Leg 1 - Vancouver to Tofino

• B.C. Ferries - Enjoy a scenic 1.5 hour journey across the Georgia Straight to Nanaimo. Watch for whales and other sea creatures!
• Coombs - A sleepy town with ice cream parlours, antique stores and tattoo studios. Also home to a huge butterfly farm, but the real attraction here is the famous store with goats grazing on the roof!
• Little Qualicum Falls - Hike to these waterfalls in a 440 hectare Provincial Park.
• Cameron Lake - A deepwater, glacier-fed lake filled with trout. Cameron Lake is very picturesque on calm days when reflections are mirrored in the water.
• Cathedral Grove - Cathedral Grove, the main feature of MacMillan Provincial Park, is one of the most accessible stands of giant Douglas-fir trees on Vancouver Island. Enjoy these unique 800-year-old giants while walking through this virgin coast forest and imagine how the west coast must have looked like before the arrival of European settlers.
• Port Alberni - The salmon capital of the world! This small town is situated at the head of Vancouver Island's longest inlet, 40 km from the open seas.
• Tofino - A pretty fishing village at the tip of Esowista Peninsula near the entrance to Clayoquot Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Stay in one of the nicest hostels in the world, Whalers on the Point!
Tofino Free Day
• Pacific Rim National Park Reserve - Named for its location on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, this park encompasses a long and narrow strip of coast that has been battered by the sea for eons.
• Long Beach Unit - One of three units in Pacific Rim park, this unit contains about 25 km of beaches, including the marquee 11 km Long Beach. You can often catch glimpses of mist shooting high above the waves from the 21,000 Pacific Grey Whales passing by on their 10,000 km journey from California to Alaska.
• Hot Springs Cove - Vancouver Island's only known hot springs. 50 degrees C at its source and it cools as it flows over a waterfall.
• Activities - Try surfing, kayaking, hiking, whale watching (includes a hot springs trip!) or just hang out on the beach!

Leg 2 - Tofino to Victoria

• Sproat Lake Provincial Park - Home to Petroglyphs (ancient carvings in the rock) and the world's largest water bombers (they carry 27 tons of water!) used for fighting forest fires.
• The Bungy Zone - A 50m jump over the Nanaimo River. The first commercial bungy site in North America drops you into a scenic canyon.
• Chemainus - Has Canada's largest permanent outdoor art gallery. Today, more than 300,000 visitors come to town check out the 33 "larger than life" murals.
• Goldstream Provincial Park - Thousands come to watch salmon (mostly chum, coho and chinook) spawn here in the fall. The biggest run is in early November. Take a short walk along the river and find old mine shafts from late 1800s when miners took small amounts of gold.
• Victoria - Known as the garden city, it is British Columbia's provincial capital. Has Canada's mildest climate.

Leg 3 - Victoria to Vancouver

• Spend the morning and early afternoon exploring Victoria:
o Royal BC Museum - Discover the human and natural history of British Columbia, as well as internationally renowned exhibits.
o BC Parliament Buildings - The seat of the provincial government was built in 1897 for $923,000.
o Empress Hotel - This regal building opened in 1908 on the waterfront in Victoria's beautiful inner harbour. Enjoy tea in the afternoon with some 800+ guests per day, including Hollywood celebrities!
o Butchart Gardens - Used to be a limestone quarry, but in 1904 became gardens of delight, drawing over a million people every year!
• Cruise through the Gulf Islands back to Vancouver aboard a BC Ferry.

