In June of 2023, Artwestimage.com staff traveled to the Canadian Rockies, starting in Banff National Park, Alberta, and across British Columbia to Vancouver Island on the Pacific Coast, before returning to Montana across Highway 3 in southern British Columbia. During the first week, we took in Banff and Jasper NPs, including iconic scenes at Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, the Columbia Icefields, and Maligne Lake. We then trekked across British Columbia, stopping at Wells-Grey Provincial Park, and Whistler, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Once on the coast, we took a ferry from Powell River, BC to Courtenay, BC on Vancouver Island. From there we went north to Campbell River before traveling inland to the Strathcona Provincial Park, a rugged and remote expanse of 1000 square miles of old-growth pine forests and crystal clear mountain lakes. We then returned to the north coast of Vancouver Island and traveled along the Strait of Georgia from Courtenay to Nanaimo, enjoying marine wildlife and scenic beachside views along the way. Midway, we took in the waterfalls of Englishman River River Park, and a glorious sunset at the Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. Avoiding an inland fire near Port Alberni, we traversed across the island on the Pacific Marine Byway through Lake Cowichan to Port Renfrew, an isolated fishing outpost on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Following a rainy, cool night at the French Beach Provincial Park, we traveled along the Pacific Ocean to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia. After a rainy two-day foray in the majesty of the provincial capital, we caught the Tsawwassen BC ferry back to the mainland and the bustling metropolis of Vancouver, BC. After an evening in the beauty of the city's historic Stanley Park and another in the Granville Island district downtown, our duo team began a slow return to Montana along Highway 3. That route features a series of high mountain passes with intervening fertile river valleys along the Canadian/United States international border. The Manning Provincial Park, in the North Cascade Mountains, the Similkameen River, the Okanagan Grasslands, the Kettle River, and the headwaters of the great Columbia River system were highlights along what is known as Crowsnest Highway.
