Ask any Vancouverites about weekend road trip recommendations, you’ll hear mixtures of Sea To Sky Highway, Pemberton Trail, Gold Rush Trail, and the Fraser Canyon. Combining these routes, you get a loop passing through Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet, and Hope. “The Loop” seems to have an official name “The Coastal Mountains Circle” or the “Duffey Loop”, although I haven’t found any proper documentation.
Through this loop, you head into the BC southwestern mountains. The road has been fully paved since 1995, making it family-car-friendly to most.
I have driven on this road numerous times with the LandCruiser. Many 4WD tracks along the way lead to beautiful mountain tops and clear-water lakes. But if not aiming for dirt roads, this route is stunning on its own in a normal vehicle. Perhaps even more stunning in some unique sporty cars.
Our Saturday morning was slow despite having this trip planned. A group of our friends from Seattle are heading north of the border to check this route off their bucket list. The 2024 annual “Boys Of Summer” road trip is set to be a Canadian one. Mapping the Coastal Mountain Circle in the counterclockwise direction. This means Eric and I – the only Canadians in the group – get to sleep in while waiting for their arrival.
We had enough time to enjoy a slow breakfast. Packed the car in a way that the top still folds down – Eric had to shove his change of clothes into 2 shopping bags instead of a large duffle. That small car life.
I put a 2-day permit on Hitomi. It must have been years since I last drove her on a long trip leisurely. I used to attend almost every car show around Vancouver and Seattle. That was when I drove the most of this car. I had Bride bucket seats and a quick-release steering wheel back then. The younger me must have a stronger back than I do now. I’ve since switched back the factory leather seat and steering wheel with audio control buttons. Can’t escape the comfort-seeking that comes with age.
Checked the tyre pressure before we headed out to meet the Americans at Cactus in Sumas. We had lunch there while we waited for all 7 cars to arrive. The currency exchange makes the Americans happy to spend money on food in Canada. Not so easy the other way around.
Our convoy had 7 cars in total:
- My BMW E89 Z4
- Jeremiah’s Datsun 510
- Zach’s BMW 850i
- Corey’s Subaru STI
- David’s VW GTI
- Mark’s Subaru Legacy
- John’s BMW E30 M3
Since Eric and I are the only Canadians in the group, we took the lead in the Z4, driving with the top down. Instead of hopping back on Highway 1, we went north into Mission and took Highway 7 to Hope through Harrison. It added 20 minutes to the trip but the view is way better than the straight shot Highway 1.
The furthest in BC I’ve taken my Z4 to is Othello Tunnel. And that was through Highway 1. Although I’ve driven Hwy 7 countless times to go camping, never have I taken the Z this way. Sitting in this low position watching the tall cornfield fly by, I almost didn’t recognize the roads.
Everyone’s still good on fuel so we didn’t stop in Hope, BC. From there, we merged back onto Highway 1 heading north towards Lytton. This is the iconic gold rush trail. Passing through the historic gold town Yale, the Airtram across Fraser River in Hells Gate, and many, many tunnels (7 in total) carved out of the mountains.
These tunnels were built between 1957 to 1964 as part of the Trans-Canada Highway project. In order from south to north, they are: Yale (completed 1963), Saddle Rock (1958), Sailor Bar (1959), Alexandra (1964), Hell’s Gate (1960), Ferrabee (1964) and China Bar (1961). The shortest spans approximately 57 metres (187 ft); while the longest stretches approximately 610 metres (2,000 ft).
Our first stop is the Canco servo in Lytton, BC. This town suffered a huge loss from bushfires in the summer of 2021, resulting in 2 civilian fatalities and many homes being destroyed. Along the drive from Hope to Lytton, the scenery outside our window slowly shifted from lush green mountains to yellow-coloured rolling hills. The “yellow” grass, as we see in these photos, is very dry and flammable.
It’s early August, which means we’re still in the bushfire season of 2024.
