Driving to Vancouver- Fastest way? Tips?

[adam c]

after golden there are no more for a while

i usually fill up in golden and kamloops

[nickyh]

My stops will be Revelstoke and maybe a splash in Kamloops to get me through to Vancouver. Not sure what my new car is capable of but in my prelude I was able to coast into Kamloops on a pretty empty tank.


Not sure how many people are aware of this, but BC passed a tough new speeding law.
Anythng 40km/h over results in your car being impounded for a week, apparently the lots are pretty full of AB license plates.

I'm heading out to in 3 weeks - whats the best bang for your buck radar detector?

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by HiSpec
I hate to bring this thread back from the dead.

But I'm heading to Vancouver, and I was wondering where is the best place to fuel up? I know I can get there with one fuel stop, and was told that after a certain point there are no more gas stations.

Thanks!

This might help a bit: http://www.bcgasprices.com/

I always fuel up in Golden, there could be a rock slide ahead somewhere and sitting on fumes waiting for it to be cleared is not comfortable at all.

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by nickyh
My stops will be Revelstoke and maybe a splash in Kamloops to get me through to Vancouver. Not sure what my new car is capable of but in my prelude I was able to coast into Kamloops on a pretty empty tank.


Not sure how many people are aware of this, but BC passed a tough new speeding law.
Anythng 40km/h over results in your car being impounded for a week, apparently the lots are pretty full of AB license plates.

I'm heading out to in 3 weeks - whats the best bang for your buck radar detector?

The best bang for the buck would be buying one from CostCo and returning it within 90 days.

http://www.costco.ca/Service/FeaturePageLeftNav.aspx?ProductNo=10335081

http://www.costco.ca/Common/Search.aspx?whse=BCCA&topnav=&search=radar&N=0&Ntt=radar&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-CA

[HiSpec]

Where would be the ideal place to gain some speed without worrying about RCMPs?

[nickyh]

I usually make up time on the Coquihalla and we also leave earlier (4am / 5am) to get a jump on the RV's etc on the Highway.


I think I may be hitting up Costco, never thought about that, thanks :thumbsup:

[88CRX]

Originally posted by nickyh
Not sure how many people are aware of this, but BC passed a tough new speeding law.
Anythng 40km/h over results in your car being impounded for a week, apparently the lots are pretty full of AB license plates.

Oh rly?

Good thing I didn't speed much last week when I did the round trip.

Only saw 2 rcmp the entire way there and back, one had someone pulled over going the opposite direction and the other was sitting in the center median and must have been just setting up his radar :devil:

[Gainsbarre]

Originally posted by HiSpec
I hate to bring this thread back from the dead.

But I'm heading to Vancouver, and I was wondering where is the best place to fuel up? I know I can get there with one fuel stop, and was told that after a certain point there are no more gas stations.

Thanks!

I like to fill up in Salmon Arm (where it's usually cheaper) -- gas prices seem to be higher in Revelstoke and Golden, so I avoid them at all costs...

As for speeding, I thought that on the big 3 lane divided highway between Kamloops and Hope was safe? I'd routinely go 145km+ there just to keep up with traffic....

[Mitsu3000gt]

When I drove to Vancouver in May it was TWENTY SEVEN cents cheaper per liter in Kamloops than either Hope or Revelstoke.

Also, that big 3 lane divided is the Coquihalla and I saw no cops on my way to Van, but multiple speed traps on the way back. 130-140 seemed to be the flow of traffic.

Careful in BC if you get caught 40+ over you're screwed.

[rage2]

Just got back from BC, and I was told they're towing and impounding at 30 over now. What a retarded province. :rofl:

[R-Audi]

From CBC:

More than 40 km/h over the speed limit on B.C. highways, their vehicles are impounded for a week and they face a fine of $368 to $483, in addition to a towing and storage fees.

[Gainsbarre]

Should have mentioned that I last drove to Vancouver about 2 years ago. The stretch between Kamloops and Hope was the part that I could go the fastest on -- I recall the posted speed limit being 110 km/h all the way.

I had plenty of people FLY past me in sports cars when I was doing close to 150 km/h :nut: .

[nickyh]

Originally posted by rage2
Just got back from BC, and I was told they're towing and impounding at 30 over now. What a retarded province. :rofl:


Great! Thanks for the warning, so it will be a fun drive out stuck behind anyone who's too scared to overtake thanks to this new law.

I guess I should not rush to break in the new car, no point until the Coquihalla.

