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Taking a little road trip next week and decided to see a bit of Canada. I'll be crossing over at Vancouver and then head up BC-99 to Kamloops. Then up 5 to Jasper National Park then down to Banff. Finally Banff back home to Denver.
Any tips or advice? How much above the speed limit is unreasonable? Recommended stops?
A busy body co-worker recommended, with the cooler overnight temps, I switch to my winter tires. I don't think it will be an issue. My summer rubber is PS 4s.
1. These are all great roads. I used to live out this way, and have driven them multiple times.
2. "Unreasonable" speed is hard to gauge. On most of these roads the RCMP will pull you over at 20km/h over the limit. At 40km/h over the limit they will impound your car. You can encounter animals/rocks on the road at any time on many of these roads.
3. On most of these roads, finding 93 or even 91 octane can be hard.
4. You can encounter snow in the BC Rocky Mountains all year. In mid-September PS4s might be a liability. A set of UHP all seasons would be your best bet.
My personal mantra for speed limits is "under 30 over" as it's "just" money if you're stopped (and points for us locals). At over 30 kph they can take your car for a day. At over 40 they can take it for a week. Most RCMP detachments are using LASER this days so I wouldn't depend on a radar detector to much
Most Chevron stations in BC have 94 octane with no ethanol. Most other stations have 91 octane.
If you have the budget the classic places to stay in the Rockies are Jasper Park Lodge, Lake Louise Chateau, and Banff Springs Hotel. These are all historic CP Rail hotels (now under Fairmont management).
I'd also recommend a night at Whistler, lots of good choices there.
Not sure how many miles/hours you want to do per day but for me I'd stop at Kamloops after Whistler then Jasper Park.
It's been a record year for forest fires in BC and many/most are still burning. A lot of smoke in places even without fires. I would maybe check out some webcams of places you are planning to visit. There was snow in the mountains last week. It will likely be off the roads later in the day however it could snow a fair bit at higher altitudes in September. Morning temps will be under 7 degrees Celsius.
My personal mantra for speed limits is "under 30 over"
Good tip. Wouldn't want to lose the car for a day either. I'll leave my Mad Max driving style for Montana and Wyoming. No real itinerary but if figure 8-10 hours in the saddle per day. Will stretch to 12 to reach a good hotel. Planning my fuel and food stops now and looks like Petro-Canada and Tim Horton's has me covered. Looking forward to my first box of Timbits.
It's been a record year for forest fires in BC and many/most are still burning. A lot of smoke in places even without fires. I would maybe check out some webcams of places you are planning to visit. There was snow in the mountains last week. It will likely be off the roads later in the day however it could snow a fair bit at higher altitudes in September. Morning temps will be under 7 degrees Celsius.
Smokey down here too. Probably not the best time to go but need to burn 2 weeks vacation this month. Michelin warns of permanent damage at -7 so +7 should be okay.
That's an awesome trip you put out there. I doubt snow will be on your path mid September. Here in Kamloops temperatures are in the mid 20's during the day dropping till about 7 at night. (Celsius that is...) I have been on the trip you drafted and I am sure you will enjoy it. Especially from Kamloops to Whistler over Pemberton is stunning. For speed, just make sure you don't go over 40 km/h in BC. the will take your car for the week. Funny thing is that it really doesn't matter if you go 10 over or 30. Fine is basically the same. Drive safe!
That's an awesome trip you put out there. I doubt snow will be on your path mid September. Here in Kamloops temperatures are in the mid 20's during the day dropping till about 7 at night. (Celsius that is...) I have been on the trip you drafted and I am sure you will enjoy it. Especially from Kamloops to Whistler over Pemberton is stunning. For speed, just make sure you don't go over 40 km/h in BC. the will take your car for the week. Funny thing is that it really doesn't matter if you go 10 over or 30. Fine is basically the same. Drive safe!
Thanks. My original idea was just Denver, San Francisco, Portland, and back but Canada looked so inviting. Should be around 4200 miles total.
I doubt snow will be on your path mid September. Here in Kamloops temperatures are in the mid 20's during the day dropping till about 7 at night. (Celsius that is...)
There is a chance of snow next week at Saskatchewan River Crossing, which is about 1.5 hours south of Jasper. There was a snow storm there in July when I went through.
Look, the roads aren't going to be covered in snow, but there is a chance of a cm or 2. If you can stop, wait until noon until it melts before proceeding, then summer tires won't matter much.
There is a chance of snow next week at Saskatchewan River Crossing, which is about 1.5 hours south of Jasper. There was a snow storm there in July when I went through.
Look, the roads aren't going to be covered in snow, but there is a chance of a cm or 2. If you can stop, wait until noon until it melts before proceeding, then summer tires won't matter much.
Thanks. Wish I had All-Seasons. Always tricky driving in the mountains. I wanted to give my new PS4S a workout driving up the PCH but will mount my old Blizzaks before I leave. One less thing to worry about.
Never taken Highway 99 from Vancouver to Kamloops, but Highway 1 up the Fraser River valley is a beautiful drive. But hell, most of that drive you have there is beautiful.
When you turn off Highway 1 West of Banff onto Highway 93 to Radium.... that is a fun road you can break some speed limits on.
09-05-2018, 12:46 PM
First Canadian Road Trip
