We are a German couple in the mid fifties, flying into Vancouver August 22 with departure from the same place on Sept. 14. I like planning those trips, we love nature, want to get really deep into it and dont want to sleep every night at another place. We go by car. Here are my plans for routing, accomodation and activities. Though I have lots of information I would appreciate that somebody gives me a feed back and some suggestions to optimize my plans. Thank you.

Aug22 fly into Vanc in the afternoon Iam looking for a nice, romantic B&B with (North Vanc.?) water view

Aug 23,24 exploring Vanc.

Aug 25,26 driving in 2 days to Revelstoke (Whats the best way to make in 2 days: Hope-Kamloops and then the 1 to Revelst. or Hope- Kelowna 97C- Vernon-Revelstoke?

Aug 27 Mt Revelstoke NP to Field (Yoho) We want to stay in Field (Cathedral Mountain Lodge booked)for 4 Nights (3 days) using it at a base for exploring YOHO und Lake Luise. We want to hike 2 days in YOHO (Lake O'Hara and Takakkaw Falls) and 1 day at Lake Louise (Tea House?) and canoeing on Lake Moraine.

Aug.31 Icefield Parkway all the long day to Jasper

Aug 31 -Sept 3 staying 3 Nights (2 days) in Jasper, looking for a nice B&B, exploring Jasper NP on Sept 1 and 2

Sept. 3 drive to Mt Robson PP walking the 1. part of Berg Trail, looking for a nice accomodation

Sept. 4 drive to wells Gray PP , do some short hiking in the afternoon or next morning (accomodation?)

Sept 5 starting about noon for a short drive to Beaver Guest ranch -booked-(between Bridge Lake and Lone Butte) staying there for 4 nights
Sept 6,7,8 Guest Ranch with Riding etc.

Sept.9 drive to Whistler or surrounding (accomosation?)

Sept 10 drive to Vanc. Island (Ferry into Nanaimo)
We have 4 more nights left. We want to stay at least for 3 nights on one place, exploring the wildlife (Whalewatching, Bears getting there salmon for breakfast! etc) What would be the riht Place? I think it would probably be some where around Cambell River not too far in he North, because we habe to make the way back to Vanv. the Plane will gto on Sept.14 in the afternoon.
Thats it.Many ideas, hope I#m not too far away from a really good trip.Im looking forward to your feed back.
Thanks.

Wolfgang from Germany

Hello Wolfgang.

Your itinerary looks good to me.

If you drive from Vancouver to Revelstoke over 2 days, I recommend that you go through the Okanagan Valley rather than via Kamloops.

Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon are the larger towns in the area. If you’re looking for a cozy little town, you might consider Naramata. Osoyoos, Summerland, and Peachland are other smaller towns in the region.

On the travel discussion forums, I’ve seen great reviews of Observatory B&B in Osoyoos. Apparently the host is a keen amateur astronomer, and a highlight of the stay is having him give you an introduction to astronomy. The B&Bs website is:

http://www.jacknewton.com/canada.htm

As I understand it, there are only 2 B&Bs in Jasper that serve breakfast, and it’s a continental (cold) breakfast at that. However, there are many home accommodations in Jasper. They are like B&Bs, but they don’t include a served breakfast. On the other hand, several of them do come with kitchens, and in some cases the kitchens are stocked with food so that you can help yourself to breakfast.

The Jasper Home Accommodation Association website lists the 170 or so home accommodations and B&Bs in the Jasper area. It has a search feature that you can use to look for the amenities you want (private bath, kitchen, breakfast, or whatever):

http://www.stayinjasper.com/html/mem...lectlocation=0

When you search for accommodation in Jasper, you should be aware that Jasper townsite is the most central base from which to explore Jasper National Park. Jasper East is a hamlet just outside of the east gates to Jasper National Park, and is located about 30 minutes’ drive from Jasper townsite. Hinton is still further east, about 50 minutes’ drive from Jasper townsite. It has a smelly pulp mill, and is not an especially attractive town.

Two home accommodations that I’ve noticed have received many favourable reviews on the travel discussion forums are Crayston’s and 105 Patricia Street.
Chalet-style accommodation also is popular in Jasper.

