British Colombia road trip - simply stunning

1 October 2022

It was time to get out of the city and explore the fabulous-looking nature around it. We took a rental car and headed off on the famous Sea-to-Sky Highway out of Vancouver towards Whistler, about 150km away, and which would be our base for the next few days.

That old saying that it isn’t about the destination but the journey, made real sense as we drove this stretch of winding road that really lives up to its name. With the blue waters on one side, soaring cliffs on the other, and nothing but open skies ahead of us, we really felt that we had left civilisation behind in our rear view mirror. The highway passes by waterfalls (both Shannon Falls and Brandywell Falls are a short distance from the highway and reachable on foot), rivers, canyons, and mountains, as well as several towns, and we made numerous stops on the way to Whistler to take in the stunning views and breathe in the fresh, mountain air.

Despite Whistler being a renowned ski destination (it was the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games), most tourists actually visit Whistler in the summer. There is a great range of activities on offer, like mountain biking, ziplining and white water rafting. Our preference was for scenic hiking, such as taking on the Valley Trail to the Lost Lake, one of the largest lakes in the area amidst the beautiful scenery of Blackcomb Mountain surrounding it.

One of the other best free things to do in Whistler in the summer is simply to wander the main walking street in the village, known as the “Whistler Stroll”. It’s a great way to people watch and dotted along the street are boutique stores, cafes and restaurants with large outdoor patios for an alfresco drink.

One of the most popular hiking trails in all of British Columbia is the Joffre Lakes Trail (about an hour north of Whistler) which leads to not one, but three lakes – the lower, middle, and upper lake. They are stunning, imagine awesome mountain peaks, a glacier, turquoise lakes, and a beautiful pine forest. The hike is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) long in total and took us about 4 hours. It is a steep climb to Upper Joffre Lake, where we met a friendly couple and child from Austria. But along the way, we saw the three amazing lakes, creek crossings, great views of the mountain range, a waterfall, and the Matier Glacier at the top overlooking Upper Joffre Lake. The hike down was somewhat easier.

We stopped for dinner in nearby Pemberton, small but quaint, and then it was back to Whistler for a well-earned rest. That night we slept like logs.

The next day we set off for Brackendale, on Squamish river, and a highlight of our trip – indeed, this was the reason we came to North America in the first place. Back in Switzerland we had seen a Netflix series called Virgin River and the scenery was just amazing. We wanted to see it, plus stop by the restaurant owned by the hero of the series, Jack. It was exactly as we had seen it on the screen; in addition, we were able to get up close to a local angler who explained to us the different types of salmon that swam up to the source of the river from Alaska, thousands of Kilometers away, to lay their eggs before returning to the Pacific Ocean. He even offered us one which we politely refused.

Further on down the highway, tucked between mountains and the ocean, in a terrain dotted with glacial lakes and rivers, we stopped off at Squamish which generally attracts hard-core outdoor enthusiasts. But you don’t have to be a rock climber, kite surfer, or white-water rafter to enjoy it. There are plenty of mild adventures, such as the Squamish Park Bluffs, the ascent of which was sufficient to get our hearts racing.

The last stop on our trip before heading back to our North Vancouver guest house for the night was Porteau Cove with spectacular views of the river and surrounding mountains.

It had truly been a wonderful experience sampling a little of the majestic natural beauty of this region.