I will be visiting Jasper - Banff - Whistler - Vancouver &amp; Victoria this summer (2 weeks)and need help planning what activities to do, how much time to spend in each town and which would be the most scenic route to take from Banff to Whistler.<BR><BR>We are traveling with our 13 year old daughter and her friend and we are on a tight budget.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for any help

It might help if I knew where you were starting your trip and where you plan to end it. Also how are you traveling to Canada? By a tight budget, I am not sure what you mean. Youth hostle type budget or $150 a night for accommodations.<BR>Also what kind of activities interests you? <BR><BR>You are headed to an area famous for its mountain scenery until you get to Victoria and Vancouver. In hope that is what you want to see because that is what is there for you.<BR><BR>I will tell you now that Vancouver is expensive and so are motels/hotels around Jasper and Banff.<BR><BR>For starters I suggest you acquire a printed copy of Alberta Accommodations Guide which can be obtained for free from Travel Alberta. It is indispensible for locating accommodations that will fit your price range. The telephone number is 1-800-661-8888. Also ask for a road map of Alberta. <BR><BR>For starters I suggest 2 full days in Jasper, 1 full, long day for the Icefields Parkway, 3 days in the Banff Jasper area and 2 day to drive to Vancouver via the TransCanada highway through <BR>Glacier National Park and Revelstoke.<BR>Then I would detour through the Okanagen Valley. Then 3 days for Whistler - Vancouver and Victoria for 2 days and the termination of the trip before heading straight to your return point. That adds to 13 days, but I could easily spend more time around Lake Louise and Yoho National Park, which is adjacent on the British Columbia side of the Great Divide.<BR><BR>I think how much time you spend there depends on how much hiking along scenic trails you want to do. <BR><BR>What I have described is not something I would do myself because I would be covering the ground too fast.<BR>I can make many more suggestions than what I have listed here.<BR>

Thanks for your suggestions. We will arrive in Edmonton early afternoon and plan to visit West Edmonton Mall and have supper in Edmonton then drive to Hinton (cheaper then Jasper) Our hotel price range is between $80 and $120 Cdn.<BR><BR>I use to live in Edmonton and have visited Jasper several times but have only been to Banff once and have never been to BC.<BR><BR>We will be flying out from Vancouver. Activities hat we plan to do are: trails near Jasper (forgot the name of this beautiful trail where you see the river down he gorge) Columbia Icefields, visit of Lake Louise, visit Banff, trails, hotspring pool, gondola to mountain top, Lynn Canyon Park and Ecology Centre - North Vancouver.<BR><BR>Any other activity (free if possible) you would suggest? And most scenic route to get from Banff to Whistler? Is Kamloops in the Okanagan Valley?<BR>

Kamloops is just north of the Okanagan Valley. You can drive from Sicamous (which is just west of Revelstoke) south into the Okanagan through Vernon, Kelowna and then Penticton along Hwy 97. Then from the Penticton area you would take Hwy 3 west through Manning Park to the town of Hope (where all the highways meet), in which you'd take Hwy 1 for 2 hours all the way into Vancouver.<BR><BR>Kamloops is a popular overnight stay because it's where a few highways meet, and it's a mid-point between Vancouver and the Rockies... however, if you go through Kamloops instead of through the Okanagan, you'd be missing out on driving along Okanagan Lake, through the orchards and vineyards... missing opportunities to stop off at the fruit stands or the wineries.

Oh - Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton are all in the Okanagan Valley.

Thanks, We intend to go to Whistler for a couple of days on our way to Vancouver. Should we do a loop from Kamloops to Kelowna then to Whistler? If so, which are the most scenic roads that we should take ?