Is the road still full of potholes between Golden and Revelstoke? When I was on that stretch in April it was a fun 90km of dodging craters.

[kamakurakid]

Originally posted by nickyh



Great! Thanks for the warning, so it will be a fun drive out stuck behind anyone who's too scared to overtake thanks to this new law.

I guess I should not rush to break in the new car, no point until the Coquihalla.

Is the road still full of potholes between Golden and Revelstoke? When I was on that stretch in April it was a fun 90km of dodging craters.

I drove to Victoria in June, if there were potholes I would have noticed. I would even consider leaving in the evening to avoid the RV, construction and Miss Daisy crowd. Keep an eye out for moose, bear, badger, elk, mountain goats and other assorted zoo creatures. Speeding is a fool's game to a certain point, get caught and the fine or impound is a killer. Not to mention speed kills, no one can argue that.

[cloud7]

Originally posted by kamakurakid
Not to mention speed kills, no one can argue that.

Speed doesn't kill. It's the sudden stop that does the damage.

[88CRX]

The highway just before you get to Kamloops (heading west) is by far the wort part. No potholes but so many speedbump like cracks in the roads. If I had a gun I might have used it on myself.

Highway around Banff/Canmore is shitty too. Rest wasn't all that bad.

[SilverGS]

I heard that Banff National Park is now 70km/hr

Anyone experience the construction delays around Golden? A website I read says to expect 3 hours delays anytime after 10pm :eek:

Looks like it could be a long drive to Van and back :(

The days of 9 hours to Van seem to be over.

[rage2]

Originally posted by SilverGS
I heard that Banff National Park is now 70km/hr
There's a thread about it here, as well as a comment I made from my weekend through there:

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&postid=3736743#post3736743


Originally posted by SilverGS
Anyone experience the construction delays around Golden? A website I read says to expect 3 hours delays anytime after 10pm :eek:

Looks like it could be a long drive to Van and back :(

The days of 9 hours to Van seem to be over.
This section:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=51.299791,-116.933305&spn=0,0.032251&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.299748,-116.93277&panoid=bBBqEo8yMqVKsTv-xDhXsQ&cbp=12,108.69,,0,21.68

Is reduced to 1 lane. They stop traffic one way, let traffic through the other way. Then they do cleanup work and repeat. It was about 30 mins delay for me there, but if there's lots of traffic buildup, I can see a 2-3 hour delay. I drove during a weekday so it was relatively quiet.

The biggest slowdown is the # of construction projects between Banff and Kamloops. There were around 6 sections that were slowed down to 50 and 70. Be careful of the huge changes in road surface level in the areas, I was going at the limit right outside Revestoke and hit a big bump in the road. Wrecked my sidewall, got a slow leak. Made it to Kamloops before the tire went flat on me. Took forever to get a new tire cuz P Zero's aren't exactly stocked in Kamloops. :thumbsdow

The tire guys says the construction is keeping them busy, tons of flats. I drove at a normal pace (getting old now haha) and it took 7 hrs of driving time (not counting stops) from Calgary to Kamloops. Be careful of speeding as well, they're impounding cars at 30km/h over in the construction zones. There was a family of 4 with a u-haul that got impounded and the cops just stranded them outside of Chase. Pretty brutal.

There's no way you can make it to van in 9 hrs if you don't wanna get impounded. You'd have to drive like a total asshole, passing at 200+ to hit 9 hrs with all the construction.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by rage2

There's a thread about it here, as well as a comment I made from my weekend through there:

http://forums.beyond.ca/showthread.php?s=&postid=3736743#post3736743


Thanks Rage!


Originally posted by rage2


This section:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=51.299791,-116.933305&spn=0,0.032251&z=16&layer=c&cbll=51.299748,-116.93277&panoid=bBBqEo8yMqVKsTv-xDhXsQ&cbp=12,108.69,,0,21.68

Is reduced to 1 lane. They stop traffic one way, let traffic through the other way. Then they do cleanup work and repeat. It was about 30 mins delay for me there, but if there's lots of traffic buildup, I can see a 2-3 hour delay. I drove during a weekday so it was relatively quiet.

