10-day vacation from Portland, OR to Banff, Canada
 

We (couple with kids 13, 10, 6-y living in Portland, OR) are planning a 10-day trip to Banff from June 24 to July 4th. We have already booked most of the hotels. Here are our schedule:

Day 1: Depart around 2 p.m., drive (6-h) to Coeur d'Alene, stay overnight.
Day 2: drive (4.5-h) to Glacier National Park, stay in the park Lake McDonald Lodge for 1 night.
Day 3: drive (2-h) to Waterton National Park in Canada, short tour & rest, then drive (4.5-h) to Banff. Stay in Canmore for 2 nights.
Day 4: tour Banff area
Day 5: drive (1-h) to Lake Louise, stay in Lake Louise for 2 nights.
Day 6: tour Lake Louise area
Day 7: drive (4-h) to Jasper, stay in Jasper for 2 nights.
Day 8: tour Jasper area
Day 9: tour west Jasper, then drive (3-h) to Blue River, stay for 1 night.
Day 10: drive (5-h) to Abbotsford, BC stay for 1 night. Drive 1-h to Vancouver in the evening and have dinner there (may tour the suspension bridge in Vancouver if we have time & energy in the afternoon)
Day 11: drive (5-h) back home. Tour Flight Museum in Seattle area on the way home.

Welcome advise re what to do in each location. Our goal is to have a relaxed vacation (not too rushed to go different places), although the long drive may seem it's hard to relax :)

Welcome!

Sounds very pleasant, though I think you are underestimating the driving in some parts.

on Day 3, it's probably going to be at least 3 hrs to Waterton townsite in Waterton National Park. You'll be staying essentially on the west side of Glacier National Park, so you either have to drive the rest of the Going to the Sun Road or go around the park. GTTS can be VERY slow during the day (and that's a weekend), so your drive could easily be well over 3 hrs. Then you have to allow time to cross the border (make sure everyone has their passport ready). And while the Chief Mountain crossing is technically in Waterton, it's a bit of drive around, I think you actually go back out of the park for a bit, and then through the gates (where you pay for you pass) and down to Waterton townsite.

You actually end up doing a fair bit of backtracking, so you may want to decide whether it's worth seeing Waterton or just continuing on to Canmore. From Waterton to Canmore, I'd allow at least 4 hrs, maybe longer as there is construction on the TransCanada. Might work out better to have lunch somewhere north of Waterton.

Keep in mind that Day 8 (I think) will be a holiday here. Shops will be open, but it will be a very busy day, so you'll want a bright and early start and anticipate that places will be bustling. If you plan to do any paid attractions/tours this day other than the glacier tour, I would book ahead.

Thanks very much for your reply. GTTS road is not fully open so it seems we have to backtracking which will definitely add time to the long driving.

I just booked the Many Glacier Hotel. Maybe it is a better way to stay on the east side of the park so that the Day 3 drive won't be too long. Is it a better plan than staying on the west side of the Glacier Park?

I really want to go to Waterton Park for a short tour. Maybe it is silly but I am just fascinated by the fact that it is connected to the Glacier park and make it an international park.

Even if you just drive through, I think it's worthwhile. We're going back this September as part of a loop that includes Banff, Jasper, Waterton, Glacier in the overall plan. Waterton struck us as a bit spooky the one time we were there. We saw a movie in an ancient theater (with stuffed horsehair seats, I think), but I understand it no longer exists.