Are you sure you want to go to Edmonton? It will add two days to your trip.

Suggested one: Vancouver to Banff to Jasper to Edmonton to Calgary to Longview and Black Diamond and down to highway three, and back to Vancouver.

Sugggested two: Vancouver to Banff to Calgary to Banff to Jasper to Kamloops and onto Highway One back to Vancouver.

Vancouver -Whistler - Vancouver is a seperate trip.

And a day trip to Victoria beats going to Edmonton.

Note the angle of the mountains -- it is a long way from Jasper to Edmonton.

Per Bing Maps...


Allow 3 hours and 50 minutes to get from Jasper to Edmonton

Allow 3 hours to get from Vancouver to Victoria

Considering you'd still need to get BACK from Victoria to Vancouver (3 MORE hours), and that you wouldn't cover Jasper-Edmonton in both directions, "a day trip to Victoria" does NOT beat going to Edmonton.

Victoria is just... loads of wasted travel time.


So... Vancouver - Banff - Jasper - Edmonton - Calgary - Banff - Cranbrook - Osoyoos - Princeton - etc.


Vancouver 4 nights total
Banff/Lake Louise 1 night?
Jasper 1 night
Edmonton 2 nights
Calgary 1 night
Banff/Lake Louise (again, for another night)

(random spot in the hinterlands enroute - 1 night)


That tallies to 11 nights... it would make sense to add at least one night somewhere along the Jasper-Banff corridor, and you COULD allow a couple of nights for a trip over to Victoria, OR just spend the added time in Vancouver, or even add another night in Calgary, etc.

We're going to need to sense more about what is most important to you in order to advice with greater specifics.

Thank you so much for the reply. Being more specific, we have 15 days of car hire leaving Vancouver on day 1 at 10.00am and returning to Vancouver on the 16th day,giving us 15 full days. We will have already toured Vancouver and Victoria, 5 days, before hiring the car. I had in mind touring from Vancouver heading in a south easterly direction towards Cranbrook and then to Calgary? (not worried about Calgary really) and making our way to Edmonton. Then Edmonton to Jasper, Banff, Kamloops,etc - heading west to Vancouver hoping that Whistler could be included as a last stop before Vancouver. We really appreciate your assistance as we know nothing about Canada and are 2 ladies embarking on sightseeing adventure we never want to forget.

Ps: If you can also give us a rough idea of the km's we would be covering that would help us enormously, re our budget and time wise. We are intending on staying at accomodation outside of the cities if possible, small, cute and less costly, even hostels as they seem popular choices going on internet searches. This may give you more insight into what type of holiday we are looking at.

Wow, you really have a lot of time then...

and I suspect it is better to delay your path along the Icefields Parkway as long as you can...

So indeed...

Vancouver
Princeton
Cranbrook
Banff
Calgary
Edmonton
Jasper
Lake Louise/Banff

Revelstoke
Kamloops
Lillooet
Whistler
& back to Vancouver


Vancouver to Cranbrook 842km (10 hrs. DRIVING time)
Cranbrook to Banff 279km (3.5 hrs. DRIVING time)
Banff to Calgary 129km (1.5 hrs... )
Calgary to Edmonton 300km (3 hrs...)
Edmonton to Jasper 366km (4 hrs...)
Jasper to Banff 290km (3.75 hrs of DRIVING)
Banff to Kamloops 500km (6 hrs...)
Kamloops to Whistler 300km (4.1 hrs...)
Whistler to Vancouver 124km (2 hrs...)

*** clarity: If you stop to take a picture, or eat lunch, that is not factored into the travel time


And lets see, Australians... have you looked into Priceline.com for discounted room rates??

Priceline would be good for Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver (even Banff, so I read)... which could turn 'unaffordable' hotels into 'perhaps affordable' to you, and provide a central location to base your sightseeing in those cities.

