If you only come to Canada once in your life, you must come to the Rocky Mountains. There are endless snow-capped mountains, blue glacial lakes and endless wild animals. Fully untouched glaciers, canyons, grasslands, rivers and waterfalls are all accessible by car.
Canada's vast territory and stunning natural landscapes make for a number of scenic driving tours. This road trip checklist will take you through this great country.
1. Highway 4 (Pacific Rim Highway), Parksville to Tofino, Vancouver Island, BC
The road is about 150 kilometers long and takes about two hours by car. Pass through ancient forests, mountains and lakes from Parksville in the east all the way through Vancouver Island to Tofino on the Pacific west coast. Once in Tofino, you can indulge in quaint small-town charm amid the stunning surrounding scenery, including dramatic vistas of the Pacific Ocean and spectacular views of Cricket Bay (now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). Don't miss the quirky and charming old country market and the famous "roof goat" to see.
2. Sea to Sky Highway, BC
The "Sea to Sky Highway" is the northern part of Highway 99, about 150 kilometers long, connecting Horseshoe Bend in Vancouver with Whistler in British Columbia. You can see lakes, mountains, fjords, bays and waterfalls on this breathtaking highway, which takes about 2 hours. Interesting attractions along the way include the Britannia Mine Museum, where you can visit a once-abandoned copper mine, or ride Squamish's Sea to Sky Gondola for some of the most beautiful lake and mountain views in Canada. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Haitian Highway underwent major repairs, so it was very comfortable and safe to drive.
3. Trans-Canada Highway between Revelstoke, BC and Lake Louise, AB
Section #1 of the Trans-Canada Highway runs approximately 220 kilometers through the Canadian Rockies between Revelstoke and Lake Louise. The journey includes the Selkirk Mountains and Glacier National Park in British Columbia and ends at Lake Louise in the Banff National Forest in Alberta.
4. The Icefields Parkway, Alberta
Icefield Drive runs through the Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta via Route 93 and runs parallel to the Rocky Mountains on the British Columbia-Alberta border. This scenic drive takes you through the Rocky Mountains, with lakes and glaciers along the way. The northern part of Icefield Parkway is like going back to the Ice Age. Huge glaciers and frozen mountains surround this highway that passes through the Columbia Icefield, where tourists can get off the bus to experience the magnificence and shock of the Columbia Icefield.
5. Badlands Trail, Alberta
Unlike many of Canada's most popular attractions, the Badlands Road is known for its sparse vegetation, moon-like terrain. The Badlands Road runs through Calgary, Drumheller, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, and is a few hours' drive if you go straight, but many tourists take a week to explore the area. Among them, Drumheller is the largest source of dinosaur fossils in the world, where you will experience the remains of prehistoric civilization.
