A BC Circle Tour From Vancouver Island to Northern BC and Back

Exploring BC has become much more leisurely since my husband and I purchased an RV.   Come along for the ride and see BC from our perspective as we tootle around our home province. 

I find that driving a large RV about four hours behind the wheel is comfortable.  It also provides a framework for where to stop and stay.  If traveling with friends, it leaves more time to relax and socialize at the end of the day. 

As I have family and friends in the Prince George and Burns Lake area of Northern BC my husband and I thought it would be fun to circumnavigate BC, driving up through the centre of the province. Then we would head west to Prince Rupert and south via BC Ferries from Prince Rupert to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and back to our home in Victoria. This loop is approximately 2,500 km (1,550 mi) so leave lots of time to explore BC and plan accordingly.

We began our BC loop with a ferry ride from Vancouver Island’s Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen Terminal on Vancouver’s lower mainland, followed by a short drive east to Hope staying at Coquihalla Campground.  We spent a couple of nights visiting friends in the area and exploring Hope which has some wonderful bike trails.  There was even a bike park right outside our campground.  Great for kids!  Whether taking a walk or ride around town be sure to get a selfie with the Rambo statue as the movie was filmed here.

We then headed north through the stunning Fraser Canyon that follows the impressive Fraser River to Lytton and on to Ashcroft – a little slice of heaven and a must for the train enthusiast.  We camped at a small full-service campground called Legacy Park right on the Thompson-Okanagan River.  Train tracks ran on either side.  It was quite the sight to see them rumbling so close.  Ashcroft is full of train lore.  You can visit the local museum, view the many tile mosaics dispersed across numerous buildings and if you also happen to love vintage cars there are many charming old vehicles scattered throughout town.

We love BC’s Provincial Parks, so we made sure to include a couple in our journey.  First up, Lac La Hache in Cariboo Country, home to rolling hills, ranches and horseback riding. We chose a site with a lake view to relax and take in nature before connecting with friends and relatives further north in northern BC’s ‘capital’ of Prince George. There is a lot to see and do here. One of the fascinating places is The Exploration Place Science Centre, home to 70 million year old fossils and dinosaurs with fun things for kids to participate in.

Yellowhead Hwy 16 traverses an area known as the Lake District with great views and abundant fishing. Burns Lake, where we stopped to visit with more friends, is a lovely scenic lake and the weather was particularly hot. After our visit we headed for Smithers and Tyee Lake Provincial Park.  It was refreshing to stay at one of the few provincial parks in BC with 30amp electrical power.  What a relief to be able to run our air conditioning unit to cool off! 

If you get a chance along the way, check out New Hazelton.  It’s lovely with its picturesque mountain backdrop and intriguing First Nations heritage.

Hwy 16 took us through Terrace and on to the scenic ocean route westward to Prince Rupert.  Stop in at the old fish cannery (as we did) in Port Edward, now a museum, or feast on fresh seafood at one of the local pubs or restaurants but whatever you do, bring your raincoat!  You’ll need it as Prince Rupert gets an average of 219 days of rainfall a year. 

From Prince Rupert we boarded the ferry over to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island and camped in Port McNeill at Cedar Park which was new to us.  After disembarking the ferry at midnight, the short 30-minute drive from Port Hardy to Port McNeill was somewhat stressful.  The ferry ride itself is 16 hours and stunningly scenic but once on the Island the highway was pitch black.  Be forewarned, there are no lights in this remote part of northern Vancouver Island.  Once we turned off the highway towards our campground the road was gravel and rough in parts and although we had to set up in the dark it was totally worth it.  We awoke the next morning to sunny skies and an incredible ocean view!

For campgrounds and RV parks in British Columbia go to Camping and RV in British Columbia

Interested in RV tours and trips throughout BC go to Trips & Drives

Share your BC travel and camping photos using hashtag #CampInBC, #ExploreBC

It’s always a great day to #CampinBC

Published: April 23rd, 2025