The smokiness caught up to us in Lytton. Or should I say, we caught up to the smoke?
I closed the top on the convertible and turned on AC re-circulation. Feeling a slight sense of guilt about how easily I could tune out the harsh reality.
The first time I drove to Lytton was in Noah (the Jeep). It was a camping trip in the summer of 2024. The first and only time I visited the infamous Molybdenite Ridge before it was gated 2 years later. We took a ferry from Lytton crossing to the other side of the Fraser River. At that time, the air in Lytton smelt like burnt wood and ashes. I was very new to offroading and didn’t know much about navigation or fire map so I couldn’t tell you where the fire was. But it was close enough that when we got to the ridge, we couldn’t see the Molybdenite Lake through the smoke – the turquoise water lake that had been captured and spread online like a well-known secret.
This time, after a few years of solo touring under my belt, I can tell you exactly where the fire is.
Shetland Creek fire spanned over 280-square-kilometre. It was so big that, after over a week since our trip, it was finally being held.
From Lytton, we turned onto Highway 12 along the Fraser River to Lillooet. The single-lane road is highly prone to landslides. We passed a few gravel sections from where the recent landslides had been cleared. I am almost certain that this is where I lost my front tow hook cover on the Z – I noticed it missing when we stopped in Lillooet. The way it sits on my aftermarket front bumper was already flimsy. Those gravel sections provided just enough shakiness to set it free.
We took a cold drink break at Lillooet Brewing. Most of us don’t have working AC in the car. So this smoky drive with windows down really calls for a cold one. The view from inside the brewery is stunning. They also have a patio overlooking the Fraser River.
The smoky vibe makes for great photos.
I find myself unusually quiet. Part of it was due to the silence required to draw out artistic creativity (who am I kidding); another part was because my brain was running conversations about the fire. Every year, we hear horrific stories about communities in evacuation as photos and videos of wildfires spread around the internet. Being a 4WD and camping enthusiast, you tend to pay more attention to fire status to make plans. My new career in fabrication also draws me close to wildfires – last year, I was building a wildland fire fighting truck for West Kelowna when the McDougall Creek Wildfire claimed itself as the largest wildfire in the history of West Kelowna.
I tell myself, once I finish my apprenticeship, I will volunteer to fight wildland fire one summer. I’m leaving this statement on my blog for accountability.
Our next stop is just a short 15 minutes away from Lillooet. A decent-sized parking area could be easy to miss since it’s just off the road as a large opening.
There are 2 ways to get to the Seton Lookout. Turn left, you get a narrower and steeper hiking track. To the right, you have a wide-open 2-wheel track that loops back towards the highway before circling back to the lookout point.
We took the wider track up to the top. Along the way, I kept arguing there was a better, shorter path. So Eric and Cory followed my insistence and took the “shortcut”. There’s a cute bench at an opening facing the lake. Makes for a great rest stop if you’re not too short on time like we are.
It was well past 6 pm when we finally got back to our cars. The sun has started its sluggish slide down towards the west. The next section of the road was fairly rough compared to what we had grazed through today. Pavement cracking and enormous potholes that I barely noticed when driving in a 4WD, now become extremely apparent. Let’s just say, the carbon fibre front lip on Hitomi is missing some chunks after this.
We pulled a spontaneous stop at Duffey Lake’s eastern tip. Lined the cars up for photos against the sunset backdrop.
This moment felt like a throwback. I haven’t driven Hitomi for pleasure cruising for a very long time. Can’t remember when was the last time I cruised with car friends to places and took photos of the cars. Must have been 2 ex-boyfriends ago…
But we never really drove far into the mountains. It was always cities or outskirts at most. Back then, the vast BC nature was unknown to me. it took one young financial mistake taking on a 7-year financing on a Jeep to discover what I’ve been missing… I call that a fair trade.
