We spent two nights in Vancouver (BC) with Leon’s friend, Ellis and his lovely family, whilst we planned our 2.5 week Canada road trip. They gave us lots of travel tips and treated us to a lovely brunch. By the time we did a quick grocery shop at Walmart, and picked some wild and wacky clothes for Shambhala Music Festival from the local thrift stores, we were on our way. Our first stop was Hope; with some pretty, dispersed camping next to a river.
We spent about two days in Jasper and Banff National Parks. We drove down the epic Icefields Parkway; one of the most scenic drives in the world. It was the reason I came to Canada (Leon’s was for Shambhala Festival and for his friend Ellis).
The Icefields Parkway drive is 144 miles (232 kilometres) long, and consists of 360 degree views of colossal snow-capped mountains, milky green rivers, pine trees as far as the eye could see, stunning glaciers, and beautiful lakes like Talbot Lake, pictured below.
Both National Parks are full of wildlife. We were treated to elk, bears, big horn sheep, and mountain goats. Some are even on the road, darting in and out of traffic.
We were spoilt for choice because there are plenty of pit stops along the drive. A chance to grab some beautiful photos, stretch your legs, and enjoy the stunning views. We checked out the beautiful Medicine Lake: a place of mystery and Indian legend. It is also known as “the disappearing lake”. Due it’s expansive underground cave system, the lake disappears and drains in the fall and winter months.
We went on a lovely, and not too strenuous, hiking trail around Maligne Lake and through the forest.
We also hiked along the impressive and moderately challenging Maligne Canyon trail. At 50 meters deep, Maligne Canyon is the deepest and considered to be the most interesting canyon in Jasper National Park.
We checked out the Pyramid Lake, which lies at the foot of the scenic, Pyramid Mountain. It’s a popular spot for fishing, and walking around the little Pyramid Island in the middle of the lake.
There are plenty of pretty waterfalls to see along the drive, like Athabasca Falls, pictured below. I can’t get enough rainbows in waterfalls!
Sculpted by the rushing water of the Mistaya River, Mistaya Canyon is a beautiful natural wonder with rushing water, rock formations, and multiple waterfalls.
My personal highlight of the whole drive, Lake Peyote. The bluest of the blue. The lake gets it’s beautiful colour from the large amounts of glacier rock flour (silt) that flow into it during the summer.
A trip here isn’t complete without a visit to the popular Lake Louise. Known for its turquoise, glacier-fed lake, and stately chateau, Lake Louise is the most iconic (and for that reason, the busiest) of the lakes here. We got there at 6am and it was surprisingly busy, the car park was almost full.
After the drive, we explored Banff, the adorable mountain resort town, enjoying the overpriced food and drinks.
We soaked in the 40 degree water of Banff Upper Hot Springs, surrounded by the snow-capped mountain views.
After did some more hiking in Johnston Caynon Falls. Another rainbow!
That evening we spent the night at what turned out to be my favourite wild camping spot in the whole of Canada, Waitabit Creek. Fire pits, picnic benches, toilets, a rushing river, with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Absolutely dreamy.
Same as the USA, the dispersed camping here in Canada is unbelievably good. You are allowed to stay up to 14 days. I’d be wild camping every weekend with friends if I lived here.
We enjoyed our first Tim Hortons (coffee and “Tim bits”) before later heading to Mount Revelstoke National Park, located adjacent to the adorable mountain town of Revelstoke. The bugs were crazy here and drove us insane, but the views were beautiful.
Revelstoke puts on free live music every single night for the whole of summer every year. How cool is that? The road is pedestrianised and no cars are allowed. We enjoyed our first proper Canadian poutine: the classic national dish of chips, cheese curds, and gravy at Chubby Funsters and enjoyed the lovely acoustic music all evening.
The next day we made a pit stop at D Dutchman Ice Creamery for some incredibly good ice cream and next door, Fruit World, to stock up on veggies and fruits, especially some of the famous peaches Ellis had recommended us to try.
In search of tonight’s free campsite, we spent 30 long minutes going up a very steep, very bumpy dirt track. The road continued to get worse and worse and worse. But with the rickshaw run spirit in our veins, we didn’t want to give up. We finally caved when we came across a small river and VERY steep rocky road, and ended up going back down the awful track and stopping in a little spot off the road. Leon was pretty stressed!
