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Westkanada 2023
  • Kevin Jans

Westkanada 2023

Roadtrip British Columbia - Alberta Read more
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  • Trip start
    August 15, 2023
    Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    1. Vancouver (Part 1)

    August 15, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Arrived finally after a nearly 10-hour (and a short stop in Paris after starting in Luxembourg) flight in Vancouver. 26° C ☀️ and after checking in my little Guesthouse, took a Hop-on Hop-off City Trip including Vancouver Lookout, Granville Island and Gastown with the famous steam clock.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    2. Vancouver (Part 2)

    August 16, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Today, I visited the Stanley Park with the famous Vancouver Aquarium. There, I saw for the first time sea otters - hopefully I will see them later in the wilderness, too. Beside them, the aquarium showed a lot of tropical fishes, seals, sea lions, amphibians, etc. After that, I took a bike ride to discover the Stanley Park Seawall. So many beautiful views! Saw some watee birds and even harbour seals. The day ended with a scenic flight over Vancouver with a water plane. Amazing views, even though the takeoff and landing in water was not so spectacular as i thought.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    3. Vancouver (Part 3)

    August 17, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Visited Vancouver North today. Only 30 minutes from the city center away, you can left the city action behind you and discover the temperate rainforest. With a free shuttle bus, you will get to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Highlight is of course the suspension bridge, but there is a tree-top- and cliffwalk, too. So good action to fight my fear of heights 😇 Met my first douglas squirrel 🐿 After that, retourn to Vancouver with a visit of China Town and the Flyover Canada attraction.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    4. Sea-to-Sky Highway

    August 18, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Got my car today - really easy and fast 😳 so I could directly start direction north to Whistler. Stopp at the Shannon Falls and the Sea-to-Sky Gondola with hiking on the mountain. Continued after that the Sea-to-Sky Highway (so many aweseome views - travelling alone it's hard to focus only on the street and not the amazing nature around this highway^^) to the Brandywine Falls. After traffic jam, finally got to my lodge in Whistler - a nice but "Disneyland" like village with a lot of tourists.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    2

    5. Whistler

    August 19, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Plan changed today, as the weather broadcast announced "smoky" air for the next days. As today seemed to be the "best" day, I choosed to hike on the mountains surrounding Whistler. As Whistler is a classic mountain village, there are a lot of gondolas and hiking trails. I arrived first of all on Blackcomb Mountain where I could observe marmots, chipmunks and pikas during my hike. With the record breaking Peak2Peak-Gondola, I reached Whistler Mountain where I got to the summit with a chairlift. There was another suspending bridge. So, three really heavy rides if you have fear of heights 😳 Hiking down to the next gondola station to arrive Whistler again, I could observe my first black bears 🐻 Even that the views weren't excellent due to the wildfires, it was a good day with 2 nice hikes and lot of wildlife.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    6. Whistler to Pemberton

    August 20, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Starting with sunset down the Callaghan Road to the Whistler Olympic Parc. Callaghan Rd. is known for a lot of Black Bear sightings - however even driving the road 3 (!) times during sunset, I haven't met any bear :( Stopped at the Alexander Falls and visited the place where the Olympic Winter Games took place in 2010 (and that is now a training area). On the way to Pemberton, stopps at the Train Wreck Trail, Nairn Falls, Alpha and One Mile Lake. View still not good cause of the smoke (now with more intense smell of fire), but entering Pemberton, I finally met a Black Bear on the road (no photo) 🐻Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    7. Pemberton to Cache Creek

    August 21, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    What a day! Starting from my Motel, I saw already vultures turning over me - a bad sign? Direction Cache Creek, I planned a stopp at the Joffre Lakes - but surprise, you needed a day pass. As there wasn't any network available to book a pass, the friendy ranger gave me the advice to hike to the Rohr Lake. There were no signs, there wasn't any internet or phone network and the hike was more of a climb - but totally worth it! There weren't any (asian) tourists and I was nearly totally alone at the lake :D Still a little bit smoky, but the colours of the lake were amazing. Continued to Cache Creek and the air became more and more smoky, pollution was high as I approached the wildfire region around Kelowna. And in Cache Creek, another bad surprise - my booked and already paid Motel was a construction site 🤦‍♂️So contacted booking.com and found another Motel 🙏 for sure the most "adventure" like day yetRead more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    1
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    8. Wells Gray Provincial Park (Part 1)

    August 22, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Left Cache Creek passing grass-/farmland - a not so spectacular landscape. However met my first bald eagle (no photo) 🦅 during my drive. In Kamloops, I got a little nervous as this city lays in the wildfire area around Kelowna. There is a total accomondation ban for traveller, but no signs, no roads closed or any sights of the near fire, although I passed buried forests. Arriving in Clearwater, smoke was a little better and it started to rain, too. Visited the Wells Gray NP with stopps at the Spahat and Dawson Falls. View from the Shadden Lookout would have been amazing - without smoke 😂 Met another bear and checked in at the Cedar Haven Resort, where I will have my own tent for the next days.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    9. Wells Gray Provincial Park (Part 2)

