The Sea to Sky Highway in British Columbia runs from West Vancouver to Squamish. As you drive north from Horseshoe Bay, Howe Sound is on your left, and the Coast Mountains are on your right. (They are not The Rockies!) Before BC hosted the Olympics, this road was almost scary, but it was widened for the great event, as it is the main route to Whistler. It’s a fabulous drive, and doubly so on a sunny day. Fasten your seat belts because the scenery is breath-taking: the sea, the mountains, and the open road. What could be better?
Howe Sound and the Sea to Sky Highway
The Thousand Islands Parkway in southern Ontario: the best part of driving east from Toronto to Montreal or to New England is the glorious stretch of this route. Get off Highway 401 and see the great St. Lawrence River. On a good day you might see lake freighters up close. The park itself is a blessed place to stop for a picnic and enjoy a sunny summer noon hour, with a serene view out over the river. It’s such a relief from the speed of the superhighway that you will wish your entire trip was on this lovely road.
St. Lawrence River around the parkway
Highway 60, Ontario, east from from Huntsville, past Dwight to Whitney, and on to Barry’s Bay, is the road through the province’s Algonquin Park. This drive is a treat at any time, but spectacular in the autumn at the height of the fall colour season. This is classic Canadian Shield country: rocks and trees and lakes. For any Canadian, no matter whether from the city or the county, the scenery on this drive epitomizes all that we love about our country. If you are lucky, you might see deer by the side of the road. If you are unlucky, you might encounter a moose in the dark. (Hitting one of them is tantamount to hitting a brick wall!) Stick with the daytime, and see the glorious tapestry of autumn leaves in Ontario in mid-t0-late September. Side trips to resorts or lodges are highly recommended!
Algonquin Park vistas from Hwy 60
Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. This spectacular round trip is a must for anyone who loves the Rocky Mountains. The Fall River Road is not paved and is one way – UP! Also, this road does not open for the season until July 3. (Google this road for info.) At the top you are crossing the Fall River Pass, over 11,000 feet high. There is a Visitors Centre at the top, a good place to stop and take photos. You are in the alpine zone ( it’s tundra up there!) and even in midsummer you are likely to encounter patches of snow. It’s magnificent being surrounded by Rocky Mountains. Then you drive down into the valleys of the national park via the equally spectacular Trail Ridge Road, which requires nerves of steel to negotiate the curves and descents. You will never forget this day trip.
Near the summit of the Trail Ridge Road
photo by Joy Mock, July 2011
Tundra landscape at 11,000 feet on the Trail Ridge Road
Drive up Mt. Baker: If you live in West Vancouver, BC, on a good day you will see Mt. Baker, located in the state of Washington, floating above the horizon when you are looking to the southeast of your city. You can drive up Mt. Baker, a great day trip from Vancouver. The top parking lot is located at about 8,000 feet, not nearly as high as the Fall River Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, but still – worth doing! Mt. Baker is one of the ‘inactive’ volcanoes (think Mt. St. Helens to the south) of the west coast of North America. It’s a beauty of a drive.
Happy Motoring!
…This dramatic and scenic roadway built in 1913 followed an old Indian pathway that climbed over 3 000 feet….Familiar with Old Fall River Road? ……Date of review .Sep 5 2010….We DW and I drove both Old Fall River and Trail Ridge Roads during one day of our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park in late August 2010. We started on the east side of the park therefore we started with the Old Fall River Road OFRR as it is one-way from east to west.