ESSENTIALS - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 758

er in this type of skiing, and many operators are scattered through the province. Through
its location amid some of the continent's most consistent powder snow and because of its
luxurious lodgings, Island Lake Catskiing near Fernie (250/423-3700 or 888/422-8754,
www.islandlakecatskiing.com ) has gained a reputation for both its Sno-Cat skiing and its
upscale backcountry lodge.
Accommodations and Camping
Over the last two decades, I've visited as many British Columbia and Yukon accommod-
ations as possible, and my top choices in all price ranges are detailed through the travel
chapters of this topic. Destination British Columbia maintains the official government web-
site, www.hellobc.com , which has an accommodation search engine and booking sys-
tem. You can also order an accommodations guide through this website or by calling 250/
387-1642 or 800/435-5622. For Yukon lodging, check the website www.travelyukon.com
or call 800/661-0494 to have an accommodation guide sent out.
Rates quoted in this topic are for a standard double room through the high season, which
generally extends June-early September (except in alpine resort towns such as Whistler).
Almost all accommodations are less expensive outside of these busy months, some cutting
their rates by as much as 50 percent. You'll enjoy the biggest seasonal discounts at prop-
erties that rely on summer tourists, such as those in Vancouver, on Vancouver Island, and
in the Okanagan Valley. The same applies in Vancouver and to a lesser extent Victoria on
weekends—many of the big downtown hotels rely on business and convention travelers to
fill the bulk of their rooms; when the end of the week rolls down, the hotels are left with
rooms to fill at discounted rates Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.
HOTELS AND MOTELS
Prices for a basic motel room in a small town start at $60 s, $65 d. In Vancouver and Vict-
oria expect to pay at least double this amount for the least expensive rooms. The most lux-
urious lodgings in the province—Vancouver's Pan Pacific Hotel, Victoria's grand old Fair-
mont Empress, or any one of Whistler's resort hotels, for example—charge over $300 per
night for a basic room. Room rates outside the two major cities fluctuate greatly. For ex-
ample, few lodgings on Vancouver Island charge less than $80, but along the Trans-Canada
Highway, in places like Kamloops and Revelstoke, you can pay as little as $60 for a room.
Try to plan ahead for summer travel and book as far in advance as possible, especially