If you are thinking of visiting the surroundings of Vancouver and doing a small Road Trip, I suggest the following along the Sunshine coast. This Road Trip is full of landscapes full of green mountains and lakes, rivers, ferry crossings, traditional foods, fishing piers and natural national parks.
ROAD TRIP AROUND THE SUNSHINE COAST, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Once our days in the city of Vancouver were over, we set out towards the town of Horseshoe Bay where we took a ferry to Hopkins Landing.
From the first moment we arrived in Vancouver we rented a car at the airport. We wanted to have the freedom of not relying on public transportation and to be able to go wherever we wanted and improvise a bit as we went. And if you want to take a tour of the Sunshine Coast it will be your best option.
The town of Horseshoe Bay has hardly anything and it will be your mandatory stop to catch the Ferry. From here you begin to appreciate the mountains, the bay and the surroundings.
We did not book the ferry, it was not high season and the hotel in Vancouver told us that it was not necessary. Once we arrive at the port, we buy the access ticket with the car and that's it. If you are going to travel in high season, make sure beforehand how to buy the ferry tickets so as not to run out of space. Ferry tickets are generally sold in Vancouver hotels. There is also a time where you can see more information about British Columbia ferries.
Once you arrive at Hopking Landing you will find a small town, with a small pier, two or three small restaurants next to the coast, where you can have a full breakfast with baked potatoes, eggs and typical sausages while appreciating the views.
Our next stop was Robert Creek. This town (like all of the Sunshine Coast) is a small coastal town, with small coarse stone beaches. For golf lovers here you can enjoy some holes and there are several hotels to spend the night. It was noon when we arrived and we enjoyed a walk on the beach, photos and a meal based on fish and chips to get energy and continue with the trip.
The next stop was in Sechelt where we decided to look for accommodation.
This area, like Robert Creek, has coarse stone coastlines, surrounded by mountains and the bay.
In this area there are not many accommodation options. But it is a much larger town than the previous tours, so here you will find many options for restaurants, shops and a small shopping center, as well as a coin laundry. We stayed at the Driftwood Inn, it is a small two-star hotel, with beautiful views, comfortable and well located. From 100 euros/night room. double.
At dawn we set out after having breakfast to arrive soon at Trout Lake, it is a small lake very frequented by locals for fishing. The next stop was Halfmoon Bay. Our intention was to eat here, but it is a town with two streets and a bar, the appearance of the menu was not really very pleasant, so loaded with a bag from the supermarket we continued the trip with the intention of reaching the next lake that we had planned , the lily lake. And we continue to Ruby Lake and Klein Lake. Although they are not as spectacular lakes as the ones you can find in Alberta, they are very beautiful and having them during your road trip, you often have to make a detour and I really liked them and I recommend that you make small stops in all of them.
Finally we reached Earls Coves where we caught the last ferry to Saltery Bay.
And we went directly to Powell River, the town where we had booked accommodation. During the journey of about 30 minutes we did not see much activity in this area, they are small towns with a few houses and a couple of restaurants. So if you want to stay around here and you want an area with more movement, you will have to go to Powell River. This town is not that it is huge, but it is a town with lodgings/hotels, restaurants, shops, a small shopping center and the ferry that we will take later to get to Vancouver Island. Powell River even has a small airport for small plane flights internally.
The accommodation we chose in Powell River was the Westvoew center motel 3* for 70 euros/night. double.
In this area there are several places to walk along the coast that are incredible, without people in the area it gives you the feeling of being alone and in absolute peace.
Although there are several totem poles along the Sunshine Coast, you can find this one in Powell River, near the ferry port.
Of all the tour personally this town was the one I liked the most.
From Powell River we took the ferry to Vancouver Island to continue our Road Trip visiting Nainaimo and Victoria.
You can see more information about what to see and do on Vancouver Island, the cities of Nanaimo and Victoria in the post:
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PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to Canada a lot and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more related articles on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!