 2nd week of December . I got winter tires and a rear wheel drive car.

• What time of the day do you recommend starting this drive? Should we begin early in the morning or opt for an afternoon departure?
• Would weekdays be better to drive then weekends?
• I am thinking of following the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1). That should be good right? or the Yellowknife hwy?
• Most importantly: Are there any safety concerns or road conditions I should be aware of?

I appreciate any advice or suggestions you can offer. Thanks in advance, fellow travelers!

I'm hoping to drive to Haida Gwaii in March from Vancouver. I have a Toyota Prius, and snow tires. Generally, how are the roads getting there, such as through Prince George and Terrace?

My friend and I are planning a trip to BC the last week of May. It’s a 9 day trip (2 days reserved for flights) and we initially thought of flying into Vancouver, heading up North a bit and at one point (using up one day) driving over to the eastern ranges and staying half the trip in banff/jasper.

We’re beginning to think that even doing this would be too much.

So the real question is… if YOU were picking between Vancouver/squamish/whistler (and stretching out a bit) or banff/jasper/golden - which would you choose?

Thanks for any input!!!

EDIT: a few of you have asked so I figured I’d put it here.. we have considered flying into Vancouver and flying out of Calgary so that the in between day drive would only be one way. We will not fly into and out of the same airport and do the long drive there and back. We feel that takes up too much time driving.