Day 23-24: Sea to Sky & Caribou Highways
- Karen Derrick-Davis
- May 10
- 2 min read
Updated: May 18
Wildlife Bingo
Bald Eagle
Robins
Canada Geese with goslings
Highlights
the views just out of Vancouver on the Sea to Sky Highway
Marble Canyon Provincial Park we found at 3pm was open -- even though it was supposed to be closed until May 15th -- and there was a great spot available for us ($15)
Shannon Falls
Chasm
the free public RV sani and water station in Quesnel (kwe-NEL)
last-minute find of Harvest Hosts place to stay near Prince George (free)
Hiccups
none!
Leaving Vancouver, we took the less-travelled Sea to Sky Highway (Hwy 99) north. It was a beautiful drive, with very little traffic -- and cell signal. The drive along the sound and bay up to Squamish was spectacular. We lunched and walked at Shannon Falls, which beautifully cascade over 1,000 feet on to the boulders below.
The Sea to Sky Highway is a curvy and hilly mountain drive with a few frost heaves that make it an adventure. We were glad there were few other cars on it... Just up from the amazingly turquoise Pavilion Lake, we found the Marble Canyon Provincial Park was open! We were crossing our fingers the whole way, since it wasn't supposed to open for another week. We pulled into an "overnight" site along the road against the curb. Stairs led down to a picnic table on a small lake. It was a great place to play some guitar before dinner -- and worth the $18CAD (~$15USD) we put in the envelope.
The next morning, we left camp pretty early and drove the final few miles of the Sea to Sky and then turned on to the Caribou Highway (Hwy 97). We are following some of the Gold Rush Trail as passed through the town of Lillooet, which was a goldrush center in the 1850s. Many of the towns and spots along the Caribou Highway have names based on their distance from Lillooet -- like 100 Mile House. We saw 70 Mile House, 93 Mile, 94 Mile Motel, 105 Mile, 108 Mile Ranch, 111 Mile House -- it was amusing, but when traveling by horse or wagon, I can see how it would be useful.
We decided not to book ahead for the night, so by afternoon, we were looking for a spot near Prince George. Luckily, we found one through Harvest Hosts, "Edgar's House," and they responded right away to my request through the app -- so here we are, parked in some nice folks' gravel drive, for the night, for free.
Great views.