    August 23, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    After a good night in my luxurious tent, back to the Park. The Wells Gray Provincial Park has 41 named waterfalls - normal that I spent my second day in the Park to disvover them, too. The Helmecken falls is with 141 m the forth highest fall in Canada. The Moul falls is special as you can walk behind him. Other stopps included the Ray Farm - an abandoned farm with mineral springs, the Alice Lake, the Shadow Lake and of course the Clearwater Lake 🏞Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    10. Wells Gray Provincial Park (Part 3)

    August 24, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Final day at the Wells Gray Park. As yesterday, starting with sunshine becoming more and more cloudy. However no rainfall, so that I used the chance to hike. Hike to Placid Lake and the Foot Lake near the Green Mountain Tower. Hike on the Trophy Mountain to the wellknown alpine meadows - in July when the flowers bloom, this must be a wonderful place. And yes, mosquitos are killing me - more dangerous than bears 😂Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    1

    11. Clearwater to Jasper

    August 25, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After a last short visit of the Wells Gray Park, I started my jouney to the Rocky Mountains. During my first 10 days, I've already seen and visited some mountains. But the the road to Jasper showed the most impressive range yet. Nearly every 500 m, I wanted to stop and take a photo. Weather was, after the cloudy last days in Clearwater, now sunny and so the view on Mount Robson, with nearly 4.000 m the highest mountain of the Rockies, was excellent. Did a stop on the Visitor Center of this mountain, who got his own National Park. Stopped during my trip also to observe the salmon migration and to do birdwatching at the Moose and Yellowhead Lake. Arriving in Alberta, time changed (mountain time -1h to Pacific time) and had to show my National Park pass. Checked in at Jasper in my Lodge with view into the forest - and yes, elks are walking through the areal 🦌Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    1

    12. Jasper (Part 1)

    August 26, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Started the day with breakfast and a little hikeon the Valley of 5 Lakes. Every lake had a different green (in a positive way) to blue colour - in reality better than on the photos! After that, down the Icefield Parkway to the Athabasca Falls. Impressive, but lot of tourists...
    In Jasper, I visited the Pyramid lake with the isle of the same name, drived the Yellowhead Highway (wonderful views again) in the search for wildlife (bighorn sheeps 🐏) and stopped at the Medicine Lake . And yes, Canadian animals don't care for traffic 🤷‍♂️    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    1

    13. Jasper (Part 2)

    August 27, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Starting at 6 am (2° C 🥶) to arrive for sunrise at the Moose Lake trail - a lake known for, yes, Moose sightings 🦌 50 minutes drive, 2 hours waiting - and no mooses. And spoiler alert - did this 3 time during my time in Jasper. After that, little hike at the Maligne Canyon. In the afternoon, boat cruise on the Maligne Lake with stopp at the famous Spirit Island. Probably the most photographed landscape in whole Canada and I think this might be true 🏞 After that, another stopp at the Moose Lake...Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    14. Jasper (Part 3)

    August 28, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    "Aller guten Dinge sind 3" - yes, I spotted a moose 😍 heard a splash at the Moose Lake and saw for 5 seconds a cow from behind - to fast for a photo but an amazing experience :) After that, return to the lodge and time for laundry and discovering the surroundings of my stay in Jasper. After that, drive to the Jasper Skytram and hike on the Whistlers Mountain (not to confuse with Mt. Whistler, see day 5). What a view and could you imagine this view without smoke? Must be stunning! Diner at my Lodge, where I met a luxembourgish couple from Consdorf 🇱🇺Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    2

    15. Icefields Parkway

    August 29, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Route from Jasper to Banff is known as Highway 93 or the Icefields Parkway. Another phantastic route with stunning landscapes and amazing stopps as the Goat&Glacier Lookout, Sunwapta Falls, Tangle Creek Falls, Wheeping Wall and more. Highlight was the adventure on the Icefields Discover Center where I did a pre-booked tour to the Alabasca Glacier. We drived with a so called Ice Explorer to the top of the glacier and after that, we visited the Glacier Skywalk. After a stop at Waterfowl Lake and Mistaya Canyon, time runned out. As I didn't got a sleeping place near the Highway, I booked a "cabin in the woods" near Golden - 1h30 drive. So I have to return to the Icefields Parkway...
    The cabin was amazing - and creeping at the same time. No network, no neighbours and limited electricity. Every noise could be a wild animal, although I only got mice in my cabin 😂    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    16. Golden to Canmore

