Six of the best roads in B.C., according to a professional adventure planner

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Everyone, meet Dave Hord. Dave, meet everyone.

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Dave: “Hi!”

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Six of the best roads in B.C., according to a professional adventure planner Back to video

When we last checked in with Dave and his business partner Warwick Patterson , their Classic Car Adventures touring company was in growth mode with two flagship events per year. Seven years later, Patterson’s motorsport videography company now takes up all of his time, and Dave has since bought him out. They still drive their classics together whenever time permits.

But the move has freed Dave to become something you possibly didn’t know existed. He is a professional automotive adventure planner. Not only does he still run a host of budget-friendly classic car touring routes in B.C., Ontario, and south of the border, but he is also brought on to manage more high-brow tours for the insurance company Hagerty.

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Dave drives as much as he plans. A slow year would be 60,000 kms of driving, almost all of it done in one of his classic Volkswagen Beetles. Originally a transplant from Ontario, the sheer amount of driving Hord has done around his adopted home of B.C. has given him a long list of great driving roads around the province. I twisted his arm to see if he’d share a few of his favourites.

Highway 28: Campbell River to Gold River

“I have a favourite road on [Vancouver] Island that I’m going to keep quiet, but a regular favourite is the drive up to Gold River. If I have an afternoon free, I’ll head out and arrive just in time to have dinner at the pub there.”

The next official tour for Classic Car Adventures will be held on Vancouver Island, and is intended as a replacement for the Spring Thaw flagship event that Hord normally runs earlier in the year. There’s already a waitlist, but it’ll be worth checking in on the group’s Instagram during the event and see if any of Dave’s secrets leak out.

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The Duffey Lake Road

“Everything everyone says about the Sea-to-Sky highway is true, but the best roads are just beyond,” Hord says. “In Warwick’s opinion, the Duffey Lake road past Pemberton is the best piece of road in B.C.”

The Duffey is often on Hord’s drive routes, and for good reason. The best part starts a little over two hours after leaving Vancouver, meaning it’s perfect for early risers who want to have an adventurous morning, then stop for a sandwich on the way back home.

Note that it’s worth stopping both at the Mt. Currie coffee shop in Pemberton on the way up, and at the Duffey Lake boat ramp itself. Snap a shot framed by the lake and trees for the Instagram and on you go.

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Highway 8: Spences Bridge to Merritt

Spences Bridge makes a great midway stop no matter which direction you’re coming from. Hord recommends The Packing House as a lunch stop — if you sign up for one of his tours, the course notes come with lunch recommendations all across the province. His trick is to order a BLT and see who gets it right.

The road up to or down from Spences Bridge itself is a wonderfully curvy bit of tarmac. Do watch out for occasional rocks on the road.

Highway 6: Lumby to the Needles Ferry

“My personal favourite piece of driving road is between Lumby and the Needles Ferry,” Hord says.

Opened in 1941, with a route that hasn’t deviated since then, the run out to the Needles Ferry is a can’t miss introduction to driving in the Kootenays. You can pick whether to wander up to Revelstoke, or down to Nelson afterwards, but the road up to the ferry itself is just wonderful.

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There’s often a bit of a line at the ferry, but it’s just a chance to stretch your legs and say hello to your fellow travellers. A little voyage across a glittering lake, with mountains as backdrop, and you’re on your way.

Highway 31A: Kaslo to New Denver

If you do happen to be thinking about touching down in Nelson, Hord recommends seeking out 31A, a slim road that runs between Slocan Lake and Kootenay Lake. You’re almost guaranteed to see a pack of touring motorcyclists if you do: those guys know where the good roads are, and 31A is a destination ride.

Kaslo itself is a great place for a stop, with plenty of options for eating, and a gorgeous lake to gawk at. If you’re going to find your own way back home from the Kootenays via the close-to-the-border roads, I recommend looking up the Oso Negro coffee website. It’s one of the best roasteries in the Kootenays, and it’s available in little cafes from Trail to Grand Forks.

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Hwy 3: Elko to Lundbrecht

Hord’s last recommendation isn’t so much a driving road, as a co-driving road. Twists and turns are all good fun, but travelling through the Crow’s Nest Pass to Alberta (when prudent to do so) presents countless opportunities to get out of the car and experience a bit of history.

The little museum in Fernie is a great stop, as is the awe-inspiring Frank Slide on the Alberta side. And there’s an automotive side to the history here too: back in the days of Canadian prohibition, smugglers used to run back and forth on these roads in fast Buick-McLaughlins. You can stay on the good side of the law with a lighter right foot, and carrying a latte instead of illicit hooch.