It was almost 8 pm when we finally left Duffey. The rest of the drive through the mountain was, unreal, for my lack of sophescated vocabulary. We drove with the top down again. Smoke wasn’t so bad now that we were more west. The evening breeze blends with the engine roar. Above and Beyond’s playlist matched the sunset perfectly – “I’m on my way to heaven”.
Our convoy chased the sun into the night. It was dark when we got to the final fuel in Pemberton. This Chevron on Canucks Road is hands-down the best servo I’ve ever visited in Canada. The convenience store smelt like pizza (yes they serve fresh pizza here) and the washroom facility is oh-so-cute.
We were all famished after 8 hours of driving and half an hour of hiking. The only good restaurants still open at this time are in Whistler Village. So we parked at the day lot and walked around the village waiting for our table. Most restaurants stop serving food after 11 pm. Yes, it was that late.
The Americans have passed through here but have never been in the village before. Guess all is not lost. A tour of the village happens tonight!
It was dark and late but the village didn’t seem to sleep. People walking around regardless of the stores mostly closed. There was a hens party. And girls in cute outfits going into the only club in the village. Some people were walking their dogs. And, yeah, the Australians.
Our hotel was in Creek Side. I don’t remember much of the night after dinner. Everyone was exhausted. I basically PTFO-ed once I saw the bed I was assigned to.
It’s been a great day of over 500km of driving in a cramped sports car. If only thinking about the distance, it’s not much compared to what I used to do. But that was in the luxury of a comfy Landcruiser. I wondered why I stopped driving Hitomi. The answer might seem obvious now. However, days like this remind me why I loved this car. And most importantly, the fun you get to have with friends.
The pair of Air Canada earplugs I took from my flight worked so well. I didn’t hear a thing in my sleep. Even though my sleep app recorded thunderous snores…
When I finally got ready in our ensuite, the boys had already left. Eric went to use the hot tub and the rest walked to a cafe for coffee. I poured myself the leftover coffee from the pot, wondering what sort of Whistler caffeine delicacy I had missed. If only Whistler’s coffee culture is represented in proportion to the Australian population, I’d run out first thing for a cup of flat white, or long black. Nothing beats the coffee in Australia. You can’t change my mind.
After dropping the key card at express checkout, we headed to a brunch place with a high Google Map rating. Only to find out that they’re only serving BBQ on Sundays. Since when?
After a moment of searching for new options, we finally came to the reality that our best bet would be in Squamish, 20 minutes south.
Of course, what’s a good restaurant without a queue?
We waited roughly 30-40 minutes and had to split our party into 2 tables on the absolute opposite corners. When the server asked if we were willing to split up or wait longer, we said “oh we hang out all the time. We can split.”
There’s a layer of truth in this statement. Eric and I, being the odd ones north of the border, definitely don’t see the rest of the group often. However, the boys are good at keeping contact online.
Did I mention the food was amazing?
We didn’t get the luxury to park together in the restaurant parking lot. From there, we said bye to half of the group as they headed straight back to Seattle. The rest followed Eric and me to stock up on craft beers at Backcountry Brewing in Squamish before tackling the Sea To Sky.
I drove the Sea To Sky with the top down. Every curve was a breeze compared to a 4WD. The last time I drove Hitomi here was 2018 summer when a few girl friends came up for the Gondola.
And, of course, we sat in the North Vancouver traffic. The Second Narrows (Ironworker Memorial Bridge) is a choke point to the mainland. The rest of the highway was not busy at all.
Zach pulled his BMW E31 850i right up to our garage. Eric took out his professional HVAC set to check for leaks and fill the refrigerant.
This is basically how Eric and I officially met – filling my AC. And now we are waving our last companies goodbye in our driveway; nodding and confirming to each other what a great weekend it was; then heading out to do groceries and other adulting duties.
There was a tagline our group kept mentioning. “Collect memories, not dust.”
Needless to say, we have collected both in one weekend. And I very much look forward to the next one.
