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canadian rockies,colorado rockies or yellowstone/grand teton

canadian rockies,colorado rockies or yellowstone/grand teton

Old Jun 10th, 2007, 05:36 PM
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canadian rockies,colorado rockies or yellowstone/grand teton

family with 3 young teens. love outdoors, hiking,biking, tennis,swimming. love national parks but don't want to spend hrs every day driving place to place. which of above three choices would you choose for a 10 day trip (have already been to wyoming but would go back) also, would a trip to whistler/vancouver be an option?
thanks for your help.
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Old Jun 10th, 2007, 07:20 PM
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I think you are asking if you should eat NY strip, filet mignon, or chateaubriand.
Get all 3.
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Old Jun 10th, 2007, 07:53 PM
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seriously, no doubt banff,jasper,etc. are spectacular but coming from east coast usa with teens, is it too much traveling and not enough time "playing" or just go for it?
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Old Jun 10th, 2007, 09:51 PM
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Couldn't say - I haven't been to all three. I always recommend visiting somewhere new, if given the choice.

Banff/Jasper certainly would give you enough to do for 10 days, but there's no swimming anywhere there, except for inside the hotel swimming pools!

If you want to consider Whistler and Vancouver, you might also want to consider Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Whistler will offer you - the Coast Mountain range (which spans from Vancouver up to Alaska), glacier lakes/waterfalls in the vicinity, mountains covered in temperate rainforest and supalpine forest, mountain biking, hiking, canoeing, swimming (in the lakes at the base of the mountains), whitewater rafting. There's also the famous ZipTreak which would be a blast. Whistler Village can also be a fun place with restaurants, pubs, shops, etc.

Vancouver offers you sandy beaches, swimming, shops/restaurants galore, museums/attractions, nearby islands, whale watching (for orcas), temperate rainforest in the local parks, boating, sea kayaking, fishing, and the Coast Mountains a 20 minute drive away from downtown (for hiking, mountain biking, etc).

Tofino is located on the open Pacific ocean surrounded by old growth temperate rainforest (ie: some of the largest trees in the world in a very lush environment). People surf there when the waves are large enough (moreso in the winter months). The water's too cold for swimming, but there's Hot Springs Cove - a natural hotsprings on an unpopulated island where the cold ocean waves splash into the hot springs themself. There's also the Pacific Rim National Park, with boardwalk trails taking you throughout the rainforest. There's also fishing, sea kayaking, whale watching (for humpback/grey whales), wildlife viewing (lots of bald eagles), and a great place just to relax and soak up the environment.

It's something very different from the Rockies, but something that would be ideal for a family with young teens who love the outdoors.

You could easily spend 4 days in the Tofino area, 3 days in Vancouver, and 3 days in Whistler.
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Old Jun 11th, 2007, 08:47 AM
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dear carmanah
thanks so much for all your advice.
if I were to skip tofino ?too far
would 5-6 days in whistler and 3-4 days in vancouver area sound ok or is it too much time in whistler?
thanks
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Old Jun 11th, 2007, 03:18 PM
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Easy choice--the Canadian Rockies. If you spend three or four days in Lake Louise area and three or four in Jasper, the only long drive would be from Lake Louise to Jasper (only 150 miles but the stops to see the sights along the way make it almost an all day trip).

See Judy in Calgary's postings-she has a wealth of information on the Canadian Rockies as well as other attractions in the Calgary area.

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Old Jun 11th, 2007, 06:48 PM
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Tofino would be kids haven, if they are up for hiking, zodiac/whale watching and surfing(surfing is a big deal there, with many shops in Tofino that give lessons. I can't wait to take our kids there to try the surfing-ages 19 and 24). Our family loves Yellowstone area for the animal views(we are into photography and could tell you places to view animals, tho, so could rangers). Nothing beats Canadian Rockies for incredible vistas and the icefields highway is unsurpassed for mountain views from a vehicle. Banff/Jasper area is really touristry, but I would recommend seeing it. We did not hike there, but saw many animals from our car.

I guess, if I was going with kids who wanted to experience the area, I would look at Vancouver Island and Whistler. Ten days would make a nice trip. (btw, the highway from Vancouver to Whistler is under construction for the Olympics to be held there...heard it's a pain in the buttski...delays, ie).

If you have any questions, just post and I will check thread to reply.

Minn aka Sally



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Old Jun 12th, 2007, 12:17 PM
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Actually, bob's point has merit. We've been to all three places several times and you can't go wrong with any of them. With your criteria, I think I'd put Canadian Rockies at the top. Banff, Lake Louise, Icefields Parkway, Columbia Icefields and Jasper.
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Old Jun 12th, 2007, 12:27 PM
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Bob is right, this is a no lose choice. I have done all of these areas and Whistler. Far and away my favorite is the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise/Banff/Canmore area. Great hikes, beautiful scenery and good wildlife opportunities. Whistler had some excellent hikes, rafting,zipline, mountain biking and the atmosphere in town was perfect for letting the kids off leash. It is a compact area full of kids having fun and I thought it particularly safe. The Tetons/Yellowstone is a fantastic area for geological diversity, wildlife and good hiking. My least favorite spot was the Colorado Rockies, too overrun with people. I could not believe the wait on the trail sometimes. Very pretty, but too crowded. Have a great adventure!
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Old Jun 13th, 2007, 08:35 PM
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very much appreciate all the replies. trying to plan trip to banff/jasper. flights to calgary hard to work out. I can fly to edmonton. What do you all think of going from edmonton to jasper (how long a trip?) and then proceeding from there? thanks.
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Old Jun 14th, 2007, 05:42 AM
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Edmonton to Jasper is about 370 km/222 mi. If you're having difficulty getting flights in/out of Calgary, then Edmonton would be your best bet. Maybe try a open jaw into one and out of the other?
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