Mt. Revelstoke National Park
photo from Parks Canada

One of the national parks along the Trans-Canada Highway in eastern B.C., Mt. Revelstoke is set in the Selkirk Mounmtains, north of the town of Revelstoke. The Columbia River flows along the western side of the park. Glacier National Park is a few miles to the east.

Recreational activities available include camping, hiking, wildlife observation, and skiing. Canyon Hot Springs Resort is across the highway from the park.

British Columbia

From the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, British Columbia is a wonderland of mounytains, deep river valleys, and large interior plateaus. Officially, the northern Trans-Canada route stops at or near the Alberta border, but you can continue on Route 16, the Yellowhead Highway, all the way to Prince Rupert, and the Pacific Coast.

You can also take the South Yellowhead (Route 5) south from Tete Jaune Cache, to meet the main Trans-Canada route at Kamloops, and then continue west to Vancouver and Victoria.

The southern route crosses not only the Rockies, but leads across the Selkirk, Monashee, and Coast Mountains before reaching the Fraser River Valley and Vancouver. After a ferry crossing from the Vancouver area, the Trans-Canada leads from Nanaimo to Victoria, completing the cross-country journey on Vancouver Island.

Highlights:

Leaving the Alberta border, you have a full day of driving through mountain ranges, passing through Yoho National Park, and through the Selkirkss and Monashees before reaching the Shyswap Lakes region, and then the city of Kamloops. By now, you're on the Interior Plateau. The Trans-Canada route heads west and then south, while the Coquihalla Highway (a toll route -- #5A) cuts time by heading directly south to the town of Hope. The Trans-Canada Route follows the Thompson and Fraser Rivers, through deep canyons, before reaching the farmlands of the Fraser River Delta, and the outskirts of Vancouver.

The mainland section of the Trans-Canada ends at Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal (across the harbor from the city of Vancouver). Nanaimo is the Vancouver Island ferry terminus. Victoria is a two-hour drive from Nanaimo.

British Columbia has an extensive park system, and Trans-Canada drivers will find many parks, with campsites, right on the route. Accommodations guides and regional provincial park maps are available at the B.C. Tourist Infocentres.