The biggest slowdown is the # of construction projects between Banff and Kamloops. There were around 6 sections that were slowed down to 50 and 70. Be careful of the huge changes in road surface level in the areas, I was going at the limit right outside Revestoke and hit a big bump in the road. Wrecked my sidewall, got a slow leak. Made it to Kamloops before the tire went flat on me. Took forever to get a new tire cuz P Zero's aren't exactly stocked in Kamloops. :thumbsdow

The tire guys says the construction is keeping them busy, tons of flats. I drove at a normal pace (getting old now haha) and it took 7 hrs of driving time (not counting stops) from Calgary to Kamloops. Be careful of speeding as well, they're impounding cars at 30km/h over in the construction zones. There was a family of 4 with a u-haul that got impounded and the cops just stranded them outside of Chase. Pretty brutal.

There's no way you can make it to van in 9 hrs if you don't wanna get impounded. You'd have to drive like a total asshole, passing at 200+ to hit 9 hrs with all the construction.

Thanks for the info Rage. Will have to be extra careful overall.

Going to be a long drive with the kid so I hope I don't get too many delays but definitely going to take it easy with all the construction and what not.

Which is why I said those days are over. Several years ago, when there was no construction, if you averaged 140 or so and did one gas stop you could do Van in about 9-10 hours. Now with the construction, potholes, impound worries if you are speeding excessively seems like a bad time to go but we have a wedding to make :).

Be a bit of a long drive but Van should be a good time.

Safe Long Weekend out there everyone

[88CRX]

We did from Calgary to Chilliwack in 10 hours with 15 cars (passing is impossible with 15 cars BTW) include several gas stops and probably spend an hour in Salmon Arm for lunch. Chilliwack to Van was another 2+ hours due to rush hour and construction cluster-fuck-mess on the highway.

(Edit: we didn’t have any single lane delays like Rage mentioned either way)

Some people made it back from Van to Calgary in 8 hours.... they didn’t know about the 30 over rule though haha.

How fast did you bomb over the asphalt changes? There were bump signs everywhere, we slowed down, crawled up them and were fine.

[kamakurakid]

I get to just past Field and start thinking why the hell did I not fly? Really, I think I am done with these drive humps through the hinterland. It all makes driving to Regina/Winnipeg seem easy, boring yes but streamlined.

I download a ton of podcasts and make the best of it. Iffy phone reception with Rogers for much of the trip only added to the boredom.

I found a great little greasy spoon (seats 50) called Cookie's just outside Chilliwack, about two minutes off the highway:

http://www.cookiesgrill.ca/

[nickyh]

Originally posted by rage2

The biggest slowdown is the # of construction projects between Banff and Kamloops. There were around 6 sections that were slowed down to 50 and 70. Be careful of the huge changes in road surface level in the areas, I was going at the limit right outside Revestoke and hit a big bump in the road. Wrecked my sidewall, got a slow leak. Made it to Kamloops before the tire went flat on me. Took forever to get a new tire cuz P Zero's aren't exactly stocked in Kamloops. :thumbsdow

The tire guys says the construction is keeping them busy, tons of flats.


:banghead: Thanks for the heads up, i'm starting to wonder if getting the 18" Wheels on my GTI was worth it now. So paranoid about pot holes etc now whereas in my RAV i did not care as much.

To add to the excessive speeding, my neighbour got stuck behind that accident along Hwy 93 on Friday and they spent time chatting to the highway workers, 120 is the magic number for impounding (30 over) and at 50km over they take your car from you and they don't return it.

I remember years back, I made it down to Vancouver in 8.5hrs - fun days are over! Sit back and feel the ass grow now I guess......

[max_boost]

So, is there another route through the USA that can get you to Vancouver in the 10 hour range? :D

[Tram Common]

If you actually want a nice drive, head south.

Calgary
Nanton
Crowsnest
Cranbrook
Creston
Castlegar
Osoyoos
Hope
Vancouver

Can be done in an average of 11 - 12 hours if you're not trying to pretend you're a Nascar driver.

Waiting for Rage2 to claim he did it in six hours. :nut: :rofl:

[rage2]

Originally posted by 88CRX
How fast did you bomb over the asphalt changes? There were bump signs everywhere, we slowed down, crawled up them and were fine.
50km/h, the speed limit, it was a massive one right before the bridge in Revestoke, and was a little deceiving. On the way back I was going 30 over those changes.

Originally posted by Tram Common
Waiting for Rage2 to claim he did it in six hours. :nut: :rofl:
Even with the same conditions as 18 years ago, I wouldn't be able to do the 6 hour record again. I was fearless in my teens. Not so much anymore.

[SilverGS]

Originally posted by Tram Common
If you actually want a nice drive, head south.

