Summer driving - Whistler and Pacific Rim
 

I am planning a late May trip to the greatere Vancouver area - so this may be the first of several posts. I am a "flatlander" (I live in a totally flat area of the deep south, US) and do little mountain driving unless I travel.
1. How difficult is the drive from Vancouver to Whistler? By late May (after the 25th), is snow a concern?
2. How difficult is the drive from Victoria to Tofino?

3. I am thinking about flying into Tofino then driving back to Comox. Can I rent a car in Tofino?
Thanks

Oops! Just saw a post about Tofino driving. But am curious about Whistler driving.

snorkelcat, I live in Florida, but was raised in the San Francisco area. The drive to Whistler and Tofino all depends on how you do in general on winding mountainous roads. Comparing to the hills that pass for mountains in the deep south is difficult, but have you traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway? Or the Smokey Mountains going to Gatlinburg? If you are ok on those, you should be ok.

In late May you will see some snow on the mountains, but may also have some pretty warm weather. Last year we had 90 degrees in Leavenworth, Washington, and the Okanagan, British Columbia. In Vancouver we wore light jackets. In Tofino it has usually been cool. Here I think locals can advise you.

Also, you should be aware that there is road construction along the drive to Whistler (thanks to the upcoming 2010 Olympics). Tofino is not such a big place, and I haven't noted car rental places there. If there are, the drop charge is probably pretty hefty.

You will probably get more detailed responses from those living in the Vancouver area, but this is my two cents.

The drive between to vancouver and Whistler is about 1.5 hours epending on the weather and daytime or night. It is a relatively easy drive because a good portion of it is adjacent to water. This is not true mountain driving because you do not get mort than about 2,000 ft.(not at all like mountain driving through parts of Colorado where you can rise to 12,000 ft.) The first 15 minutes outside of vancouver are the toughest and but not really an issue.

Thank you so much for the reply. Although I have not driven the Blue Ridge parkway, I have driven Highway 1 in California(went from south to north so I wouldn't be next to the edge and drove s-l-o-w-l-y and did early in the morning.)

I think I will try to drive the highway to Whistler - I hope that there are places to pull over and let other drivers pass me as well as places to stop and see the views.

Thanks! If anyone has any other advice, I welcome any other comments.

Yes, one thing -- there is a lovely little waterfall as you drive up (coast, before you turn inland). It's a wonderful spot to pull over and walk about. Wish I could remember the name -- anyone?

The drive from Vancouver to Whistler is not unduly difficult. Compared to the Pacific Coast Highway, it's an easy drive - no blind corners and no hairpin turns.

Cars can be rented at Tofino Airport but cannot vouch for cost though suspect it will be expensive.

If you've driven Highway 1 in Cal.
you've got a pretty good idea of
what the Sea-to-Sky hwy is like -
there's a stretch through the
Chekemis (sp) Canyon that's a bit
iffy for the height-challenged but
all in all it's not a bad trip- plus
the scenery is just beautiful!