This circle tour in British Columbia starts in Vancouver and begins by traveling east on Hwy 1 to the Fort Langley National Historic Site. Continue on through the rich farm country of the Fraser Valley to Hope, where you can walk through the Othello Quintette Tunnels, part of the Kettle Valley Railway built between 1910 and 1916.
Continue on Hwy 1 to Lytton for a guided rafting trip down the Fraser River if you are hungry for some unforgettable thrills, then take Hwy 12 to Lillooet (lil-lou-ETTE) where you can try your hand at panning for gold. Take Hwy 99 east to Hwy 97 and travel north to Clinton and on to 100 Mile House. This town got its name because it was 100 miles from Lillooet on the old Caribou Wagon Road. Here the only surviving stage coach of the Barnard Express and Stage Line is on display, complete with an authentic bullet hole from being held up for the gold dust it once carried. From here north to Williams Lake and Quesnel where you can take a short side trip east to Barkerville, an historic gold rush town built in 1862. It has over 125 restored heritage buildings.
Back on Hwy 97 and leaving Quesnel, travel north to Prince George, a bustling city in north central BC. Take Hwy 16 west to Hwy 27 then travel north on a side trip to Fort St. James, a restored Hudson's Bay trading post from the mid 1800s. Back on Hwy 16, going west again to Smithers where you can see the 50 million year old fossils at nearby Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park. Farther west, in The Hazeltons, you can visit the world famous 'Ksan Historical Village. 'Ksan is the Gitxsan name for the Skeena River. This replicated ancient Gitxsan village features house fronts and totem poles facing the Skeena River. Continue on to view the totems at Kitwancool and the Nisga's Memorial Lava Bed where a volcano erupted over two centuries ago, leaving a pocked lava moonscape.
With Terrace as a base, you can take a side trip on Hwy 37 to Kitimat; a stunning playground in the coastal rainforest, its scenery is reminiscent of Norway's fjords. In Terrace you can hike a part of the Grand Trunk Pathway. Now go west again on Hwy 16 to Prince Rupert, a seaport and a terminus for handling shipments of coal and grain from the Prairies. Here you can board a ferry for the Queen Charlotte Islands called Haida Gwaii by the local aboriginals. The Haidas were once a proud nation of seafaring warriors that controlled most of the BC coastline at one time and you can learn about them at the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. There is a 10,000 year connection between the land, sea and Haida culture.
Back in Prince Rupert, you can take the BC Ferry down the Inside Passage through dramatic fjords and green forested channels to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. You'll probably get glimpses of whales, seals, porpoises and black bears on the full day's passage along the rugged coastline. In Port Hardy you can visit the Copper Maker Gallery, where you can savor the redolent smell of red cedar as the native carvers create beautiful original Northwest Native art works.
Driving south to Port McNeill, where you can take a short ferry trip to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. Here you can visit the U'Mista Cultural Center, which preserves the history and artefacts of the Kwakwaka'wakw Aboriginals and see the totems of a nearby burial ground. Back on Vancouver Island, from Port McNeill you travel south through Campbell River to Courtenay where you can look for fossils in the 80 million year old sea bed at Puntledge River.
Farther south you'll come to Qualicum Beach which is renowned for its flower gardens and also its fantastic views of the Georgia Strait. Sunny Parksville further south has 7 kms of sandy beaches and may offer the warmest saltwater swimming on Vancouver Island. In Nanaimo you can visit the Petroglyph Park to see 10,000 year old stone engravings of mythological sea creatures. The Nanaimo District Museum also provides a unique glimpse into the lives of Nanaimo's First Peoples dating back more than 2000 years.
The ancestral home of the Cowichan Tribe and the famous Cowichan Sweaters is in Duncan. In Victoria, plan to spend a few days visiting the many splendors of the city and its environs, including the famous Butchart Gardens. Then take the BC Ferry across to Tsawassen, south of Vancouver, where you started.
This Circle Tour by car is designed to take from seven to fourteen days, more if you wish of course. Reservations need to be booked well ahead for the ferries from Prince Rupert to the Queen Charlottes and down the Inland Passage to Vancouver Island. Google "BC Ferries" for the websites and online reservation forms.