    August 30, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    From my little cabin in the wood into a lodge for 6 people 🙈 After leaving my little isolated house, I visited the Yoho National Park and stopped at the Wapta Falls, Natural Bridge, Emerald Lake (no photo can capture this amazing emerald colour) and the impressive Takakkaw Falls. After that, arrived in my lodge, where I have now 2 bathrooms, 2 chambres and a big kitchen😅 In the afternoon, I visited Canmore, a little city with a lot of nature and finally I got my Poutine, a canadian speciality 🤤Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    17. Calgary

    August 31, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Cloudy and rainy weather announced, so my plans changed. As I have a little problem with my knee, too, I decided to do a "lazy" day. Have only driven to Calgary, the capital of Alberta. Visited the Calgary Zoo, Calgary Tower and strolled through downtown and the park. After that, did go shopping in Canmore to cook the next days in my lodge.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    18. Banff (Part 1)

    September 1, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    My stay for the moment is the "Banff Gate Mountain Resort" - but 15 min away from Canmore, 30 min from Banff and 1 hour from Lake Louise. So the next days are more "Area around Banff" - first difference to Jasper. Next difference is, that Banff is even more a touristic spot and downtown of the village is highly frequented and reminds me of a town in Switzerland.

    As yesterday was rainy and cloudy and the night even had a thunderstorm, I wanted to be flexibel. Booked attractions for the following days and did in the morning a lookout for wild (Lake Minnewanka, Spray Lake Provincial Park, Bow Valley Parkway). As it got more and more sunny around 12 p.m., I visited Banff, did a little shopping, hiking and took the gondola to Sulphur Mountain.    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    2

    19. Banff (Part 2)

    September 2, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today was "lake day". Best sunny weather, I had yesterday booked a shuttle to 2 of the most visited places in Alberta. Since this year, access to Moraine Lake is only possible with a shuttle service. And to Lake Louise, park lots are filled early in the morning. So I booked a shuttle to both lakes - and the new system is understandable as there were many, many tourists 😳 And I started early in the morning, can't imagine how much people will be there later in the day.

    But Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are both stunning and next to Spirit Island (day 13) sureley the most photographed landscapes in Canada. After that, I returned to the Icefields Parkway to visit Lake Peyto and Lake Bow. Same situation: beautiful lakes, but to many tourists. As there were in Spray Lake Provincial Park to many tourists, too (saturday + long weekend as canadian celebrate labour day on 4th of september), I decided to chill at my lodge, do a little swim in the pool and enjoy Star Wars on TV.    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    20. Banff (Part 3)

    September 3, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Started again in Lake Louise, this time with a gondola trip. This gondola is famous for the wildcorridor underneat it - however guess what, didn't see anything 😬 After a hike to the Kicking Horse Pass Viewpoint (funny name) and a stop in the Wildlife Interpretive Center, back to the Bow Valley Parkway where I visited the Johnson Canyon. Third canyon on my way through Canada - and again to much tourists. There was only a small path and to much people for my taste 😥 After a pizza dinner in Banff 🤤, I stopped at the Mt. Norquay Lookout an took a lookout for wildlife at the golfcourse. There I met a whole herd of elks - must been over 15 individuald 🦌Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    21. Canmore to Golden

    September 4, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Started the day after check-out again with a lookout for wild in the Banff Golfcourt - saw again the Elk herd, this time with even more animals and at least 5 males. So will fighting over the females begin soon?
    Did the route from day 16, this time with direction to Golden. Stopped at the Spiral Tunnel viewpoint - an architectonial masterpiece when you are speaking about railways. The train is gaining high in a tunnel in spiral form, photos can't tell you how cool this is. As I worked hard on my to-do list the last days, I had now some time and was lazy. So I returned in the Yoho NP to the Takakkaw falls hoping to see some mountain goats as it still was early in the morning. And yes, saw two of those rare iconic rocky mountain species 😍🐐
    After that I needed some action and visited the Golden Skybridge Adventure park. There were a lot of adventurous attractions as ziplining, climbing park,... and the hightest suspension bridges in Canada. Puuh, so high and it was windy - I was happy that I had only purchased tickets for the bridge and the so called mountain coaster and not the other thrilling attractions not suited for people who are afraid of heights.
    After a little bird watching at the reflection lake in Golden, I arrived at my sleeplace for the night. I had booked the "hippie hut" at a resort, a small cabin in the wood withoud light, electricity and water 😳    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    22. Glacier + Revelstoke National Park