Leg 4 - Vancouver to Whistler

• Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park - The bridge was opened in 1938 and was financed by the Guinness family (Irish Brewers) to connect Vancouver with their property holdings on the North Shore (now the priciest real estate in Canada!).
• Cypress Mountain - Best view of Vancouver. On a clear day you can see Mt. Baker (USA), Vancouver Island and much more...
• Sea to Sky Highway - This scenic stretch takes about 2 hours to drive to Whistler and rivals the Icefields Parkway (Rockies) for scenery on a clear day.
• Britannia Beach - Old mine was the British Empire's largest producer of copper. The abandoned mine is now home to many film shoots including the "X-Files" & "The Crow".
• Shannon Falls - At 355m, these falls are 3rd highest in Canada. Get the legs moving with a moderate 30-minute walk through a coastal rainforest to the spectacular falls.
• Stawamus Chief - 2nd largest granite rock monolith in the world (after the Rock of Gibraltar). It is an international rock-climbing destination.
• Brandywine Falls - Unique 66m falls. Was named during an argument by rail workers over the height of the falls. At stake were some bottles of brandy and wine for the winner! The booze would have been pretty valuable to these frontiersmen!
• Relax at the Chalet Alta Vista - This fine hostel is exclusive to Moose and features a huge deck overlooking the lake, outdoor hot tub, and friendly hosts. It is a Moose passenger favourite (it was ranked #1 by our travellers in 2003!)
Whistler Fact: Whistler is home to snowboarding's first-ever Olympic gold medallist, Ross Rebagiliati. Ross won gold in Nagano, however he is probably more famous for what happened afterward. He was stripped of his gold medal after a dope test revealed marijuana use. A few days later he was reinstated after it was determined that marijuana is not performance enhancing (no kidding!). Ross claims that he got it in his system by picking up second-hand smoke at parties in Whistler. Whistler is known as a place of relaxed marijuana laws and liberal use.

Leg 5 - Whistler to Vancouver

• Free Day in Whistler - chose an activity!
o Bungee 160 feet into a scenic canyon. Moose passengers get a $20 discount!
o Mountain bikes can be hired/rented at the Alta Vista for $20 (half day, maps included)
o Hike - Get a map and do some of the local hikes
o Swim - Alta Lake is only 100 m from the Chalet Alta Vista. Dive in!
• Journey back to Vancouver in the late afternoon after a full day in the Whistler valley
Whistler Fact: Consistently ranked as the #1 ski resort in North America and #4 in the world. The alpine resort is a bit "disneyesque", but it is definitely a unique place with plenty to do in both winter and summer.

Leg 6 - Vancouver to Shuswap Lake

• Bridal Veil Falls - These falls, 60 metres high, cascade down into classic west coast rainforest vegetation. Named for its resemblance to a bride's wedding veil.
• Hope - Rambo fans will be interested to know that this was the site of filming for the movie First Blood.
• Alexandra Bridge - Visit a provincial historic site! The Alexandra Bridge was originally built in 1863, as part of the Cariboo Wagon Road, the first road of any major proportion in British Columbia.
• Hell's Gate - Hell's Gate is the narrowest section on the mighty Fraser River. Simon Fraser, the first European to explore this region remarked that the gorge resembled "the gates of hell".
• Lytton - is home to Canada's highest ever recorded temperature - 44.4 C!
• Kamloops - The largest city in British Columbia by area is also a mountain biking mecca!
• Shuswap Lake - The Shuswap is a popular summer destination, particularly for weekend "houseboating" trips.
Shuswap Fact: The lake is named after the Shuswap First Nations people who have lived in this area for more than 10,000 years. The word Shuswap is the European translation of the proper Nation name: Secwepemc.

Leg 7 - Shuswap Lake to Banff

• Craigellachie (Monashee Mountains) - ask to see the "golden spike" which marked the completion of the trans-continental railway here in November, 1885. Really, it's fascinating!
• Giant Cedars Boardwalk(optional) - Short boardwalk trail through a damp old growth rainforest with 800 year old trees!
• Rogers Pass (Selkirk Mountains) - see spectacular glaciers and towering mountain peaks! Stop at the Info Centre and learn about bears, the Snow Wars and much, much more.
• Emerald Lake - Go for a walk around this fine glacial lake.
• Banff - Located in the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, this town rocks at night with numerous pubs, bars and nightclubs!
Banff Fact: The discovery of hot springs at what is now the Cave and Basin historic site in Banff lead to the creation of Canada's first national park, and the third national park in the world (after Yosemite in America, and Royal in Australia).

