3 weeks in BC / itinerary recommendations for a new overlander

[cgepner]

Hello everyone

I'm new here and in fact new to overlanding too. I wanted to reality check the itinerary i had in mind for this summer, and maybe get alternative recommendations.
We are a couple with a 5 year old kid, we will be landing in Vancouver and rented a 4 Runner from July 30th to August 26th. And I need to be around Calgary from the 12 to the 16th of August. Which leaves me with 12 days before Calgary, and 9 days after to head back to Vancouver.
I've been looking at a number of blogs, gaia GPS, online BRMB maps etc. but since i'm new to this i couldn't really figure it out yet.
Thanks in advance for your help!!

What we are looking for is
- going through beautiful and varied landscapes
- be in rather remote settings without too many people around, and "wild camp" every night
- drive 2h/day on average, but it's OK if longer stretches are necessary from time to time
- no problem with gravel roads but we are not specifically looking for a riding challenge

This being said, we crossed out national parks because we'd rather avoid having to plan ahead/having to sleep in designated camping areas with many other people around.
What i'm looking at at the moment would be
1- Vancouver => northern vancouver island 2 days
2- Ferry to Prince Rupert 1 day
3- Prince Rupert to Prince George or Grand Prairie 4 days
4- Go down the Forestry Trunk Road to Calgary 5 days
Then around Calgary a couple days
and then head back to Vancouver trying to join a few overland routes such as

Peachland to Merritt Overland – Various FSR’s

Comprising 156km's of gravel travel, this route is an easy, immersive overland experience with boundless lakeshore camping opportunities.

www.untrammelledtravels.ca

with a few days around South Chilcotin South Chilcotin Overland - Hurley River FSR and Lillooet Pioneer Road

Thank you for taking the time to read all this, and please feel free to share any comment/idea about what we should do
I'm totally open to doing something completely different ;)

Cedric

 

[CR-Venturer]

It would be helpful to know what vehicle you're driving and how much self-recovery capability you have. I did an expedition up in the Northern BC area, and I can definitely recommend some highlights and cool places to explore in that area. It sounds like you might be passing through my neck of the woods around Edmonton as well, so I can recommend a few very hard to find crown camp spots around here as well, if that's the case.

 

[cgepner]

It would be helpful to know what vehicle you're driving and how much self-recovery capability you have. I did an expedition up in the Northern BC area, and I can definitely recommend some highlights and cool places to explore in that area. It sounds like you might be passing through my neck of the woods around Edmonton as well, so I can recommend a few very hard to find crown camp spots around here as well, if that's the case.

thanks a lot for your answer
i'll be in a 4runner, i will have some kind of satelite device in case of emergency and i can probably drive out of a pothole but i don't have much skills in self-recovery.
not sure about edmonton since the forestry trunk road basically goes diagonal between grand prairie and calgary, and as of now that's one of my only sure bets in terms of itinerary
but i can still change plans of course

thank you

 

[CR-Venturer]

You might want to invest in a set of maxtraxx (the cheap chinese knockoff ones are fine, you can get them for 80 bucks at Canadian Tire or buy them on Amazon) and a shovel. I would also consider an axe and/or saw of some kind, in case you have fallen trees blocking the road or track at some point. Your rig is pretty solidly capable even in stock configuration, so that's a good thing. I also recommend a good air compressor and air down tool, so you can air down your tires for a smoother ride - this is almost a must on the FTR, as it gets pretty teeth chatteringly rough in a lot of places.

When I have a bit of time, I'll put together a list of nice camp spots and places to check out in the areas you mention. I did a trip in 2020 in Northern BC, and I did a big trip to the rockies including part of the Forestry Trunk Road last year in September, so I have some nice spots in my back pocket.

 

[Alanymarce]

What we are looking for is

- drive 2h/day on average, but it's OK if longer stretches are necessary from time to time

What i'm looking at at the moment would be
1- Vancouver => northern vancouver island 2 days
2- Ferry to Prince Rupert 1 day
3- Prince Rupert to Prince George or Grand Prairie 4 days
4- Go down the Forestry Trunk Road to Alberta 5 days
Then around Alberta a couple days
and then head back to Vancouver...

Hi:

- From Vancouver to Port Hardy is OK in 2 days, however you'll need to drive more than 2 hours each day.
- Book ferries, don;t wait until you arrive at the terminals.
- Prince Rupert to Prince George is a good route, and will take you 4 days at a little more than 2 hours/day, continuing to Grand Prairie will need more driving time each day - it's also a nice route, although the last part, in Alberta, is in my view less interesting. I suggest going from Prince George to Valemount, then joining the FTR at Hinton, then south.

