Skip Banff and See British Colombia - RV Destinations Magazine

Why You Should Skip Banff and See British Colombia

Written and Photographs by Agata Wisniowska

We couldn’t take our eyes off the towering Rocky Mountains. Their splendor and grandness garnered respect and left me trembling in fear thinking how it would be to trek these majestic mountains. Seeking out the incredible sights and scenery around every corner, thousands of people from around the world clamor to Banff National Park and Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada every year. As a matter of fact, so many people want to take that selfie at Lake Louise (located 10km from the town of Banff) that there are parking lots miles away with shuttles to the lake. The crowds of people traveling to Banff are legendary; just take a look at the hundreds of RV spots surrounding the town, and keep in mind that every single one is taken during summer. Your best bet to avoid most of the crowds is to go in October, when temperatures are still above freezing, you can actually get a seat at a restaurant, and you don’t need to leave your truck far away to get a glimpse of Lake Louise.

Authentic, rustic charm is not what Banff is all about; rather, it offers a more commercialized, sweet charm that lulls you into thinking of it as a place that is off the beaten track. In reality, however, it is saturated with tourists almost year-round. While we were there in October, a local couple took us aside and whispered their secrets and showed us the real route for discovering the Rockies and Beautiful British Columbia. If you’re looking for true charm, skip Banff entirely and take an alternate route to experience some more unique places we promise will blow your mind.

Located north of Banff, Jasper National Park is on the Yellowhead Highway Pass. At 10,878 square kilometers, Jasper is much larger than Banff’s 6,641 square kilometers; this face surprised us, as Banff seems to have more well-known places like Canmore, Lake Louise, and the town of Banff itself. Jasper National Park, on the other hand, includes only one known town, Jasper, but it also includes a lot more spectacular scenery. Jasper is home to 53 mammal species including black and grizzly bears, cougars, lynx, coyotes, wolves, wolverines, bighorn sheep, moose and elk. Whereas Banff feels like one large resort, Jasper has minimal large hotels; instead, locals often open up their homes to visitors. This also means there are lots of RV park options in and around Jasper National Park, each one better than the next. While Banff’s Lake Louise is best known for its incredible turquoise water, Jasper’s lesser-known sister lake, Peyton Lake, picks up glacial rock flour from Peyton Glacier, resulting in a very similar if not even more beautiful effect. Bonus: no crowds. Peyton Lake sits in a valley and is best viewed from Bow Summit, which happens to be the Icefields Parkway’s highest point. Here, you can walk around and experience an amazing glacial field.

From Jasper, take Highway 93 south and then Highway 1 west and make your way towards Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park through the towering Rockies that weave and pop out from each side on the highway. Stop in at Emerald Lake and have lunch at Emerald Lake Lodge. If Dorothy had made it down the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City, she would have realized she was in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada. Emerald Lake is the largest of Yoho’s 61 lakes and ponds, and it truly is an emerald color. With RV parking available next to the lake, getting to this gem is just a matter of tapping your red shoes together.

Yoho National Park is a legendary pass that opened British Columbia to the rest of Canada by rail in the 19th century. If you have time to stay at Yoho, book ahead at Parks Canada 1-877-RESERVE (1-877-737-3783) to reserve a guided conservation hike to Padget Pass or plan to do the 21km (13 mile) hike along the Ice Trail that will leave you in awe and wonder. It passes through three points of interest that many don’t get to: Yoho Valley, Daly Glacier and Takakkaw Falls and its reservoir. Parks Canada’s official website has a ton of additional ideas of what to do in this National Park.

Continue west on the Trans-Canada Highway (HW 1) where the elevation reaches 1,627 meters (5,338 feet) as you drive to the town of Golden. Here, travel guides may encourage you to visit Radium Hot Springs. However, take our word for it and just keep driving; doing so will take you to British Columbia’s three best hot springs that only locals know about. Your body, sore from all of the scenic hiking, will thank you.

Relaxed and refreshed, continue on to the (literally) breathtaking switchbacks past Golden towards Revelstoke. The intense twists and turns are heart pounding. Once you’ve parked your RV in Boulder Mountain Resort Cabins – RV Sites in Revelstoke, we recommend at least three days and nights here to enjoy all there is to see and do. Plan a day in the mountains, a day in the water, rafting, and finish it off at The Craft Beirhouse with a local craft beer and Canuk Mac & Cheese slathered with bacon, chicken, and maple, topped with Colby jack and green onion. Most known for its heli-skiing during the winter and rafting adventures during the summer, Revelstoke also offers miles and miles of mountain biking trails and golf courses. Ski fanatics from all over the world make it their mission to work here in season and you will find an eclectic array of ex-pats sporting hailing from places including Australia and Germany. This is the Revelstoke charm: a true ski-town, smack in the middle of the Rockies with an international demographic. If you’re a history buff, just 50km (31 miles) take a trip out to historically important Canadian Craigellachie, just west of Revelstoke. Here, in 1885, the last spike of rail was driven for the Canadian Pacific Railway that joined Canada’s eastern and western halves. Back in town, The Revelstoke Railway Museum is small but not to be missed. Keep in mind that it’s closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, though.