There are several self-catering chalets that are located between 2 km and 7 km from the town. They include Alpine Village, Becker’s Chalets, Jasper House Bungalows, Patricia Lake Bungalows, Pine Bungalows, and Tekarra Lodge.

The Jasper Tourism and Commerce website lists those chalets and more in the SEASONAL ACCOMMODATION section of its website. The chalets are open only from about the beginning of May to the middle of October.

http://www.jaspercanadianrockies.com/

Most of the properties listed in the YEAR ROUND ACCOMMODATION section of the Jasper Tourism and Commerce website are hotels that are located right in the town of Jasper.

Generally speaking, home accommodation and B&B rates are about half of what hotel rates are. Apart from anything else, you save 10% in taxes when you stay in home accommodation or a B&B. Those small operators do not have to charge the 6% federal GST and the 4% Alberta Toursim Levy that hotels have to charge.

An issue with home accommodations and B&Bs is whether or not they will accept a credit card as a deposit on your room. Some do and some don’t. Since you’re in Germany, it obviously would be a lot more convenient for you if they accepted a credit card. According to my recollection, Crayston’s accepts credit cards and 105 Patricia Street does not. If you really want to stay at a place that does not accept CCs, you can transfer money to the business through www.xe.com .

Watch out for very stringent cancellation policies and 2-night and 3-night minimum stay requirements in Jasper.

I have heard good things about Mike Weigle chalets in Blue River, BC, although that would involve a drive of about 1.5 hours from Mount Robson.

I also have read good reports of the Grizzly Cabin at Dutch Lake Resort & RV Park (not to be confused with Dutch Lake Motel).

www.dutchlake.com

Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is a great place for whale watching and for walking in old growth temperate rainforests. You could consider spending the nights of the 10th, 11th and 12th there. Since it would take you at least 7 hours to get from Tofino to Vancouver International Airport, and since you should check in for your home-bound flight about 3 hours before take off, it would be prudent for you to get back to the mainland for the night of the 13th.

I have never been to Campbell River, but I have never heard of it being a good base from which to do whale watching. I could be wrong about that. I'll leave it to people who are familiar with the northern part of Vancouver Island to address that point.

Hope that helps.

I would recommend Tofino also for the last part of your trip. It's just such a fantastic place. But if you really want to focus on bear viewing, you might go to a place like Knight Inlet Lodge (which you fly to from Campbell River) where that's the main focus (although I also did a whale watching trip from there and saw orcas).

I agree with Judy that you want to be back on the mainland the night before your flight JUST in case.

Judy's given you some great suggestions for your trip, the only thing I can really add is a recommendation for a B&B in North Vancouver.
I've been going to Thistledown Inn for my anniversary for the last 5 years and love it. It's in North Vancouver on upper Capilano Road, just above the Capilano Suspension bridge. It doesn't have a water view, but the house is beautiful and high on the romance scale. Rex and Ruth (the owners) are fantastic and Ruth cooks a gourmet breakfast every morning. If you book early and have choice of rooms, I'd recommend "Under the Apple Tree" - it's fairly big, has a sunken fire-place and a little patio outside.

Wolfgang, since my last post about home accommodations and B&Bs in Jasper, I've heard that B&B hosts who insist on deposits from North Americans often are willing to give European guests the benefit of the doubt.

I can appreciate why B&B owners are sensitive about no-shows (people who do not show up when they said they would). Prior to being let down by a prospective guest, the B&B owner might have turned down several other people who had made enquiries about that date. Then, if there is a no-show, the host's chances of filling the room at the last minute are small.

However, during the discussion to which I'm referring, I was told that overseas travellers generally make reliable B&B guests. The reason is that they've made big commitments to their trip (plane reservations, etc.), and they change their plans only in exceptional circumstances.

Apparently Alberta residents are the worst offenders. Because they have only a relatively short drive to the mountains, they are the ones who are most inclined to change their minds at the last minute.

So, Wolfgang, according to this information that I've heard, it's possible that a home accommodator or B&B host in Jasper would trust you and would not insist on a deposit from you.

Hope that helps.

