British Columbia, Canada

[LindaAnn]

My husband wants to visit BC, Canada and drive the Chiquahalla highway, perhaps stay near the town of Hope.

I would appreciate any information from anyone who has been to this area, and any recommendations for RV parks, highway conditions, etc. We would probably do this next summer.

Thanks for any input.

**I mistakenly posted my request in the RV camping and roads instead of here.

[StirCrazy]

I have to laugh at all the poeple saying to not use the coq, it doesnt run all the way accross bc, it is only 200km (aprox) and is the most efficent rought from the mainland to the interior. yes it is two lane, 3 lane in spots) but it is the highest highway throught bc and has some nice views and goes through some senic areas. I have taken all three routs and basicly if you are going to merritt or kamloops or north you take the coq, if you going south you take the 3. if your going east you have three roughts but you take the coq to get to the starting point for two of them. Kamloops is the hub of BC (travel wise) and the coq ends here, so basicly from hope to kamloops is the coq, with a newer side shoot to kelowna. ya you can take the fraser canyon, very boaring in my opinion, can only look at desert river vally for so long on a single lane hiway that take quite a while longer.


Steve

[SideHillSoup]

My question is, which end of the Coq are you starting from and what direction are you going after? There is so much of B.C. and Canada besides that four lane bumper car speedway.
We live in the Southern Interior of B.C. ( Kootenays) and we get our TV news from Vancouver and they heavily cover the the weather and traffic on the Hwy especially in the winter.
99% of the problem with that section of Hwy is speed, and everyone thinks they have the best vehicle for driving in the snow. Put those two driving conditions and add busiest Hwy in B.C. , plus fastest route from the coast to the rear of Canada, and you got mayhem.
If you want to see great Hwys checkout Hwy 3 from Hope over Sunday Summit and Allison Pass to Princeton then over Canada’s highest mountain pass open year round, Kootenay Pass between Salmo and Creston BC, and all the way to the Alberta boarder as well as Hwy 1 from Banff , Lake Louise, over Kicking Horse Pass to Golden and then from Golden over Rogers Pass to Revelstoke.
Here is the link for the BC Hwy cams.
BC Hwy Cams
Check them out this winter and see what’s happening.
And welcome to your friendly neighbours yard.
Soup.
Here are two screen shot of the top of Kootenay Pass,. The roof on that sand shed on the other side of the Hwy collapsed in the spring of 2018

[36guy]

I agree with Gary, don't take the coke, you'll cheat yourself of the other, more stunning places in bc, and better, more scenic hiways. The coke is a 4 lane, all up hill till the top, then all downhill to the bottom hiway, A truly hard pull that will test your tow vehicle, and drink a ton of fuel. Hiway to hell is much over hyped, lots of the footage is shot on other hiways here, most of the locals don't take that route, its a straight shot from here to there, all 4 lane, all business, there are far better choices. Not being negative here, I'm trying to assist you in having a truly enjoyable trip through our world, if you gotta come far, you should at least see the best we have to offer.

[LindaAnn]

sue.t, thank you so much for the picture and the info. I enjoyed reading your description...so sorry about your Tazz. We lost our little dog Prissy in May of last year. She had been with us on every trip for 14 years..when we went to Colorado and then Wyoming last August, her little urn rode between us.

[sue_t]

I have some photos and comments from Sept 2010 that may prompt some interest and thoughts. http://yukonsights.ca/20100921_Vanc-Merritt.html

We enjoy the Coquihalla drive and tow our fifth wheel without any issues.

[LindaAnn]

To IslandMan: Thanks for all the good info. We love beautiful scenery and Oregon is as far northwest we have been, so it sounds like a great trip.

To Gary: Yes, he watches Highway Thru Hell! He was in the trucking business until he retired, and he's driven all over the States, but never into Canada.

[Islandman]

You are going to enjoy all parts of British Columbia, one of our favorite vacation spots. From Victoria to Haida Gawaii to the Penticton area, and many other locations in between you will be impressed with the friendliness and welcoming attitude of the people. It's a little more expensive for gasoline, but all the other prices are quite reasonable and with the monetary exchange rate you will be in good shape. The provincial campgrounds are spacious, roomy, and well sited in beautiful locations. Highways are excellent and you will be happy with being able to see lots of natural beauty including glaciers, rugged mountains, lakes and rivers, and most of all less traffic than most stateside vacation areas. Add in a visit to Alberta and the prairie provinces while you're in this part of Canada.

[garyhaupt]

It's the Coquihalla and it is the fastest, ugliest, quickest way to get from Hope to mid BC, ever. He has probably been watching Highway Thru Hell. You want to be there in winter, for the excitement!

Hope is just a small town at the base of the mountains. Lots of camping places. Google camping in Hope, BC.

The question then is..where are you going, once you get to the end of the Coke....

Gary Haupt

[Flyboy320]

What do you like to do? What are your hobbies? DriveBC website for roads. RV Park Reviews for campgrounds. BC Provincial website for tourist info.
Hope is only a 2 hr drive east of Vancouver on a 4 lane hiway. Busy place. At the intersection of 3 busy hiways....1, 3,5.... which take you to different,beautiful, areas of BC