adventurefoodie

Hi all,

I am organizing a road trip this August 7th to 21st for a group of 5-6 people from Toronto. We are all in our early 20s, quite fit and interested in photography, great food (cheap or splurge, sushi and steak for sure!), and hiking to spectacular sites. I have a rough itinerary of our trip so far, trying to put together what everyone would like to do, but I was wondering if you guys would have any tips, advice, or alternative options.

Day 1: Arrive in Vancouver in the afternoon, we are staying for 3 nights near downtown vancouver
- visit beaches
- Sushi anywhere recommended?
- enjoy nightlife to get used to the jet-lag

Day 2: Vancouver
- Grouse Mountain
- Lynn Canyon
- ..

Day 3: Vancouver
- Eagles Bluff OR Dog Mountain Trail (which one has a better view?)
-...

Day 4: Wake up super early to take the ferry to be in Nanaimo by 10am
- snorkeling with seals for 3 hours OR for others, check out Englishman River Falls Provincial park... anything else we can do to kill some time?
- drive to Tofino, hopefully check out the Cathedral Groves
- Staying 2 nights in Tofino hostel (that serves waffles for free in the morning!)

Day 5: Tofino
- Surfing and exploring beaches

Day 6: Tofino
- explore Pacific Rim Hikes
- drive to Nanaimo to crash for the night

Day 7: Whistler for 2 nights
- wake up early to ferry across to Whistler
- bungee jumping, zip lining
- any small hikes recommendations?

Day 8: Whistler
- Black Tusk/Panorama ridge (10 hours)

Day 9: Morning in Whistler, then drive to crash in Kamloops for the night
- anything else you'd recommend?

Day 10: Drive from Kamloops to Lake Louise
- spend the afternoon exploring lake louise and surroundings, any recommended hikes?
- drive to Canmore where we will be staying 3 nights

Day 11: Banff
- Hikes.... what would you recommend if we only have 2 full days here
- Hot springs

Day 12: Yoho National Park/Banff?
- Hikes...?
- Takakkaw Falls
- White water rafting at Kicking horse?

Day 13: Helicopter up to Mount Assiniboine
- stay the night at a Naiset hut

Day 14: Hike down (9hours) back to Canmore

Day 15: Explore Canmore
- Heart Mountain?
- other option for people who are understandably too tired to hike any more?
- 4pm leave for flight from Calgary back to Toronto.

Love to hear any thoughts on the trip... it does sound strenuous, we plan on prepping a lot for the hikes beforehand.

Thanks!

kgsneds

Welcome!

Sounds like a fund plan! To each his/her own, but I'd probably opt to cut down your time in Whistler and spend more time in the Rockies. Your plan does not allow anytime at all on the Icefields Parkway, which is the crown jewel of the Rockies. The drive between Jasper and Lake Louise is considered to be one of the most scenic in North America, if not the world.

I'd suggest that you need to either cut Tofino or Whistler, and go from the west coast to Jasper. Spend a night or two there, then drive down along the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise/Banff. Note that in the peak summer months, other than in hotels, finding one night bookings in Jasper can be tricky.

And honestly, if I were paying for the helicopter up to Assiniboine, I'd want to spend more than one night there. It's on my bucket list (to climb though, not hike) and from all accounts, it's worth far more than a quick in & out. BTW, you don't hike from Assiniboine to Canmore - I assume you'd be picked up at a trailhead in K-Country.

For Lake Louise, you need more than an afternoon between driving from Kamloops and heading on to Canmore. It's a good 5hrs to Lake Louise from Kamloops and at least an hour on to Canmore if there are no delays getting through the 4-way stops in Lake Louise.

If hiking is your thing, I'd allow at least a day there to do the full loops out to the teahouses and up onto the Beehives. If you book ASAP, you might be able to get a good deal on a private room at the hostel in Lake Louise. Great hostel that attracts all ages and is very popular for hikers/climbers.

I am not very knowledgable about hikes right around Banff, but on the Icefields Parkway, there are great hikes at Wilcox Pass, Bow Lake (Bow Glacier Falls or round trip to peek at Bow Hut if you are very fit and have a full day) and elsewhere.

In Yoho, if you are fit and have a full day, do the Iceline Trail. Starts by Takkakaw. Or just hike part of it. You can also hike up beyond Emerald Lake to some gorgeous views.

Around Canmore, Heart Mountain is considered an easy scramble. If you have the fitness and time, EEOR or Ha Ling would be much closer and offer better bang for you buck, so to speak.

adventurefoodie

That's great, thank you! We took your advice on extending our stay on Mount Assiniboine, all of our accommodations are pretty much set. We plan to bungee jump and zip line in whistler. Is there a white water rafting place you guys prefer in Whistler or in Banff?

kgsneds

There is no white water rafting in Banff - any trips that are advertised as being 'in Banff' would probably be a couple hours outside the park towards Golden.