Wolfgang,

It sounds like a nice itinerary. A couple of comments:

Why not stay in Vancouver's West End or downtown for your two nights? Much more central and you avoid commuting from the North Shore which can be time-consuming. Take a look at www.downtownaccommodations.com/ for four West End B&Bs which get excellent reviews. I don't think they have water views, though.

Driving from Vancouver to Revelstoke takes about 6 1/2 hours so you could do it in one day, although breaking it up into two days with a stop in the Okanagan is a relaxing way to tour. You might want to consider Burrowing Owls Vineyard's new accommodations. Gorgeous estate, excellent wine, in B.C.'s "desert" area so wonderful, hot weather. I saw the guesthouse as it was being built, and it's on my list for next summer. www.bovwine.ca/

I second the suggestion of Tofino on Vancouver Island. You have enough time for it and it is a really special place. However, if you want an alternative, NWWander's suggestion of Knight's Inlet is terrific or you could drive to Port McNeil and hook up with a whale watching tour in the Broughton Archipelago (obviously pre-arranged). This is also a stupendous area with beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife. Lots of luxe fishing camps in this area, if you're interested. Cool'ish in mid-Sept. though.

Have a wonderful trip.

Hello Judy ans all the other fodorists. I've been reading your posts with great interest. Thank you for taken the time to include so many details. We decided us for the B&B in Jasper "Austria Heaven".Does anybody have ever been there or heard some comments on that?. linda, Burrowing Owls looks dramatically beautiful, maybe it's a little bit out of the way. I don't want to sit more than 4 hours/day in the car, how long does it take from Vancouver? And then the next day to Revelstoke?

I am not familiar with Austrian Haven in Jasper, but its website looks nice. I've been told that B&B rates in Jasper quite accurately reflect the quality of the facilities. In other words, you pay more for a private bathroom, a private entrance, a kitchen, and so on than you pay for a basement room with a shared entrance and shared bathroom. Since Austrian Haven is at the more expensive end of the spectrum, by the standards of Jaspers B&Bs, I think there is an excellent chance that you'll find it comfortable.

Besides that, in my personal experience, the widespread cliche that Austrian and German people are hard working has turned out to be true. I would say the fact that the hosts are German-speaking bodes well.

Burrowing Owls is near Oliver. It takes about 5 hours to drive from Vancouver to Oliver, and about 4.5 hours to drive from Oliver to Revelstoke.

The Okanagan Valley is really pleasant. I believe you would enjoy it. To my taste it's well worth the detour.

Wolfgang, I've had another thought that may be relevant to the distance you feel you can drive in a day. I don't know the extent to which you have or have not travelled in the world's less populated regions.

Once you get out of the Greater Vancouver Area, the traffic will be much quieter than it is in Europe. I mention that in case it influences your thinking.

I am not fond of driving long distances, and driving from Vancouver to the Okanagan on one day and then from the Okanagan to Revelstoke the next day is very feasible for me.

I decided to look up some population statistics to give you some idea of relative population densities. British Columbia and Alberta together are the size of Europe excluding Russia. The two provinces together have about 7.7 million people. Europe excluding Russia has about 705 million people. So Europe has almost 92 times the number of people in the same amount of space.

Now that is not a really accurate comparison, because BC's and Alberta's populations are concentrated at the southern ends of the two provinces, and those are the parts through which you will be travelling.

But, even if you take that into account, BC and Alberta are much more lightly populated than Europe is.

So I think you will find that the miles (or rather the kilometres) will fly by.

Wolfgang, it's about 6.5 hours from Vancouver to Revelstoke driving the Coquihalla Highway, and not the Hope-Princeton which you would drive going from Vancouver to Oliver (re Burrowing Owls Vineyard). Sorry for the confusion.

I personally wouldn't find doing the drive to Revelstoke in two days tough. Leave Vancouver early in the morning, take a break half-way, you could be in Oliver by noon, with the afternoon and evening to relax and enjoy.

And just to reinforce how gorgeous the Vineyard is, I was a tad disappointed by its website photos. They really do not do the vineyard/guesthouse/surrounding country justice.

