Trip 007 - October 7-8, 2009 (Wednesday - Thursday)
TransCanada Highway 1 East & BC Highway 99 South Trip
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Approximate Distances: Vancouver to
Boston Bar - 250 km, Boston Bar to Hwy 1 / Hwy 99 junction - 80 km, Hwy 1 / Hwy
99 junction to Vancouver via Hwy 99 - 330 km.
Liked: Vancouver to Boston Bar: good road
conditions (not much to see), Boston Bar to Hwy 99 Junction: many excellent
views, Hwy 99 junction to Lillooet: great views of Fraser River, Seton Lake to
Pemberton: mountain views.
Of note: Vancouver to Boston Bar: chains required
for commercial vehicles East of Abbotsford from October 1 to April 30, Boston
Bar to Hwy 99 Junction: several fairly steep grades, Hwy 1 Junction to Lillooet:
narrow and winding highway with limited passing opportunities, Seton Lake to
Pemberton: a very long and very steep stretch of the road North of Pemberton.
Related Website: DriveBC (road conditions).
Other Road Trip Reports: BC Highway 40 (Lillooet to Gold Bridge), BC Highway 20 (Williams Lake to Bella Coola).
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26. 73 kilometers after turning onto Highway 99 from Highway 1, we are arriving to the town of Lillooet, BC's little nugget, as the sign says.
Entrance to Lillooet BC
27. A bit further down the road a monument greets the visitors.
A monument on Lillooet BC
28. BC Rail station in Lillooet.
BC Rail Station Lillooet
29. Lillooet feels a bit like a Wild West town.
BC Rail Train in Lillooet
30. Replace the cars with horses here, and is this Wild West or what?
Lillooet BC Canada
31. Lillooet is a nice stopover before you continue to Pemberton, about 100 km further South. A sign by the gas station advises to check your fuel. The gas is quite expensive in Lillooet, though. To see more photos of Lillooet, check out Red Rock Trail Hike trip report.
Lillooet British Columbia
32. Upon leaving Lillooet to go further South on Highway 99 en route to Pemberton, you drive for a few minutes and...
BC Highway 99 South of Lillooet
33. ...arrive to Naxwit picnic area, run by BC Hydro.
Naxwit Picnic Area by Lillooet BC
34. It is a well-maintained, fairly level picnic area. A good place to relax for an hour or so.
Naxwit Picnic Area by Highway 99 neat Lillooet BC Canada
35. Naxwit picnic area has good mountain views...
Naxwit Picnic Area
36. ...as well as a creek.
View from Naxwit Picnic Area near Lillooet BC by Highway 99
37. Drive a bit further, and Seton Lake is waiting to impress.
Seton Lake British Columbia Canada
38. Seton Lake has an upper viewing/parking area, and also the lower parking area. Most parking stalls at the lower parking area have very limited or no view due to the vegetation, but if you come when there are few vehicles, you could get a spot like this.
Seton Lake by Highway 99 near Lillooet BC
39. Someone has put their artistic talent to good use in the lower parking area.
Art on a Stone by Seton Lake
40. A view of Seton Lake from the lower parking area. There were, perhaps, 4-5 other vehicles present. Seton Lake parking/viewing area is managed by BC Hydro.
Seton Lake
The rest of the photos cover the stretch of Highway 99 South from Seton
Lake to the town of Pemberton.
41. This view is very close to Seton Lake, actually looking North.
View from BC Highway 99 near Seton Lake
42. Now looking South not far from the previous photo.
BC Highway 99
43. This is one of our most favourite views of the entire trip due to the variety of colours.
View from near BC Highway 99 North of Pemberton
44. A neat mountain indeed.
BC Highway 99 South between Seton Lake and Pemberton
45. And turning around and looking the opposite way yields yet another great view.
Photo of BC Highway 99
46. There are quite a few pullouts allowing a safe exit off the highway to enjoy the scenery.
Mountain View by BC Highway 99
47. And sometimes you don't even have to get off the highway. Construction crews occasionally stop the traffic for a while, allowing the drivers to walk right on the highway. Or play ball.
Traffic stopped on BC Highway 99 between Lillooet and Pemberton
48. The traffic was minimal on this October Thursday. It's a good thing for tourists, since when you have several cars trailing you on a highway with few passing lanes, it's hard to enjoy the surroundings. Thus, try to visit on a weekday, preferably in off-season (but not in the winter, as highways do get closed due to avalanches).
49. Duffey Lake. Quite large. Lots of parking there too.
Duffey Lake North of Pemberton BC
50. This photo almost looks like a painting, doesn't it?
Highway 99 British Columbia Canada
51. About 15 minutes away from Pemberton.
BC Highway 99 South near Pemberton British Columbia Canada
52. Almost in Pemberton now.
BC Highway 99 Photo
And then we drove further South through Whistler, Squamish, West Vancouver and returned to Vancouver. It was too dark to take more pictures. A great trip for sure.
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