Calgary
Nanton
Crowsnest
Cranbrook
Creston
Castlegar
Osoyoos
Hope
Vancouver

Can be done in an average of 11 - 12 hours if you're not trying to pretend you're a Nascar driver.

Waiting for Rage2 to claim he did it in six hours. :nut: :rofl:

Google map has that route at 300km longer and 3 hours longer drive but I guess it may turn out to be the same with the potential construction delays.

You could also dip into the states and it is slightly closer and a bit less time but you have to cross the border twice

[dino_martini]

Came back from Van on Sunday. On the drive out, came around a corner just past Revelstoke only to have to slam on the breaks because of a Silver Hyundai Rental car, AB plates, doing 68 km/hr :banghead:

I can't believe gas was cheaper out on Van Island, vs Hope/Revelstoke. If you find your self in Hope, in need of breakfast or lunch I recommend the Owl Street Cafe. They make some damn good bacon and eggs.

[Gooseberry]

Heading out to Victoria in a few days, complete newbie at this as this would be my first time.

Is there a standard route out there? Mapping it with Google it tells me to...

Canmore > Golden > Revelstoke > Kamloops > Chillwack

Then it tells me to head into the US to take the ferry there. :thumbsdow

Any tips from people who went out there recently? Most i got from reading the current comments was not to speed and slow down in construction zones...

[Royle9]

Just came back from Van Island last week, we took the southern route (#3) and it worked out to be about an hour or so longer then the #1 route through golden/revelstoke on a perfect conditions basis. The upside was no construction, less traffic and not having to drive through the shushwap area where you get all the boat/trailer traffic.

We took the #1 route back and in the end the would 3 ended up being a lot faster due to the reasons above. The best is every time you hit a passing lane you can't even use it because some dick in a 30' RV is attempting to pass a semi and ends up not even making it.

Didn't see too many RCMP, and only hit 1 Radar trap just outside of Hope (he was there on the way back as well). I was really worried about the 30/40 KM over the limit rule, but I found about 90% of the traffic was speeding and most of those were BC plates.

Try to avoid buying gas in the revelstoke/osoyoos/hope area as I believe we paid 1.51, 1.58, 1.48 /ltr for premium.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Gooseberry

Then it tells me to head into the US to take the ferry there. :thumbsdow


It's "faster" that way (on paper) because the route to Tsawwassen Ferry from the TransCanada is PAINFULLY slow. There's no real highway between the two. However going to the U.S. won't be any faster because of the border crossing.

If you're doing it in one day, I always suggest getting a ferry reservation for the last boat of the day. It's only $15, and that way you're guaranteed to get onto the island that night.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Is there any major road construction slowing down traffic between here and Vancouver right now?

Just came back.... 70km/h til you clear Lake Louise sucks balls.

And there are tons of construction right before Golden that slow to around 50km/h with stops.

Then you're good until you get close to Port Mann Bridge. They are building a new one and tons of constructions on either side of the bridge.

I took #5 instead of #1 after Kamloops, and #5 is smooth sailing throughout.

[Royle9]

Originally posted by Tram Common
[B]If you actually want a nice drive, head south.

Calgary
Nanton
Crowsnest
Cranbrook
Creston
Castlegar
Osoyoos
Hope
Vancouver
/B]

I highly suggest you take this route, 1/3 the traffic no provincial park reduced speeds, no construction.

It will save you both time and headache, unless your set on taking the 1 :dunno:

[cam_wmh]

I highly suggest driving through the night if you can. I took the #1 from Calgary to Abbotsford and then to CB marina.

I made very good time leaving at 10pm.

Those that drive at night, I find are better drivers. Maybe it scares off the amateurs...

[masoncgy]

+1 for driving at night.

I just did Vancouver to Calgary a couple weeks ago. Left the Island at 4:40pm, hit the #1 at Horseshoe Bay at 6:30pm (PST) and arrived at Calgary at 7:30am (MST) ... so a 12 hour drive, stopping for 45 minutes at Merritt, 15 minutes in Kamloops, 15 minutes in Revelstoke, got hung up just east of Golden in the construction zone for 15 minutes, then stopped for 30 mins at Lake Louise.

We were travelling with a 3 yr old and a 6 week old baby, hence the extra stops.

We made amazing time. I would recommend night driving to anyone as long as you can stay awake and alert.

[008]

Sorry to bump again - but is the southern way still recommended? Any thing new happening with the construction?

[BensonTT]

Those highway RCMP .. will they pull me over 100% for my driver/passenger tint since they have nothing to do??

