West Coast Highway 99 in British Columbia Your tour guide: Ron Dempsey of Vancouver, B.C.
My favorite drive is the Sea to Sky Highway, aka Hwy. 99 from Vancouver to Whistler, British Columbia. After you've driven from downtown Vancouver, through Stanley Park and across the Lion's Gate bridge, find your way north to the Upper Levels Highway. This is a fairly busy stretch of road that takes a number of wide sweepers as it goes west towards Horseshoe Bay. From there, traffic lightens, and the next 45 minutes is two-lane mountainside driving with spectacular views, fabulous twisty parts and lots of low-speed turns, high-speed turns and combinations. As so many corners are blind, the trick the first time out is knowing which is which. Although the road can get busy in winter with skiiers and in summer with sightseers, there are lots of passing lanes to pass the occasional RV.
I've been told that the mountain vistas are as spectacular as anything you'll find in the Alps of Bavaria and Austria, but the road makes it tricky for the driver to soak it all in -- or want to, given how much fun he or she is having. It's not uncommon to see rock climbers clinging to what looks like a vertical slope 500 feet almost directly over the highway, so be ready for some distractions along the way.
Take full advantage of the few long straightaways, and pass as much traffic as you can. That's because after 45 minutes, you'll arrive in Squamish, a small town good for gas and food if you need a break. After Squamish, you'll encounter another 30 to 40 minutes of two-lane road with very few passing areas before reaching Whistler. You'll need to be on your toes.
The road from Squamish to Whistler has some rougher sections but is even more fun in many ways. First of all, there are some more abrupt elevation changes. Secondly, the cliffside on your left is no longer there, so you can loosen the sphinkter (SPHINCTER? Or is this some technical auto term girls don't know?) a little if you were nervous about early-apexing those blind right curves. Lastly, you're almost home to the village and resort area of Whistler, one of the greatest year-round resorts in the world.
Tips for the trip: Plan to do the drive in the shoulder season -- April, May, September or October -- less traffic and some spectacular colors in fall.
If you must drive in peak season, do yourself a favor and hit the road early in the morning. Also, try to plan your trip so that you return in daylight hours. I've driven on the cliffside (return) lane too often with no visibility at night. And as this is the Pacific Northwest, you can expect the occasional rain or fog.
Radar detectors are legal and highly recommended. Remember those straightaways I mentioned? Uh-huh. Laser too.
Even the shoulder seasons are getting busier in Whistler, so book in advance if you plan to stay overnight. The area also has a few world-class golf courses, so bring your sticks if that's your thing.
Check out the BC BMW club's Web site www.bmwccbc.org before you come; you might be able to take in an event or schedule a trip up to Whistler with some more '02s.
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