Pidge51

We are going to BC mid-July to mid-August,; starting in Vancouver and driving to Calgary via:
Whistler - 3 nights,
Lillooet - 1 night, just a quick stop over really as we hope to do the Joffre Lakes hikes that day and we don't really want a long drive after doing so,
Salmon Arm - 2 nights,
Penticton - 7 nights, staying with friends and family'
Nelson - 4 nights,
Fernie - 3 nights
Waterton - 2 nights
Calgary - 3 nights, staying with family.
We have accommodation all sorted, but I'm now needing some advice on clothing choices to take at that time of year. I know it's going to be summer, but I'm from Queensland, Australia and summer here is hot! and humid! We are wanting to do some hikes, as well as winery tours, relaxing, etc so I would very much appreciate any advice you would be willing to give about the type of clothing it would be best to take for hiking, dining out, doing winery tours, just wandering around towns etc. (Here in summer it is just shorts, sleeveless shirts, t-shirts, light clothes - rarely need any sort of pullover etc). For hiking will short active-wear suffice or would it be better to have long track-pants etc. I know we will need to take light rain gear, but am unsure of other requirements.
I do so hope there are a number of readers who will be able to give me some good advice and suggestions so that we don't pack all the wrong things and not take the clothes we need. - we don't want to have to use a lot of our spending money to outfit ourselves properly.
Thanks in advance for your help. I look forward to reading your replies.
Debbi

BC_Robyn

You'll be passing through so many microclimates on this journey, but July and August is usually the height of drought season in this part of the world. Forests will be parched, some will probably be on fire. Places, like Lillooet, can be 40 degrees Celsius during the day, and Penticton will likely be in the 30s, whereas in other areas, like Fernie or up at the top of Joffre or Whistler, it can be pleasantly warm in the afternoon (mid 20s) but quite cool in the evening (16-18 degrees Celsius). Nowhere will be humid, it will be hot, dry heat - think of dry Adelaide Barossa Valley heat in November, not lush humid tropical heat of Queensland. In Calgary, it's extraordinarily dry - think cracked skin and static electricity kind of dry.

You will want good hiking shoes for Joffre Lakes so you can scramble up on the loose gravel and across the loose granite rocks without slipping - not just runners/tennis shoes.

Shorts/t-shirts with sandals/summer dresses will be perfectly fine for dining out, winery tours, etc.

We dress up less than Aussies do. Aussies doll themselves up more. You can visit a winery and grab dinner in the same outfit you went hiking in, and nobody will bat an eye. But it's also fun to wear a nice dress or a nice shirt/shorts and nice shoes.

My tip is to look up some of the wineries, restaurants and towns on Instagram and click on the photos where people have tagged themselves at the restaurant and winery, and observe what they're wearing. It becomes apparent pretty quickly what the vibe is and what is acceptable. Again, Aussies are chill, but fashionable. Canadians are much more casual in their attire when they go out in public. My theory is that Canadians have to dress for functionality over fashion through most of the year, something Aussies don't generally have to deal with to the same extent. This is especially true in rural areas.

Long track pants will be unnecessary, but you might wish to bring them for evenings. You will want some sort of long sleeve thing to throw over your summer dress, your shorts and t-shirts, especially in the early mornings and evenings. Maybe a hoodie (jumper?) or a cardigan. Think layers. Even if the forecast is for sunshine, I'd still bring a lightweight jacket of some sort, an "outer shell" as you call them. It could rain, especially in the mountains, but think short bursts. Calgary and Penticton will most likely get rapid thundershowers that arrive suddenly, dump a lot of intense rain in a short period of time in just one tiny part of the area, and then it will all be over quickly. In Calgary, it can sometimes be so intense, there can be flooding and tornado warnings.

Pidge51

BC_Robyn, Thank you so much for your reply!!! You've given us some great info and very useful, and much appreciated, advice.

NorthwestMale

LOL

Hooray for Fernie... If I were going to Fernie for three nights, I would visit the supermarket at least 3 times a day...

(just for the minutes spent standing there at the checkout wondering if anyone ever buys the National Enquirer there, when the views of the mountains are so stunning out the giant storefront windows as you wait in line! )

Honestly, when telling of plans for a driving trip several years ago, I spoke with a then-steady acquaintance who told me:

"you have to go to Nelson"... and "you have to go to Fernie"


Well, needing some inspiration for selecting one route vs. the others... I happily accepted his advice... but I have not seen him in the many years since.

(I hope one day to see that man again, possibly he was originally from the Toronto area, but lived for years in Seattle)


Nelson was a wonderful little place, and I was really glad I went there.

I drove all over Fernie, and it was adorable in many ways... though no single impression of the place was more impactful than was the view from the supermarket checkout.