Earlier this month we took our first trip post-pandemic trip (not that it’s over yet) and it was just the reset that I had been needing. Over the course of a week, we roadtripped from Calgary to Vancouver, a total of over 1,000 km. It was my first time out west, so we tried to jam in as much as we could during our time on the road.
I don’t have much of a detailed rundown to share in terms of places to stay or eat, as we took some roads less travelled and didn’t stay in one spot more than 48 hours. That being said, we took lots of photos along the way and saw some pretty incredible scenery which I thought might be nice to share. I’ll also have a part two coming soon with a bunch of my film photos from our week on Vancouver Island. But if you’re thinking about roadtripping the west coast, I can’t recommend it enough.
After flying into Calgary, we hit the road early after a night at the local airport Hilton. We drove straight to Lake Louise, and it was truly incredible watching as the mountains grew on the horizon as we approached. The scenery in Banff National Park is something to behold, and I was honestly amazed by just how many different lakes and trails there were beyond the usual suspects. We ended up hiking around Bow Lake and Lake Louise; Bow Lake was a mostly flat walk along the shore of the lake, and Lake Louise has a number of different trails and viewpoints to explore. Lots of options for different schedules, weather, and desired intensity.
We got up at 5am to catch the sunrise over Lake Louise but the weather didn’t quite cooperate with us. The weather was quite cold and snowy while we were there (probably not out of the ordinary for October), so we didn’t get to see much of the glacier or the sun, but the fog over the lake was honestly breathtaking. I also recommend taking a drive around the area and stopping at the various lookout points along the roadside for some awesome views.
Driving in the mountains this time of year was a little bit harrowing, and we were hit with some unexpected snow and icy weather. We had planned to see Moraine Lake but the road was completely closed due to the ice, but we made the best of it. The gloomy weather over the mountains made me feel like I was in Twilight or something, so I wasn’t too bummed about it.
I’d recommend spending some time in the actual town of Banff which is home to some cute boutiques and really good restaurants. It’s got this alpine town feel to it without feeling too contrived and commercialized, which I really appreciated. I think next time we would stay in Banff over Lake Louise as there were quite a bit more options in terms of food and it was a little bit less rugged, but to each their own I suppose.
After Banff, we made the drive to Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. The Okanagan is one of North America’s top wine regions, and the vineyard-covered mountains seem to rise directly out of the namesake lake. We ended up at Cedar Creek Estate for lunch which was a truly incredible experience consisting of a two-course wine paired lunch featuring ingredients from their own gardens and local farmers. There are tons of wineries in the area, of which we visited 3 in total, so we have lots more to visit next time.
We stayed at a cute B&B just outside of town that had private beach access out back. I’ve stayed in B&Bs with my parents growing up, so it was kind of fun to try one again. The hosts were the cutest older couple and we were the only guests at the time so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Always fun to try something a little bit different!
From Kelowna, we made the long drive out to Whistler to stay with family for a night. This was probably my favourite stretch of the roadtrip, as we got to snake through the semi-desert terrain of the BC interior. I wasn’t expecting to see these sorts of landscapes within Canada, and parts of the drive had been completely ravaged by the forest fires this past summer. A beautiful but sobering stretch of the journey.
We stopped off in Lillooet for some gas along the way, and we fell in love with the scenery. The desert landscape had started to fade in favour of these rugged, mountainous surroundings that took me back to the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, which I must have watched dozens of times growing up. Lillooet is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited locations in North America, and is home to a large community of Indigenous peoples. The photos below were taken on the side of the road on the outskirts of town. Not a bad pit stop.
After a quick overnight in Whistler, we made the drive to Vancouver where we had just enough time for a shop and some dinner. We didn’t get to see much of the city, but exploring the streets of Gastown was really a highlight of the entire trip for me. If you’re looking for some shops to peruse, pop into Neighbour, Hey Jude, and One of a Few. After a quick breakfast and a catch up over lunch with a friend, we got back in the car towards the ferry terminal for a week on the island.
The roadtrip portion of our trip was a bit of a whirlwhind but I think it was a great way to get a taste of the west coast for first-timers like me. I will say that I was a bit surprised by the lack of boutique, design-led accommodations that we were able to find along our route, especially in Alberta and Kelowna, but if you’re looking for any specific recommendations just drop a comment below! I’ll have a film diary up soon all about our week on the island as well.
Photos taken on Olympus MJU-I using Kodak Portra 400, and Olympus Pen E-PL9.
