One truck, a thousand-plus kilometers, and four great travel companions. What else do you need for a proper adventure!?! As part of my quest to mash adventure with some purposeful product research [meaning future purchase – wink, wink], we decided we would take an overland trip this summer after the kids finished school for the year. Really the only two constraints were it had to be someplace new (and awesome) and we needed to be able to rent a specific brand (Scout) of overland focused truck camper. After a few months of careful planning, we settled on a trip that would take us through the Canadian Rockies from Vancouver to Calgary, stopping along the way at a host of (Canadian) National Parks and other off-the-grid wilderness areas.

After packing a handful of duffle bags and catching an early flight out of DC, we landed in Vancouver, picked up our chariot, and set off to our first campsite just north of Squamish. We took in a quick hike to Shannon Falls just to stretch our legs then pulled in, started a fire, and grilled up dinner.

I don’t want to brag, but I could tell before we finished our first day that we got the details near perfect on this trip. The vehicle / camper were awesome and the views started stunning and only got better as the days ticked by. We tried to balance meal planning, drive times, and hiking days so that our days were manageable. Some days we cooked fireside, other days we stopped in town for dinner. Big hikes usually meant shorter drives. When we needed to make up some distance in the truck, we still stopped for a quick, off-pavement jaunt.

Day two was full throttle. Wedgemount Lake and Tupper Lake Trail. A 4,000ish foot climb in just four miles; straight up the side of the mountain then straight back down. A fantastic walk through the trees, many of which were covered in beard lichen. It started to drizzle but turned into sleet as we neared the top so we made the wise call to eat our lunch sandwiches and turn back a little early. After six hours of hiking, we were spent. More than ready for a burger and a pint in Pemberton.

Day three started with a brief hike around our campsite to enjoy the view of the glacial melt river that cut through our backyard. The water only got bluer and bluer as the day went on. We stopped at Joffre Lakes Trail and the three lakes impressed. Maybe the best lunch spot on the trip was a few ham sandwiches enjoyed on the shore of Upper Joffre.

After the relatively quick hike at Joffre, we put some miles in. Once you head east out of the Coast Mountains, the Thompson Valley opens up and things are relatively flat until you get out to Revelstoke. That doesn’t mean you can’t find a great place to park the truck and cook some food for the night. We scored with a spot on a quiet lake, enjoying a dramatic sunset and a roaring fire before turning in for the night.

The next day was our longest day on the road. We drove for most of the morning, stopping briefly in Revelstoke for an afternoon hike. Afterwards, we grabbed some dinner then hit the gas for another few hours. We pulled into Yoho National Park fairly late and opted to skip setting up the tent. The camper we rented only slept three but Will happily volunteered to sleep in the back seat of the truck. Pretty slick. Put the truck in park. Fall asleep 2 minutes later. Wake up in the morning, make coffee on the stove in the truck, then hit the road. No setup. No tear down. I’m sold.

Last day was spent in Banff, hiking near Lake Louise. Least favorite campground but we knew exactly what we were getting into when we booked one of the sites at the 210-strong Lake Louise Soft Sided Campground… and yes, there are another 190 hard sided sites nearby [insert eye roll]. So with my somewhat annoyed, “tourist trap” mindset locked in before I even started the day… wow. Totally blown away by how pretty it was. The lake itself was busy but the views were amazing and once you got past the lake, you had the place to yourself. Ssshhh, don’t tell any of those Insta-famous people that there’s more to Banff than the 1.2 mile long lake.

Meredith gets all the credit for insisting we went to the lake and also insisting we hiked up the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail up to the Tea House. What an epic and memorable hike. Halfway up, the trail turned to snow and 2/3 of the way up, it started snowing fairly heavily. The Tea House was out of propane but still proved a great place to get a snack and ride out the snow. After an hour, things cleared up and we headed back down to the truck. Not without enjoying one or two last looks at the lake.

100% chance I’ll be back in this area again to check out more of Banff, Glacier, Height of the Rockies, and any other scenic nook hidden up here.