In MAY, I would suspect that it should be optimum conditions for those using Priceline to get discounted hotel rooms. (summer vacations haven't started yet, and no reason for tourists to be very plentiful yet) ONE NOTE OF CAUTION: "VICTORIA DAY" holiday weekend is May 19-21, and THAT weekend WILL have lots of tourist traffic in competition for hotels. (maybe that's a good time to be hidden away in Jasper or somewhere, away from the bigger cities)

I'd guess that a 3-night hotel bill in one of those locations, for a 3-star or 4-star hotel, would be $240 to $330 Canadian funds. (NOTE OF caution: PARKING CAN be considerably extra, but in many/most cases you can find street parking or nearby lot/garage parking for a lesser fee)

If that is still too much for your budget, you CAN bid for a 2-star location, and often land a 3-night stay for, say, less than $200.

I still might pay a little extra for central Vancouver, just to be there in the middle of it all, AND since you needn't worry about any car charges there. (only referencing the expense of nightly parking at hotels).

Central Vancouver is somewhat compact given water on 3 sides... it sprawls upward like few other North American cities. I wouldn't hesitate to explore central Vancouver on foot (in May, the only question would be whether you opted to carry an unbrella or not).

I know it seems CRAZY to think of coming all this way from home and not having a secured hotel reservation for every night, BUT IF you become comfortable with the Priceline.com business model, it is easy to do on the fly... AND to do so would allow the flexibility of not being certain if you'd make it to your next reservation on a given night.

Again, late May (with the exception of the May 19-21 holiday weekend - and possibly the May 26-28 U.S. holiday weekend) should be a very good time to shop for hotel rooms while on the run.

Hope this helps further.

I hope this doesn't come across as snarky, because it really isn't meant to...

I would suggest that you do some of your own research first. There are many posts on this forum with different itineraries for Alberta/BC, hotel and restaurant recommendations. Use the "Search the Forums" box at the top of the page. Fodors and other guide books are also very useful. Check out the tourism websites of the places you are thinking about staying (e.g. http://www.banff.ca/).

Bing, Google and other map websites will give you distances and approximate travel times.

The folks on theses forums are really good at reviewing and helping you tweek your itinerary versus creating it for you.

All that being said...

I would not recommend driving between Calgary and Edmonton and then Edmoton to Jasper for sight seeing purposes. It is mainly flat farmland and not very scenic. Unless you want to visit Calgary or Edmonton for a specific reason, I wouldn't go farther east than the Rockies. Drive between Banff and Jasper on the Icefields Parkway (and back again, it's beautiful both directions).

Finally, mid-May is iffy in the mountains weather wise. You may still encounter ice and/or snow on the roads and you should be prepared for the possibility of a spring snow storm.

As was mentioned to another recent poster (coming from the UK), don't forget that we drive on the right side of the road and you may want to factor the switch from the left into your plans. I know I have issues driving on the left in the UK and it takes more attention than normal. And that wasn't on narrow, twisty mountain roads where I was trying to view the scenery.

Cheers to everyone, your input is invaluable. We are hoping to take it very easy on the roads. We want to see the countryside more than cities but Edmonton is on our list of "must see". Calgary not important but seems we need to pass by anyway. Being from hot and dry Aust we are aware of RHS driving and the icy roads. A bit daunting but we are going to travel with extreme caution and not travel great distances in any one day. My sister has done some travel in the US. Really appreciate "Northwestmale", the driving times and distances quoted is a great help. We have already arranged all accomodation in Vancouver before and after the Rd trip, excellent rates received on-line and beautiful hotels.

For Shelli's (comfort)... the times/kms I charted came directly from "Bing"... tweaked to KM's, as requested.

SYLady, were it me, AND if I somehow knew what I know now, I too would make Edmonton a "must see" while not caring so much about Calgary, but since Calgary is so relatively near to Banff and all, might as well see it. The "Saddledome" is unique, as are the many roads called "trails" (instead of streets, boulevards, avenues, etc.)