As CR-Venturerr suggests, take a tyre repair kit and compressor (you can buy a small inexpensive one at Canadian Tire, it will take longer to inflate the tyres than a big one, but you may not need it at all).

Check the tyres when you pick up the car.

You'll find a range of opinion on whether to air down on gravel. We keep to the pressures we use on surfaced roads. I think that some people air down because they run higher pressures than we do on tarmac. On a 4Runner I'd run 32 psig all round (higher at the back if heavily loaded), and air down for soft sand.

 

[cgepner]

Hi:

- From Vancouver to Port Hardy is OK in 2 days, however you'll need to drive more than 2 hours each day.
- Book ferries, don;t wait until you arrive at the terminals.
- Prince Rupert to Prince George is a good route, and will take you 4 days at a little more than 2 hours/day, continuing to Grand Prairie will need more driving time each day - it's also a nice route, although the last part, in Alberta, is in my view less interesting. I suggest going from Prince George to Valemount, then joining the FTR at Hinton, then south.

As CR-Venturerr suggests, take a tyre repair kit and compressor (you can buy a small inexpensive one at Canadian Tire, it will take longer to inflate the tyres than a big one, but you may not need it at all).

Check the tyres when you pick up the car.

You'll find a range of opinion on whether to air down on gravel. We keep to the pressures we use on surfaced roads. I think that some people air down because they run higher pressures than we do on tarmac. On a 4Runner I'd run 32 psig all round (higher at the back if heavily loaded), and air down for soft sand.

thanks a lot
which part is in your view less interesting?
Is going down the FTR to Calgary worth it in your opinion?
If I have to spend 5 days around Calgary, just "chill camping" with another family, do you have any idea where we could go?
noted for the tires and all the equipment!

 

[Alanymarce]

thanks a lot
which part is in your view less interesting?
Is going down the FTR to Calgary worth it in your opinion?
If I have to spend 5 days around Calgary, just "chill camping" with another family, do you have any idea where we could go?
noted for the tires and all the equipment!

- Once you leave the mountains the scenery is less impressive, although Albertans like the prairies as much as the mountains (Edmontonians vs Calgarians perhaps).
- The FTR is a good route, and gives you access to less-travelled areas. Yes I think it's worth it.
- "Around Calgary" is a "how long is a piece of string?" question - if I had 5 days in the area I'd do a loop through Kananaskis, south on highway 40, then to Longview, and back to Calgary via Priddis.

 

[rgallant]

Vancouver Island is tough with lots of gates, you absolutely have to reserve your ferry spot for both ferries

With 2 days you will not see much of the island it is a big place, it is about 6 hours from Victoria to Port Hardy basically 500 KM

Telegraph Cove is a nice spot to visit: Telegraph Cove - Tourism Vancouver Island and does not take you far from the highway
At Zeballos on the west side you can camp pretty much on the ocean on the farside on the inlet from Zeballos


Both the routes you have indicated Peachland to Merritt and South Chilcotin are on pretty well maintained FSR's and will give you no issues. Currently the Boston Bar to Harrison route is closed for road work and bridge replacement.

Wild camping is pretty much anywhere that is not private property in BC, off an FSR. Campfires are banned right now, and you need to keep track of forest fires : BC Wildfire Service (gov.bc.ca)

Last thing BC is full of bears Black and Grizzly - you should read up on camping in area's that are home to bears. Elk, Moose and deer can be road hazards in the early morning and early evening. Be very aware of wild horses they can extremely skittish around vehicles, it is best to slow right down. Cows tend to just stand on the road, but the young ones will run in front of you.

 

[CR-Venturer]

You will find the BC Parcel Map to be an indispensable tool for determining where the crown land is in the province: ArcGIS Web Application

Alberta, unfortunately, doesn’t have a great tool for this at the provincial level. For finding crown land in Alberta, I use the various county landowner maps, which are available from the county websites in PDF format, generally, as well as the provincial PLUZ (Public Land Use Zone) maps. Alberta has a crown land camping pass for the Rockies and Foothills areas, as well as a separate pass for the Kannanaskis Country area, however I THINK as a non-resident, you’re exempt from these. Do your homework to be sure, though. The pass is 30 dollars yearly.

