Duffy Lake Road (Highway 99)

Highway 99 between Whistler and Lillooet climbs through the Coast Mountains via Cayoosh Pass, offering some of British Columbia’s most spectacular alpine scenery. The route skirts Duffy Lake’s turquoise waters before descending into the Fraser Canyon, passing through terrain that shifts from coastal rainforest to high desert in just 99 kilometers. Joffre Lakes Provincial Park provides a side trip to glacier-fed alpine lakes, while the Stein Valley offers wilderness hiking access. The highway crosses several avalanche paths that can close the route in winter.

This is a paved highway but challenging due to steep grades, tight curves, and weather exposure. Any vehicle can handle it in good conditions, but winter travel requires snow tires and chains. Rockslides and avalanches can close sections without warning from November to April. Summer offers the best access to side trails and camping areas. The payoff is a stunning drive through some of the Sea-to-Sky country’s most rugged terrain, with opportunities for backcountry camping, fishing, and accessing trailheads most tourists never find.