13 Reasons to Make DriveBC Your First Vacation Destination

drivebc vacation road trip in BC

Summer travellers, who first visit the DriveBC website before they head out, find valuable information including routes, weather, border crossings and interesting stops. Check these features and links on DriveBC, to prepare your launch to a great holiday having fun with family and friends, camping, fishing, hiking or doing what makes summer superb for you!

  1. Road Conditions and Future Planned Events

    Get up to speed on the latest road conditions, plus learn about any future happenings which could affect your route. When on the DriveBC map, be sure to click on the “Future Planned Events” box (by the purple cone) on the legend. For us, “planned events” means construction, maintenance or special events such as parades or athletic competitions which could affect traffic. If you’re looking for tourist-oriented events – say Chetwynd’s Chainsaw Carving Championship or the Alert Bay Music Festival, see #11.

  2. Weather

    Wondering if you’re heading for sunshine or rain, and how that might affect your trip?  Click on the map icons for “Current Weather,” “Weather Forecast” and “High Elevation Weather.”

  3. Webcams

    View BC highway conditions, traffic and weather in real time, via more than 400 webcams located around the province. When using the DriveBC map, click on the “web camera” box on the right side of the page, then scroll over the webcam icons on the map and the webcam views will pop up.

  4. Variable Speed Signs and Dynamic Message Signs

    Click on these icons on the DriveBC map and you’ll see what’s currently on these signs that change to reflect driving conditions. They provide you with even more information to make driving decisions.

  5. Rest Areas

    Plan your breaks en route by using the rest area map, or click on the icons on the DriveBC legend. Click on a rest area and you’ll find more information like whether it can be accessed by large vehicles or it has wireless Internet service.

  6. Plan Your Route

    Enter your travel start and finish points and you’ll receive just about everything that you’ll want to know, in one package with a map and list of travel times, distance in kilometres and miles, rest area locations, steps-by-step instructions for your route and any road conditions or construction along the way.

  7. Stops of Interest

    Check out BC’s Stop of Interest signs — each tell a story of a person, place or event significant to our provincial history. If you’ve travelled in BC or live close to a historic site, chances are that you have seen at least one of these signs — they’ve been a part of our landscape since 1958. You’ll see them on the DriveBC legend.

  8. Lower Mainland Travel Information

    Click on the “Metro-Van. Traffic Flow” icon on the DriveBC legend to find out what’s happening in the greater Vancouver area. We also have links to TransLink for Metro Vancouver transit schedules and maps. Attending a big sporting or music event? Check the Park and Ride map to see where you can park your vehicle then take transit. TransLink also has “Bike and Ride” info for cyclists.

  9. Inland Ferries

    Look up schedules and crossing times for the ministry’s 14 inland ferry routes, which transport passengers and vehicles over some of BC’s lakes and rivers. As part of the province’s highway system, these ferries are free.

  10. Summer Driving Tips

    Look over these pointers to prepare you and your vehicle for a safe journey on BC highways. Tips include advice on planning your route and ways to avoid collisions with wildlife.

  11. Tourist Information

    Enter the BC government’s tourism website for festival listings, theme and circle driving routes, maps, accommodations and more

  12. BC Ferries

    Find information on sailing times and fares, for travel on the coast and islands of beautiful BC.

  13. Routes Beyond BC

    Get road information for Canada’s other provinces and territories, and the United States, via this link on DriveBC.

Explore all that DriveBC offers, and check out our short tutorials, to make your summer vacation the best ever!

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  1. have an important question that can’t find the answer too.
    I have to drive from Arizona to Alaska so I have to drive through Alberta and British Columbia to get there. The thing is that in Arizona cars only get one license plate to legally drive around but I have read that in BC , the law requires two license plates.

    Can I cross the border and drive with my 1 Arizona plate legally till I get to Alaska ?