The following day we explored two of the best wineries in Kelowna’s famous wine region. My dad will be so jealous reading this! First was Ancient Hill Estate Winery. It was a tough choice, there were countless excellently reviewed wineries. We knew we made the right decision though when a band set up 15 minutes after we got there and started playing. We sat back, enjoyed the views and music, and sipped on some incredible wines. They even had a hilarious song about buying bitcoin, which amused Leon.
Then it was onto the second winery of the day, Quails Gate. Again, beautiful views, beautiful wine. Our host was the loveliest lady who gave us far more wine than we paid for. Of course, we left her a cracking review on Google afterwards.
After all that booze, we attempted to walk between the grape vines. Though managing a straight line was hard.
We were spoilt at tonight’s camping spot as there was plenty of wood, so we were able to have a roaring fire that night. Thank you to whoever left so much wood!
Then it was off for some relaxing tubing the next day down Penticton River Channel. Spanning four miles long, the river channel goes through the pretty Okanagan Valley, with lovely views in every direction. It was an optimal warm 30 degrees, we had cold beers and good music. We floated leisurely for about 90 minutes, then a bus collected us and took us back to the start. It was a super relaxing activity, perfect for a summers day.
Making the most of the ‘Campendium’ app/website for finding free sites to sleep, that night we stayed in Osoyoos; very ‘Breaking Bad’ vibes, hidden at the back of a nice housing estate.
It was almost time for the eagerly awaited Shambhala Music Festival, so we needed to get prepped and get our smelly laundry done at a local laundrette. The laundrette in Osoyoos was next to a bakery which served the classic Canadian butter tarts. I have a very sweet tooth so had been really looking forward to trying them, they definitely lived up to expectations. 11/10.
Shambhala Music Festival
Located in Salmo (BC), Shambhala Music Festival was full of good vibes, friendly people, hilarious totems, and the loudest bass I’d ever heard. It was a dry festival, meaning no alcohol is allowed. Different, but in the end, we liked the vibe this brought.
We didn’t want to be without a totem, so we duct-tapped our camper van lights onto a stick. Ta da!
It was very hot and dusty during the day (hence our bandanas), but luckily the festival runs along a beautiful river. The water is straight from the mountain glaciers, so it’s ice cold and super refreshing.
We joined forces with our friendly Canadian neighbours, and hung out with them over the weekend. Leon had been desperate to see one of his favourite DJs play, Neon Steve, for many years. One of our new Canadian buddies, Dana, was in fact pals with Neon Steve. So when we all went to watch his set Dana and his girlfriend, Meaghan, went backstage to hangout and dance (Leon thought Dana was kidding about being pals).
An hour into the set – the music died and Dana grabbed the mic. What the heck is he doing?! Leon and i glanced at each other nervously. We thought he must be the hype man for the show as he came running out pumping up the crowd and Neon Steve.
But then something very unexpected happened. He brought up Meaghan before dropping this bombshell – “I have been coming to Shambz for ten years and 3 times with my girlfriend… But I don’t wanna come with my girlfriend next year, I wanna come with my wife” and got down on one knee. The crowd, of course, went absolutely wild. Then it was a moment of rummaging where Dana then took off his backpack to find the ring, in the box, which was inside a plastic bag, which then fell onto the floor and the ring flew out. So funny and heartwarming indeed!
Our neon ‘love’ totem couldn’t have been more perfect. We recorded the whole thing; it still gives me tingles watching it. Such a wonderful experience to be part of it all.
Some of the DJs and bands we saw over the weekend were: Fort Knox 5, The Funk Hunters, Huxley Anne, Skiitour, A Skills, Krafty Kuts, and Charlie 2na. But it was Delta Heavy that really stole the show for us!
We drove 8 hours back to Vancouver to stay with Soraya and wash all of our dusty clothes. The final days were spent exploring Vancouver on bikes, cycling the sea wall, and Ellis treated us to a boozy night at one of his favourite bars. Leon and Ellis went to school and university together, so I heard all about their hilarious past antics and an especially entertaining story about Ellis being catfished.
Our last night was also Honda’s Celebration of Light, an annual firework festival. We grabbed our camping chairs and joined the thousands of people on the beach to watch the display. It finished at midnight, so we left afterwards and crossed the border (to save hours of time sat in traffic), and parked up at a rest stop in USA ready to embark on Part 2 of our epic West Coast adventure – driving down the pacific coast highway.
Leon and Amy’s Big Adventures 