The ‘Sea to Sky Highway’ to Whistlers Campground.
Now this is usually one of the most specular driving roads in the world. But as the Canadian monsoon season was upon us most of the scenery was hiding behind rain clouds!
We did brave the rain and had a stop so we could view the Brandywine Falls.
This was well worth the short trek in the rain.
Sometimes the weather doesn’t play the game, but nature is just as beautiful in all weathers.
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As we arrived at Whistlers Campground the rain finally stopped, we found our pitch and then we made friends with the local squirrel. Who it seemed wanted my maple biscuits more than I did!
That’s never going to work!! Nobody gets to eat my biscuits!!
Whistler is a lovely little town, home to what is said to be the best ski slopes in Canada. And from what I was told it is the most expensive ski resort in Canada! Whistler was also a host venue for the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics.
As the sun was now out, we walked the 2 miles from the campground into Whistler (and back again later in the day). We could’ve hired e-bikes which I believe would’ve cost around £6.00 each, each way. But we thought we needed the exercise after being sat down for hours the previous day! Also being a Sunday, the local farmers market was in town.
Whistler being a ski resort has what is called a ‘2 peak gondola’ which gives you access to both the Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, both of which have loads of hiking trails etc. However, it costs around £60.00 per person for a return trip. We decided not to visit the top as it was getting late in the day but instead to get a nice coffee and sit in the Olympic square and watch the world go by!
For some reason the RVs don’t come with any facilities for cooking outdoors, and I know BC was in a fire ban so traditional BBQs were out of the question. But the RVs do have propane onboard, and this could be also used outside. Most modern UK motorhomes have this facility. Anyway, as we enjoy the outside world and things in the RV were starting to smell like bacon soaked in maple syrup, we treated ourselves to a small camping stove, then went to a supermarket and treated ourselves to some nice, fresh steaks! That night, dinner was really good!!
Look who’s back again, but tonight it’s expecting to eat steak!!
Turns out that the squirrel is vegetarian and did not want any of our steak!
Next, we headed to the Fraser Cove Campground in Lillooet, which is conveniently placed alongside the Fraser River! The journey was around 82 miles. Being short this gave us a chance to stop on route to view Duffey Lake, Seton Lake and seeing as we were now in the land of the famous Fraser Goldrush even try our luck panning for gold!
Now that we could cook outdoors there was no stopping us, even using the cover of the awning to stay dry, we had to hope the rain didn't last all day!!
Lunch stop was at the Duffey Lake Viewpoint, an extremely beautiful, peaceful place. Even in the rain.
Seaton Lake viewpoint. There is a big Hydro Power Station here somewhere! There was also a lot of dead fish on the shoreline. We were told later this is normal at this time of year and nothing to do with the Hydro Power Station as the salmon have now been upstream, done the deed, and then sadly they just die!
The next stop should’ve been the one that would’ve made us rich, rich beyond our wildest dreams! Panning for Gold! But this is where you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. I did some research on the beloved Google before we left, found things to do, things to see, you know, stuff like that. So when we got to the Panning for Gold it didn’t actually exist anymore ………....gutted!!
Lillooet is a very small town with a population of just 2200 and yet amazingly picturesque. You can stand in the main street and imagine what it looked like back in the Goldrush era, some of the buildings could still be from that time!
Fraser Cove Campground, if I’m being honest, I’d say this was the most scenic of all the campsites we used. We were given a pitch with an amazing view straight up the Fraser River, it was just a shame that this was only a one-night stop and time didn’t allow us to fully explore the area. It’ll have to wait until next time……...
We actually awoke to sunshine today, which was a lovely change! We headed off to the Dutch Lake Resort and RV Park in Clearwater, a mammoth 185 miles away. With a drive this long, it meant we probably wouldn't get many chances to stop. But according to Google there was an amazing steak house in Clearwater, so we looked forward to put on our posh clothes, and dining out!
We did manage a stop alongside Pavilion Lake to stretch our legs, which was stunning.
I previously said we didn’t have much time for sightseeing but during my research I’d found a place called ‘Historic Hat Creek Ranch’ I added this to the ‘to-do’ list and then forgot about it! So about halfway through the journey we pulled into their carpark not really knowing what it was!
For just £10.00 you gain entry to what was one of the most amazing places in BC. Set in 320 acres of fields and hills which contains one of the few remaining sections of the original Cariboo Wagon Road. There are several buildings which still stand as they did when they were built between the 1860’s to 1901. Stables, Barns, Blacksmith Shop, Apple Orchard, Farming Machinery, Hat Creek House which contains a Hotel, Saloon, General Store, all with their original fixtures and fixings, an original Stagecoach Carriage, and best of all, an area for ‘Panning for Gold’ Sadly we didn’t end up rich!
As you walk through the buildings the floors creak, the curtains move in the breeze, you can smell the soot from the old fireplaces. It’s just like being in an old western film set!
Historic Hat Creek Ranch closed for the winter season three days after we visited. So being the end of the season it was really quiet, we only saw two other people in the 2.5 hours that we were there. There is also an onsite restaurant (in hindsight we should’ve eaten there!) and even overnight pitches for RVs. Spending so long there, (to be honest you could spend a whole day there), would probably mean we would arrive in Clearwater in the dark. But we would eat a good meal!
We arrived in Clearwater at dusk, a pretty site with a nice lake, the moon was rising, and we were hungry!
Now we knew that we were visiting BC and Alberta at the end of the season, which was good in some respects and not so good in others. Dutch Lake Resort was open until the 9th of October and had one of the top restaurants in Clearwater onsite. Sadly, it was already closed for the season, yet it was still September! It also turned out the steakhouse we were planning on visiting also shuts on a Monday and a Tuesday. As this was Tuesday, there was nowhere for us to eat! Luckily, we still had a few supplies on board, so we didn't starve!
The moral of the story here is, “don’t believe Google!!”
We were due to stay here for 2 nights and then head to Jasper which is 212 miles away! We decided as there isn’t really much to do in Clearwater to cut our losses and do part of this journey the next day so we could try to get more time in Jasper. So, we decided to trust Google, found and booked ourselves into iRVins RV Park and Campground in Valemount. This was in the Robson Valley and surrounded by snow topped mountains. This gave us a much nicer 123 mile drive!
This also gave us a chance to see more things between Clearwater and Jasper, like the waterfalls at Spahats Creek, which were, well WOW!
Google wasn’t wrong this time, iRVins Campground really was surrounded by snow topped mountains.
ome of the reasoning behind travelling through BC and Alberta at this time of year was to try to catch the fall colours combined with snow topped mountains, and crystal clear lakes. We were now starting to see them really well. This set the theme for the next few days!