Maura

I'm just starting to plan a family vacation for next summer and am trying to figure out what's possible. We have free roundtrip airline tickets to Seattle so we have to fly in and out of there. We're interested in visiting Seattle, the San Juan Islands, Vancouver, and the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper?)We'll have 10-14 days total, including travel from the East Coast of the U.S. Is it feasible to visit all these places in this time? Does anyone have a suggested itinerary? Are there other places you'd recommend over the ones I listed? Finally, I assume we'll drive, but are there other modes of transportation we should consider (for example, train)? Most likely there will be three of us traveling--two adults and a 13-year old boy. But there could be four if we can convince our recently college graduated son to join us on another family vacation. <BR> <BR>Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

gary

You have an ambitious itinery but it is possible to do it in two weeks, (10 days would be cutting it too short). I do sort of wonder whether you want to spend time in the San Jauns or BC's Gulf Islands because those ar very tranquile places and more suitable to weekend getaways rather than the type of touring you appear to be interested in. <BR> <BR>That said you can spend a couple of days in Seattle and a couple of days in N.W. Washington before heading for BC. <BR>Another option would be to drive up the Olympic Peninsula, (Port Townsend is delightful), and then cross over to Victoria on the Ferry from Port Angeles. Spend a couple of days in Victoria and then crossover via Swartz Bay to Tsawassen, (just south of Vancouver), and you'll get some beautiful views of the Gulf Islands which are very similar but less developed than the San Juans. <BR> <BR>Spend at least three days in Vancouver and then head for the hills. Avoid the freeways and take the Fraser Canyen route (Trans Canada Hwy #1)or the Sea to Sky route, (#99) through Whistler and Lilooet back to TC #1. You might spend a night in Whistler and then in Kamloops before heading to the Rockies. Spend about 4 days in Banff and Jasper and then travel down Highway #93/95 to either Idaho or Montana, (for Glacier Nat'l Park and then back to Seattle on I90. If you find that a little tight I'd drop the Whistler route and only spend one full day in N.W. Washington.

Maura

Thanks for the detailed info. I'm beginning to rethink some things based on what you wrote. I think we're really more interested in the Canada part of the trip. Given that would it make more sense to fly into another U.S. city? We have free Delta tickets that have to be used in the continental U.S. Would it be better to fly say into Kalispell, Montana and drive north from there to Vancouver, then Banff, etc. and finally back to Kalispell? If we do that what type of itinerary would you suggest? We love the mountains, great scenery, hikes (but not too hard), and just plain relaxing. Vancouver sounds like a great city however and a good contrast to the other places so I'd like to include it if possible. Overall though, we'd rather go fewer places and really enjoy them, then rush around trying to do everything.

traveller

If you flew into Kalispell, you could then drive over the Logan (Going to the Sun) highway in Glacier which is spectacular and then stay in Waterton which is a great little town in the Alberta side of Glacier International Peace Park. Waterton is small so you would have to book a room well in advance. They have good web pages - just look up Waterton on the web. From there, you would really have to think about where you were going to travel. Waterton to Banff would be at least 4 - 5 hours, to Vancouver I am not sure but quite a drive. You could also fly into Great Falls but it would not be a scenic drive from Great Falls to Calgary/Banff but probably and easier drive to Van. Good luck.

gary

Seattle would probably still be the best starting point unless you think you'd like to do the Rockies first. By cutting out at least 4 days in NW Washington and 2-3 days in Victoria you've really given yourself enough time to get a great Canadian Rockies, (and Glacier Nat'l Park) experience plus at least 3 days in Vancouver.

Bob Brown

I am partial to the Canadian Rockies and Glacier. For that reason I would suggest flying to Kalispell or Calgary. <BR>My son recently elected to fly into Missoula because he could get a better fare and he could get a better price on a rental car. <BR>If you flew into Missoula or Kalispell, Whitefish is a nice place to visit. <BR>From there you could drive over Logan Pass and turn north to Waterton Park in Canada. From there you could drive north to Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper which would take you over the incredibly scenic Icefields Parkway. <BR>From Jasper you could return along the same route (it is worth it!!) and then continue back to Kalispell via Kootenay National Park, which is adjacent to Banff NP. That way you could see the best of it all. <BR>If you want to fly into Seattle, you can do what you describe. I am partial to the Rockies as I said and I think that you could work out a schedule that would take you from Seattle to Jasper and then south for a return to Seattle along I 90. <BR>The possibilities are boundless, but there is a lot of beautiful scenery along the Columbia River in Canada and in Glacier National Park -- the one in Canada, which is on the Trans Canada Highway between Revelstoke and Golden. <BR>

Maura

Thanks for all the great advice. I think we've decided to fly into Kalispell and concentrate on seeing the Canadian Rockies and Glacier. Now I can start planning!

Bob Brown

Maura: my son is out there as we speak. <BR>He is not getting up as far as Jasper, but he is right now in Glacier National Park near the Many Glacier area. <BR>Yesterday he was in Waterton. <BR>Of course had only 11 days total. <BR>So he did not have the time, and he likes to see the area well as opposed to flying past everything. <BR>If you want to email me directly, I can summarize his itinerary for you. <BR>It is sensible in terms of not trying to cover a huge distance in the car. <BR>A few years ago we picked Dave up in Kalispell and followed this itinerary: <BR> <BR>Lake Louise <BR>Golden (went to Glacier NP Canada before returning to LL to head north.) <BR>The Crossing (along the Icefields Parkway) <BR>Jasper (2 nights) <BR>Banff <BR>Cardston (en route to Glacier) <BR>Glacier NP (US) <BR>Great Falls for the early morning flight home.