British Columbia Winter Mountain Drive

Photographs of a winter’s drive through the mountains of British Columbia, Canada

A road trip through the mountains of the Canadian province of British Columbia is a dream trip for many. That dream usually takes place in summer time. Winter driving can bring a variety of challenges: slippery road conditions; poor visibility due to snow, fog, or iced up windshields; highway closures because of storms, accidents, or avalanches. Although the driving can be stressful at times, the scenery is still spectacular.

The rest of this post contains a variety of photographs I took from the passenger seat on a 2020 January trip through the British Columbia mountains. These photos were taken along Highway 5 from Hope to Kamloops and Highway 1 from Kamloops to Golden and are not in chronological order. Winter weather can vary dramatically. When we did this drive, temperatures were mild (just above or below freezing). Skies were mostly cloudy. We drove through light rain, a few patches of fog, and a small section of light snow. Cloud cover was low and sometimes appeared in the middle of the horizon.

A line of clouds in the middle of partially snow-covered mountains on a winter day

Highway lined with fir trees amid snow-covered mountains with low-lying clouds on a winter drive through British Columbia

Snow-covered fir trees on a British Columbia mountain highway curve

Mountain rock beside British Columbia highway partially covered with snow

Canadian Pacific train engine driving past fir tress in British Columbia mountains

Mountain highway in British Columbia with with snow and snow-covered fir trees on either side and light snow falling

Frozen waterfalls alongside highway in British Columbia mountains

Snow and ice on the side of a British Columbia mountain

Snow partially covering rock slope of British Columbia mountain

British Columbia mountain with snow-covered fir trees atop a rock side covered with snow and frozen waterfalls

Snow on trees in British Columbia mountains — *Snow created interesting sculptures in spots*

Town street with snow banks along the side and snow piled on rooftops — *The town of Revelstoke obviously had had a lot of snow – large banks along sides of streets and piles on top of roofs*

Snow covered fir trees in British Columbia mountains

Fir trees and snowy mountain in British Columbia

Bluish looking snow-covered mountains in British Columbia at nightfall

If you are interested in contrasting these photos with ones taken at another time of year, photos in the post Driving Through a Postcard Revelstoke to Banff were taken in May.

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