You can go from Kamloops to Whistler direct via #97 to Clinton where you take #99 south through Lilooet and Pemberton to Whistler. The stretch between Lilooet and Pemberton is paved but narrow and winding. But it is very scenic and you should set aside a full day for the drive.<BR><BR>If you overnight in Kamloops I reccomend the Kamloops Thriftlodge which is the budget chain of Travelodge. You can get two double beds for under $60 including a cont. bkfst. The website is www.thriftlodge.kamloops.com.<BR><BR>There is virtually no budget accomodation in Whistler. There are a few places in Pemberton which is only 20 minutes North of the Village but I know nothing of them. Squamish, which is about a half hour south has a number of chains and you should get a room for under $90. Anything in Whistler will cost you at least $150.

Thanks Gary,<BR><BR>How about the okanagan valley? should I skip it?

The Okanogan Valley is more of a destination resort area than a drive through area - at least in my opinion. While it is very pretty and has a lot to offer I think with your limited time you would be better off devoting about 4-5 days to the Rockies, about 2-3 days traveling from the Rockies to the coast and at least 3 days in Vancouver and 2 in Victoria. If you think that you would rather spend a few days in the Okanogan than in the Whistler/Howe Sound area then you should split off at Salmon Arm and head south on 97 and spend at least 3 days exploring the Valley from top to bottom including visiting a winery. You can return to Vancouver on #3 to Hope and #1 to Vancouver.<BR><BR>There really is so much to see in Southern BC, including the Kootneys and the Fraser Canyon, that it's difficult to suggest one area over the other. I only suggested the Kamloops to Whistler route because you asked about the route from Banff to Whistler. I hope you will return to BC and do some of the things you couldn't fit into your two weeks this time.

Thanks again Gary,<BR><BR>I know that 2 weeks is such a short time and that there is so much to see...But I really want to see Whistler (I want to see it all but..). I hope I get to go out west again in my life time but for now, I want to see as much as possible and I don't want to miss the best scenery. <BR><BR>How much time would it take to drive down to Kelowna from Sicamous then back up to Kamloops taking 97C and route 5?

If you're talking driving time, about 3-4 hours. If you want to go to Penticton and back to 97C add 2-3 hours. Then add in some 'exploring' time and you're talking one full day. Better than not seeing it at all I guess.

There are several ways to get to the Okanagen from Revelstoke. I think the drive south along the Columbia River from Revelstoke is nice. Then you can turn west on route 6 at Nakusp, cross the river at Farquier, and continue on to Vernon.<BR>From there you can turn north and then west to Kamloops and take the Coquihalla Freeway if you want a faster route, or stay on the Trans Canada through the Fraser Canyon for a more scenic route.<BR>An alternative is to contine south from Vernon through Kelowna and take route 97C over to Merrit on the Coquihalla Freeway. This route is somewhat circuitous, but scenic in places.<BR>From Banff, I would take the Trans Canada through Golden and drive over Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park and continue on to Revelstoke. Glacier on a clear day is beautiful. Unfortunately it is often cloud bound.<BR><BR>Around Lake Louise, the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail is very scenic, but often full of people. The lake itself is a Mecca for tourists from all over and many hikers take the walk out to the tea house. The trail ends agains the mountain wall and farther hiking requires glacier crossing skills and/or rock climbing skills. <BR><BR>I also recommend detouring by Takkakaw Falls in Yoho. It is gorgeous, and one of the highest falls in all of Canada.<BR>If you want something of a pulse pounder, take the Iceline Trail from Whiskey Jack Hostle up to the high point on the trail The Yoho Valley is to the east and the Emerald Glacier and the flank of the Vice President mountain are on your west. In front of you to the north are the sights of the upper Yoho Valley, while to the south you can see all the way to the mountains around Lake O'Hara.<BR><BR>I suggest that you obtain a copy of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson. The book, now in its 7th edition, is arguably the best hiking guide in English. I personally think it is better than the classic by Kev Reynolds on Switzerland.<BR>This book will help you plan your outings from Jasper on.<BR><BR>In Victoria, and on Vancouver Island, I have two suggestions for places to visit. 1. Butchart Gardens. 2. The Royal British Columbia Museum.<BR>The former is special. I am not much of a garden person, but Butchart is <BR>special. The Museum is small enough to be toured in a couple of hours, but well enough done that it is among the best of its type around.