Although the opriginal poster already has plans for Victoria, lurkers might like to know that driving from Japser to Edmonton involves hours of boring flat land, once you get only a few miles from Jasper, heading east.

And when you get to Edmonton, you get a big city with a nice river valley.

When you go from Vancouver to Victoria, you have the choice of two ferry boat routes. To get to the northern route, from Horseshoe Bay to Vancouver Island, you can drive along the shoreline past wonderful houses and beautiful scenery, and then you end up on a ferry boat through beautiful islands,arriving on a very scenic giant island.

And it is a great drive from the ferry trminal down to Victoria.

Coming back to Vancouver, it is a short drive from Victoria to the ferry terminal (maybe half anhour) and then another beautiful ferry ride. Once you are back on the mainland after a long day, it's a direct drive back to Vancouver.

I've drive from Calgary to Edmonton one way or the other a hundred times. Pretty boring unless you head west and work your way up via the highways and smaller roads closer to the mountains. Do this and you'll remember the trip for the rest of your lives.

I'm not sure what I'd put on a list of things to see in Edmonton: starters...
- children's zoo
- pyramid with flowers
- nice looking river with parks
- I'd drive by my old house and my two old offices, but these are not exciting for visitors from afar.
- Royal Alberta Museum

BAK

If Edmonton is a must-see, then I would plan to drive from Jasper to Edmonton and back the same way so that you at least drive one direction on the Icefields Parkway. That truly is a must-see.

Calgary has a number of things to see and do and the Saddledome is hardly near the top of the list. And the roadways we call "trails" can be likened to freeways with higher speed limits (usually 80-100km/hour) and minimal (often none) traffic lights. We do have streets, boulevards, avenues etc.

We are putting a lot of thought into all your ideas and thank you all so much. Can't wait to begin our adventure. We are also doing the Inside passage cruise after spending 5 days in Vancouver and a day trip to Victoria, hoping we are allowing enough time in Victoria. We are used to long desolate journeys coming from hot and dry Western Australia. Last year travelled our North West by car, journeying a thousand k's at a time without seeing more than a roadhouse. Cheers.

Yeah, but who else has "trails" ??? (that is the only noteworthy part about trails)

(the 'trails' are like Alberta's version of "100 Mile House")

I once saw a sign in Grande Prairie that said: "Alberta's best Coffee", which of course was dumb and meaningless on the surface, unless you were from a certain place...

... and we've already got her on the Icefields Parkway:

You can tell by the: "Jasper to Banff 290km (3.75 hrs of DRIVING)"


BAK: It was you and you alone who brought up "a day trip to Victoria"... which amounts to little more than tons of wasted time enroute, for relatively little upon arrival (and early departure)

And geez, the Mall in Edmonton alone tops any single reason to go to Victoria, and unlike Butchart Gardens, the Mall is at its best 12 months a year.

To the O.P.:

Further contemplating your planning, you have likely shorted "Vancouver" in your arrangement, so perhaps allow a couple of more days there upon your return from the car trip. You could return the vehicle early and avoid the overnight parking charges. (The remaining sights to see in Vancouver will be more easily checked-off after you get that first, general sense of the city prior to 10 or 12 days to contemplate what's there as you're driving on those "hours of boring flat land")

My question is why is Edmonton a "must see"? In my opinion, it's quite a boring city, and the drive, other than the first 30 minutes, is *very* dull.

Also, regarding the long weekend in May ... like all spring/summer/fall long weekends, it's a very busy time in the mountain resort towns so be sure to book well ahead if you will in Banff or Jasper then.

I shoul;d have included the West Edmonton Mall in my features of Edmonton.

It really is quite the place, and if you are in Edmonton, well worth a visit and a few hours time. Check it out on google.

And, speaking of Google, look up Duncan British columbia and look up EDson Alberta, and then look at the satellite views. Duncan is on the way to Victoria and Edson is on the way to Edmonton.

