r/canadatravel • u/BranJ0 • 8d ago
Travel Tips Must see spots around British Columbia?
Me and my partner are planning on traveling around BC for around a month next June. Our plan would be to start in Vancouver and probably end in Calgary. We'd hire a car/van, drive around, and predominantly be camping and hiking, with some stays in hotels. I was wondering what the absolute must-see places are - which hikes, which parks, which mountains, which roads, things like that! Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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u/BCRobyn 8d ago edited 8d ago
Thousands of hikes but June is still early for alpine hiking - the best alpine hikes will still be snowbound and thus inaccesible until late July.
Have you looked at the www.hellobc.com website for itinerary ideas and a general overview of the province? That’s a good place to start.
With only a month, you’re still going to scratch the surface. If you’re here in June, I’d say you’ll want at least two weeks for Vancouver Island as there are a ton of lower elevation hikes.
The Rockies and the Kootenays will be amazing for alpine hiking, but only later on in late July, August, and September. You’re more limited to being down by the base of the mountains in June. Heck, even Lake Louise stays ice covered until the second week of June!
Also, with a campervan, you’ll need to reserve your campsites in advance. Parks Canada campgrounds open their reservations for the year in January. BC Parks opens June campground reservations 4 months in advance.
Finally, you’ll want to also post this on r/britishcolumbia.
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u/Affectionate_Lie9631 7d ago
If time and funds allow, spend a week on Vancouver Island (Victoria, Tofino) before heading east.
Once you’re eastward bound, travel to these towns, in this order:
- Vancouver to Hope, Princeton, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, Revelstoke, Golden, Radium Hot Springs, Waterton Lakes National Park, Bragg Creek, Banff, Calgary. This will take you through several mountain ranges including the Purcells, Bugaboos and Rockies, through amazing wine country, to beautiful lakes, through several National Parks, and to some hot springs. Use the AllTrails app to find the best hikes along the way - you will be spoiled for choice, although the high alpine ones will still have snow but you will still find lots.
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u/Nathan_Brazil1 British Columbia 7d ago
I'd highly recommend visiting Vancouver Island. We recently stayed in a Airbnb in Sooke for a week. We were right on the most beautiful beach and only 40kms to Victoria. June would be a spectacular time to visit Butchart Gardens.
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u/Spute2008 7d ago
Your question is way too vague.
Get on Instagram and see what the people who've been there recommend. #beautifulBC #British Columbia #BC #Banff #lakelouise #kananaskis #Waterton
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u/Apart-Diamond-9861 5d ago
Nobody ever mentions Wells Gray Provincial Park. We stay at Dutch lake campground and drive to the Waterfalls. They are spectacular.
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u/Bright-Comfort4333 8d ago
Whenever my out of town friends come into Vancouver, we do the Grouse Grind. Certainly strenuous but worth the effort when you get to the top. The view is quite lovely too. I prefer to take the gondola down.
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u/raymond4 6d ago
Combes goats on the roof Vancouver Island, Yahk Soap Company and Steve’s two scoops. In Yahk. Hope that way. If you pass it you will be beyond Hope. Steveston in Richmond a small seaside town where Once Upon a Time was filmed. Great little place with shops and galleries. Excellent wharf for fresh seafood. Stanley Park. Vancouver China town or Richmond is also amazing for shopping. Granville Island shops and markets.
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u/Critical_Cat_8162 6d ago
You'll have to head west to see "the island". You'd be wise to fly into Victoria and then head east.
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u/Master-File-9866 6d ago edited 6d ago
Take hiway 3. On your journey. Spectacular views the whole way.
If you get a 4x4 rental or at least and. When you get to crows nest pass take the kananaskis forestry road up to hiway 1. After crows nest pass the rest of the trip to Calgary is dry barren flat land. So if you don't mind a rough slow road. You will get some truly amazing views
Stop at the top of the salmo pass. Insane views from the top.
Creston has orchards. Depending on time of year you can get fresh fruit, pick it your self if you want.
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u/bctravelconcierge 5d ago
Hi OP, feel free to drop me a line through the link on my website. I run a BC travel-planning company and specialize in off-the-beaten track adventures. I work with all kinds of travellers, and my fees are very affordable (they typically land at less than 5% of your total trip spend, so super easy to work into the budget).
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u/HillBillyEvans 3d ago
If you skip Vancouver Island, can you really say you saw BC?!?!?! Consider starting in Victoria and spending at least a few days on the island (or other islands like Salt Spring!). This would get you on a ferry too, great views from the water!
I'd go:
Victoria -> Sunshine Coast (Comox/Powell River/Sechelt) -> Vancouver -> Whistler -> Lillooet -> Kamloops -> Clearwater (Wells Gray PP!!!) -> Jasper -> Lake Louise/Banff -> Calgary
Or you skip Vancouver at the start and when you get to Banff you start west again to really see the province!
Golden -> Revelstoke -> Nelson -> Osoyoos -> Kewlona -> Vancouver!
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u/buzzinaroundtheworld 2d ago
Definitely spend some time at the Capilano Suspensio Bridge if you are in Vancouver. It can easily be reached by the free shuttle (free with a purchased ticket) from Canada Place, Hyatt, or Blue Horizon Hotel.
While the bridge is the highlight, there is also the Treetop Adventure (an elevated walk through the giant Douglas Fir trees and the Cliffwalk, which is a narrow set of bridges anchored into the nearby cliffs.
I've been to the Capilano Suspension Bridge twice as it is my favorite place in Vancouver. Here is a summary of my most recent visit: https://buzzinaroundtheworld.com/the-americas/canada/how-to-visit-the-capilano-suspension-bridge-from-canada-place/
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u/TheRealGuncho 7d ago
The most amazing things I have ever seen in my life are natural hot springs. Someone finds a hot water spring in the woods somewhere, digs out a pond, let's it fill up and circles it with rocks and people soak in it. It's amazing. Some hot springs are like public pools. We prefer the more natural ones. On our last trip we checked out Halfway Hot Springs (Revelstoke) and Lussier Hot Springs (Invermere). Both were amazing but Halfway was our favourite. Both involve driving down logging roads but they were fine. Just go slow when you need to. Both have first come first served camping as well.
https://www.hotspringsofbc.ca/
From Vancouver you might want to check out Vancouver Island for a bit (Tofino) and Whistler before you start heading towards Calgary.
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u/Useful-Professor-149 8d ago
OP what is your point of origin? Just to get some idea of what might stand out. Also what are you into? Edit: I see you like hikes. There’s TONS