For the Vancouver Island leg, the only advice I can give you is to drive as much of the distance as you can on 19A, the Old Island Highway, which starts just north of Nanaimo. The old highway is a beautifully scenic drive and much more interesting than the new inland highway. There are some nice pubs/restaurants along the way in Qualicum beach as well as the Fanny Bay Inn in Fanny Bay. If you’re interested in sea life, there was a colony of sea lions that reside on the floats beside the Fanny Bay wharf, and if you have the means for a little boat side trip, the waters along the coast of Denman Island across from Fanny Bay are absolutely teeming with urchins and starfish of various kinds. There is also a little ferry across to Denman Island, but I don’t think there is all that much to see over there. I have family that live in Fanny Bay and did a bicycle trip up the old island highway many years ago.

When you reach Prince Rupert, if the weather is clear, I highly recommend a drive up to the top of Mt. Hayes, which is the peak of Kaien Island, where Rupert sits. Take Wantage Road south from Hwy 16, the turn is right beside the Lester Centre of the Arts. The drive is interesting, but not seriously technical, so your 4runner should have no difficulty. It’s not a terribly long detour, so well worth the effort on a clear day. Prince Rupert has a decent little waterfront area with some nice shops and restaurants you may want to check out.

There are many potential crown camping opportunities near Rupert, but by far the most spectacular one I know of is Work Channel Inlet rec site. This can be accessed from a FSR going north from HW16. Google maps still lists this road as “Work Channel Road” however the name on the sign has been changed to an unpronounceable native name, which makes it easy to miss. The coordinates of the start of the road are 54°14'14.7"N 129°51'26.0"W. There are several ocean front camp spots available at the rec site, as well as access to the rocky beach. It’s all crown land so you’re free to camp wherever you prefer, apart from blocking the road, obviously. Lots of sea life around here, and humpback whales are known to frequent the north end of the inlet, although I think the likelihood of them being seen in the bay itself at the south end is very unlikely. One never knows, though.

Highway 16 along the Skeena River is an absolutely stunning drive, and there are some nice spots to pull out for a picnic or even camping along the river, if you’re so inclined. These are mostly quite obvious, so I’ll let you discover them as you go.

Terrace, BC is a fairly big city as far as the region goes, so you can stock up on pretty much everything you need there. Crown camping opportunities abound in surrounding area, however there are some particularly impressive little gems to be found not far from Terrace. Just a little way east on hwy 16, there is a very large sand flats area that can be accessed by driving into a gravel pullout just on the east side of Copper River Bridge, east of Thornhill. Copper Mountain also has an access road/track that I understand has some interesting features as well as, I understand, a fire lookout. The access road starts at 54°29'23.1"N 128°28'33.2"W off of Old Lakelse Lake Dr. I wanted to do this track on my expedition through the north, however I wasn’t able to get to it due to time constraints.

While you can take Hwy 16 between Terrace and Smithers, BC and see many beautiful sights, if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, I highly recommend the Telkwa Pass route. This is an incredibly beautiful back country route that takes you through some absolutely spectacular mountain country, and lets you pass through to Telkwa, BC from just east of Thornhill without touching pavement. Top Lake in particular is a stunning spot, and if you’re so inclined, there’s plenty of room to camp there, or alternatively there are at least two primitive Rec site campgrounds further along the route toward Telkwa that are usually very quiet or altogether deserted, even in the summer. Telkwa pass is a very remote route with some challenging terrain, however I completed it in my 99 CRV, and I met a fellow in a stock 4runner coming the other way, and he made it through, so it’s certainly doable in a stock vehicle, barring unforeseen changes in the terrain such as major rock slides etc. The whole Telkwa pass takes about 3.5-4h to complete, depending on your pace. From the Thornhill side, the pass begins with Copper River FSR, which is an extension off of Haaland Ave in Thornhill and can be accessed from several spots off of Hwy 16, or by going through Thornhill itself on the south side of the highway.

If you want to do some exploring in the area but don’t want to do the Telkwa Pass, there is also Zymontez Mine which can be accessed via Copper River Road which turns off of Hwy 16 and runs along the north side of Copper River, almost paralleling the Copper River FSR. I haven’t done this route either, however another OB member did it in a new Jeep Cherokee, so your 4runner should be fine.