BAK

The West Edmonton Mall is probably our reason for visiting the city of Edmonton

The first time I went to the W.E.M., I separated from my companion (long before cell phones) and we didn't find one another again for FOUR HOURS. The goofy things you can/could do there just boggle the mind. (I watched the dolphins, played putt-putt golf, watched the goings on in the swimming/water slide area, and marveled at a mall so big that it had more than one representation of SOME stores)

It has to be fun to come in out of the harsh Canadian winter and find a selection of Cajun eateries... AND an ice rink too.


It's sorta like looking/marveling at Las Vegas, except seeing things that are suitable for practical use.

Add a casino, a hotel, and one of the largest parking lots in North America, and you have plenty of spectacle all in one place.

bookmarking

"The West Edmonton Mall is probably our reason for visiting the city of Edmonton"

Be prepared for epic disappointment-many empty storefront and general ennui-overall a colossal waste of time.

Just a few comments (after reading all that information in the previous postings):

You might consider staying at B&B's if you want small, cute and less costly. You can Google "B&B Canada" or B&B's in specific locations.

I would recommend driving from Vancouver to Kelowna and spending some time in the Okanagan. It should be pretty in May with flowering fruit trees, and there are lots of wineries in the area if you enjoy tastings and such.

From Kelowna drive through Revelstoke to Golden and then to the national parks in the Rockies (Yoho, Banff, and Jasper).

When in the Banff area, be sure to visit Canmore (just east of Banff National Park) - it's less touristy than Banff and also has some interesting shops on the main street. You could even stay in Canmore instead of Banff (make it your base while visiting Banff National Park - it's only a 10 to 15 minute drive from Canmore to Banff townsite).

Note that Jasper is smaller than Banff and has less accommodation (although has B&B's too), so be sure to book ahead especially if you will be there on the May long weekend (on the 19th to 21st this year).

The drive from Jasper to Edmonton is not as "boring" as some people would have you believe. As you leave Jasper National Park and the Rockies, you will be driving through the foothills and forested areas (boreal forest). Some of the elevations are actually higher than those in the mountains, in fact, the highest elevation on the Yellowhead Highway (#16) is actually slightly east of the town of Hinton, approximately 125 km east of Jasper town !! Only the last third of the drive from Jasper to Edmonton is through agricultural areas, and it is gently rolling with woods here and there (aspen parkland, transition zone from prairie to boreal forest). You might see elk and bison ranches along the way. Beware of deer on the road, especially if you are driving at dawn or dusk.

Edmonton has a new art gallery that is worth seeing, even if just for the architecture of the building.

Calgary has a new "big box" store area just north of the city (along the highway from Edmonton to Calgary) called CrossIron Mills which I understand is worth the stop for shopping. I've seen it under construction but haven't shopped there (yet).

Hope this helps.

Some really excellent advice here. SYLady, I noticed that you plan to avoid long torturous drives and you have some familiarity with driving in the US. One thing I'll put out there is not to expect US-style freeways. Expect roads to be slower, more winding, etc., and factor in a generous allowance of extra time in your estimates.

And, since the scenery is absolutely spectacular throughout much of where you will be, this will give you the time you will want to pull over and stare. Take lots of pictures.

Thank you all so much. From all this most helpful information we will be planning with great care our driving trip around BC/Alberta. Kelowna and Okanagan is also of interest to us as suggested by Borealis and yes we will definitely be looking at B&B's. Your time and effort has been overwhelmingly appreciated, especially the detail as by Northwestmale. Love all your input and we are 2 very excited Aussies. Cheers to all.

I live in Edmonton and have been to WEM literally hundreds of times. Every visitor that I've ever taken there is always amazed by it and I don't think you'll be disappointed. And last time I was there I didn't see any 'empty storefronts'.

Glad you piped-up loru100...

The spectacle of the W.E. Mall IS its appeal. If you need a certain garment in a certain size, of course there are lots of places all over (the world) you can go to find just that.

