Mary

Hi. I'll be in BC this July for work, but have the following plans. I don't have much time to surf all the awesome websites I found, so I thought I'd cull the collective wisdom of all you experts here on this forum. Please feel free to suggest & critique away! <BR> <BR>I'll have maybe 2-3 days free in Vancouver. Another few days free in Victoria when I hope to take a scenic but relaxing trip to Vancouver Island. Then there are plans to drive from Vancouver through the Rockies to Edmonton/Calgary, from where the thought is to either fly or take Via Rail to Toronto/Montreal. <BR> <BR>Anybody has advice, tips, etc on length of trip, routes to take, places to visit, stay etc? <BR> <BR>Much appreciated - thanks in advance! <BR> <BR>Mary

Bob Brown

BC is a big, big province. I have driven both east and west in the southern part of the province. I can discuss the things to see at length if you want to ask some questions. <BR>But to sum it up, Victoria is interesting. I liked the museum close to the harbor. It is the official provincial museum of history and natural history, but I cannot recall the exact name. Butchart Gardens are pretty and worth seeing. <BR>The drive to Calgary takes you through some awesome scenery. Check out the various national parks you encounter or come close too enroute. Of the group, Glacier NP is full of steep trails and great scenery. Yoho is my favorite. <BR>The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is not to be missed. <BR>I can go on and on about this topic, and have on this forum. <BR>

April

What are your interests? If you have time on the island you could drive to one of the west coast beaches like French, China or Sandcut beach out past Sooke. I find Sandcut the most interesting and yet it seems to be the least known. There are shallow pools (water usually warmed by the sun) in a sandstone bed, a small cave under the highway and a sheer drop off to the stony beach. Once I saw a whale quite close in there. Or visit beautiful Long Beach further upland. (I'm going there myself for a weekend soon.) True west coast scenery. <BR> <BR>While in Victoria, you might want to to get your picture taken at the Mile 0 marker of the Trans Canada Hwy before they turn it into something metric! (It has been talked about.) <BR> <BR>I hope you're not just driving through the Rockies. Personally I would spend most of my time there. I think Bob recently posted has a good detailed route to get there. <BR> <BR>(That's the Royal British Columbia Museum, by the way... but anyone would know what you meant by the museum by the harbour.)

BCBob

To me, the highpoint of the whole trip will be traveling through the Rockies. Make sure that you visit the Windermere/Columbia Valley and then proceed easterly through Kooteney National and Banff National Parks. Visit Lake Louise, Banff etc. and then drive to Calgary. At this point I would fly to Toronto or Montreal. It is a pretty boring train trip across the middle of Canada. I have done it 4 times ( no choice ) and would not do it again. I would plan on spending some time in Montreal and Quebec City. If time is pressing than skip Toronto. It is a nice city but not unique like Montreal. I have skipped Victoria and Vancouver as others have already commented on them. I am assuming that you have plenty of time to take on this trip across the country. You won't be disappointed.

Sue

My website has lots of good info on Victoria, Vancouver and Calgary/Banff area. If you have any questions you can contact me directly. Be warned that my website is slightly silly but still very imformative. <BR>http://www.telusplanet.net/public/al...ravelpage.html <BR>