The Sea to Sky Highway is also known as Highway 99.  It winds through five distinct zones in the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region of BC, from coastal rain forest at Horseshoe Bay, through Squamish, Garibaldi Provincial Park, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Intensely scenic, the Sea to Sky Highway crosses paths with two historic routes, the Pemberton Trail and the Gold Rush Heritage Trail, which linked the coast with the interior in the days before the automobile. Along these ancient pathways, generations of Coast Salish people traded with their relations in the Fraser Canyon.  In the 1850s, prospectors stampeded north towards the Cariboo gold fields. In 1915, the Pacific Great Eastern railway began service between Squamish and the Cariboo. The railway proved an ideal way to reach trailheads in Garibaldi Provincial Park and fishing camps such as Alta Lake's Rainbow Lodge, situated at the foot of London Mountain.

By the mid-1960s, the prospect of skiers heading from Vancouver to the fledgling trails on London Mountain - by this time renamed Whistler Mountain - prompted the B.C. government to open a road north from Horseshoe Bay through Squamish to Whistler. Space being at a premium along steep-sided Howe Sound (North America's southernmost fjord), the road and railway parallel each other for much of the 28 miles (45 km) between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish at the head of the sound.

By 1975, the highway was pushed through to Pemberton, and by 1995 the last stretch of gravel road was paved between Pemberton and Lillooet. (Highway 99 and the railway part company in Pemberton but link up again at Lillooet.) Today, you can breeze along the entire route in five hours, the time it took in the 1960s to make the journey just from Horseshoe Bay to Whistler.

Location: Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver is the southern terminus of Highway 99. Lillooet, about 190 miles (310 km) north, is its northern twin. From Lillooet, a recent extension of Highway 99 (formerly called Highway 12) leads almost 47 miles (75 km) farther north and east to its conjunction with Highway 97 at Hat Creek. The southern terminus of the Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99) is reached via the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) at Horseshoe Bay. The northern terminus lies at its junction with Highway 97, about 7 miles (11 km) north of Cache Creek. An alternative approach near its northern terminus is Highway 12's junction with Highway 99 at Lillooet.
Despite major improvements over the past 30 years, such as rock scaling, bridge reinforcement, and frequent passing lanes, sections of this predominantly two-lane road can still be extremely treacherous in foul weather. Drive cautiously but not so slowly as to frustrate those who are more familiar with the route. All exits and trailheads are well marked, with adequate room for off-road parking.

The Alaska Highway, nicknamed the Alcan Highway, is still an adventure road, but the degree of difficulty has eased sharply in recent years as more and more sections have been straightened and paved.  This two-lane road stretches from mile 0 at Dawson Creek, BC and goes northwest through the Yukon Territory to mile 1520 at Fairbanks, Alaska.  While it is no longer a wilderness road, it is definitely a road in the wilderness!  

Built in 1942, the Alcan Highway mostly followed existing winter roads, old Indian trails, and rivers. The highest point along the Highway is at Summit Lake, elevation 4250 feet.

Today the Highway is mostly asphalt-surfaced, open and maintained year-round, but the condition ranges from poor to excellent. There still are stretches where the highway is narrow and curvy, and lacks center lines and ample shoulders.

There are many holes, poor shoulders and bumps. Also, watch out for sudden loose-gravel breaks where the pavement has failed or is under repair. Sometimes the gravel gaps are marked with little red flags, sometimes they aren’t.

On the northern portion, be mindful of “frost heaves” from the annual thawing and freezing. The asphalt paving can ripple like a roller coaster track in places. Maintenance crews do their best to patch the annual outbreak of frost heaves, but it’s a never-ending, high-cost job.

Most of all, while on this road, watch out for wildlife!  You might very encounter a moose or a bear.  A large bull moose can weigh 1500 lbs, and black and grizzly bears as much as 900 lbs.  You may also have to yield the road to aircraft that want to land. 

Take your time.  Long dry spells can make the gravel portions of the road dusty, and if it's extremely dry, you may have washboard and roughness problems. Mud may be a problem in construction areas. Drive with your headlights on at all times to make it easier for oncoming vehicles to see you.
Driving this road can be hard on a vehicle for several reasons:

• Flying rocks may damage your headlights, radiator, windshield or gas tank. 
• Frost heaves can ruin trailer hitches and trailer tongues.
• The gravel road in construction areas is treated with calcium chloride to keep the dust down. This substance will eat the paint off your vehicle if you don't wash it off right away.

You’ll find gas, food, and lodging along the Highway every 20 to 50 miles. The longest stretch is about 100 miles. This is NOT a good place to run out of gas, so please remember, not all businesses are open 24-hours-a-day or during all seasons.
Despite all these warnings, if your vehicle is in good condition and you are careful to drive sensibly, the Alaska Highway can be a pleasure, not an ordeal.  Really!

Most people driving east out of Quebec City will take Highway 138, but those in the know (and in no rush) will opt for Highway 362 East. This route is significantly slower, but the astounding scenery along the way will make the drive seem all too brief.

The 37-mile trip to Charlevoix witnesses a dramatic metamorphosis in terrain as the Laurentian Mountains slope to meet the St. Lawrence River. There are several Provincial Parks where you can inspect the geography up close.

Just outside of Quebec City are the Montmorency Falls, and a bit further east you'll find the enormous Shrine of Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre. You may want to make this drive in autumn to enjoy the changing of the leaves, but make sure it's still warm enough to take advantage of the whale-watching trips offered in Charlevoix.

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