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Southeast B.C. Road Trip: 8 Days in the Kootenays & Rockies

Hours

8 Day Southeast B.C. Road Trip

Spend 7 days exploring the mountains of B.C., (day 8 is a travel day) with a dip over to Banff National Park. Many guide books are full of hikes in this region. If you are not a big hiker (but don’t mind a little walking here and there) this itinerary is for you.

Day 1: Vancouver to Golden

This itinerary is mostly a circle route, so you could start anywhere along the way. I am crossing from WA state so I began just east of Vancouver. If you are flying in, the closest major airport would be Calgary, AB. From there you can get to the BC border in about 2 hours.

I started from the Vancouver area and this was the biggest driving day, but if you want to take in some quick sights along the way:

  • Take a walk on the wharf at Salmon Arm
  • Stop at Rogers Pass Visitor Centre
  • Explore the ghost town at 3 Valley Gap

Day 2: Golden to Canmore

You’ll need to plan ahead to stop at either of Banff’s two most popular lakes: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. The easiest thing is to get Parks Canada shuttle reservations for your desired time frame. Moraine Lake can only be accessed by shuttle or bus tours.

In summer 2024, the trail along Lake Louise is also closed due to construction, but if you arrive when it is open, take a short walk along the lake and get away from the crowds.

The one “hike” in this itinerary is Johnston Canyon. There are two parking lots here so with a little patience you should be able to find a spot. Two waterfalls are accessible from a relatively easy hike. The lower waterfall is about .6 miles each way, and the upper waterfall is 1.6 miles one way.

Banff is ridiculously expensive to stay in if your are hotel-ing it. Canmore is slightly less ridiculous and is flanked by stunning mountains. I stayed in Canmore and ate my breakfast outside looking at amazing peaks. The town of Canmore is worth exploring too.

  • Visit Lake Louise or Moraine Lake
  • Explore downtown Canmore
  • Hike to one or both waterfalls through Johnston Canyon

Day 3: Banff Village

Spend this day exploring the village of Banff. You can park for free near the train station and it’s only a short walk into town from here.

The Fairmont Banff Springs is about a 15 minute walk from Cascade Gardens (at the foot of Banff Ave.) Some street parking is available along Spray Ave if you’d rather drive.

  • Stroll the village and do a little shopping
  • Cascade Gardens of Time
  • Whyte Museum of the Rockies
  • Afternoon Tea at the Fairmont Banff Springs

Day 4: Radium Hot Springs–Kimberly

The rest of this itinerary is divided into 2-3 hours of total driving so you have time to make stops along the way.

As you re-enter B.C. via Kootenay National Park, be a dashboard tourist and admire more mountain vistas before you thread through Sinclair Canyon to reach Radium Hot Springs.

There are many hot springs along this route. Radium’s claim to fame is it’s waters are odorless.

From here head to Cranbrook. A nice little diversion is to the mountain town of Kimberly B.C. with it’s pedestrian only Plazl, leftover from an attempt to make Kimberly an alpine Bavarian wunderland.

  • Soak in the waters at Radium Hot Springs
  • Grab a pastry and sit outside on the Plazl in Kimberly
  • Spend the night in Cranbrook. We chose the St. Eugene Golf Resort.

Day 5: Cranbrook to Nelson

Backtrack slightly to Ft. Steele Heritage town. If you are any sort of history buff (even marginally so) you will want to allow a couple of hours here.

Ft. Steele re-creates a gold rush era town over several acres. Wander through town and peek inside as most of the buildings have re-created interiors as well.

If you are a train buff, take a stop in Cranbrook at the Cranbrook History Centre.

Continue on to Nelson B.C. for the night. Stroll through this funky town and have a nice meal (I highly recommend Marzanos).

  • Explore a slice of B.C. history at Ft. Steele
  • Check out the train museum in Cranbrook
  • Do a little shopping and dining in Nelson.

Day 6: Nelson To Revelstoke

Make your way north again along HWY 6. This will give you peekaboo views of lakes as well as the mountains of Valhalla provincial park.

Stop in New Denver and reflect at the Nikkei Internment Camp memorial, where thousands of Japanese Canadians were brought during WWII. The grounds are now landscaped with a Japanese dry garden.

Take the ferry across Upper Arrow Lake, a 20 minute crossing with tranquil lake and mountain views. Hwy 23 spits you out just west of Revelstoke. You should arrive in Revelstoke with enough time to check out the train museum and wander downtown.

  • Nikkei Interment Camp Memorial
  • Drive through peaceful valleys, lakes, and mountains.
  • Stroll through downtown Revelstoke.
  • Revelstoke Train Museum

Day 7: Revelstoke to Vernon

This is the last day of sightseeing. Day 8 is for driving home.

If you missed 3 Valley Gap on Day 1, you have another chance to stop today.

Continue on to Vernon via Hwy 97A. Pass through cheese country in lovely Armstrong. Stop for some cheese tasting at D Dutchmen in Sicamous or Village Cheese in Armstrong.

Take a walk on the rail trail (or rent a bike) that runs alongside Kalamalka lake. Pick up some local farm goods at Davison Orchards and neighbors, Planet Bee. Or go for tasting something stronger at Okanagan Spirits.

  • Taste local cheeses
  • Walk along Kalamalka Lake
  • Taste craft liquors and wines
  • Visit Davison Orchards & Planet Bee

Day 8: Head home 🙁

Tips:

  • This itinerary goes through several high mountain roads, plan this trip for June-September. Even in late June, we encountered a hailstorm at one of the summits (which are around 5000-6000 ft. above sea level).
  • The highways on this route are generally well maintained with adequate shoulders and often with concrete medians and guardrails. If you travel in the same direction as this itinerary, you should be on the mountain side of the road much of the time. The speed limits range from 90 km/h (55 mph) to a whopping 120 km/h (75 mph) on Hwy 5. There are frequent passing lanes if driving this fast on a mountain road is not in your comfort zone.
  • Plan ahead for anything in Banff National Park, especially the shuttles to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. If everything looks full for the Parks Canada shuttles, know that additional seats are released 2 days in advance. I got on my computer at 8 am MDT and got the times I wanted with no problem.
  • Rent or buy bear spray. You likely won’t need it, but you’ll be glad you have it when you round the corner and see a grizzly. If you are crossing the border, ensure that your bear spray meets the requirements. In general it needs to be labeled for use on animals, not people. Read the details here. For border questions always look at official government sources to avoid being misinformed.
  • This itinerary has been road tested. If you make changes, aim to see 2-3 sights per day and limit drive time to 2-3 hours on days you are sightseeing. Check out my road trip planning guide for more advice.
  • This itinerary is geared towards non-hikers, but does provide a few opportunities to get some steps in. Kalamalka Rail Trail is level, while Johnston Canyon has minor ups and downs. Kalamalka Rail trail is wide and is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs with the exception that it is gravel. Johnston Canyon would be difficult with a wheelchair or stroller in large part because the cantilevered parts of the trail have heavy traffic in both directions and are too narrow to pass a stroller or chair.
  • Don’t worry about being a dashboard tourist. The great thing about this itinerary is it takes you through some stunning scenery in beautiful B.C. and you don’t have to get out on the trail to experience it.