Day 1 – Vancouver
(of motorhome rental after previous one night hotel stay upon arrival)
After picking up your motorhome, head for the great Burnaby Cariboo for your first night. It’s not a long drive but our recommended site is the highest rated in British Columbia and the ideal site from which to explore Vancouver.
✪ 15 Miles to Burnaby Cariboo RV Park
★Visit the city of Vancouver; one of the most interesting and beautiful in the world.
Day 2 & 3
A long but very worthwhile drive will take about 4 ½ hours as you head first along the Trans-Canada Highway and then turn near the town of Hope for the Okanagan Valley. The scenery of the Valley is out of this world. This area also provides the opportunity to visit many of the Valley’s vineyards in Oliver, Penticton, Okanagan Falls, Kelowna…and more.
We have chosen the Okanagan Lake location, just north of Penticton, for this tour. It has two large campgrounds (North & South Park) which offer lakeside camping on Okanagan Lake. The beautiful beaches are surrounded by ponderosa pines and sagebrush which make the park a perfect spot for swimming and water activities.
✪210 miles to Okanagan
★ Visit the Othello Quintette Tunnels, just outside Hope, to see the complicated system of tunnels and bridges that took the old Kettle Valley Railroad through the canyon.
Day 4
A shorter drive today with the chance to visit more of those vineyards! You are heading through to Revelstoke, nestled high in the Monashee Mountains and adjacent to both Mount Revelstoke National Park and Glacier National Park. The year-round playground of Revelstoke has some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Canada. Flanked by the snow-capped peaks of the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashees to the west, Revelstoke was proclaimed The Capital of Canada’s Alps and was known as The Mountain Paradise in the early 1900s.
✪ 145 miles to Revelstoke
★ Visit Salmon Arm, the gateway from the Okanagan located in the heart of the Shuswap Lake recreation area
Day 5 & 6
After 3 hours or 144 miles you will arrive in Lake Louise and we are suggesting the Lake Louise park campground for your overnight though there are several to choose from on the website. You will return home with stories you will tell over and over again about Canada’s iconic Banff/Lake Louise National Park. Your experiences here will probably be passed down through generations in family albums, as the children – then their children – return to the places their parents have talked about for years. It’s almost impossible to take a bad picture here! Spend some time exploring Banff. (If you are starting the tour from Calgary, drive directly to the Lake Louise Campground or you may prefer to stay in Banff.)
✪ 145 miles to Lake Louise
★ Visit the Kicking Horse River where it flows below the Natural Bridge in Yoho National Park.
Enjoy a meal or drink at Banff Springs Hotel and take in the spectacular view. Take a trip on one of the gondolas to Sulphur Mountain and then enjoy a soothing soak in Banff Hot Springs.
Day 7 & 8
The road towards Jasper is spectacular and framed by peaks rising to over 12,000 feet. We’re recommending a choice of campsites for this stop with either the more rustic sites of Whistlers or Waipiti within Jasper National Park or a full service KOA at nearby Hinton.
✪ 210 miles to Jasper via Banff
★ Visit the Athabasca Glacier: the most visited on the North American continent. You can ride out onto the Glacier aboard an Ice Explorer or take a guided hike on the ice Jasper.
Day 9
Just over 4 hours, again driving through magnificent scenery running alongside Wells Gray Provincial Park to your right and the Columbia Mountains to your left. You’ll be headed for Clearwater which is the final stopover on this itinerary before returning to Vancouver. If you wish to be near the Park and if you can get in (there are only 13 spaces available) we suggest Helmcken Falls Lodge & RV Park to experience the true outdoor wilderness right at the entrance to Wells Grey Provincial Park.
✪200 Miles to Clearwater
★Visit Clearwater; an interesting town at the gateway to Wells Gray Provincial Park. En-route be sure to stop off at Blue River to enjoy the River Safari and the chance to spot some bears.
Day 10 and 11
4½ hours drive back to Vancouver and the Burnaby Cariboo. We firmly recommend that you stay at this campground for 3 or 4 nights.
The campground has a bus stop with a half-hourly service into the city right outside the door or you can take a 15 minute walk and catch the Skytrain. Vancouver is one of our favourite cities and it definitely deserves some more of your time.
✪ 295 miles to Vancouver
★Visit Stanley Park, the Harbour Centre, Granville Island, the Capilano Suspension Bridge and so much more.
Day 12
Just a short trip back to return your motorhome.
