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 GLACIERS,
ICEFIELDS AND WINE COUNTRY TOUR; Kamloops,
Shuswap, BC Rockies, High Country, Thompson
6 to 8 days
Your
tour begins in Kamloops,
at the intersection of Highways 1 and 5. Picking up
Highway 5 north, you will head to Clearwater
(123 km/77 miles), the gateway to Wells
Gray Park. One of the largest parks
in the region, it has 5 major lakes and 2 large river
systems. It is also one of the region's more popular
camping areas.
Continuing
north, you will come to Valemount
(192 km/120 miles), a popular heli vacation site.
Common sights along the way are icefields including
the massive Alberta Glacier. Mount Terry Fox Park
(named after an historic BC athlete) is 16 km/10 miles
north of Valemount. Experienced hikers will enjoy
the rigorous 13 km/8 mile round trip hike through
the park.
23
km north of Valemount is Highway 16 east. Here you
come to the last provincial park before heading into
Alberta. Mount Robson (48 km/29 miles from Valemount)
is home to the Berg Glacier, one of the few "living"
glaciers in the Canadian Rockies.
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Mahood
Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park.
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Jasper
National Park borders the east side of Mount
Robson Provincial Park, with the town
of Jasper located 24 km/15 miles from the Alberta/BC
border. Highway 93 south of Jasper takes you into
the Icefields Parkway, over 200 km/125 miles of some
of the most impressive scenery in Western Alberta.
Although
the Icefields are open year round, be prepared for
road closures in the winter. Also, summer travellers
should take 4-season clothing with them and prepare
for possible weather changes.
Lake
Louise, located just south of the intersection of
Highway 93 and Highway 1 (your entrance back into
BC) offers camping in the famous Banff National Forest.
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Golden
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Golden,
BC is approximately 71 km/44 miles from the Alberta
border, just on the other side of Kicking Horse Pass.
Kicking
Horse River offers rafting and camping
nearby. Cross-country skiing is also popular in Golden.
Revelstoke
(148 km/93 miles) is the place to go for heli-skiing
and tours of the nearby icefields. It is also steeped
in railway history and offers self-guided heritage
tours.
Another
71 km/44 miles west takes you to Sicamous,
the "Houseboat
Capital" where you can rent a
powerboat to spend the afternoon water-skiing.
Highway
1 leads you to Salmon
Arm (31 km/19 miles) with its scenic
waterfront and the largest freshwater pier in North
America.
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Okanagan
Lake
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Heading
south on Highway 97b, you will come to Grindrod
(14 km/9 miles), and the intersection of Highways
97a and 97b. Continue south as the road becomes Highway
97. It will take you through vineyard country, past
the communities of Vernon,
Kelowna,
Penticton,
Peachland
and Summerland.
Wineries
are scattered throughout the Okanagan
and offer excellent opportunities to sample some of
the area's newest vintages (watch for advisory signs).
At
Kaleden (13 km/8 miles from Penticton),
take Highway 3a, as it leads you to Keremeos
and Highway 3 west to Vancouver.
Be
sure to browse the Points of Interest:
Read
a Travelog:
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