Travel British Columbia. You Will be Thrilled at What You See

When you travel British Columbia for a time you will soon find yourself running out of superlatives to describe what you see and experience.

I have been fortunate enough to have traveled a great many countries and many of the corners of North America. Nothing anywhere can compare the overall diversity you will find while touring this spectacular Canadian Province.

Here are a few facts about the Province of British Columbia you will need to enjoy your tour.

1. British Columbia is huge. The drive from Banff Alberta to Vancouver will take you 11 hours if you drive the speed limit of 100 Km per hour.

2. A trip from the border with the USA just south of the city of Vancouver to the northern border of BC and the Yukon Territory will take you 30 hours at the speed limit.

3. After a 2 hour ferry trip from near Vancouver to the capitol city of Victoria will find you on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Drive north to the northern tip to Port Hardy and you will have covered over 800 KM. The island is only 80 KM wide from east to west.

4. The highways covering most of British Columbia are very good, paved roads. Divided highways serve the main populated areas.

5. The city of Victoria is the Provincial capitol lying on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

6. The largest city is the world famous city of Vancouver at the mouth of the mighty Fraser river. This beautiful and vibrant city has been voted the number one city in the world in 2011 and carries the title well. The lower mainland comprising the cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Surrey, Port Moody, Richmond, New Westminster as well as the Fraser Valley cities of Langley, Abbotsford, Mission, and Chilliwack have a population of 3,000,000.

7. Due to the sea level of the lower mainland, the climate is very moderate. The wet climate allows greenery to flourish year round.

8. Since British Columbia is mountainous, weather can be quite different from one area to another.

Travel to the eastern end of the Fraser Valley to the pretty town of Hope and see the many amazing wood carvings scattered about the town. From Hope three highways lead you to the summits of the highlands and into the uplands of BC.

When you travel British Columbia, in a matter of an hours drive you will see the climate change from damp to arid, almost desert conditions.

From here you can drive north through Williams Lake and follow highway 97 to Prince George, Fort St. John, and Fort Nelson. At the quaint town of Dawson Creek you enter the famous Alaska Highway. This highway will take you through beautiful, rugged mountains, wild rivers and spectacular lakes, 1,400 km's into the Yukon Territory all the way to the busy city of Whitehorse. The highway leads north to Alaska from there.

Travel east or south

To travel to the west coast and into Prince Rupert you travel north of Williams Lake to the Yellowhead Highway and take that highway to the coast.

If you wish to head east from the Yellowhead towards Edmonton Alberta this is where you do so.

To travel British Columbia along the Trans Canada Highway from Hope you pick up that highway and head up the Fraser Canyon. At Cache Creek the highway turns east and you travel through the busy city of Kamloops and on to Salmon Arm and the unbelievable Shuswap Lakes system. Rent a houseboat at Salmon Arm or Sicamous for a few days cruising on the lake. It is huge and pristine.

The trans Canada Highway is the main connector between BC and Newfoundland some 7,000 km in length.

To the Kootney area.

Leaving Salmon arm you travel British Columbia to Revelstoke where you may elect to turn south and travel the Kootney Mountains or stay on the Trans Canada to Banff in Alberta.

Another Area for you to travel British Columbia is to head to the Okanagan Valley. This is one of the busiest tourist areas, especially in summer. Beautiful Orchards and Vineyards are everywhere.

There are two choices open to you.

From Hope you may take the # 5 Highway called Coquihala up over the mountain and head east on the #5A connector highway to Kelowna. From this busy area situated alongside highway #97 you can elect to travel north to Salmon Arm 2 hours north or turn south to Osoyoos an orchard paradise just north of the USA border.

Another route from Hope is highway #3 east and as the name suggests it travels east to Osoyoos and intersects with highway #97. This highway #3 takes you all along the south eastern end of the province to the city of Lethbridge, Alberta. When you travel British Columbia you may or may not be in a hurry. This route is for those who are not in a hurry as it is a beautiful spectacular highway with mountains, rivers, lakes and wildlife of all kinds. Now you realize that British Columbia is a huge province.

What about Camping in British Columbia?

Good quality RV parks are everywhere. Most have all the hookups you require.

Travel British Columbia for a few days and you will realize that the Provincial government has one of the finest RV Park and Campground systems ever. Beautifully maintained and located in some amazing sites with large campsites and excellent facilities you will be in awe as you explore. The prices are also very reasonable as well.

The province also provides some 1100 recreation campsites. These are sort of the bare minimum campsites that do not qualify for the provincial campground classification. They do have pit toilets, tables and campfire rings. Some are free of charge and others with better maintenance are priced from $10. To $15.

The full campgrounds have dumping stations, water hookup and washrooms.

Irma and I have had the pleasure of camping in many of these parks. One we will never forget is the Clearwater Lake Provincial Campground at Clearwater, BC

Follow the Trans Canada Highway to Kamloops and turn onto the #5 highway to Jasper. At the town of Clearwater, about an hour or less turn towards the Clearwater Lake and follow the signs.

Travel British Columbia and enjoy your trip.

Leaving Salmon arm you travel British Columbia to Revelstoke where you may elect to turn south and travel the Kootney Mountains or stay on the Trans Canada to Banff in Alberta.

Another Area for you to travel British Columbia is to head to the Okanagan Valley. This is one of the busiest tourist areas, especially in summer. Beautiful Orchards and Vineyards are everywhere.

There are two choices open to you.

From Hope you may take the # 5 Highway called Coquihala up over the mountain and head east on the #5A connector highway to Kelowna. From this busy area situated alongside highway #97 you can elect to travel north to Salmon Arm 2 hours north or turn south to Osoyoos an orchard paradise just north of the USA border.

Another route from Hope is highway #3 east and as the name suggests it travels east to Osoyoos and intersects with highway #97. This highway #3 takes you all along the south eastern end of the province to the city of Lethbridge, Alberta. When you travel British Columbia you may or may not be in a hurry. This route is for those who are not in a hurry as it is a beautiful spectacular highway with mountains, rivers, lakes and wildlife of all kinds. Now you realize that British Columbia is a huge province.

What about Camping in British Columbia?

Good quality RV parks are everywhere. Most have all the hookups you require.

Travel British Columbia for a few days and you will realize that the Provincial government has one of the finest RV Park and Campground systems ever. Beautifully maintained and located in some amazing sites with large campsites and excellent facilities you will be in awe as you explore. The prices are also very reasonable as well.

The province also provides some 1100 recreation campsites. These are sort of the bare minimum campsites that do not qualify for the provincial campground classification. They do have pit toilets, tables and campfire rings. Some are free of charge and others with better maintenance are priced from $10. To $15.

The full campgrounds have dumping stations, water hookup and washrooms.

Irma and I have had the pleasure of camping in many of these parks. One we will never forget is the Clearwater Lake Provincial Campground at Clearwater, BC

Follow the Trans Canada Highway to Kamloops and turn onto the #5 highway to Jasper. At the town of Clearwater, about an hour or less turn towards the Clearwater Lake and follow the signs.

Travel British Columbia and enjoy your trip.

Visit all of the Canadian Provinces and Territories

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