I don’t know if you would be interested in a side trip to Kitimat or not. I’m highly fond of the area myself and visited it on my expedition. If you head down there, don’t miss a trip to Minette Bay and the wreck of the First Try, as well as doing a short hike at North Cove Trail. It ends at a gorgeous seaside cove that’s perfect for a lunch break. Kitimat isn’t an especially touristy town, being originally founded entirely for its industry, but I believe it has a certain charm about it, and I love it. Your mileage may vary. Be aware it's basically an in and back type of side trip, as there are no roads that lead anywhere else once you’re there.

If you end up taking Hwy 16 between Terrace and Smithers, again you’re in for a gorgeous drive. There are various pullouts along the way, but I strongly recommend stops at least at Gitwangak Battle Hill National Historic Site, just a short drive up Highway 37 north of Kitwanga, and the Morricetown Canyon (shows up as Witset on google maps, but the road signs still say Morricetown). The restaurant at Kitwanga gas station right at the junction with 37 has some delicious food and decent prices for the area, as well. If you’re so inclined, there is a back country road from Morricetown right into the heart of Telkwa, which bypasses Smithers. Smithers itself is a cute little town with a very nice main drag with lots of nice shops, a couple of excellent restaurants (The Alpenhorn Bistro is fantastic) and a great little brewery with a tap room if you’re inclined to sample some local beer (Smithers Brewing Co.).

Again, crown camping abounds in the area around Smithers, and you can easily find some good spots if you go up Coalmine Road from Telkwa. If you decide you want to camp in this general vicinity, let me know and I can direct you to some really gorgeous hidden away spots.

I have to get some stuff done around the house, but I can post more info later. Cheers for now!

 

[CR-Venturer]

In terms of the trip from Smithers to Grande Prairie, I actually recommend avoiding Prince George if you can. It's a bit of a hole. If you're up for the adventure, I recommend turning north from Highway 16 to take Hwy 27 to Fort St. James on the shores of Stuart Lake. Ft. St. James is a National Historic Site and was once the central base of operations for the Hudson's Bay Company's fur trade in the entire region. It was once the de-facto capital of the whole territory and is steeped in history. From there, you can continue on hwy 27 through the back country, passing by/through Carp Lake Provincial Rec area on Mcleod Tsilcoh Road/Carp Lake Road and eventually meet up with Highway 97 again at the village of McLeod Lake. The back country route is about 145km, which isn't too bad, so you'd likely save time vs going to Prince George, despite the faster speeds on the 16 freeway.

From McLeod lake, you take the 97 North via Dawson Creek (another storied town in BC history) from whence you can deicde if you want to take the Hwy 2/43 to Grande Prairie or take the more roundabout route of Hwy 49 to Rycroft and then turn south on Hwy 2 toward Grande Prairie.

More to follow.

 

[cgepner]

amazing!!! thank you so much!!!

 

[Tundracamper]

#jealous
I did a road trip with the family from Edmonton, to Jasper, down to Banff, then over to Cache Creek and down to Vancouver last month. What a great (paved) road trip. If I went back, I’d love to overland. You will have a great trip!!

 

[CR-Venturer]

I'm not as familiar with the area from Grande Prairie to Grand Cache, however I was looking into the possibility of an expedition to the Grande Cache area, so I can tell you there are a TON of wheeling and crown camping options around there. Kakawa Falls is highly regarded as one of the nicest waterfalls in Alberta, as well, and is a little way west of GC. Not sure how long that route would take, however, so you would have to research the terrain and distances involved.

A potential option for the southward trip via the 40 is a detour via Cadomin through Mountain Park townsite, then reconnecting with the 40. This section is an absolutely gorgeous route that passes through the site of what was once the highest settlement in all of Canada. The town is gone, but the cemetery has been beautifully restored and is the resting place of many WWI and WWII veterans, and carries the distinction of being the highest elevation cemetery in the country. The route has a "closed" section due to a washout, but there are bypasses in and out that are widely used and should be no issue for your 4runner. When I did my expedition last year, we had a stock Suburban that made it through no issues. Watch out for some seriously nasty potholes along the route though, if you take it.

Nordegg is a nice stopover on the 40 route south. There are many rec sites along the 40, most of which have a $15 a night fee via drop box. The Brazeau River Rec Site, situated on the south side of the Brazeau river bridge, has a large and very nice crown land camp spot immediately on the west side of the bridge, complete with fire ring, that you can access by driving through the rec site and under the bridge.

As far as things south of Nordegg, I'm afraid my knowledge is at an end lol If you have any specific questions or want further info on anything, please feel free to either respond here or PM me. Cheers and happy adventuring!

oh, one little note about the FTR - I strongly recommend 18-20 PSI. You will thank me lol