And the nearer one lives to the W.E.M., the less-in-awe of it they tend to be, since it's always THERE. Those coming from far away, who can put themselves anywhere close, are sure to enhance their travels and memories with a trip to the WEM.

Additionally, when you travel with others of various ages, the W.E.M. always has SOMEthing of considerable interest to ALL age groups. (so the one person who might be disenchanted about recent goings-on along your path, can have every reason to find SOMEthing interesting or amusing at the mall).

TO THE OP: IF by chance you need more detail about Priceline.com for securing good rates on Vancouver hotel rooms, speak up. (in brief, these rooms might be listed for, eh, I dunno, $180 to $250 a night, and ideally you can land them for a base rate of $80 to $100 a night, PLUS taxes and fees that might bring a $100-per-night base rate to $340 or $360 FOR A THREE-NIGHT STAY.)

(the catches are, that you do NOT get to know WHICH "downtown" area hotel you will be at, until you're committed, AND that it is non-refundable <unless you buy the 'travel insurance' for an extra $5 per night - which isn't BAD if you're coming all the way from OZ> and charged IMMEDIATELY to your credit card )) (Vancouver is quite suitable for this, as the downtown area is somewhat compact, mostly FLAT, and all worth seeing, so it doesn't matter too much just WHERE you're staying when you KNOW in advance it will be at least a 3-star or 4-star hotel)

(as mentioned earlier, another catch is that you are likely to land a hotel which has mandatory valet parking at perhaps $40 PER NIGHT - which makes for a good idea to arrange your car rental return to coincide with your arrival in town)

(clarity: ...drive with your luggage TO the hotel, drop off your luggage, and then go and return your rental vehicle withOUT keeping it overnight in Vancouver) (by then you'd already KNOW whether you were facing a giant parking charge IF wanting to keep the vehicle overnight)

Our plan is flight from Honolulu to Vancouver, train to our hotel and then 5 nights and 6 days touring around Vancouver city including a day trip to Vancouver Island. On the 6th day in the afternoon board our boat for Inside Passage cruise for 7 nights. On arrival back in Vancouver pick up our hire car early morning and head east or wherever our fancy takes us.

Looking at all the various posts, here is my personal suggestion:

After the cruise, you should be well rested and ready for the road trip. Head east towards The Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5), and stops at Kamloops either for a late lunch or depending how slow you are going, for dinner and possibly an overnight stay. It also depends what time you leave Vancovuer. My suggestion, leave Vancouver after lunch so you will have the sun on your back while driving. (Note: Coquihalla is a toll road, high mounatin road, could get windy at times, and may see snow, even in mid-May)

Nexy stop would be Jasper. I would suggestion that you stay there for 2 days and explore the surrounding area. Leave Jasper after supper and head out to Edmonton.

Stay in Edmonton for 2 days, West Edmonton Mall and Fort Edmotnon Park would be my top 2 stops. The legislative building and grounds, Provincial museum, river valley, down town art district, Telus World of Science are all secondary stops if you have time. If teh Riverboat is running, have lunch there.

Day 6, leave Edmonton after supper and heads south towards Red Deer. (2 hours max) Stay over night at Red Deer and have an early start the next day, you will head west towards David Thompson highway (highway 11) and go back towards the Rockies (Sasketchewan Crossing). Stay overnight at Sasketchewan Crossing (or all the way to Lake Lousie if you wish). Suggested stop around the crossing: Columbia Icefield. (But then after seeing the Alaska Glaciers, Mendahall etc, you can take a pass)

Head south towards Lake Louise from Sasketchewan Crossing. With all the sights around Lake Louise, I recommend 2 days to explore the surrounding area.