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by 008
Sorry to bump again - but is the southern way still recommended? Any thing new happening with the construction?
Highway 1 and the Coq is still the fastest route. 9-10 hours Calgary-Vancouver, even with construction. Southern route will add 3 to 4 hours.
/thread.

[nickyh]

Originally posted by BensonTT
Those highway RCMP .. will they pull me over 100% for my driver/passenger tint since they have nothing to do??

Nope, for the most part the Highway RC's are pretty good - but don't give them a reason to want to chase you down. Stay under the speeding range of 30 km/hr over the posted limit and they will ignore you.


008 - Construction sucked on the way down to Van.
Banff, then the 70 limit for ages, golden, revelstoke, a stretch past salmon arm heading towards kamloops, hope (along the coquihalla), then grid lock with all the Vancouver construction.

Going home 08/20/2011 the banff construction was over with.

[Gainsbarre]

There wasn't any construction when I drove back from Vancouver to Calgary on August 28 -- took the Transcanada the whole way.

Went to Seattle first so the drive was through Kingsgate into Idaho and then onto the I90. Just followed whatever cars that were doing ~150km there.

A Washington State Patrol car overtook me at one point when I was going way over the speed limit but I don't think he cared (was probably off duty).

[max_boost]

Originally posted by C_Dave45

Highway 1 and the Coq is still the fastest route. 9-10 hours Calgary-Vancouver, even with construction. Southern route will add 3 to 4 hours.
/thread.

My drive was a little over 9 hours both ways. If it weren't for the slow stretches it would have shaved even more time off.

I left Calgary at 5pm so was speeding a bit through the night 140kms/h or so. When I left Vancouver it was around 2pm and I just followed the locals. There were stretches we got over 150kms/h+ but it was as if the locals knew exactly where to speed so I was just following. And when they all turned off, I went back to around 125kms :D

[008]

Nice to know that construction isn't that all that bad.. I'll take the #1 and coq out. Thanks for the responses guys!

[71car2]

Had done that route many times over the years between Calgary and Vancouver. technically, I stopped in New Westminster where my mom lives.

Yup, the fastest way is this:

Calgary
Banff
Field
Golden
Revelstoke
Salmon Arm
Kamloops
Merritt
Hope
Vancouver

My gas stops are mostly always Golden/Revelstoke, Kamloops/Merrit then 1/4 tank at New Westminster. Few times I'd skip Golden/Revelstoke for Kamloops to shave time off.

In my youth days - I'd be able do 9 -10 hrs doing 120-140 km H. I once set a record under 9 hrs in my old mustang at 150 km H. But these were all about 15-20+ years ago lol. Ahh, got to love the fearless youth fire on wheels...

Times sure do change a lot! Now I can't even do 9 hrs like before with all the crazy road constructions from Banff to Kamloops. I had to do some swerves to avoid these potholes there.

As many of you already knew - the best times to begin the trip is always in the night. I would leave at 1 to 3 am after getting a good LONG sleep first before. I find that after 4 am - you're doomed to lot of traffic from Lake Louise to Kamloops. I avoid that.

I'll be doing a trip in October so I expect myself at about 12 hrs with gas stops, eating at restaurants - I like to try find hidden gems like small cafes. Salmon Arm do have one great cafe there but can't remember what its name was?

Thanks for the tip about the "Owl StreetCafe" in Hope - I have to try that one out for breakfast. What about their lunch menu - any good food in there?

[R!zz0]

Hope? Isn't it Chilliwack?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by R!zz0
Hope? Isn't it Chilliwack?
Hope

http://owlstreet.com/?page_id=46

[Mys73ri0]

bumping an old thread... thinking of maybe going out next week

how is construction if there's any going on? snow/road conditions?

should i leave my winters on or switch back to my all seasons? I've noticed my winters getting a little sloppy on some of the warm days in calgary already (granted they are 16's vs 18's)

[rage2]

Bump.

Carpooled back from Van to Calgary in a SUV. ~7.5hours of driving time, not including the ~45mins to get out of Vancouver/Burnaby due to construction. Speeds were 35 over throughout, night drive starting at ~midnight PDT, not a single cop on the trip. Traffic was non existent, maybe 3 or 4 big rigs in total. Nothing going on for construction really, clear sailing.

If I still had the balls (and night time vision) from my youth, I can easily still do under 6 hours in a sports car.

[flipstah]

I'm going this long weekend so I'll check this thread out further tonight to see what places to avoid due to construction. :thumbsup: