Life with ArielThe famous Sea to Sky Highway is the most scenic section of Highway 99 in British Columbia, Canada that runs from Horseshoe Bay to Pemberton. As the name suggests, you will get incredible views from the ocean to mountains on the highway. In addition, this scenic route gets you to many beautiful provincial parks along the way. By driving the Sea to Sky highway, you will understand why BC license plates read “Beautiful British Columbia”.
I started my drive on the highway on July 1st, the Canadian Day. Every place I visited was festive. On the other hand, there was an unusual amount of visitors and travelers everywhere. My drive also went beyond the Sea to Sky section all the way to Cache Creek which is the end of BC Highway 99. Here’s a list of our stops from south to north, all dog friendly, and we loved each one of them.
Road Condition
The Sea to Sky highway is in great condition. But after Pemberton, Highway 99 starts to have cracks and holes that will cause noticeable turbulence for big vehicles like RVs if you don’t drive around them. Moreover, the highway is shared with bikers. Some sections have designated biking lanes, but for the most part, bikers share the same lanes with motor vehicles. The busiest section of the highway is around Whistler where traffic jams are fairly common. Other parts of the Sea to Sky Highway don’t have much traffic, but once you get off the highway, parking can be difficult. All other sections of Highway 99 are pretty quiet to the extent you will be able to pull over at any time for a break and get back on the road stress free.
Porteau Cove Provincial Park
Porteau Cove Provincial Park is situated on Howe Sound, the most southerly fjord of North America. It’s a popular place for water activities such as diving, paddling, and kayaking. The coastline in west Canada is just as beautiful as in California. Unlike the deep blue you often see in the Bay Area, Howe Sound is turquoise blue, matching well with the surrounding dark green mountains. This park has both day use and camping areas. For camping, I highly recommend you book in advance due to the park’s popularity.
Alice Lake Provincial Park
Alice Lake Provincial Park is named after its main lake, Alice Lake. But it actually has many more lakes and a big forest with lots of hiking and cycling trails. Dogs are allowed on most trails but not on lake beaches or picnic area. Ariel and I hiked the Four Lakes Trail which loops four lakes in the park: Stump Lake, Fawn Lake, Edith Lake, and Alice Lake. The trail is 3.8 miles long with about 470ft of elevation, perfect for us. The woods and plants were as impressive as the beautiful lakes. On Canadian Day, the Alice Lake beach was packed with locals enjoying the long weekend.
Brandywine Provincial Park
Brandywine Provincial Park features Brandywine Falls, a beautiful 300ft waterfall that plunges directly into Brandywine Creek. There’s a short and flat trail from the parking lot to the waterfall viewing platforms. The second platform offers better views in my opinion. Besides the waterfall, the park has a lot more to offer. If you have time, hop on another trail and enjoy the lush green mountains and Swimmers Lake.
Whistler
Whistler is a world-famous skiing resort in winter and hosted Winter Olympics in 2010. In summer, it’s a great spot for hiking and mountain-seeing. Ariel and I went to the train wreck site. It was fun and special. The trail went through a forest to a suspension bridge spanning over the beautiful Cheakamus River. At the end, it reached the site of the 1956 train crash – several wrecked railway boxcars scattered in the forest. Today’s graffiti artists transformed the site of a tragedy into an artsy travel destination.
After the hike, we stopped by Whistler’s village center to get some good bites. It’s a good place to do some sportswear shopping, get souvenirs, enjoy live performance, or just hang out at coffee shops and restaurants. On the day of my visit which was Canadian Day, it was super crowded and almost impossible to find parking. Ariel got anxious, so we didn’t stay long.
Green Lake
Green Lake was not in my itinerary. But when I spotted this vast body of milky green water right by the Sea to Sky Highway, how could I not stop for it?! The snow-capped mountains behind it made the scene even more picturesque. People boated, kayaked, paddled and even flew float planes on it. Ariel and I didn’t have time to go into the lake. But walking on the bike lane of the highway and having an overlook was already a great experience.
Nairn Falls Provincial Park
Nairn Falls Provincial Park is named after Nairn Falls in the park. The hike to the falls is about 1.6 miles roundtrip along Green River which flows into Green Lake that was mentioned above. Ariel and I enjoyed this hike a lot because of the beautiful river, literally in a jade green color. There were spots where Ariel could even get access to the water. At the waterfall viewing platform, you can only see part of it because it’s hiding behind cliffs. The volume of Nairn Falls is quite impressive. The fast flowing water swirls among the rocks, erodes them, and forms a rock bridge at the bottom of the waterfall.
Duffey Lake Provincial Park
Before you reach Duffey Lake Provincial Park, you will see Joffre Lakes Park first. This park has an extremely popular hiking trail, Joffre Lakes, that goes to Joffre Lakes. I heard those lakes are as heavenly as Banff’s lakes. Unfortunately, it’s not dog friendly and you need to reserve a day pass to get in. Ariel and I instead drove further north to the overlook of Duffey Lake. It’s a piece of magical blue topped by snow mountains, absolutely stunning. There’s a boat launch at Duffey Lake. However, parking lot is small and not RV friendly.
Seton Lake
Driving further north, you will reach Seton Lake Lookout. Although the lake view is limited there, you can hike the trail at the other side of the highway where you will get a better view of the lake and mountains, plus an overlook of the iconic U-turn of the Sea to Sky highway. The hike is short but steep at the end of it. It’s a bit dangerous too as it’s all loose rocks with no guarding rails or clear trail path.
Marble Canyon
The first thing you will notice in Marble Canyon is Pavilion Lake. Besides being a popular destination for water activities, this picturesque lake right next to Highway 99 is also home to colonies of freshwater microbialites which color the lake in different shades of blue. Further south of the canyon lies Marble Canyon Park. It has a small, first-come-first-served campground on Crown Lake and Turquoise Lake with convenient boat launching access. Ariel and I kayaked on Crown Lake. Paddling through lake grasses, we saw lots of blue dragonflies, which was quite special for us.