Head south towards Banff and stay 2 days there. Option is to stay in Canmore and drive back to Banff area. Other option is spend a day at Kananaskis (extra day)

Depart from Banff and heads towards Golden/Revelstoke, then Salmon Arm and then Kelowna, overnight either at Salmon Arm or Kelowna. Tour the Okanagan Lakes area (wine country and some of the best wine in Canada) for a day or 2, but don't go furtehr south than Penticton (over night at Penticton would be good).

From Penticiton, you can head back to Vancouver via highway 3 to Hope, then highway 1 and into Vancouver. You can drive straight through (not recommended) or you can stay anywhere in between.

A better alternative would be heading back north to Vernon, then Kamloops, then back to Vancouver (via highway 1 if you have time and via highway 5 if you are late) Highway 1 from Kamloops to Vancouver is more scenic and much slower and will take more time (almost double).

If you overnight at Vernon instead of Penticton the night before, you can be in Vancovuer same day if you have an early start. I persoanlly prefer the Vernon-Kamloops-Vancouver over the Penticton-hwy3-Hope-Vancouver route.

This trip should maximize what you will see in 2 weeks Vancouver round trip through the Rockies. The drive through the David Thompson (Highway 11) is the most under-used gateway to the Canadian Rockies, especially for tourists, as most will go into the Nation Park via Banff (from Calgary) or Jasper (from Edmonton)

To summarize, the whole trip is only 14 days so you have a day or 2 extra to play around if there are places that you wanted to stay a bit longer, or there are delays for whatever reason.

day 1 Vancouver - Kamloops (or just a bit beyond)
day 2 Kamloops - Jasper
day 3 Jasper area
day 4 Jasper - Edmonton
day 5 Edmonton area
day 6 Edmonton - Red Deer
day 7 Red Deer - Sasketchewan Crossing (Canadian Rockies)
day 8 Sasketchewan Crossing - Lake Louise
day 8 Lake Louise area
day 9 Lake Louise - Banff
day 10 Banff area
day 11 Banff - Godlen/Revelstoke/Salmon Arm
day 12 Salmon Arm - Penticton
day 13 Penticton - Vernon
day 14 Vernon - Vancouver

You will still have to do some homework and find out what places you want to see in each area, and the driving distance between places.

Canada uses a metric system and the speed limit is in Kilometeres. 100 Km is 62 miles, approxiamtely 1 hour of driving disatnce.

BC speed limits varies from 90-100 Km per hr. Alberat Speed limit varies from 100-110 Km per hr. The mountain Park speed limitrs varies, can be as low as 50 and as high 90.

For time calcualtion, use 80-90 Km per hr as a guide line for BC, 90-100 for ALberta. For the Mounatin Parks, you will be stopping all over and take side trips, use 50 Km per hr would be good.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

One more time, most have said calgary is a must stop as it is along the way. If you are driving from Edmonton, I beg to differ. The post I made above suggested David Thompson Highway, a seldom used 2 lanes divided highway towards the Rockies from Red Deer.

The other option is to by pass Calgary and travel through Cochrane (highway 1A) which is much more scenic. The Highway 1A was the original Highway 1 and sometimes called the old coach road (a reference to the old stage coach, perhaps?)

Just a few notes. . .

-last time we drove the Coquihalla, it was no longer a toll highway (that was 1.5 years ago).

- I don't know anyone who drives 100 to 110 km per hour on Alberta highways you'll have vehicles whizzing by you going at least 10 to 20 km per hour faster !!!!

I still don't see the attraction of Edmonton which is an oil town on the prarie far from the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
I have spent a few nights at the Jasper HI Hostel-some with my wife. http://www.hihostels.ca/westerncanada/1478/HI-Jasper.hostel
There are other hostels further south near Banff that I have not stayed at.
While staying in the Jasper area, be sure to see the Maligne Valley and Patricia Lake.