Hello Wolfgang. I am from Powell River, the Upper Sunshine Coast area. There is a Coastal Circle tour you may take from Horseshoe Bay. If you purchase a Coastal Circle ferry ticket you will save 15% on all 4 ferries up the Coast and across to Vancouver Island and back to Vancouver. It does take 6 1/2 hours to drive from Horseshoe Bay, up the Lower Sunshine Coast into Upper Sunshine Coast. We are located 5 minutes from the ferry to Vancouver Island. www.beaconbb.com. The area offers lots of outdoor oportunities, hiking into pristine wilderness, boat cruises into Desolation Sound or kayaking if you are experienced. www.discoverpowellriver.com is a good website about the area. I think the best whale watching is done out of Port McNeil or Telegraph Cover, about 45 minutes to 1 hour North of Campbell River. You will see the Orca there, you only see humpback's at Tofino. B.C. is a large province, lots of driving I am afraid. I can also recommend Thistledown B&B in North Vancouver as they are friends of mine. Check out www.wcbbia.com for recommended B&B accommodations in B.C.

Hi Wolfgang,

Just a comment about August 27. If you plan on hiking Lake O'Hara you need to buy a bus ticket up to the lake exactly three months in advance since they limit the number of people that got up there every day and the reservations on the bus fill up fast. Lake O'hara has some of the best hilking and the most beautiful scenery in North America.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/Yoho/activ/activ15a_e.asp

There really isn't much in the way of hiking at Takakaw Falls. You could hike up Yoho Valley but there really isn't much to see. I would spend most of my time at Lake O'Hara or Lake Louise and maybe just stop at Takakaw Falls for an hour or so during your stay.

>>>>>>There really isn't much in the way of hiking at Takakaw Falls. You could hike up Yoho Valley but there really isn't much to see.<<<<<<

Are you speaking from experience, CraigEvan? Bob Brown has made favourable comments about the Iceline Trail above Takakkaw Falls. But I can't comment, as I have not done the hike myself.

Wolli, speaking of hikes that depart from Takakkaw Falls, there is one that I have heard is not only beautiful but also interesting for anyone who has even the slightest interest in geology and paleontology.

It's the hike to the Burgess Shale formation. But, since it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you are allowed to go there only in the company of a licensed guide.

A friend of mine has done the hike. He told me that you reached a point on the hike where you were high above Emerald Lake, and you looked down on the lake. He said that was a pretty sight. He said that the explanation of the fossils, which was provided by the paleontologist / hiking guide, was fascinating.

My friend said that people book four and five months in advance to do the hike in July - August. I don't know how booked up it is in September, but it runs only until September 11th.

It's listed as a moderately difficult hike. It's 20 km (11 miles) round-trip. The elevation gain is 760 metres (2,500 feet). It takes 10 hours.

Here's a website:

http://www.burgess-shale.bc.ca/hikes/burgess.htm

When I was visiting my brother on Vancouver Island a few years ago we went to Campbell River and took a boat to see bears and whales...We never saw any bears but did see bald-headed eagles and 2 whale pods....We spent alot of time with the whale pods...The tour left from a resort in Campbell River(sorry don't know the name)...It was an amazing day...Well worth the money.

Looked up the resort...Painter's Lodge..We had a late lunch on the deck after our boat tour...You may even consider staying there...it is a beautiful place and I wish we had more time when we were there to enjoy the place....Hope this helps.

Hello and many thanks to all of you. Your comments, ideas and especially your comparison, Judy, B.C. with western Europe is very helpful. Does anybody have heard about the wildlife tours starting from Sayward with village island tours? The Guide is a native (member of First Nation).The website looks very intersting. The tours to Knigt Inlet Lodge (with seaplane from Cambell river) are a little bit too expensive (by the way, they are fully booked for the time we can get there (Sept. 11 and/or12), Tiderip from Telegraf Cove is als fully booked at that time. The aacomodation in or around Sayward looks a little bit difficult.

just one more vote for Tofino.
One of the most magical places in B.C.
Don't miss it!

Sayward is a tiny village but if you're going somewhere with Thomas I'm sure he can recommend a B&B.