The Canadian Road Trip

 The Canadian Road Trip

We always wondered what it would be like to travel across the whole of Canada.  Its always been a place that has intrigued us and we were fascinated to discover the vastness of the country.  Canada is three times the size of India and we figured we would need at least six months to see as much as we could. One day we will take the six months we need, however, this Canadian Road trip gives us a brief preview of what it may be like.  It includes a trip to this wonderful country exploring Vancouver and the Rocky mountains. We left Otto & Daphne in the UK and we rented a "Truck camper" to take us on an adventure.

After a few days in Vancouver acclimatising to the time changes in British Columbia, we explored downtown Vancouver before picking up our, massive to us, rented truck and demountable camper.

We were lucky with the weather and took up an open invitation from our new friends on Facebook, Kevin & Ann, for a trip out on their boat, once we'd parked up on their land.

What a day! We packed a picnic and explored Kevin & Ann's beautiful local lake on their boat. We were able to pick their brains on routes to take and places to stay for the rest of our trip. We received some great Canadian hospitality and recommend following the "Travel to CANADA" Facebook group for tips and offers of local knowledge & hospitality. 

And then we were off, headed towards the Rockies and the national parks. Our road trip had started in earnest and we got used to our Ford truck fairly quickly. It was a big 6.7 litre, automatic F350 Ford turbo diesel and brand new. Attached on top of the truck bed was a year old Northern lights demountable camper with all the necessities: including a huge bed; dinette table and bench seats; a microwave; cooker & hob; a full size fridge/freezer and a toilet & shower. It was much bigger than anything we were used to, plus we had to remember to drive on the right, however, we loved it. 

After a few days we reached Jasper national park. In 2024 this area fell victim to horrendous fires and the huge swathes of the park has been badly damaged. It's open to visit and you cannot help but notice the fire damage. It's still a very beautiful place and we enjoyed the town of Jasper and, in particular, the quirky laundrette!

Route 93 from Jasper to Banff, takes you south, high up along the rocky mountains, onto the Icefields Parkway through some amazing forests, lakes, waterfalls, and glaciers. This road is know as the Icefields parkway and is said to be the most beautiful road in North America. It's just stunning and real "pinch me, am I really here" moments.  

We were lucky to have a smattering of snow as we stayed on a cold overnight, looking out over glaciers at 3000 metres. The icefields are the largest in North America and are ancient glaciers that sit astride the continental divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta in the Rocky mountains. They are a beautiful wonder to behold and unfortunately, fading fast. 

We "Boondocked" (parked up for free, off grid) on our way to the national parks.  However, once we reached the national parks you have to use the specified campsites and also have a "Discovery pass" permit to enter and use all the facilities.  Towards the end of the season many of the campsites were closed, we still found what we needed available and at very reasonable cost.  A few even had free firewood, a picnic table and a fire pit to use.  Within a few days we felt we were living exactly the way we dreamt of doing travelling on the Canadian roads.  We were touring most days, seeing wonderful sites, walking trails and parking up in the relative wilderness.  We were cooking over the campfire and getting away from the hum drum of ordinary life.  Just what we needed.

Some of our favourite places were the touristy ones that most people have heard of: Jasper; Lake Louise; the Icefields and Banff, the town and national park.  We also love Yoho & Revelstoke national parks and some of the regional parks en route.  In Banff especially, every corner was like a picture postcard and well worth a visit for the stunning scenery and beautiful nature.  I think they are on everyone radar for this reason and rightly so.  We were pleased to be there later in the season as I imagine they would get very busy at other times of the year.

We did not eat out a lot as we had our own facilities.  We did enjoy a few drinks and Ivan especially enjoyed a pie, mash and peas one day.  Canadian supermarkets were well stocked and around the same price as the UK for some things, a bit more pricey for others.  Alcohol has to be purchased from a licensed liquor store and is around the same price as the UK.  When we did eat out it was either very reasonable or a bit more than we were used to and of course you had to add on tax and tips to any prices.  All in all we spent about the same as we would spend in the UK and Europe when we are travelling extensively to see different locations and site seeing.  

A few days in Whistler and that was the end of our trip this time around.  It gave us a taster of what we hope is to come.  A whole six months to travel the beautiful country of Canada will be a huge privilege and one we hope to do in the future.  Perhaps next time in our own camper van.  Fingers crossed hey!