From here, instead of continuing on the Trans-Canada Highway, take the route no one tells you about: turn south on HW 23 to Shelter Bay, take the breathtaking ride on a free ferry to Galena Bay, and head to the village of Nakusp with just over 1,500 residents and located beside Arrow Lake in the Kootenays. Nakusp Hot Springs, also called “one of BC’s best kept secrets”, is a gem to visit. It’s not the easiest place to get to – but that’s part of the appeal. At the end of a beautiful 14km (8.6 miles) forest drive you’ll reach your full-hookup RV site and head to the hot springs surrounded by a forest and mountains that, after an hour soak, will leave you sleeping better than a baby. Out of the three hot springs in the area that locals come to (others being Halfway Hot Springs and Halyco) only Nakusp offers RV camping sites.

Relaxed and rejuvenated, continue south. Once you’ve reached the town of New Denver, turn left on route 31A and look for a gravel road on the right (RV worthy) as you do not want to miss the ghost town of Sandon. With a population of four, its main occupant, Hal, has for the last 50 years been the caretaker of a 120-year-old hydro power generation plant that has been in continuous operation since 1897. The hydroelectric plant runs on original Tesla and Edison parts and is only 3% less efficient than a leading modern-day plant. Fascinatingly, Sandon became the first place in BC where every citizen could obtain electrical service. Sandon was founded as a mining town when vast amounts of galena ore (the source of lead and silver) were discovered. With an abundance of water and steep mountains, Sandon was ideally suited to the generation of hydroelectricity. It’s a very unique plant – it uses water from high elevations from four different streams to generate power. And today, the plant continues to provide power to the local area.

If the power plant doesn’t seem that exciting, Hal, the keeper of the stories of Sandon definitely is. This was a booming mining town in its heyday, boasting 5000 residents, 115 brothels, 28 saloons, 29 hotels, 7 churches, a hospital and a school. Hal told us the story of boys barely past 18 who would arrive in search of riches. They would line up for the highly paid job of a mining power drill operator and fall sick after three months of working in the mines when their lungs filled with rock dust. The boys were then tossed aside and replaced with the next young men itching at the chance to make their piece of the pie. These sick young men often died in the back rooms of brothels – brothel girls were the only ones kind enough to take care of them as their lungs collapsed due to rock dust.

Not far away from Sandon (at the end of route 31A), you’ll feel like you’ve time warped into an earlier era of Canadian history with another hidden gem in the Village of Kaslo. Here, you will find the S.S. Moyie, the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler in the world. It is a museum, a designated National Canadian Historic site and a British Columbian landmark. Fully restored, the sternwheeler offers visitors an enticing look at thousands upon thousands of historical objects that make the visit authentic inside and out. Blow the ship’s original steam whistle (weather permitting), peek into a cabin and check out the cargo and vintage cars and the mechanics of a working sternwheeler. The quaint village of Kaslo on the shore of the Kootenay Lake in the Selkirk Mountains may have the feel of a tourist town, but the Heritage buildings have been lovingly restored. You’ll find various boutique eateries, shops and artisans, and there’s also a local community park called Kaslo Village Campground located two minutes walking distance to the downtown shops.

Next, follow Lake Kootenay on Highway 31 south to the town Nelson. If you thought your scenic drive was done, think again – this is where the fun really begins. As a side note, you’ll pass through the village of Ainsworth with hot springs in caves. Typically, you can stay at an RV park in the village as there is public access to the hot springs, but sometimes it gets restricted to their hotel guests, so make sure to call ahead.

The next stop is Nelson BC, the mountain-locked city that is centrally located between Vancouver and Calgary and a connector to Highway 3, Crowsnest Passage. Nelson is a cosmopolitan city with amenities coupled with an authentic small-town charm. Nelson residents boast about the area’s 50+ restaurants and cafes, which is more per capita than San Francisco. Nelson’s characteristic red bridge just begs for droning and photography.

The best way to experience the drastic change in landscape from Nelson to Osooyos is during the day. You’ll watch the scenery morph from luscious, green forests to dry Arizona-like desert. Welcome, you’ve now arrived in Osoyoos, the Canadian mountain desert where cacti grow right next to rows of vineyards. Dry and hot with temperatures climbing to 35C/96F during the summer, Osooyos is an extension of the Okanogan region, a major producer of Canadian wines. Even though his hidden gem of an area is home to some 40 wineries, some of the most dedicated wine adventurers might not know this region exists.

Osooyos is located in a valley just four kilometers (2.4miles) from the USA border with Washington state. To get to it, you need to drive along a winding and twisting road that descends at a breath-taking 800 meters (2600 feet) in 10 minutes. No wonder that, long before Europeans discovered this region, the Indigenous people of the Sylix made it home. Learn more about the history and culture of aboriginals from this region by visiting the world recognized Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre Museum where you can also see a reconstructed traditional Okanagan Village and visit Canada’s first Indigenous owned and operated winery, Nk’Mip Cellars (pronounced inn-ka-meep). If you stay at Haynes Point Provincial Park, uniquely located on a peninsula, you’ll wake up to the sound of water and postcard-worthy mountains and vineyards as far as the eye can see. We had to do a double take and remind ourselves that we were not, in fact, in Tuscany.

From here, you can head back to the USA or if you have not yet had your fill of the Rocky Mountains, continue on the Crowsnest Highway towards Vancouver – a drive that again, does not disappoint!

From deserts to national parks to hot springs to mountains, if there is one route to do in British Columbia, this is this one. The secret is out so promise me you’ll pass it on to those who appreciate places that are off the beaten track and who are willing to challenge their cultural ideas of what Canada is. Welcome to beautiful British Columbia.

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