Canadian Rockies, hiking and exploring

Visiting British Columbia, Canada, in September is ideal. School vacations end and camping grounds are less crowded. Renting a motorhome is affordable. The weather in the Canadian Rockies was perfect. The leaves are turning red, yellow, and orange in the Indian summer.

Vancouver

Vancouver is well known for its quality of life and natural beauty and ranks highly as one of the best cities to live in. It has a large number of immigrants from various parts of the world. This cultural diversity shows up in the city’s varied neighbourhoods, festivals, and culinary scene.

We travelled on a direct Air Canada flight from Sydney to Vancouver and arrived in the morning. After that, the Sky train took us into the CBD in 25 minutes for $5. Much quicker and cheaper than the train from the Airport to the CBD in Sydney. After leaving our bags at the hotel, we spent the rest of the morning at Granville Island Market. We stocked up for our road trip in a motorhome to the Canadian Rockies and around British Columbia.

The next day, we took a 6-hour walk from Vancouver’s west to east end, exploring beautiful Stanley Park. Then, we made it to the Steamworks Brewpub in Gastown, where we refuelled with cold beers and an excellent meal. This is by far the largest pub we’ve ever seen.

Our Canada adventure started with picking up the RV from Fraserway in Delta. This car was much larger than our SUV at home and driving on the right side of the road instead of the left was a bit difficult in the beginning.

For the next few days, we stayed at Lake Lac le Jeune. Where, we relaxed, swam, and went hiking around the lake. The camping experience was very peaceful and quiet. The only companions we had at the campsite were a couple of curious squirrels.

We had rented an RV before, but this was by far the best. It had great air conditioning and heating, as well as a water heater and a flush toilet in the bathroom. On our way to Lake Louise, we made another overnight stop with spectacular views.

Yoho National Park

Yoho National Park is a wonderful place for nature lovers. It draws hikers and photographers seeking tranquillity. It is famous for its stunning scenery. It has towering mountains, dramatic waterfalls, pristine lakes, and dense forests.

The Trans-Canada Highway BC 1 was in excellent condition, and the scenery in the Canadian Rockies was breathtaking.

The train line from Vancouver to Toronto is 4,500 kilometres long, goes through the Canadian Rockies and often runs parallel to the road. Additionally, the freight train, which is 1.5 to 4 km long, takes 4 to 5 days to travel from west to east.

During the next few days, we camped at the Kicking Horse Camping Ground in Yoho National Park, Canadian Rockies. Then, we explored Emerald Lake, Lake Louise, Takakkaw Falls, and “The Natural Bridge.” The stunning landscapes left us in awe. The turquoise waters and high mountains were breathtaking.

During our stay in Yoho National Park, we hiked to Takakkaw Falls. It is Canada’s second-tallest waterfall, with a 373-metre drop.

Whenever we went hiking in British Columbia, Canada, we found the mysterious Inukshuk. These unique stone figures are guides for travellers. They are also warnings and markers for sacred areas.

We loved National Park Yoho, which was not overcrowded. The hikes were wonderful and the views breathtaking.

Our favourites were the 12-kilometer Emerald Lake and Glacier Trail Loops. Hiking around the green glacial lake takes about 3 hours. In particular, without the crowds of Lake Louise, this trail is one of the best in the Canadian Rockies.

Banff National Park

Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park. it covers over 6,600 square kilometres. It is a great place for hiking, wildlife viewing, skiing, and snowboarding. Wildlife is abundant in the park, with the chance to see elk, grizzly bears, and bighorn sheep.

Lake Louise, in Banff National Park, is a tourist magnet, attracting millions of visitors each year. The lakeshore trail is easy. It has views of the stunning mountains, glaciers, and the luxury Fairmont Château Lake Louise.

In the Canadian Rockies, we went hiking to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. The hike starts from Lake Louise; it is a 4–6 hour, 15 km hike to an elevation of 2100 metres. Unfortunately, it is not a European mountain café, no Glühwein, no Snaps,

From the Teahouse, we had a fantastic view of Mount Lefroy and the Victoria Glacier. In addition to the beautiful view, we heard the whumping sounds of avalanches. This created an eerie feeling. Wherever we went the Canadian Rockies are stunning.

Banff is a lovely resort town in Banff National Park. It has hotels, restaurants, boutiques, and souvenir shops. They remind us of Alpine towns in Europe. Additionally, we swam in the upper Hot Springs, hiked the Hoodoo Trail, and saw deer in the middle of town.

Hoodoos in Banff National Park are the result of thousands of years of erosion. They are a rare combination of hard rock and soft rock, resulting in these rare and unique structures. During our time in Banff, we walk the Hoodoos Trail, a short walk with spectacular views.

The Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway is one of the most scenic drives in the world. It stretches 230 kilometres through the Canadian Rockies. The Icefields Parkway starts in the town of Lake Louise and finishes in the town of Jasper.

Bow Lake, at an elevation of 1920 metres, is surrounded by the Bow Glacier and Crowfoot Mountain. Hiking in the Candian Rockies to Bow Glacier Falls. It’s only 9 kilometres long, but because the terrain was difficult at times, we needed three hours.

