All I Need Is My 2 Bare Feet: The Art of Road Tripping in Western Canada

British Columbia is one of those special places on earth full of unrivaled and expansive wilderness, and wholesome people. Alberta boasts some of the most spectacular mountains and sky blue lakes that capture the soul.

Without the west, Canada would be a lot more one dimensional.

My favourite lake, no matter how touristy it gets - Moraine Lake, AB

My second favourite lake - Garibaldi Lake, BC

An epic 4-day cycling trip through the Canadian Rockies! 2015

British Columbia is a magnet for all kinds of people from all kinds of places. I've met hoards of Czech people working in the cherry orchards, and a unique crew of Irish people who go wild picking every summer for morels and huckleberries.

Urbanites flock to Vancouver, a cosmopolitan city nestled between mountains and ocean. From sunset drum circles to nude beaches, Vancouver is anything to anyone who dares to dream (and dares to pay the sky high rent).

BC lovers don't just come from around the world, but also within Canada. Every summer there is a mass exodus of young people leaving Quebec, headed for the orchards of the arid Okanagan Valley. And I've met lots of Ontarians, like me, fleeing urban centric and industrious Ontario for the yogi vibes of the west coast. Ironically, I haven't met a single person going the other way - unless they're returning home.

Vancouver at its best, 2014

BC has so much to offer, there are infinite ways to enjoy it. My favourite thing about BC is its vast wilderness. While not quite on the same epic level as Alaska, BC's wilderness is accessible to those who seek it, within proximity of urban centres.

I've done lots of wild camping (aka. stealth camping or free camping, anywhere without paying), backcountry trekking, and mushroom picking in crown land forests and national parks. I discovered a hidden backcountry cabin only a few hours out of Vancouver. I wild camped on a beach, sleeping to the songs (and wails) of seals.

The music festival scene here is strong. I've been to a few large and other worldly ones like Shambhala, but the small and intimate ones are my favourites. One music festival I went to actually took place beside a lake called Hippie Lake.

A secret beach with hippies living free - Vancouver Island, near Tofino, 2016

Building quinzees, pyramid shaped snow shelters, 2011

Admiring the pristine coastal wilderness from the comforts of a sailboat, west coast 2018

I've shared the most penultimate and transformative experiences of my life with amazing people in the BC forests and mountains. I know there is no such thing as a best place in the world - it's all how one experiences a place that matters. And to me, there is no better place on earth than BC.

And the best way to experience it is as a nomad, free from commitments and responsibilities, free from time constraints, free to roam and love, open to spontaneity, open to discovery without and within.

I've mostly road tripped solo, which has forced and taught me to get out of my shell. I think doing these road trips on my own has been invaluable because if I hadn't done it alone, I wouldn't have been as flexible and spontaneous to new experiences and human connections, nor have had the time for nature and solitude, and just to be with my own thoughts.

From a practical standpoint I also try to fill my car with rideshares to split the gas, or pick up hitchhikers to share the ride. I've met a lot of cool people this way. Facebook groups, Craigslist, and Poparide, an up and coming rideshare website, helps to find rideshares. And just for fun, I've hitchhiked several times as well.

Mountains make me happy :D

I have now made the round trip between Toronto and Calgary three times. That's right - six drives of 3,500 km! And Calgary is often just an extended stopover to Vancouver, adding another 1,000 km to the journey.

You might wonder why I have done this trip so many times. Well, for one, I'm trying not to fly anymore in my life. But the main reason is that the road trip has become part of my western Canada experience - it's not a proper summer road trip without this ritual.

I have embraced the long drive - it has become a meditation to me. The time in between places and obligations, the landscapes zooming by, provides time and space within my mind. I rarely feel as calm in my life as I do during these drives, or even on long bus rides.

Two straight days of straight highways, flat Prairies and wide open skies

Leaving westward the drive helps me to wipe my mental slate clean and build up the anticipation and excitement. The sheer distance makes the west coast seem as if it is some far off utopia, even though it's the same country. Returning east, the drive allows time to process the summer adventures and transition toward winter hibernation in Toronto.

There are also nice stops along the way - I have good friends in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg and Regina. And there's my favourite museum of all time - The Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg.

I honestly can't imagine the west coast summer road trip without kicking it off with the long drive. I typically don't like to rush it - driving out west this year, I took seven days to get to Calgary, driving an average of 8 hours a day, staying an extra night in both Thunder Bay and Winnipeg. Unfortunately, at the end of this road trip I rushed back to Toronto due to personal reasons and cold weather in October - I took four days, driving about 15 hours on the final day!

My Yaris sits at 150k after 10 years. More than half of that is from road trips - Utah salt flats, 2013

Found a nice wild camping spot - Ontario, 2018

While I would recommend doing the west coast road trip with a vehicle, particularly one you can sleep in, I've done it every time in my tiny Yaris, which I owned since prior to my road tripping days. Fortunately for me I have plenty of friends to call up, and couches to sleep on most of the way.

Perhaps in the future I will have an SUV where I can customize a bed with drawers underneath, as I've seen many friends do. Or a school bus that runs on vegetable oil, as a few friends of mine do! But for now, my Yaris, now with a roofbox, has been a steadfast companion.

And for those tight on transportation budget, I know plenty of travelers who travel light and hitchhike! BC and Alberta are very safe places to hitchhike. The exception to this may be the north of BC, where there is the Highway of Tears, so named tragically due to the high rate of native women that get abducted while hitchhiking.

I also know people who have hitchhiked out west from Ontario and BC in as little as 5 days, which is almost as fast as driving!

No matter whether you drive or hitchhike, if you have all the time in the world and an open heart, you will make your dreams come true in British Columbia. And even if you have no money, you can make some if you are willing to work in the orchards, and still have a great time and unique experience doing it.

The western Canadian summer road trip is pure magic!