bonham

We are a family of 2 middle aged adults and 1 15 year old teenager boy planning to visit Seattle and Western Canada from mid May onwards. We are interested in travelling leisurely by road and are interested in nature and easy to moderate hiking. I have made out a rough itinerary and am looking for suggestions from fellow members for improvising the same. Our itinerary is as follows:
1) Seattle for 4 nights including 1 day visit to Mount Rainier National Park.
2) Seattle to Victoria by Clipper and 2 nights in Victoria including visit to the Butchart Gardens.
3) Victoria to Vancouver by ferry. 3 nights in Vancouver for city sightseeing including a hike to Grouse Mountain.
4) Thereafter hiring a car and spending 1 night in Whistler , 1 night in Kamloops and 1 night in Clearwater.
5) From Clearwater to Jasper( 2 nights), Banff (2 nights), Revelstoke (1 night) , Kelowna (2 nights) for Okanagan valley and then back to Vancouver for our flight back to Mumbai.
I wanted to know what the weather would be like from mid May onwards and whether I need to prebook hotels for my journey from Whistler onwards. Kindly let me have your valuable inputs on the above itinerary and in what way I can optimise the same. Thanking you in advance for your responses.

qwovadis

classic.mapquest.com directions distances for route info

Did something like this a few years back in reverse. Flew into SEA cheapoair.com carrentals.com to Spokane Glacier
Banff Lake Louise and the Ice Fields parkway(got chased
by a young bear was driving a convertible) then Revelstoke
Penticton Vancouver Victoria Port Townsend/Olympic NP Seattle.
Had a wonderful trip booked cheap hotels on the fly mostly bid
priceline.com for cheap hotels in the big cities.

Happy Travels!

NorthwestMale

A hike TO Grouse Mountain???

Are you saying "The Grouse Grind" ???


(I'm not sure I want to even contemplate it)


(clarity: You can pay $40 a person and take the gondola up the mountain where you can hike at the top... and/OR you can walk up what is perhaps 3000 feet of stairs!!! (just to get there) ) )

bonham

Yeah planning to do The Grind just to test myself and loose a couple of extra pounds one tends to put on during vacations. Will send my wife and son up by the gondola and will come down together.

out_and_about

Re weather for mid-May onwards... certainly in the mountains, with stops at Revelstoke, Clearwater, Jasper and Banff, you should come prepared for a wide range of possibilities. For hiking, trails will still be snowed in so footwear is not the same as in summer; if it is a bit warmer and snow is slushy, gaiters are a good idea. For almost any time of year in the Rockies, with gains in elevation and/or drops in temps, layers are the way to go for clothing. Admittedly it adds to bulk in luggage, unless you plan to buy here and just pack it home. Re: booking accommodation in advance, any time around the May long weekend you should definitely book in advance, this year that's May 18-22 (the Monday is celebrated for Queen Victoria's birthday, our Commonwealth heritage). There's always the adventure of not knowing where you'll stay for the other times, if your family is good with... surprises. =)

bonham

Thanks for your advise. Will surely pack clothing in layers. We will be escaping most of the long weekend and will be arriving in Victoria on 21st May. Just wondering whether it is worth visiting Calgary for a day or two by cutting down on some other places.

ShelliDawn

I wouldn't take any time away from the mountains to visit Calgary. IMO, you're not spending enough time there as it is.

tomfuller

Unless you have something great to see in Clearwater, I would head for Jasper for an extra night. Clearwater is only 77 miles (1.5 hr) from Kamloops. Kamloops to Jasper is less than 6 hours.

bonham

So Calgary is definitely out. I thought the Wells Gray Provincial Park was a great place to see and hence the stopover in Clearwater.Just wanted to have some more views whether to stay overnight in Clearwater or stay an additional third day in Jasper.