This Circle Tour could be started anywhere along the route, but for our purposes it will start in Golden. Set on the banks of the Columbia River, this quiet town offers endless outdoor adventures. There's whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River or a quiet retreat bird-watching on the world-renowned Columbia Wetlands. You can ride the gondola to the top of Kicking Horse Mountain for a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and enjoy a meal at Canada's highest restaurant, the Eagle Eye. In the winter there is also some great "champagne powder" skiing here.
Before leaving Golden you might take a drive East into Yoho National Park, with its 28 peaks, glacial lakes and Canada's highest waterfalls, Takakkaw Falls near Field. Nearby there is also the beautiful glacier-fed Emerald Lake and the Natural Bridge. A little further on is a view of the Spiral Tunnels. These tunnels were carved in 1909 to avoid steep descents on the treacherous "Big Hill" section of the CP Railroad. If there is a train going through, you will be able to see the tailend still approaching the tunnel while the locomotive with the lead cars are already leaving the other end.
Back in Golden, you start on the circle tour by heading south along Hwy 95 which follows the Columbia River to Radium Hot Springs and Fairmont Hot Springs. You might stop for a relaxing soak in either of the mineral rich springs, before heading south again to Kimberley. A western mining town that's taken on a distinct Bavarian look and atmosphere. See the world's largest Cuckoo Clock and explore the Platzl, a pedestrian area filled with unique shops and restaurants.
Next stop south is Cranbrook, where you can explore the only complete set of rail cars from the luxurious 1929 "Trans Canada Limited" operated in those years by the Canadian Pacific Railway. You leave town on Hwy 3, The Crowsnest Pass Highway, to the orchard town of Creston, There are always many stands offering locally grown fruit and vegetables for sale. You might stop at the Creston Valley Wildlife Centre, a bird and waterfowl refuge for more than 250 bird species. There's a boardwalk you can take to a three storey birding tower, there's also nature programs offered at the Interpretive Centre.
Leaving Creston, you head west over the Salmo Pass and on to Salmo and then take Hwy 6 north to Nelson. This is a historic city and you can take a self-guided walking tour of 350 restored heritage buildings and homes. Ride Streetcar #23 along the waterfront and stroll down Baker Street past the galleries and studios.
Heading west out of Nelson on Hwy 3A, the next stop is Castlegar. This community has a strong Russian influence, which can be seen at many community attractions including the Doukhobor Museum and Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park. You can take an excursion south on Hwy 3B to Trail and Rossland for a tour of the famous Le Roi Gold Mine. You can follow in the footsteps of the underground miners who drilled, blasted and hand-mucked the mine's 80 miles of underground drifts and stopes following the veins of gold.
Now drive on Hwy 3 west to Osoyoos, at the south end of the Okanagan Valley. Through this valley you will find the vineyards that produce the award winning wines that this region is famous for. Cradled between two mountain ranges, a chain of blue lakes span the valley floor in this warm-weather region blessed with sandy beaches. Heading north from Osoyoos on Hwy 97, which is just three miles from the US border, you'll pass through a true desert. At Oliver, a tour of local wineries is a must. You can learn about wine making and sample your favorite Bordeaux, Cabernets, or Chardonnays in the tasting rooms. In Summerland, you can climb aboard the vintage Kettle Valley Steam Railway which will transport you a 6.5 mile route. There are some award winning championship golf courses throughout the Okanagan Valley to tempt you if you are a golfer.
At Shuswap Lake you are in a truly picturesque houseboat country, with over 620 miles of shoreline to explore on a rental houseboat. From Shuswap, you head east on Hwy 1, The TransCanada Highway, to Revelstoke. Be sure to look out for a small pulloff at Craigellachie. In 1885 the "Last Spike" was driven into Canada's first transcontinental railway. Stop in Revelstoke and tour the Railway museum that features a tribute to the workers that built the railway through the difficult mountain passes.
Heading east again, you drive through the Rogers Pass, one of BC's great mountain crossings between Revelstoke and Golden. You may marvel at the engineering feat that forged a path through the might Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges, making way for the railroad and the highway.
Next stop is Golden, where you started from and the end of the tour. This tour as described is 759 miles long and to really enjoy it, you should plan on 7 to 10 days.
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