There are so many ways to enter both Jasper and Banff as seen from Vancouver, that it may be difficult to decide what route to take. There’s not really a ‘best’ route and every Vancouverite (yes, that’s a word) I asked seemed to have another favourite way to reach the Rockies. So many people, so many opinions I guess.
I figured to start my journey in the north (Jasper) of the Canadian Rockies and drive onto the south (Banff) from there, as winter was coming. Funny enough and way too early in the season both Jasper and Banff were completely snowed in when I started my trip half September. Luckily the snow and icy roads melted a bit away when I left Jasper, otherwise it would have been impossible to drive that scenic Icefields Parkway in between those two iconic Rocky Mountain NP towns.
Now that I’d decided to start in Jasper rather than Banff, I only had to figure out what northern route to take. As the owner of the house that I was housesitting considered the route to Whistler one of the most scenic drives around Vancouver, I figured I just had to drive via Whistler and Kamloops (with an overnight stay) to Jasper.
I did not regret this route at all. In fact I loved it because I encountered so many scenic landscapes with both foliage ánd a bit of snow. I thought this northern route was way more beautiful than my ride from Banff, via Golden, Revelstoke, Penticton and Hope back to Vancouver.
Whatever route you pick, I would suggest you to split it up. Although google.maps and maps.me will both state no more than 12 hours for any drive towards the Rockies, you just NEED to make a break sometimes, if only for the views. I stopped a gazillion of times, as around every corner another fascinating lake or little river or mountainous backdrop is waiting to be gazed upon. It would be a waste to miss out on those vistas I figured. After all, I was here to enjoy the landscape and nature of Canada.
So, if you’re considering to drive the same way (or you just want to see where I’ve been) let me show you how that drive looked like!
Day one:
I picked up the car at Vancouver Airport, drove through the city center to Stanley Park (the Central Park of Vancouver), crossed that gorgeous Lions Gate Bridge and made my first stop at Point Atkinson Lighthouse in West-Vancouver. Now although this wasn’t really far on the road yet, I just really wanted to see Vancouver from this rocky outcrop. Also, I’m a sucker for lighthouses.
The lighthouse required a 10-minute hike through a nice little forest and the views from one of the rocks was indeed worth a break.
Unfortunately it started to rain shortly afterwards and that was a bit of bad luck for me, as I was about to drive that famous ‘Sea to Sky Highway’ (aka the Highway 99). So although I could understand this road surely has to be beautiful when the sun is out, when it’s all covered in drizzle, there’s little fun driving it… That’s also why I didn’t make any pictures, sorry!
You might be thinking right now “but wasn’t that the main reason you wanted to drive this upper road to Jasper anyway?”. Well yeah, a little. But funny enough the most brilliant part for me actually came right after I left the ski town of Whistler.
Especially the part from Pemberton to Lillooet was just absolutely stunning. This is the first snap I made when I left Whistler, near the Green Lake ↓
More snaps along the Duffey Lake Road to Lillooet ↓
And a break at the Duffey Lake itself. You see the many colours in the back in the middle of the picture? It was the start of my painter’s palette afternoon drive! ↓ And it was absolutely superb.
The road from Pemberton to Lillooet was quite bendy and mountainous from time to time, but the foliage luckily also kept on improving ↓
Here’s a view on Seton Lake and on the way between the mountains before reaching Lillooet ↓
Lillooet itself was just a tiny town and as far as I could see not worthy of a stop, but its surroundings were absolutely amazing. Take a look at this mountain for example: a three-for-one season sale! ↓
Or this gorgeous waterfall on the way from Lillooet to Cache Creek ↓
As I reached Kamloops in the dark (where I’d arranged an Airbnb stay), I unfortunately missed out on the nearby Kamloops lake and its views. So let me know how that’s like if you are gonna see it yourself!
Day two
Although I did prefer the road from Whistler to Kamloops, I also immensely enjoyed the views on the way from Kamloops to Jasper on the next day. Especially the first three hours were still very scenic ↓
The views on the North Thompson river with sheets of mist in the back were mystical. ↓ The place was so quiet that I stayed for half an hour staring at the mirror-like river.
Another great break that day was at the Rearguard Falls. Close to the road, seeing the falls requires a 10-minute steep hike which was great for a bit of stretching in between all of the driving.
Although the falls itself didn’t impress me that much, it did really like the ‘Hansel and Gretel’ kind of trail ↓
And the falls were also one of my last breaks before the snow was coming in.
Especially around the town of Valemount things were getting cold. ↓
But on the bright side, the more snow I encountered, the more spectacular the little rivers and lakes seemed to become!
That’s it! And that’s how the upper road from Vancouver to Jasper looks like!
In hindsight I can definitely recommend you to drive this road. It’s quiet, well-constructed, I never got bored of the views and when I was there (around half September) the amount of foliage was enormous. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen so many multi-coloured fall landscapes at once.
Here you can see what road to take! ↓