Leg 8 - Banff to Jasper

• Lake Louise (Victoria Glacier) - The most photographed lake and most visited place in the Canadian Rockies! See the stunning aqua blue colour for yourself.
• The Icefields Parkway - One of the most scenic stretches of highway in the world. See glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and wildlife all day long!
• Big Bend Lookout - Great views of Cirrus Mountain and a classic U-shaped valley carved out by glaciers.
• Columbia Icefield - The largest ice cap south of the Arctic Circle. Covers an area the size of Vancouver (325km sq.) and as thick as 350 m. Enough room to fit every person in North America on its surface at one time! You'll get a chance to walk on it and start a snowball fight, even in the peak of summer!
• Tangle Falls - Cool place for a group photo. Everyone can get up beside the falls, stick your thumbs in your ears, point your fingers upward, and you instantly have your very own moose antlers!
• Jasper Townsite - Banff's smaller cousin is still a popular summer destination.
Jasper Fact: Set up in 1911 as a railway construction camp called Fitzhugh for the Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway companies, it was later renamed Jasper, after the fur trader who operated a trading post here.

Leg 9 - Jasper to Banff

• Athabasca Falls - The most impressive waterfall in the Canadian Rockies!
• Goat Viewpoint - Look for mountain goats while enjoying the views of the Athabasca River valley.
• Stutfield Glacier - Hangs off the 1100 m cliffs between Mount Kitchener and the Stutfield Peaks.
• Peyto Lake - Perhaps the most spectacular of the glacial lakes, it's named after "Wild" Bill Peyto, a legend in the Rockies in the 1890's!
• Moraine Lake (seasonal) - Scramble up the moraine pile for a stunning view of the lake in the "Valley of the Ten Peaks" (yet oddly there are more than ten peaks).
• Banff - The hub of adventure activities in the Rocky Mountains! Jump off the bus and try whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River, caving in the Rat's Nest Caves, soaking in the Hot Springs, strolling through the village, or take in one of the area's many spectacular hikes.
Banff Fact: The town is named after Banffshire, Scotland, the birthplace of two of the early Canadian Pacific Railway directors.

Leg 10 - Banff to Revelstoke

• Johnston Canyon - Check out the limestone canyon from a suspended walkway.
• Wildlife - Watch for elk, wolves, bears and bighorn sheep along the Bow Valley Parkway.
• Takakkaw Falls (seasonal) - Cree word for "it's wonderful". At 384 m, they are 2nd highest in Canada (only Della Falls on Vancouver Island are higher)
• Natural Bridge - a natural wonder on the Kicking Horse River.
• Wolf Centre - Get up close and personal with a wolf pack, while learning about their habitat and social structure, as well as common misconceptions about these mysterious animals.
Revelstoke Fact: A small town of only 8,000 inhabitants, Revelstoke was recently named one of the top 10 adventure towns in North America!

Leg 11 - Revelstoke to Kelowna

• Sicamous - Go-karting, great ice cream, and a real live Canadian camel?
• Enderby - flea market for "redneck" spotting!
• Kalamalka Lake - Ice blue & in National Geographic's top 10 lakes of the world.
• Okanagan Lake - 140 km long lake is home to the "Ogopogo" monster (Nessie's sister). Some say there is an underground connection to Loch Ness!
• Kelowna - Borders on BC's "pocket desert" - great place for sand, sun & fun. Take a unique cruise on "Jaws" the killer houseboat.
Kelowna Fact: This fast growing city (BC's 4 th largest) was once just a sleepy summer holiday resort town. It is now projected to become BC's second largest city over the next 25 years!

Leg 12 - Kelowna to Vancouver

• Okanagan Lake Floating bridge- the only bridge of its kind in Canada!
• Othello Tunnels - Four railway tunnels blasted through sheer rock in the early 1900's. An engineering marvel!
• Kawkawa Lake - This recreational lake is a great place for a lunch stop on a hot day.
• Fraser Valley - Plug your nose... You're going through one of B.C.'s main agricultural areas.
• Abbotsford - Get ready for.... Skydiving!!!
Vancouver Fact: This beautiful harbour city of 2 million has been ranked in the top 3 most livable cities in the world for several years running.