6 Short Road Trips from Vancouver

Just two-and-a-half hours from Vancouver up the Sea-to-Sky Highway, tiny Pemberton makes a perfect base for a weekend (or more) of hiking, biking, fishing, hot springs, and—thanks to the surrounding valley’s local bounty—plenty of sipping and sampling as well.

Highway 7 (the Lougheed Highway) from Vancouver to Hope is a slower alternative to Highway 1, but a scenic one. An attractive choice for motorcycles, RVs, and cyclists, it passes through rolling foothills and along winding rivers. Pack your favourite adventure gear as this route along the north side of the Fraser River offers many hiking, biking, fishing, and golfing opportunities. Worked up an appetite with all that adventure? Take a break at one of several roadside farm stands or stops along one of the Circle Farm Tours in the area.

Here, you’ll find a highway embraced by sheer granite walls, with mountain peaks overhead and a raging river below. BC’s Fraser Canyon may not be the fastest way to the Interior, but it wins hands down for drama.

The canyon, a 108-kilometre stretch of Highway 1 between Hope and Lytton, is where the Fraser River cuts a steep gorge between the Cascades and the Coast mountains. Replaced by the Coquihalla Highway as the quickest route inland, the area is gaining traction as an outdoor destination with enough rafting, biking, hiking, living history, and geological thrills to keep visitors occupied for weeks.