When I was a child summer always involved a road trip through the mountains pulling the trailer to the interior of British Columbia to spend 2 weeks in the Okanagan or Shuswap enjoying the hot weather, mountains and lakes. I continue to take this trip every year, although now it is usually only as far as the Shuswap. No matter how many times I do this trip, the scenery still awes me.

As I have for the past number of years, this year I am heading to Mara Lake in the Shuswap. Starting from Calgary on a clear day you can see the mountains in the distance the entire way. Fortunately for me I set out with the sun shining and only fluffy white clouds in the sky. The mountains look lovely from afar but it isn’t until you pass Kananaskis that you really appreciate their size. Once arriving in the mountains every turn offers another amazing view. One of my favourites is when you first see Castle Mountain.

There are many places to stop along the way, Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and many other lakes, rivers and hiking trails. Sometimes I stop along the way but this time I didn’t stop until the spiral tunnels which is an historic site detailing how the railway route to navigate the steep passes approaching Golden changed over time. The information is interesting and the views stunning.

Next stop was Golden. The town is surrounded by mountains and has a great ski hill, Kicking Horse, but I rarely stop there except for a rest stop and food.

If I don’t stop for food in Golden I always stop in Revelstoke at Mainstreet Cafe for their baked goods, sandwiches or soup, or, if I’m really lucky and drive through on the right day, their amazing perogies and sausage. Sadly this time I wasn’t able to stop there, the timing didn’t work. So aside from a quick stop in Golden I drove straight through to Sicamous. But I still managed to snap a few pictures of beautiful Three Valley Gap on the way through.

After a drive of approximately 45 minutes I arrived in Sicamous to end my road trip with a delicious dinner at Moose Mulligans pub on the Sicamous Narrows.

Although I have been to many beautiful places in the world, the drive through the Canadian Rockies will always be on my list of the most amazing places to see in the world and an essential part of my summer.