Sea to Sky Jeep Tour

Your trip will begin with a relaxing day in Vancouver. Take some time to enjoy the stunning ocean views in the city, and pick up your Jeep. If you’re looking to hit the open road as soon as you get here, the drive up Cypress Mountain has several great viewpoints of the surrounding ocean and mountain vistas.

Today’s when the off-roading starts. Your first target is the Mamquam River Forest Service Roads. This set of backroads takes you deep into the mountains surrounding Squamish, and is directly off of the iconic Sea-to-Sky Highway. Rivers parallel several of these backroads, perfect for a swim on a hot day. You can also take the truck up some pretty steep backroads to get great views of the Squamish Mountains. If you’re looking to get a sweat on, the Watersprite Lake hike is accessible from these backroads. This is a stunning alpine hike, and one of the quieter hikes in the area, as it’s a 40 minute off-road drive to the trailhead.

You’ll continue up the Sea-to Sky into the Whistler area today. Today’s adventure will take you a bit off the beaten path, towards Callaghan Lake. Many of the Whistler area hikes and activities are accessible by paved roads. After turning off the Sea-to-Sky, you’ll make a quick stop by the stunning Alexander Falls. The road then splits, one side going to Whistler Olympic Park, and the other towards Callaghan. The pristine Callaghan lake is about 9 kilometers away from the turn off. It’s an amazing option if you’d like to get away from the Whistler crowds and enjoy some time on the water.

Day 4 takes you to the Duffey Lake Area, a more remote backcountry playground past Pemberton. You’ll head up Blowdown Pass today, a very remote and old mining road that takes you up to a spectacular alpine lake. The first 10 kilometers of the drive are fairly accessible with any off-road vehicle. Then there's a turnoff to a much more rugged logging road. Most people park here and hike a few kilometers up to the lake. If you hike to the top of the pass, you can get an amazing view into the Stein Valley, a protected old-growth wilderness park. We’ve seen a couple of very high clearance vehicles make it to the top of this pass, but we don’t recommend trying, especially in a rental car. At the turnoff, you can also continue along the main forest service road. There are spectacular mountain views in every direction, so no bad options today! After finishing up at Blowdown, you'll continue on to Lillooet for the night.

Today's adventure is on BC Highway 40. This scenic mountain road is one of the more mellow drives of the trip, going back and forth between paved and unpaved roads. There’s several steep drop-offs, so we recommend pulling off the main road several times throughout the day to stop and soak up the views. A couple of the most notable viewpoints on this route are Carpenter Lake and Bridge River. After driving around Highway 40, you'll head back to Lillooet for another night in town before continuing south the next day.

The Stein Valley is one of the most untouched wilderness areas in Canada, and you’ll spend today exploring it. Protests in the 80s and 90s kept logging companies out of the Stein Valley, and it was eventually designated as a protected area by the BC government in 1994. Due to its preservation, it also boasts the region's healthiest population of grizzly bears and cougars, so come prepared! Staying mostly in your car is a good way to stay safe around the wildlife today. You’ll take a 5-minute on demand ferry ride across the Fraser River. You can then drive along an unpaved road to the Stein Valley Trailhead, or right up to the Stein River. It’s a great place to hang out and gives you a good taste of the area. If you want to hike into the valley a bit, make sure you have bear spray, a few people in your group, and be ready for wildlife encounters! You'll drive south after tonight's adventuring to spend an evening in Hope.

Today’s your last day on the backroads. You’ll drive south to Hope BC, and take a backroad up to Jones Lake, another amazing spot with epic mountain views. It’s about a 10km drive up to the lake, and the road continues up another kilometer before it washes out. Jones Lake is an awesome place to get in a swim, soak up the views, and quietly enjoy your last day before heading out. It’s only about 2 hours back to Vancouver from Hope, so you’ll have plenty of time to get your rental car turned in and enjoy a last night in the city before leaving Vancouver.