Cars driving the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler with ocean and mountains in the background. (Courtesy Tourism British Columbia)

Maps? Check. Cooler? Check. Folding chairs, binoculars, snacks, a full tank of gas? Check, check, check, check. Punch the trip meter back to 0-0-0-0, feel a flutter of excitement as you drop the gear shift into Drive and head off down a country highway. Discover an off-the-grid country store, a funky inn or the spooky ruins of a ghost town. And when you need a break, choose your own private scenic lookout or grassy riverside meadow for a picnic with a view.

Who doesn’t love a road trip? At the wheel of a car, you are the pilot of your own adventure. Whether it’s for a day or a month, you’re free to decide on your route, how much time to spend along the way and what perks your budget can bear. It’s a spur-of-the-moment mode of travel and few places offer the driving diversity of British Columbia’s mountain and seashore options with detours through rainforests or even deserts. Sample wine, explore old Gold Rush outposts or take in everything from First Nations cultural hot spots to hot springs.

At HelloBC.com, you’ll find a selection of long and short road-worthy adventures with downloadable pdf trip planners. Use them as a guide, then customize the routes, mix and match, hook ‘em up and extend your stay. Here’s a start: from Vancouver, travel north alongside Howe Sound up the Sea to Sky Corridor, a journey of breathtaking scenery and natural attractions, and one that highlights the rich culture and history of the area’s Squamish and Lil'wat First Nations. En route, stop to tour the innovative BC Museum of Mining in Britannia Beach. Wander within the monumental Mill Building, or hop on board a one-of-a-kind underground mine train – all recently refurbished, thanks to a $14.7-million facelift. Post-ride, pause in the outdoor-lover’s paradise of Squamish for a hike, climb or raft ride, toasting your adventure with a cold microbrew at the Howe Sound Brewing Company. At day’s end, head to four-season Whistler Village, Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Winter Games.

North from Whistler, on roads less travelled, enter remote and untamed BC. Ramble through ranch land in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region, along the routes of Wild West wagon tracks from the days when stagecoaches were the road trip vehicles of choice. Poke through old Gold Rush ghost towns from Lillooet to 100 Mile House and visit the restored Barkerville Historic Town with its 125 boomtown heritage buildings, musical theatre shows, stagecoach rides and interpreters playing 1860s characters. Switch to horseback on wide open prairie, dip a paddle and canoe to the call of loons, or continue on to Northern BC, and drop in at Fort St. James for a glimpse of life in a Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading post.

In the province’s northernmost region, you’ll unearth a hotbed of First Nations culture. Stroll amid a forest of totem poles in the Hazeltons and tour the 'Ksan Historical Village and Museum. Explore lava beds within the Nisga’a territory before continuing west to the coastal town of Prince Rupert and to the Museum of Northern British Columbia, where artifacts reflect the 10,000-year-long First Nations settlement of the area. From here, make your way by ferry to the moss-draped islands of Haida Gwaii. By charter, travel between remote islands in Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site and stand in awe beneath some of the world’s oldest standing totem poles in their natural surroundings. Following your cultural awakening, head to Vancouver Island; cruise the jaw-dropping Inside Passage aboard the Northern Expedition, a BC Ferries jewel that departs from Prince Rupert.

BC’s maze of islands makes for unique road tripping options if you mix up the driving with some serious ferry-hopping. A classic rubber tire trek from Vancouver can start with sailing north on BC Ferries from West Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast – part of the mainland, but reached only by air or sea. Truly the sunniest part of the province, explorers can stop in at artists’ studios and galleries, craft fairs and fishing spots like Sechelt and Pender Harbour. Hike amid giant Douglas fir to the surging tidal rapids of Skookumchuk Narrows before ferrying even further northwest amid fjord-views to Powell River, where one can discover roughly 400 preserved buildings which comprised the original Townsite, a designated National Historic District. Once downtown, continue the BC Ferries journey across the Strait of Georgia to the Comox Valley on central Vancouver Island; while onboard, watch for dolphins and other sea life from the deck.

Got time? Turn north towards Campbell River for salmon fishing at its best, excursions by kayak and bear-spotting. Or head south to Highway 4, which leads to the Island’s west coast; here, walk the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve’s wide, log-strewn beaches and learn to surf big rollers pounding in all the way from Japan. Pick up Dungeness crab on Tofino’s dock and picnic on a sandy stretch of coastline. Hike mossy trails among giant, old growth rainforest.

Along the Island’s eastern shore, Chemainus is sure to draw a crowd out-of-doors, thanks to over 40 exterior murals that adorn many of the town’s buildings. Further south, Duncan’s weekend farmer’s market is stocked with bounty from the organic farms, wineries and cideries, bakeries and artisan producers of the mini-Provence that is the Cowichan Valley, also known as “the warm land” by local First Nations. Finish up your trip in British-inspired Victoria sipping a cuppa afternoon tea or a glass of locally-crafted Victoria Gin in The Bengal Lounge of the iconic Fairmont Empress, a hotel that resembles a castle.

For serious sipping, road trip through lakeside orchards and vineyards in the Thompson Okanagan. With a basket of peaches on the back seat, stop in at grand estates like Mission Hill or at one of the many boutique winery operations like Blasted Church. Dine among the vines and time your visit with one of the region’s four festive wine festivals. Take time out to cycle over 18 towering trestle bridges at Myra Canyon, part of the former Kettle Valley railway line. At the southern edge of the province, in Canada's only pocket desert, play a round of sage-scented golf - and keep an eye out for cacti and rattlesnakes - at Sonora Dunes Golf Course, followed by a well-deserved glass on the patio at neighbouring NK’MIP Cellars, North America's first Aboriginal owned and operated winery.

Are you moved by mountains? Then kick in some more kilometres by adding a camera-worthy Kootenay Rockies loop. Head to Golden, and ride a gondola atop Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for the highest lunch in Canada with views of an endless sea of snowy, jagged peaks. Poke through alpine villages with a German flavour like Kimberley and prowl the art-drenched streets of Nelson. Along the way, hit the trails to hike amid wildflowers, ride the slopes on mountain bikes or get churned up in whitewater. Then, after all that outdoor activity, isn’t it a relief to know you can finish up your day in Radium or Fairmont, soaking those aching muscles to bliss in steaming outdoor hot springs?

For more information on these and other road-worthy adventures, visit www.HelloBC.com/drive. For more on British Columbia's destinations and travel information, call 1-800 HELLO BC® (North America) or visit www.HelloBC.com