Scenic Drives Through Canada

With its vast natural landscape, Canada offers a wide-range of scenic drives. Beginning in the west of Canada and working east, following are three of Canada’s best scenic drives.

Sea-to-Sky Highway (British Columbia)

Considered one of the world’s most beautiful drives, the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) offers awe-inspiring scenery. A legendary route from Vancouver through Stanley Park and over the Lions Gate Bridge to Whistler and beyond, it’s a drive with scenic ocean vistas, soaring mountains, dramatic waterfalls, bustling communities, parks, and outdoor activities. It’s also filled with fun stops, including outdoor destinations, cultural points of interest, and historic sites.

Discover. Beginning at sea level and tracing a route along the shore of Howe Sound, the route weaves deep into the Coast Mountains and then climbs through old-growth rainforests before reaching Whistler 2,200 feet (670 metres) above sea level.

Icefields Parkway (Alberta)

Glacier Skywalk Offers Stunning Views of Columbia Icefield (Credit: Brewster Travel Canada)

Named for the massive glaciers, the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) is a spectacular drive that winds its way through Banff and Jasper national parks. Stretching 144 miles (231 kilometres) through the heart of the Canadian Rockies, this world-class journey offers access to a vast wilderness of pristine mountain lakes, ancient glaciers, and broad sweeping valleys making it one of the most scenic drives through Canada.

Stretching from Lake Louise to Jasper, the Icefields Parkway affords constantly changing views of more than 600 glaciers, six icefields, and an abundance of mountains.

Selected highlights (from south to north) include: Bow Summit and Peyto Lake viewpoint; Saskatchewan River Crossing; The Weeping Wall; Sunwapta Pass; Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier, Icefield Centre, and the newly opened Glacier Skywalk; Sunwapta Falls; and Athabasca Falls.

Cabot Trail (Nova Scotia)

Named for explorer John Cabot, the 185-mile (300-kilometre) Cabot Trail is a scenic roadway that takes you around the greater part of Cape Breton. Because there are so many scenic overlooks, cultural heritage sites, whale watching, and hiking trails on the Cabot Trail, spending some time planning your excursion and campgrounds will make your road trip much more enjoyable.

The Cabot Trail makes a loop around Cape Breton Island, cutting across the top of the island and closely following the western and eastern coastlines. If you travel in a clockwise direction, you’ll be on the “inside” lane as you drive along both coasts. Because the road goes up and down both steep grades and curves, the clockwise direction is better for RVers who dislike driving next to steep drops.