Heading from Ontario to Vancouver Island for the Winter

They northern flat route to the coast is fine, but your farther north with cooler weather and have more of a chance of snow and ice ( possibly)
Also they do have checks for the snow tires and I have been in one, however this was at the base of Kootenay Pass ( highest mountain pass open year round in Canada) as it was snowing up top early in the season and after the first of October.
This morning we also have fresh snow on the mountain tops as well and the kids sent pictures of fresh snow at their house just to the west of Calgary this morning. The mountains in Valhalla provincial park and up behind Sandon / Kokanee provincial park and towards Relelstoke had snow on them on Friday when we drove up to camp, so things are a changing.
The two flat routes we talked about are doable but which ever route you choose check the road reports and the weather reports for the towns on that route. I say check the weather report of the towns on your route because there can and is a signification difference in the weather from one town to the next I say again significantly different.
Take your time do the checks we have talked about in our posts, you should be fine
Soup.

I can't speak for the route from Ontario as far as Alberta, but I would recommend the route through Edmonton and follow the Yellowhead highway west through Jasper then down through Kamloops. From Kamloops follow the Trans Canada to Vancouver. The route through southern B. C. can be done without major passes, but there is some quite slow winding highway. Following the Trans-Canada is an option. The pass over the B. C./Alberta border is not real high going west, but there is a long down hill into Revelstoke. Roger's Pass in B. C. is the major pass but this is the route that most people use, including the commercial trucks. Snow is possible any time after Sept.(there is snow on the mountains this morning) but the later you get after mid-Oct, the greater the chance. You can check the Drive B. C. highway cameras if you have internet access as you travel to see if there is snow ahead. Another risk when you travel late in the year is an early cold snap which could freeze RV water lines. A few years ago many RV'ers were caught in early Oct. with sub-zero temps and many had to replace hot water tanks etc. Snow tires are a very good idea, but unless there has been significant snow, it is unlikely they will be checking to see if you have them. I have never seen a snow tire check in almost fifty years of living in B. C.

Jaxxdad: Very true. Many MH drivers have zero experience and may never become good drivers. But would snow tires make the drive any better for that same driver? I haven't had the time today but I am not sure you can even buy snow tires in those sizes. There certainly is no room for chains nor can you get close enough to the drive tires to install those chains. I still think the BC Gov. did not do their homework. I doubt you could put chains on a Greyhound and also do not think they use snow tires. I have a CDL but would not want to drive our MH with a toad in the mountains in the dead of winter.We left Banff one September in snow heading West but even though there was quite a bit of snow it was slushy and easy to handle. The trucking companies I have worked for carry chains as it is law but many tell you that if the road is bad enough to need chains DO NOT PROCEED. You are told to wait it out. Sounds good to me.

Moisheh

moisheh wrote:
Common sense ( not normal to Gov. agencies) would tell me that that a Class A should be treated as a bus.

Moisheh

The big difference between an A (even those on bus chassis) and a Greyhound bus though is the driver.

Rarely do you see a big Class A being driven by a professional driver with many years, and many, many miles, of experience driving that class of vehicle. I'm told you basically can't get a commercial highway bus gig without 10+ years service a million miles accident free.

I am not planning on being on those roads past Oct.1. I just cannot see a MH owner with 8 tires having m & S tires. Maybe a Class C with 16 inch but not a large A with say 295/80's. You might have a hard time finding that size in M&S. Those A's with the 255/80's may also find the tires hard to find. Common sense ( not normal to Gov. agencies) would tell me that that a Class A should be treated as a bus.

Moisheh

moisheh wrote:
I have seen the signs re chains and snow tires. How would this apply to a large Class A diesel with tag axle? There are no chains that would fit this vehicle. I doubt any MH. owners are going to spend $7000 on tires and then have to pay to change them to summer tires. Do Greyhound buses comply with the tire laws?

Moisheh

Now there's the catch, a Greyhound bus is a commercial vehicle and not required to have snow tires, just to carry chains.

