I have a well-trained bladder because I am a ‘destination’ versus a ‘journey’ girl. I love arriving at my destination so much that I’d pretty much rather experience kidney failure than have to take a turn-off and stray from the course to find a bathroom.
Jake, however, transformed my traveltude (travel attitude). He would rather stop at every possible rest stop than even make it to where we’re supposed to be going. Jake knows how to travel and enjoy every step in getting there, not just shaving ten minutes off the travel time.
It used to drive me crazy, but I have to admit, we’ve stumbled upon some pretty incredible waterfalls, trails, wildlife and more because of Jake’s insatiable curiosity.
Kelowna to Vancouver is one road trip I must have done a thousand times in my life and rarely explored what lies between the two cities.
The Fraser Valley has always been part of the ‘get through as fast a possible’ section on the road to Vancouver for me, never the destination, until now.
Enchanted at the thought of visiting the tulip festivals in Chilliwack and Abbotsford, we created a two day itinerary for your family to follow through the Fraser Valley, making it an amazing journey and destination for a spring weekend getaway.
There’s a little something in here for every type of traveller from your family’s nature lover to the foodie.
Our route took us through Merritt, instead of the usual bypass as you turn towards Vancouver. We headed straight on through with Hell’s Gate Airtram on the top of our itinerary.
The drive is a bit windy, we’re fortunate not to have any carsick-prone members (except me so I drove), but the views are well worth it. We passed bluffs we’d never seen, waterfalls, deer and wild horses. Arriving at Hell’s Gate Airtram takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
It’s almost the exact same time to drive to Hope via the Coquihalla and then up to the tram if you’re trying to avoid the windy road, but you might enjoy the change of scenery like we did.
Twenty-five minutes past the airtram, we were crossing the Fraser River Bridge. I happened to look back and saw, weathered and nestled in the greenery like something out of Tomb Raider, a mystical looking bridge.
We quickly turned around and headed back for what we discovered was called, Alexandria Bridge. There’s a provincial parking lot to park in and the well-groomed trail takes you about ten minutes to reach the bridge on foot.
This was an amazing place to take pictures and pretend you’re somewhere deep in Sri Lanka.
Another sixteen minutes will put you at Spirit Caves Trail. We saved this one for next time as we were pretty hungry by this point.
We pulled into Hope and found our favourite restaurant, The Blue Moose. This funky little place has amazing sandwiches and shakes and you can take them to go on a sunny day to picnic at the park right across the street.
There are a few cute boutiques along this road as well.
Another twenty minutes will have you arriving at Bridal Falls. This is usually quite a touristy spot, but beautiful nonetheless.
We love the “Grinch Trees” here as moss grows thickly along the branches of the tall cedars, making them appear to have Grinch hands.
The air is so fresh and the walk to the falls only takes fifteen minutes.
From here we checked out the Vedder River in Chilliwack. If you put Peach Rd into your GPS, you’ll be able to find the parking lot by the playground.
Here you can enjoy awesome biking trails along the river, bathrooms, a playground, and a spot to set up chairs if you’d rather just sit and enjoy the river, as many do.
There’s a dog park here if you happened to bring your furry family members.
Approaching the Chilliwack tulip festival, Tulips of the Valley, we arrived just minutes before closing. The festival closes for entry at 7 PM, however, guests are welcome to stay until 8:30, which allows for some beautiful pictures without the daytime crowds.
The only thing crazier than the daytime crowds was the daytime traffic to get in to the festival.
Before you even get to the tulips are rows and rows of darling daffodils and colourful hyacinths. I recommend boots as the ground can be quite muddy.
Ben’s favourite part of the day was the tractor ride, he’s still telling people about it.
After visiting the magnificent rows of flowers in the cool, farm fresh air, families can play games on the property, grab snacks at the food trucks and shop for bulbs and blooms.
We headed for High Street Shopping Center for dinner after this exquisite highlight.
After spending the night in Abbotsford, we awoke to find the Cascade Falls trail in Mission BC. This was about thirty minutes from Abbotsford and well-worth it! The drive was serene and the hike, once again, isn’t too long if taking littles.
At the top of the trail is a suspension bridge and platforms for different views and angles of this raging falls. The waterfall thunders over a cliff, and cascades under the bridge in cataracts.
Following this, we headed back to High Street in Abbotsford for some retail therapy. An outdoor playground keeps dads and kids busy, and don’t forget to treat yo’ self to Cupcake’s cupcakes.
When the trunk is full of bags, restock your snacks before you leave, and head for the next activity. You can visit Bloom, the Abbotsford tulip festival and enjoy more inspiring colours and beauty.
Make sure to save room for lunch at Field House Brewing Co. They have amazing local brew and duck tacos!
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This is a pet friendly, locally-focused restaurant with an amazing patio and lawn for picnic blankets. You can’t miss this gem!
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On the way back home, break the drive up with a stop at the Othello Tunnels. This series of tunnels goes over the Coquihalla River, providing spectacular views of the canyon and provides a nice flat trail, easy for strollers, wheelchairs etc.
The tunnels can be seen in a short amount of time and hikers who want a longer experience can follow the various trails that continue on. The water has weathered the rocks below to look too smooth to be real.
The Fraser Valley has so much more to offer than just this two day itinerary but it’s a great way to start exploring and spend a weekend of fun without going all the way to Vancouver.
We love celebrating the variety of experiences that BC offers.
Have fun on your adventures and don’t forget to send me your recommendations for exploring BC! Follow us @loewelifestyle for more BC fun!