Thank you so much. Of course Butchart Gardens is in my plans to visit in Victoria (forgot to mention it on my original list).<BR><BR>Bob - I intend to go to Whisler before going to Vancouver so I don't think that the Coquihalla Freeway would ge me there. But if I take the drive south along he Columbia river and west on route 6, will I be able to see okanagan valley? Is that route nicer then the Trans-Canada Hwy?

Yes, Vernon is in the Okanagen. It is north of Kelowna, but in the fruit growing region. <BR>The scenic part of the trans Canada, until you get to the canyon area along the Frazier River, for me ends about at Revelstoke. <BR>Once you leave the Rocky Mountains and descend from Yoho National Park to the Rocky Mountain trench through which the Columbia flows north at that point, you are geographically into a different chunk of the earth's crust. There are three ranges to cross going westward from the trench, the Purcells, the Selkirks and the Monashees. By the time you are west of Revelstoke on the way to Kamloops, the high mountains of central BC are left behind. <BR><BR>On the other hand, there is not much flat ground in the whole province outside of the river valleys. You will soon see that as you make the transistion from the central part of the provinces to the Coast Range. <BR>Part of the North Cascade Range from Washington extends northward into BC as well. <BR><BR>I think the route down the Columbia from Revelstoke, and then over to Vernon, crosses scenic ground as you leave the valley and cross Monashee Pass at about 4,000 feet elevation. But often that is a question of judgement!!<BR><BR>You could go from Vernon to Kamloops and then continue on via the back route to Whistler. That route takes you into Kamloops via Highway 97C and the Trans Canada for the last part of the route. To reach Whistler, you would continue on the Trans Canada from Kamloops until you reach Cache Creek. There you take a short turn to the north until route 99 goes to the west and then south ultimately reaching Vancouver from the north.<BR>This route is rather isolated and cuts through the Coast Range, which is rugged and isolated. Few roads penetrate the back country which is mountainous and glacier filled.<BR><BR>I think that route will be slower driving, but if you are going to Whistler, it certainly takes you into the trees!!<BR>

Thank ou so much Bob,<BR><BR>I'm afraid that it might be a little to much traveling time in one day? Where would be the logical place to stop for the night if I go thru Vernon? If I don't do the Okanagan Valley, I would stop for the night in Kamloops and leave for Whistler early the next day.

Yes, stop the night in Kamloops. It's a pretty full day from there to the Whistler area.

It would be a long day of driving. I tried driving once from Golden to Vancouver, and we stopped before we got there. <BR><BR>I do think the route from Banff to Kamloops as far as Mount Revelstoke is pretty, and at times dramatic. From the town of Revelstoke, it becomes a slow road. <BR><BR>The fastest way is to use the Coquihalla Freeway between Kamloops and Hope. At Hope you join the 4 lane section of the Trans Canada. From there to Vancouver is like freeway driving, with all of the hazards of long traffic jams!<BR><BR>Kamloops is centrally located and it does have several motels. If you are driving from Banff, I think you could logically spend the night in either Vernon or Kamloops and continue on to Whistler the next day.<BR><BR>If you elect to stop for any length of time in Glacier NP, the Vernon detour would be a bit much, probably.<BR> <BR>You can put together a very good trip with your plan so far. That is scenic country and you will see a lot.<BR>

Thanks to all, your suggestions and ideas have really helped me organize my itinerary.<BR><BR>Gary, I tried to book the Thriftlodge in Kamloops but the clerk was really rude and even hung up on me so I booked at the Thompson Hotel downtown instead for little bit more..

It is the Fraser River. I know better.<BR>Also, Vernon is a pleasant place. We spent the night there once and had a decent motel. It get crowded in the summer!<BR><BR>