However, an RV, regardless of size is a passenger vehicle and must have M & S tires or tires bearing the snowflake insignia.

Between October 1st & March 31st you have your RV equipped with those on designated (read: most major highways) or face hefty fines and getting ordered off the road if caught.

I have seen the signs re chains and snow tires. How would this apply to a large Class A diesel with tag axle? There are no chains that would fit this vehicle. I doubt any MH. owners are going to spend $7000 on tires and then have to pay to change them to summer tires. Do Greyhound buses comply with the tire laws?

Moisheh

The Southern Route to the Coast from Alberta:
The way to get to the coast from the east ( flat lands) is to follow Hwy 3 into BC to Creston.
From Creston take Hwy 3-A up the Kootenay Lake Ferry.
There is a Pass you will go over /through called Crowsnest Pass; however it is more of a drive though a Narrow very windy valley and you won’t know you even did any climbing up over a Mountain Pass as it is nonexistent really when it comes to a climb up a mountain pass.
Cross the FREE ferry and follow Hwy 3-A south through Nelson approx. 14 miles to the only stop light between Nelson and Castlegar.
This road between Creston and Nelson is winds along the shores of Kootenay Lake and there are narrow section but nothing people don’t drive over with all type of vehicles every day.
At the stop light turn right and start to follow Hwy 6 to Nakusp. There is a hill out of Slocan ( city) however early in the Fall unless we had a heavy dump of snow will be fine.
About 20 km from Slocan ( city) is Silverton. There is a long 4 km hill down into Sliverton which you will know you are starting it by the Semi Truck Break check on the right hand side of the Hwy and and the same time you will see a View Point on the left hand side. Stop here and take a look at the View Point you’re a way p on the side of Slocan Lake.
Put your truck in low gear and go slow, no more than 50 to 60 k , until you see the town at the bottom of the hill.
These two hills are not mountain passes and are kept in excellent shape, however is some spots between Slocan and Silverton the road does get narrow and windy, I pull by 35ft 5th wheel through here all the time with no issue. Once you get just past Roseberry which is a few Km past Silverton / New Denver the hwy opens up and is wide with good shoulders all the way to Revelstoke.
One you get to Nakusp you follow the signs to Relvelstoke at the ESSO station in Nakusp you will turn on the Hwy 23 which will take you on another free ferry this time across the Upper Arrow Lakes.
When you come down the Hill into Nakusp just go straight to the Esso where you will join up with Hwy 23.
Follow this road all the way to Revelstoke. Where you ill meet up with Hwy 1. This road ( Hwy-1) you will follow all the way to the coast through Kamloops, Cashe Creek and then down the Frazer Canyon to Hope and then on into Vancouver ( lower Mainland)
There are NO major mountain passes on this route, however it is windy and there are a few hills.
Soup

I went from Ontario to Yellowknife through Edmonton and it was a great trip. The road north of Lake Superior was amazing in terms of views but I should have taken the flatter road north of the road that skirts Lake Superior. More distance to drive but less of a white knuckle run. If I was touring the area, no big deal, but I was on a mission to go west and that section of road just tired me out. I balanced out Walmart stops with campground stops and was frustrated by days of driving and still being in Ontario! Oh, and the road north of Superior has no cell service. Cell towers and a 1-800 number to call, but it does not work. Very frustrating not having cell service as there seems to be a company there who supplies cell service but does not play nice with any other service provider. The prairies have beautiful roads, beautiful camp sites and friendly folks abound. I suggest they build in time to stage and wait for good weather by the Rockies so when the weather is right, to jump on it and get over.

We would stay in Kamloops the last night before heading to Vancouver through the mountains going via Merritt BC.We have stayed in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke depending how the roads were and the avalanches coming home to the prairies.The flat way through the mountains is on Highway 16 through Edmonton and Blue River down to Kamloops.Spent 2 days in Revelstoke blocked in by mudslides one spring.Anything can happen,but I would not use highway three in BC you may not have much time to look at the scenery,very slow and winding,some steep passes.We also learned to get ferry reservations after spending a night on the dock.