ozgirl

Hello everyone, thanks to excellent advice from everyone here and especially Judy, we have settled on the following itinerary... beginning Aug 2 from Seattle.

Day 1 Clipper from Seattle to Victoria
Day 2 Victoria (collect car)
Day 3 Victoria to Tofino (4 nights)
Day 7 Tofino to Whistler (2 nights)
Day 9 Whistler to Clearwater (2 nights)
Day 11 Clearwater to Jasper (4 nights)
Day 15 Jasper to Lake Louise (3 nights)
Day 18 Lake Louise to ?
Day 19 ? to Vancouver

My questions are:

Which route do we take on Day 9 - via Lillooet/Carriboo Hwy/then highway 24 OR via Kamloops?

Also, Day 18 when we leave Lake Louise (presumably through Golden/Revelstoke,) do we go south through Nelson or south through Kelowna before completing drive to Vancouver next day? What are the pros/cons of these alternatives please?

All accommodation is now booked except for Day 18 but any comments on our plan would be most appreciated!
Thanks in advance.

bob_brown

My suggestion for the 18th night is somewhere in the Okanagen, Vernon or Kelowna.

From there drive through Manning Provincial Park to Hope where you rejoin the Trans Canada for the remainder of your trip to Vancouver.

In getting to Kelowna or Vernon, I suggest you turn south into after crossing at Revelstoke and continue south on the route 23, which will involve a ferry crossing to reach Galena Bay. Cross to the west side of the Columbia at Fauquier and continue on route 6 to Vernon.

I hope you have a clear day in Glacier National Park because the peaks of the Selkirks and the Purcells are dramatic, particularly if you try to climb one of them!!

You could of course stay on the Trans Canada to Kamloops, but to me it is a featureless route with slow driving conditions most of the way. Once you leave Kamloops, you have the Coquihalla Freeway (an oxymoron because the Freeway is a toll way!) to Hope where you rejoin the Trans Canada.

bob_brown

OOPs The word "into" should have been cut. The first part should read: In getting to Kelowna or Vernon, I suggest you turn south after crossing the Columbia at Revelstoke and

ozgirl

Many thanks Bob Brown. Any other thoughts? I have found a lovely B&B in Oliver (Worths on the Water) and am just waiting for Fodorites opinions on this as the best route back!
Thank you again.

bob_brown

From Oliver, drive south almost to Osoyoos and join route 3. Turn west on Route 3 and follow it all the way to Hope where you rejoin the trans Canada highway for your "sprint" to Vancouver.

This route takes you through Manning Provincial Park which might be worth a stop. It is the wine capital of Canada.

I think you can drive it non stop in 5 hours. That should leave you time to enjoy something along the way.

Oliver is in a unique place. Lakes are close by, and so is some very dry country.

ozgirl

Thanks Bob. Does anyone have any comments about my Day 9 options please?

bob_brown

I think your day 9 time would be better spend if you adjusted the schedule to get in one more day somewhere in the Canadian Rockies. You will spend a whole day on the Icefields Parkway if you stop for even some of the really worthwhile sights.
I think Jasper and 4 nights is sufficient.

Lake Louise and 3 nights would be fine if ONLY Lake Louise was the main show.
It is not the only target in that area.
Yoho National Park has some attractive places, including Takkakaw Falls.
Kootenay NP, which is over the provincial line at Vermillion Pass has some of its own neat features, and around Banff there are quite a few short hikes and excursions you could take that are beneficial.

On your way to Jasper from Clearwater, I highly recommend a stop to view Mt. Robson. If the day is clear, and you can see the top of this awesome mountain, walk up to Kinney Lake and tilt your head back for a view of the top ridges some 8,000 feet above you.

In Jasper, I think the main attractions are the Angel Glacier (Mount Edith Cavell), the tramway to the Whistler, and Maligne Lake with the narrow slot canyon. Also, many people seem to enjoy float trips on the Athabasca River. The section I have seen the most is relatively tranquil for a mountain stream.

South of Jasper on the way to Lake Louise, I highly recommend a stop at Athabasca Falls.

ozgirl

Many thanks Bob. Can't change our accommodation now but will do our best to fit all recommendations in! Do you think we need to make reservations on the ferry back from Vancouver Island on a Wednesday?

bob_brown

The reservation will ensure that you can board. I have not used one, but I have gotten to the dock either early in the wait cycle or drove up at the last moment and got lucky.

I am sure you will get all kinds of answers to your question. I would put more credence in a response from someone who had done the trip on a regular basis than I would from someone who does it sporadically.

When I have ridden the ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen, I got there early in the wait cycle and was able to drive onboard. The ferries leave every hour on the hour and two of the ships have a large capacity, something like 460 vehicles.

The reservation fee is $15.00 and the crossing time is 1 hour, 35 minutes. Of course it takes a few minutes to get all the vehicles off the ferry, but the process goes amazingly fast.

In all 4 boats are in service on the line. The Queen of Saanich and the Queen of Vancouver are a bit smaller than the Spirit of Vancouver and the Spirit British Columbia.

You can check out the whole picture at BC Ferries on the web. If I were timing my departure to coincide with a sailing of one of the "Spirits", I might chance it. Otherwise, I would get the reservation. If you miss the boat, you have no choice but to sit there for another hour waiting for the next one.

Carmanah

Bob's experience is the same as mine. I only use the ferries once or twice a year. I only make reservations if it's a summer weekend, if it's a holiday weekend, or if there aren't many sailings (ie: ferries to the Gulf Islands). If I was in your position, I'd just chance it, but that's just me. I don't mind waiting the extra hour if I absolutely have to. There's a market at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal, so I normally go in there, grab some food, read a paper, wander around the park area outside, and before I know it, I have to get back in my car to board the ferry.