Beauty and danger: 11 remarkable features of driving in B.C.

The smell of burning brakes wafted around us as we descended our first mountain pass in British Columbia. My foot pumped the “passenger brake,” as Bill likes to call it, but fear didn’t fully engulf me until I saw Bill’s white knuckles clutching the steering wheel. Driving in B.C. is not for the faint of heart.

Even apart from the latest floods, mudslides and washed-out highways due to heavy rain in November 2021, you must be prepared for avalanches, steep drop-offs with no guard rails, rockslides, icy mountain passes, wildfires, smoke, hairpin turns, speed limits of 100 km per hour on many two-lane roads, and bighorn sheep wandering on the pavement.

Granted, I’m a chicken when it comes to driving through the mountain passes, especially in winter. Not everyone is like me. But even our son Tom, who lives in Kelowna and is a fearless driver, doesn’t drive the high mountain passes on snowy days…any more.  

Anyone who grew up in B.C. or has lived here for many years probably won’t think that driving in B.C. is challenging. It’s just normal to them. Even the BCAA – the British Columbia Automobile Association – has driving tips that don’t cover any of what I would consider the major hazards. But since I grew up, learned to drive, and spent most of my adult life driving in southern Ontario, I find the differences are remarkable.

We’re now into our second winter in the small town of Osoyoos, so we’ve learned a few things about driving in southern B.C. Here are 11 remarkable features, in no particular order.

1. Runaway lanes

As we descended that first mountain pass, we pulled into a runaway lane to let the brakes cool down. Runaway lanes are a feature on steeply descending highways – a narrow, usually unpaved laneway that angles off the highway and onto a steep upward slope. If your brakes fail, you turn into a runaway lane and the upward slope slows you down.

2. Low gears

As we sat in the runaway lane waiting for the brakes to cool, Bill remembered that you’re supposed to gear down when descending steep roads – even with an automatic transmission. Move the gearshift into manual and then move it down the gears (different for each vehicle). This uses the engine to help slow you down; it gives you much more control and doesn’t make your brakes smoke. Although I knew how to gear down on a standard, I had never had to learn it with an automatic transmission in Ontario.

3. Snow tires on steroids

Snow tires are legally required on most B.C. highways between Oct. 1 and April 30; without them, you could earn yourself a $121 fine. But even if you were willing to risk the fine (far cheaper than buying snow tires), you’d be crazy to risk driving in the mountains without them. And we’re not talking the same kind of snow tires used in Ontario; these are snow tires on steroids. Two types are legal. First are M+S tires, which stands for Mud & Snow. They have better traction than summer tires or all-season tires, but aren’t as good in really cold temperatures as the second type. Tires with the Mountain/Snowflake symbol are the top choice, offering the best traction on snow and ice and in really cold weather. Not all rental cars have approved snow tires; you must ask.

4. Check Brakes and Chain Up areas

The tops of mountain passes have areas for big trucks to pull over and check their brakes. And on the steep descents, with a transport or logging truck looming in your rear-view mirror, you’ll pray their drivers followed the rules. Likewise, the passes have areas for trucks to pull over to put chains on their tires, in preparation for steep grades.

5. Rockslides

Rockslides, landslides and mudslides are a year-round threat along B.C. roads. Rockfall barriers – chain-link fencing hung like curtains – plus concrete walls are used in particularly dangerous areas to stop rocks and boulders from falling onto the roads. Warning signs alert you to not stop along the road in areas prone to slides. And if, for some reason, that doesn’t give you pause, consider the Hope Slide. On Jan. 9, 1965, a minor earthquake triggered an enormous landslide that rattled down the mountain side, completely burying Outram Lake and three kilometres of Hwy #3 just east of the town of Hope. Debris buried the valley bottom up to 70 metres thick in earth, rock and snow. Four people were swept away and died; two of their bodies were never found.

6. Avalanches

At first, I thought B.C. had an inordinate number of ski runs, but then I realized most of those stripes down the mountains were avalanche paths – the tumbling snow erased all the trees. And when those paths cross highways… well, I don’t need to spell out the danger. Fortunately, B.C. knows how to prepare for avalanches, which are a threat from November to May. Signs warn you not to stop along the highway in avalanche-prone areas. Some highways are intermittently closed while controlled blasting is used to reduce the threat of avalanches. Snow sheds protect drivers in areas such as along the Trans-Canada Highway around Revelstoke, Golden and Field; these concrete tunnels allow the avalanche to pass overtop the road. And avalanche gates – like the swing-down arms at railway crossings – close the road when an avalanche threatens safety.

Before driving any highway in winter, we consult the Drive BC website and look at the highway webcams to see if roads are dry, particularly on the mountain passes. We also consult Avalanche Canada’s maps to see if there are any avalanche warnings along our route. We drive on mountain roads only if the roads are dry and the avalanche risk is low, although we have been caught a couple of times in snowstorms when the weather changes quickly, as it does in the mountains. We also bookend our plans with extra possible driving days in case our planned driving days have bad weather. And we travel with emergency gear and food in case we get stuck. Driving in B.C. takes extra planning.

7. Wildlife

One of the real treats of driving in B.C. is the chance to see wildlife – often big mammals! We’ve seen black bears, one grizzly bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, mule deer, coyotes and more along highways. However, even small animals can damage a vehicle or cause a full-on collision, so driving with caution is imperative. Apparently, B.C. has the widest variety and number of wildlife warning signs in the world. Fortunately, there are lots of highway wildlife underpasses and overpasses that are well used by animals to get where they’re going safely. (Check out photos taken by an underpass wildlife camera.)

8. Smoke and wildfires

We’ve never driven near a blazing wildfire in B.C., but we’ve encountered plenty of smoke that can obscure your vision along the highways. Sort of like driving in fog. And of course, we’ve seen the burnt aftermath in countless places. My heart always drops during these encounters. In October 2021, we spoke with a woman who lived on Westside Road, along Lake Okanagan, who had been evacuated for about a month the previous summer due to wildfires. The wildfires were still burning in October, although about 10 kilometres away, and were expected to keep burning until spring 2022. The devastation is shocking when you’re standing right next to it.

9. No guardrails

10. Hairpin turns

B.C.’s many mountain roads are accompanied by hairpin turns and switchbacks galore, sometimes without guardrails and often with blind corners around rock walls. The views are often stunning, but you must take it slowly.

11. Stunning views

Of course, along with the dangerous features come stunning views of the mountains and river valleys. But trying to take in snow-capped peaks or wildlife while driving in B.C. can be downright dangerous. Even the passenger should avoid saying “Wow! Look at that!” Instead, make use of the many pull-offs and viewpoints along the highways to stop, gawk and take photos.

Photos don’t always capture the steepness of roads.

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We spent the winter of 2020-2021 in Osoyoos, B.C. and are here again for the winter of 2021-2022. You can always find out where we are by visiting our ‘Where’s Kathryn?’ page.