FAVORITE DRIVES

I'm sure most of you have a favorite drive or two or even ones that you'd like to make.

One of my favorites is Alberta's Highway 22 between Longview and the Crowsnest Pass. A two laned strip of asphalt winding through the foothills of the Rocky Mountains it offers some great views. It's 110km (70 miles) from point to point with a 100km/hr speed limit.

From Surrealplaces on Flikr

At the north end Longview has a couple of great little restaurants. At the southern end the Crowsnest Pass offers up some excellent fly fishing for those so inclined.

Longview is also a great starting point for another of my favorites. Head west from Longview on Highway 541. Once you reach Highwood Junction turn north onto Highway 40 over the Highwood Pass which at 2206m (7238ft) is the highest paved pass in Canada. 

Highwood Pass from the air (source wikipedia)

If you look closely at the photo above you can see the summit parking lot in the bottom right corner.

From the ground (source wikipedia)

Continuing north brings you to Kananskis Country, a very picturesque part of the country with tons of camping, hiking and other outdoor activities. Be sure to detour up to the Boulton Creek Trading Post in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park for an ice cream.

I do have to put one caveat in here. There was significant flooding in Southern Alberta this past June and the highway over the Highwood Pass has been closed all summer. It will most likely reopen in June of 2014.

If you continue north from Peter Lougheed Park along Highway 40 you'll reach Highway #1, better known as the Trans Canada Highway. Once at the junction you can choose to turn around and head back the way you came, head west towards Canmore and Banff or east to Calgary.

This stretch of Highway 40 was featured in the opening sequences of the movie "John Q".

What's your favorite drive?