I love this drive, it's one of the most beautiful in Canada IMO.
-It's good to stop every couple hours even if only real briefly - helps keep you alert and fresh, plus you get to enjoy some of the cool sites/food along the way.
-I usually leave at 6am, so stop in Golden at A&W for breakfast, it's right along the highway so you don't lose much time doing it. About two and a half hours from Calgary. But watch the 10km just before Golden, you'll need to slow down to around 50 to navigate some of those corners. Don't go over the edge.
-Don't stop in Revelstoke - the downtown is way too far from the highway. Just enjoy the suspension bridge and keep going.
-Stop in Sicamous at Dutchmen's Dairy for ice cream. It's the best...better than Mackay's in Cochrane, etc. It's that good. Also right off the highway - you'll see the signs...on your left.
-Skip Salmon Arm and go through to Kamloops - stop there if you really want to, there's a Tims by the highway...right after this you have the big decision to make. Either you take the Coquihalla highway or stay on the old No. 1. The former is a shorter journey and will cut at least an hour off your time, but the latter is a much more scenic drive. If you have the time, take the old No. 1. You need to turn off to do this IIRC (weird I know). You'll go through Cache Creek then the best part, down through Hell's Gate Canyon to Hope where the two highways meet again. Again don't go over the edge.
-From Hope it's pretty much downhill to Chilliwack, where you'll fight the traffic all the way through to Vancouver for the last hour.
-If you feel like sight-seeing, you can stop at the Spiral Tunnels (after Field, before Golden)...watch a train pass under itself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Hil...Spiral_Tunnels
-Also can after 3 Valley Gap and before Sicamous at Craigellachie...the Last Spike if that sort of thing interests you. At least you can take a piss there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craigel...itish_Columbia
Enjoy the trip. It's wonderful.