Edmonton is not on the prairie - it's actually in the aspen parkland region - a transition zone between the boreal forest and the prairie. It's beautifully set on the North Saskatchewan River valley, and has the longest urban parkland in North America (along the river valley, which is deep and has woods along the banks). It's not unusual to see deer in Edmonton; we've seen coyotes sauntering down our street, and on one occasion a young cougar was found relaxing in a tree in a residential area (actually next door to where my son lives!!)
Edmonton is the provincial capital, has an enormous university campus, a whacky-looking new art gallery next to the arts district downtown, and of course, West Edmonton Mall.

By the way, "refinery row" where all the petrochemical industry goes on is actually not in Edmonton, it's to the east of the city in Strathcona County. And the oil industry headquarters are 300 km to the south in our Alberta rival city - Calgary.

Borealis, sicne I have not driven the Coquihalla for a few years, I didn't realize the toll booths are gone. I guess they were removed in 2008.

You are correct that people will zoom pass you if are doing 100 or 110 (especially on QE2).

My reference to the 90-100 was my suggestion for calculating time needed to travel purposes, and not actual driving speed. You shoudl always adhere to the speed limit and the road condition.

Speed limit in ALberta is 110 (100 on secondary highway), and 90 for the Icefield Parkway, plus the stretches of highway leading to the Jasper/Banff town sites from the Park Gates. The speed limit is anywhere between 70 to 90 and even lower at certain sections.

As you will make frequent stops (wildlife and scenic view points) or slow down for whatever reason. And yes, people will whizz right by you at much higher speed, even on the Icefield Parkeay.

Just a matter of trivia, but the 1A is not known as the "old coach road". There is an Old Banff Coach Road on the western side of Calgary that heads west and meets up with the #1 highway (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta_Highway_563).

The 1A is also known as the Bow Valley Trail although it is rarely referred to that by locals. We just call it the 1A.

There is the Bow Valley Parkway and then there is the section almost twined to the east of the current Hwy 1, going through Cochrane, Ghost Lake, Morley, Exshaw etc. Taht's the Hwy 1A that I am referencing to.

The Highway 563 that you made reference to maybe under construction now for all those new subdivisions and it was (still is?) a range road (Is it also called the Big Hills Spring Road?), not the old highway 1 from more than 50 years ago before the current highway 1 to Banff is built.

That's the same 1A I am referring to. Crowchild Trail in Calgary becomes the 1A highway outside the city limits heading west to Cochrane. This is also known as the Bow Valley Trail and merges onto the #1 (Trans Canada Highway just east of Canmore). Again, most Albertans refer to the 1A as "the 1A" and not "the Bow Valley Trail".

The Bow Valley Parkway (not Trail) begins west of Banff and heads towards Lake Louise where it merges with the #1.

Highway 563/Old Banff Coach Road is an old road and the subdivisions have been developing along side. The community of Coach Hill was named after the road if I recall correctly. This road is mainly south of the #1 and has never been referred to as Big Hills Spring Road.

Big Hill Springs Road is another name for highway 567 which is north of Calgary and Cochrane. Big Hills Spring Trail is a short road off Big Hill Springs Road which goes into the Big Hill Springs Provincial Park.

All of this is easily viewable on a map: http://binged.it/GHEhpW

We are only a week away from our trip to Canada via Hawaii, so excited and looking forward to taking in all the advice everyone has given us on this site. Will let you know how it all goes and want to thank everyone again for all the help, it is so gratefully appreciated.

SYLady, I hope your vacation is wonderful!

I had forgotten your overall itinerary and the time of year - what a contrast in temperatures!! Perhaps in your trip report you will comment on how you packed to accommodate that difference? It's a challenge and you could offer some interesting insight.

Bon Voyage,

Sandy

I stayed at the university of Alberta dorms with bed and breakfast instead of a hotel in Edmonton. I drove (after using the public buses for my tours around town) to Banff, did not stop in Calgary. Did spend big money at lake Louise hotel... Worth it! Did not spend lots of money on Jasper but stayed longer at cheaper place. Again, worth it. Ice field is spectacular full stop. Enjoy!