Lake Peyto in Banff National Park is fed by water from glaciers. It is situated near the famous Icefields Parkway, where many visitors stop. During the summer, glacier rock flour flows into the lake, giving the water its dazzling colour.

While driving along the Icefields Parkway, we stopped at a small and secluded RV park. We stayed there overnight.  We were alone, and it was very romantic.

The 230-kilometre Icefields Parkway highway is one of the world’s most scenic drives. We were there during a gorgeous Indian summer.

We went on an Ice Explorer bus tour from the Glacier Discovery Centre to the Athabasca Glacier. The glacier is at a height of 2,700 metres. Afterwards, we walked on the 10,000-year-old sheet of ice, which was a fantastic experience.

Athabasca Falls is one of the most dramatic waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies. Also, the beauty and roaring sound are breathtaking. They attract visitors from all over the world.

Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park is the largest in the Canadian Rockies. It is not the busiest national park, more laid-back. A beautiful park, with nice camping grounds, lots of fantastic hiking trails and abundant wildlife.

During elk rutting season, we stayed in one of Jasper’s large caravan parks. There were many warning signs not to walk in certain park areas. When we arrived with our RV, we saw a large, calm elk near the main gate, waiting for us to take photos.

While in Jasper, we took the Skytram to Mt. Whistle. The tram guard was from Queensland, Australia. The tram steadily went up, giving us a bird’s-eye view of the green valleys below. The experience was both exciting and pleasant.

Then, from the Jasper tramway station, we hiked to Whistlers Summit. It’s 2,263 metres above sea level. The trail offered stunning views of the surrounding Canadian Rockies. The panoramic view from the top was breathtaking.

Walking uphill is strenuous, but walking downhill is hard on the knees. It took several days to recover. But on the way down, we spotted mushrooms, some we hadn’t seen for 20 years. Immediately our mushroom foraging passion came back. The dinner was wonderful.

While in Jasper, we hiked the breathtaking Valley of the Five Lakes and First Lake Trail. This 8.2-kilometre route is popular and requires a decent level of fitness. The trail offers wonderful views of turquoise lakes and lush forests.

Wells Gray Provincial Park

Wells Gray Provincial Park is a hidden gem in British Columbia. It is a large one, with stunning waterfalls, pristine lakes, dense forests and great hiking tracks. Wildlife includes black bears, grizzly bears, moose, wolves and cougars.

Then, we stayed for a few days at the Wells Grey Golf Resort & RV Park on the way to Vancouver. It’s near the small town of Clearwater. We hiked in Greys Wells Regional Park and did what we love, mushroom foraging. We played golf there once and lost many balls. It was fun, but hiking is cheaper.

While in Wells Grey we hiked to Helmcken Falls which is Canada’s fourth-highest waterfall. It has a breathtaking 141-metre drop.

Mushroom foraging was one of our favourite things to do in Germany. But unfortunately, there are few forests in Australia where you can do it. While hiking, we picked many wonderful mushrooms in Wells Grey. We lived on them until we flew back to Australia, spending only money on drinks and fuel for our RV.

Whistler and Vancouver Island

Vancouver Island is the largest Pacific coast island. It is 460 kilometres long and 100 kilometres wide. It’s a great spot for tourists. It offers outdoor activities like whale watching, kayaking, surfing, and fishing.

While driving to Whistler, we stopped in Lillooet on the banks of the Fraser River. It’s the longest river in British Columbia, Canada. It flows 1,375 km from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia, south of Vancouver. Additionally, this river is well-known for its stunning beauty and rich history.

For one night, we stayed at Whistler, one of the largest ski resorts in North America. It was the venue for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. However, regrettably, it was pouring rain and the mountains were covered in a thick cloud.

Then, we travelled to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. We took the ferry from Horseshoe Bay. The journey across the bay took two hours, it was smooth, with breathtaking views.

Our first stop on Vancouver Island was Chemainus, well known as the City of Murals. The town is famous for its outdoor art gallery. It has more than 40 murals. The murals reflect local history and culture. Then, walking through the streets, we saw the vivid colours of each painting. They had accurate details. The murals made Chemainus a major tourist destination. They attract tourists from all over the world.

Later, we went to the Pacheedaht Campgrounds. They are near Port Renfrew and managed by First Nations people. When travelling in an RV, you have the advantage of turning it around to get the best views. This location was beautiful, tranquil, and had an ocean view.

Victoria

Then we explored Victoria and the Inner Harbour with the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Unfortunately, we had only two days in Victoria. It was too short, we missed seeing the famous Butchart Gardens. 

On the last day, we went on an orca-watching tour. We left from Victoria’s Inner Harbour on a small 12-person zodiac boat.

This was the last adventure on our British Columbia, Canada, trip. The tour was fantastic; we were near the US border with our boat and saw many orcas.  The only issue was that my camera was too slow to take good pictures.

Before flying to Sydney, we went to Fisherman’s Wharf in Victoria. Then a harbour seal said goodbye to us.

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