Best, least expensive way to see Canadian Rockies?

[hwd2cs]

We have 4-5 days before we board our ship in Vancouver in June '09 to go to Alaska for one week. I looked at an Alaskan cruise tour and it was too expensive. I have heard from friends how spectacular the Canadian Rockies are. If we fly into Calgary and work our way down to Vancouver what would be the best route, places to see and stay and would 4-5 days be enough time to leisurely drive to Vancouver? Any help is appreciated!!:D

 

Linda

[cruiseryyc]

4 to 5 days would give you plenty of time, however you need to factor in the cost of one way car rental. Some rental companies charge a lot if you are picking up the vehicle in one place and returning it in another. The trip would be well worth it, in my opinion. You could spend one night in Banff; travel onto the Golden/Revelstoke area for night two; night three in the Okanagan Valley and then onto Vancouver.

[LeftcoastBC]

Perfect timing for the trip and hitting those places each nite would also leave lots of time to explore.

[traveller123]

Or, drive from Calgary through Banff and Lake Louise and up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and spend two nights there. Then head down to Kamloops and the Trans Canada Highway the next day. Then down through the Okanagan and onto Vancouver. (Jasper is so much nicer than Banff (imo) and the Icefields Parkway is a great scenic drive)

[CowPrincess]

Make sure to make your hotel reservations for Banff well in advance to ensure a good selection of hotels/variety of prices, so you can pick what suits you best, as opposed to taking whatever is left, y'know?

[Calgary North]

I agree with Traveler 123 and vote for Jasper over Banff. June is a very good time to visit the mountains as it is light for 17 hours a day and the wildlife is plentiful. The drive from Jasper down to Kamloops is also very pretty and is normally not too busy.

[hwd2cs]

Calgary through Banff and Lake Louise and up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and spend two nights there. Then head down to Kamloops and the Trans Canada Highway the next day. Then down through the Okanagan and onto Vancouver. (Jasper is so much nicer than Banff (imo) and the Icefields Parkway is a great scenic drive)

 

Any suggestions on places to stay or things to do along the way? I appreciate all the suggestions!

 

Linda

[TCF]

...might be to look into taking the Rocky Mountaineer train through the Rockies and the Coast range from Jasper rather than driving the Trans-Canada Highway stretch.

This way you would rent the car in Calgary...take a couple of days to do Banff, Jasper and environs....then hop the Rocky Mountaineer Train in Jasper.

It travels thought the Rockies and stops overnight in Kamloops then on to Vancouver the next day through the Coast Range via Hell's Gate canyon and some other spectacular scenery.

It is a Luxe train....privately owned....designed and operated specifically for tourists. It has a a great dining car, lounge, glass dome observation cars...comfortable seating...etc. The overnight stop in Kamloops means that you won't miss anything in terms of scenery.

Just a thought.

[traveller123]

The suggestion above about the rail tour is a great idea! If you plan to drive the whole way, remember to check with the car rental company about picking up the car in one province and dropping it off in another province.

 

If driving all the way, then I would leave Calgary and spend some time touring in Banff and plan to spend the night in Lake Louise. It is beautiful there and because it will be light until about 10 at night, you could go for a nice walk along the lake after dinner, etc. The next day you could drive up the Icefields Parkway through Bow Summit, the Big Bend and stop at the Icefields for a while. The Columbia Glacier has receded so much in the past years, but it is still a great sight. And if you've never been on a glacier before, it's pretty cool (no pun intended). The drive up to Jasper is beautiful with stops at Athabasca Falls and Mount Edith Cavell. Plan to spend 2 nights in Jasper...again, because it is light quite late in June, you could drive out to Jasper Park Lodge and walk around the lake, etc. Or just wander about in town. The next day you could drive to Maligne Lake and do a boat tour and then check out Maligne Canyon on the way back to town. A trip on the Tram up Whistler Mountain gives you great views of the Athabasca Valley and the surrounding mountains. The day after that you could drive into BC on the Yellowhead Highway and stop at Mt. Robson (highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies) and then down to Kamloops and either stop there overnight, or continue along the "old" Trans Canada Highway (#1) down through the Fraser Canyon and into Vancouver. The drive from Calgary to Banff takes about 1.5 hrs. Lake Louise is about .5 hrs north of Banff. The drive from Lake Louise to Jasper takes less than 3 hrs. (with no stops). And the drive from Jasper to Vancouver takes about 8 hrs. (with no stops). Kamloops is halfway between Jasper and Vancouver.

 

I don't know of any hotels in Lake Louise (however, I did stay at the Post Hotel a million years ago....it may still be there). In Jasper I would recommned either the Jasper Inn (in town; chalet-type rooms with kitchens, fireplaces, etc.) or Tekarra Lodge (just outside town; log cabins in the woods with kitchens, fireplaces,etc.). Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper all have very good tourist websites.

 

The Canadian Rockies are spectacular and I'm sure whatever trip you end up doing will be great!