    September 5, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After a very good night in my hut, I started to drive in direction Revelstoke. Made a stopp at the Rogers Pass Visitor Center in the Glacier National Park. Hiking in the mountains was impossible due to bear alert - you had to be a group of minimum 4 people and there weren't other hikers that I could join. So continued to the Mount Revelstoke National Park. Did a hike on the Hemlock Grove Boardwalk. The Giant Cedar Board Boardwalk was closed, half of the Skunk Cabbage Trail, too (pathways in bad condition). So I continued to the Revelstoke Dam, but guess what - the road was closed 🙄 So I drived to the Mount Revelstoke, however most hike trails and the road on the summit were closed cause of bear presence 🤦‍♂️ So I did a smaller hike, stopped at the viewpoints (however the day was a mix of cloud rain and sun) and visited later the sutherland falls. After all those closures, I wasn't motivated to do more, so I drived to my lodge near Malakwa. What a beautiful cabin 😍
    Edit 1: Time changed, I'm now back in Pacific time as in Vancouver.
    Edit 2: Tomorrow I must drive again in wildfire region - hoping the best 👌    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    23. Malakwa to Penticton

    September 6, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Asked myself: Why is my lodge called the "last spike"? Found the answer in a town near Malakwa: here, the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway from sea to sea in 1885 was done. As the railway plays an important role in Canada, this was an important historic site!
    After that, I left finally the mountains and landscape changed. There were more hills, farmlands and beautiful lakes. Vegetation became drier and there were vineyards on the hills. I arrived in the so called Okanagan valley. Population density is higher, it's normally warmer and drier in this region and yes this was the region that was hit the most by the wildfires in British Columbia. So I was nervous, that it would be as tumultous as in Cache Creek (day 7) - but no smoke, no signs of fire and no exclusion zones. However, google maps said I should evitate the road to Kelowna, as streets could be blocked. And even that I didn't see any signes of wildfire, I'm now in the area that was hit by a travel restriction only 2 weeks ago! So I did my way to Penticton, there were not so many stopps to appreciate the landscape as in the "Rockies". The landscape reminded me of mediterran regions (the region is also called "canadian Tessin") with a lot of lakes and vineyards. At Lake Country, the Highway to Penticton was closed but the detour - wow! In Luxembourg, even dirt roads are in better shape 😂 But after 60 hard km for my KIA, I arrived in Penticton - in a Ghost town...is it because the fires who are still burning 2h away?
    Conclusion: A more lazy day, but 1,5 weeks ago, this travel of 4 hours wouldn't have been possible 🔥    Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler
    2

    24. Penticton to Hope

    September 7, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Did you know that there's a desert in Canada? No? Me neither. But the dry landscape has in Osoyoos, near the US frontier formed a rare ecosystem - the semi-arid bunchgrass habitat.
    After a stop at a lookout with view over Penticton and the Okanagan Lake, I visited the Osoyoos Desert Center where I learned more about this habitat. As yesterday, landscape didn't remind me of Canada but more of mediterrean areas - so this wonderful country is more than only mountains, glaciers and forests. Past lakes (some so spectacular as the spotted lake near the desert), vineyards and orchards, landscape changed again near Princeton with a comeback of more dense forests. I stopped in Princeton to visit the abandoned railway tunnel and bridge and arrived in the Manning Provincial Park. Here, I was back in more "canadian typic landscape" with wetlands, cornifer forests and alpine meadows. After a little hike, I continued to Hope with a last stopp at the Hope Slide Memorial. Here took place in 1965 a gigantic landslide that destroyed the highway and killed 4 people.Read more

  • Kevin JansWestkanada 2023Traveler

    25. Hope to Victoria

    September 8, 2023 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Started the day with a stop at the Bridal Veil Falls. After that, I washed my car as I had to return to Vancouver Airport. In Canada, you can't rent a car longer than 4 weeks. As I need the car til the end of september, I had to present myself at the car rental, register again...I thought this would be very complex, however, it took only seconds and I could keep even my actual car.
    Even with the stop, car wash and drive to the airport, I was way to early ready for a next adventure as I booked a ferry to Vancouver at 4 p.m. So, I decided to visit the lighthouse in Tsawwassen, 30 minutes away from the ferry terminal. Google maps and go...but what I didn't know - the lighthouse was in the USA. And in the road before the border, turn-around wasn't possible. So a policeman told me, that I'm already in the US and I must do a check-up at the border. Puuh, I got nervous as I didn't have a visum. But the guy at border control was very nice and friendly. He told me, that I'm not the only one who had done this by mistake. So, he controlled by documents, gave me a refusal and I had to drive back to Canada, where I got controlled again - so I was for 10 minutes in the USA, thanks google 😂 After that, I picnicked at the beach and drived to the terminal. There I got an earlier ferry. The cruise to Victoria lasts 1,5 hours, time for whale watching - and yes I saw my first Orcas from a great distance 🐳
    After check-in, I visited the city of Victoria. A charming town with lot of houses in victorian style, pubs and restaurants. Should have probably stay more than 1 night here, however saw with my hike most of the best places so no need to do tomorrow a hop-on hop-off tour.    Read more

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