| This circle tour in British Columbia starts | | | | seafaring warriors that controlled most of |
| in Vancouver and begins by traveling east on | | | | the BC coastline at one time and you can |
| Hwy 1 to the Fort Langley National Historic | | | | learn about them at the Gwaii Haanas National |
| Site. Continue on through the rich farm | | | | Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site. There |
| country of the Fraser Valley to Hope, where | | | | is a 10,000 year connection between the land, |
| you can walk through the Othello Quintette | | | | sea and Haida culture.Back in Prince Rupert, |
| Tunnels, part of the Kettle Valley Railway | | | | you can take the BC Ferry down the Inside |
| built between 1910 and 1916.Continue on Hwy 1 | | | | Passage through dramatic fjords and green |
| to Lytton for a guided rafting trip down the | | | | forested channels to Port Hardy on Vancouver |
| Fraser River if you are hungry for some | | | | Island. You'll probably get glimpses of |
| unforgettable thrills, then take Hwy 12 to | | | | whales, seals, porpoises and black bears on |
| Lillooet (lil-lou-ETTE) where you can try | | | | the full day's passage along the rugged |
| your hand at panning for gold. Take Hwy 99 | | | | coastline. In Port Hardy you can visit the |
| east to Hwy 97 and travel north to Clinton | | | | Copper Maker Gallery, where you can savor the |
| and on to 100 Mile House. This town got its | | | | redolent smell of red cedar as the native |
| name because it was 100 miles from Lillooet | | | | carvers create beautiful original Northwest |
| on the old Caribou Wagon Road. Here the only | | | | Native art works.Driving south to Port |
| surviving stage coach of the Barnard Express | | | | McNeill, where you can take a short ferry |
| and Stage Line is on display, complete with | | | | trip to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. Here |
| an authentic bullet hole from being held up | | | | you can visit the U'Mista Cultural Center, |
| for the gold dust it once carried. From here | | | | which preserves the history and artefacts of |
| north to Williams Lake and Quesnel where you | | | | the Kwakwaka'wakw Aboriginals and see the |
| can take a short side trip east to | | | | totems of a nearby burial ground. Back on |
| Barkerville, an historic gold rush town built | | | | Vancouver Island, from Port McNeill you |
| in 1862. It has over 125 restored heritage | | | | travel south through Campbell River to |
| buildings.Back on Hwy 97 and leaving Quesnel, | | | | Courtenay where you can look for fossils in |
| travel north to Prince George, a bustling | | | | the 80 million year old sea bed at Puntledge |
| city in north central BC. Take Hwy 16 west | | | | River.Farther south you'll come to Qualicum |
| to Hwy 27 then travel north on a side trip to | | | | Beach which is renowned for its flower |
| Fort St. James, a restored Hudson's Bay | | | | gardens and also its fantastic views of the |
| trading post from the mid 1800s. Back on Hwy | | | | Georgia Strait. Sunny Parksville further |
| 16, going west again to Smithers where you | | | | south has 7 kms of sandy beaches and may |
| can see the 50 million year old fossils at | | | | offer the warmest saltwater swimming on |
| nearby Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park. | | | | Vancouver Island. In Nanaimo you can visit |
| Farther west, in The Hazeltons, you can visit | | | | the Petroglyph Park to see 10,000 year old |
| the world famous 'Ksan Historical Village. | | | | stone engravings of mythological sea |
| 'Ksan is the Gitxsan name for the Skeena | | | | creatures. The Nanaimo District Museum also |
| River. This replicated ancient Gitxsan | | | | provides a unique glimpse into the lives of |
| village features house fronts and totem poles | | | | Nanaimo's First Peoples dating back more than |
| facing the Skeena River. Continue on to view | | | | 2000 years.The ancestral home of the Cowichan |
| the totems at Kitwancool and the Nisga's | | | | Tribe and the famous Cowichan Sweaters is in |
| Memorial Lava Bed where a volcano erupted | | | | Duncan. In Victoria, plan to spend a few |
| over two centuries ago, leaving a pocked lava | | | | days visiting the many splendors of the city |
| moonscape.With Terrace as a base, you can | | | | and its environs, including the famous |
| take a side trip on Hwy 37 to Kitimat; a | | | | Butchart Gardens. Then take the BC Ferry |
| stunning playground in the coastal | | | | across to Tsawassen, south of Vancouver, |
| rainforest, its scenery is reminiscent of | | | | where you started.This Circle Tour by car is |
| Norway's fjords. In Terrace you can hike a | | | | designed to take from seven to fourteen days, |
| part of the Grand Trunk Pathway. Now go west | | | | more if you wish of course. Reservations |
| again on Hwy 16 to Prince Rupert, a seaport | | | | need to be booked well ahead for the ferries |
| and a terminus for handling shipments of coal | | | | from Prince Rupert to the Queen Charlottes |
| and grain from the Prairies. Here you can | | | | and down the Inland Passage to Vancouver |
| board a ferry for the Queen Charlotte Islands | | | | Island. Google "BC Ferries" for the websites |
| called Haida Gwaii by the local aboriginals. | | | | and online reservation forms. |
| The Haidas were once a proud nation of | | | | |