Wild about Canada

WITH hubby and kids in tow, Natalee Ward discovers why time on the road through British Columbia in Canada's west makes for an exhilarating family adventure.

Family outing ... Canada has plenty to offer with skiing and wildlife spotting just the beginning. Picture: Natalee Ward.

ONE of the world's great salmon runs takes place across British Columbia.

In Canada's naturally spectacular province, thousands of sockeye salmon make their annual journey from the ocean on the west coast to their spawning ground to continue the family name. By the time they reach their final destination, they will be lucky if any have survived.

When our family arrived on Canada's west coast with grand plans for a journey across BC, we were hoping for a greater survival rate.

The holiday plan was straightforward. Five of us – two parents plus Sarah, 14, David, 11, and Willy, 1, piled into a five-seater van bound for the Rockies with their fresh snow, hot springs, wildlife and some of the world's most spectacular hotels that recall a railway era long gone, luxurious places for rest and revival.

Vancouver is the perfect place to start – a tranquil waterfront city that matches Melbourne for its liveability. The city's Granville Island Market is a great place to shake off the jet-lag, with its collection of fresh produce, cafes and restaurants, and stalls selling takeaway food, arts, crafts, bookshops and maple syrup. The island is reached by tiny ferry boats across the river.

After a day in the city it was time for the much-anticipated Whistler and the winding runs that take hours to complete. When we arrived in mid-April, the enormous mountain peaks of Whistler Blackcomb had snow cover from top to bottom, perfect spring skiing conditions.

One of the highlights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler were the outdoor heated pools, especially when it was snowing and the children could swim and have snowball fights simultaneously.

It was a sad day when we had to check our skis in and hit the road.

We took the scenic drive northeast to Kamloops along glacier-fed rivers, cattle farming country with cowboys at work and tiny towns whose main attraction was a Tim Hortons, the Canadian doughnut and coffee shops that kept the family happy.

The next day provided a spectacular drive north along the Thompson River, through the Columbia Mountains and over Mt Robson, the highest peak in the Rockies, before descending into Jasper and the surrounding national park.

It is the array of natural attractions that draws visitors to Jasper and Marmot Basin is one of the closest ski resorts. The next day meant a different destination and we packed the car for the road once more.

The Icefield Parkway is one of the continent's most spectacular drives, a 230km stretch of road from Jasper to Lake Louise that runs through the Rockies.

For those in the front seat it was a remarkable day, the sheer scale of the Rockies is hard to imagine. For those in the back seat, who had skied more days in the previous week than they had in any winter ski season, it proved the ideal day to catch up on some sleep.

The Lake Louise ski resort claims to be the largest in North America with 4200ha of skiable terrain, but it's still another good family affair with a main log-cabin lodge with restaurants.

The drive from Lake Louise to Banff was the last chance we had to tick off any more wildlife sightings.

The most direct route from Lake Louise to Banff is via the Trans Canada Highway, but the Bow Valley Parkways is far prettier. The 55km route is through forest with a fraction of the traffic and it provided us with our biggest wildlife-spotting haul.

We were never able to tick bears or beavers off our list, for which I was quietly grateful considering David's penchant for grabbing his camera and jumping out of the car before it had stopped in an effort to get closer to a creature we had just spotted.

But the day before we flew home a quick trip to the Calgary Zoo completed the task.

Sunday Herald Sun