🚙 Vancouver ↔ Edmonton Road Trip Guide

• Timing
  • Leave early in the morning, arrive at dinner/evening
    • Good default option
    • Very doable with several stops to stretch
  • Leave in afternoon/evening, arrive at breakfast or early morning
    • Good for rush option with few stops and no sightseeing
    • Sleep for the morning upon arrival
  • Leave after early dinner, stop halfway
    • Relaxing option
• Routes
  • Eastern leg
    • Via Jasper
      • Nicest drive
      • More driving in BC on rural highways
      • More gradual inclines
      • Town of Jasper
        • is more “authentic” than Banff
        • 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass is a nice break on a westward drive
        • Bear’s Paw Bakery is a nice coffee/pastry place
      • Valemount
        • About halfway
        • Best Western has pool and included breakfast buffet
        • Next door to the BW is a park area with a nice 5 km loop. (Thanks, Sir Eric!)
      • Mt Terry Fox Rest Area
        • Has playground and a few short walks to viewpoints
      • Portal Lake
    • Via Banff
      • Not recommended in winter due to...
        • Higher risk of whole highway being closed for hours at a time after accidents
        • More wear on brakes due to steeper inclines
        • More stressful drive
      • Town of Banff
        • is more “touristy” than Jasper
      • Going via Banff allows a stop in Calgary
      • More driving in Alberta on busy highways
  • Kamloops
    • Crossroads point to choose which of each leg you want
    • Hello Toast is a nice brunch spot
  • Western leg
    • Coquihalla pass
      • Quick
      • High altitude—potential for sudden harsh weather
    • Hwy 1/Lytton/Cache Creek alternate 
      • 90 minutes longer
      • More curvy
      • More little settlements to stop in/tourist moments
• Camping as a stop en route
  • Lucerne Campground
    • 👍 decent availability
    • 👍 swimmable lake
    • 👍 4:30 from Edmonton (38% of drive)
    • 👍 0 detour
  • Robson River
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👎 no swimming
    • 👍 5 hours from Edmonton (41% of drive)
    • 👍 0 detour
  • Robson Meadows Campground
    • 👍 good availability
    • 👎 no swimming
    • 👍 5 hours from Edmonton (41% of drive)
    • 👍 0 detour
  • Wells Gray (Clearwater Lake, Mahood Lake, Falls Creek)
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 cold lake swimming
    • 👍 9 hours from Edmonton (60% of drive)
    • 👎 1:30 off of route
  • North Thompson River
    • 👍 decent availability
    • 👎 no swimming
    • 👍 7:30 from Edmonton (62% of drive)
    • 👍 0 detour
  • Juniper Beach Park
    • 👍 decent availability
    • 👍 river swimming hole
    • 👎 9:30 from Edmonton (73% of drive)
    • 👎 35 minutes off of route
  • Paul Lake Park
    • 👍 good availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
    • 👍 9 hours from Edmonton (75% of drive)
    • 👍 20 minutes off of route
    • 👎 close-ish to 2023 fire
  • Lac Le Jeune
    • 👍 decent availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
    • 👍 9:20 from Edmonton (76% of drive)
    • 👍 10 minutes off of route
  • Kentucky-Alleyne
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming, no beach
    • 👎 10 hours from Edmonton (78% of drive)
    • 👍 25 minutes off of route
  • Monck
    • 👍 good availability
    • 👍 lake swimming with beach
    • 👎 10 hours from Edmonton (80% of drive)
    • 👍 15 minutes off of route
  • Otter Lake
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 small beach lake swimming
    • 👎 11 hours from Edmonton
    • 👎 2:15 off of route
  • Lightning Lake (Manning)
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 cold lake swimming
    • 👎 11:30 from Edmonton (85% of drive)
    • 👎 45 minutes off of route
  • Coldspring Campground (Manning)
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👎 no swimming
    • 👎 11:15 from Edmonton (85% of drive)
    • 👎 45 minutes off of route
  • Hampton Campground (Manning)
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👎 no swimming
    • 👎 11:30 from Edmonton (85% of drive)
    • 👎 45 minutes off of route
  • Mule Deer (Manning)
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👎 no swimming
    • 👎 11:15 from Edmonton (84% of drive)
    • 👎 40 minutes off of route
  • Birkenhead Lake
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 cold lake sandy beach swimming
    • 👎 13 hours from Edmonton (78% of drive)
    • 👎 4.5 hours off of route
  • Silver Lake
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
  • Gold Creek
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
  • Cultus
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
    • 👎 11:30 from Edmonton (85% of route)
    • 👎 45 minutes off of route
  • Chilliwack Lake
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
    • 👎 12 hours from Edmonton (88% of drive)
    • 👎 45 minutes off of route
  • Alouette
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
    • 👎 12:30 from Edmonton (94% of route)
    • 👍 30 minutes off of route
  • Sasquatch Park
    • 👎 bad availability
    • 👍 lake swimming
• When in Vancouver, 🌇 here’s some things to do

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I am: 🗒️ Levi, a dude named ben living north of most Canadians
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Read more:

• 🌇 Visiting Vancouver
• ⛽️ Reasons Why I Live in the Edmonton Area