Hello:

We are three adults in our last 30's that just some days ago decided to visit BC and Alberta, beginning 26th August. After some days working on it reading very interesting advices in this forum, i'd like you can advice to me about several doubts we have, even our departure it's very close.
Coming from Spain, probably we don't have many oportunities to visit that area, so we prefer to see as much as possible, even at the cost of early wake up,long drives and "busy" days.
Because we have very limited time i'd like you can advice to me about places no to be missed.

Day 1: Arriving at Calgary at 21,30 pm. We must overnight there or could be possible drive up to Canmore? If Calgary overnight, can you suggest a motel in a convenient area near the airport or enroute to the Rockies ?
Day 2: Early depart to Banff area, Grassi Lakes trail, short visit of Bannf town, ¿Fenland or Koodos trail, worth it?,visit Banffs Spring Hotel and finally Sulphur Mountain Gondola, best at evening? Even do you think we would have time to do the Johnston Canyon if overnight at Johnston Canyon resort?

Day 3: Early depart to Maligne Lake area. What hike do you suggest: Lake Agnes, Beehives and Plan of Six glaciers, Paradise Valley or Valley of Ten Peaks and Sentinel Pass?
Short visit to Chateau Lake Louise.

Day 4: Icefields Parway up to Jasper. Do you think could be possible that day to see the main atractions and even do the Wilcox Pass trail, Mistaya Canyon and Icefield Centre? Could be better overnight in the middle of the route? Can you suggest to me a good place in that case?

Day 5: If overnight at Jasper: Maligne Canyon Ttrail, short visit to Maligne lake and Cavel Meadows trail

Day 6: Early visit Jasper Tramway if nice weather. Drive to Mount Robson Park , short visit to Helmcken Falls. Any advice for overnight: Clearwater, 100 mile house or Kamloops? Any advice of driving times there would be very helpful

Day 7: Drive to Vancouver via Sea to Sky Highway. Any places not to be missed in that route?
Day 8 and 9: Visit Vanccouver. Suggestions for hotel in downtown: Bosmans, Blue Horizon?
Any idea about a good seafood restaurant in Vancouver?
Day 10: Early depart in order to reach as far as possible that day: Revelstoke could bepossible? If not, please suggest to me nice place to overnight and things to see that day.
Day 11: Drive through Roger Pass up to Yoho National Park: suggested short trails there, please. Overnight Banff or Lake Louise.
Day 12: Early depart to Calgary in order to take the flight departing at 14,20 pm.

Finally, i'd like to know if you think we must skip the last part of this travel, because we will not have enough time to even touch the surface of the Okanagan Valley and would be better to see the Yoho National Park from Lake Louise in day 4 and, in that case, flight directly from Vancouver to Calgary day 12?

Any other advice regarding suggested motels / hotels, things to do or to be missed, restaurants, would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your time and sorry for my english.

Pedro

The drive from Little Fort through to 100 Mile House is rather a pretty one, I thought. We stayed at the Ramada in 100 Mile House and found it perfectly adequate. I'm wondering though if you couldn't fly home from Vancouver rather than go all the way back to Calgary.

Visit the following website. Judy has provided excellent information regarding visits to the Canadian Rockies.

http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...kiesTravelTips

Suggestions:

Day 1--recommend you overnight in Calgary area. Canmore/Banff is about two hours from the Calgary airport plus you have to clear customs and get a car.

Day 3--assume you mean Moraine Lake. Valley of Ten Peaks is best hike in the area. If you are energetic and reasonably fit,you can do Ten Peaks in the morning and Plain of Six Glaciers in the afternoon. Skip Lake Agnes--trail is busy and the trees block the view.

Suggest you add a second day in Lake Louise area to visit Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake. They are only 30 to 40 minutes from Lake louise. Consider doing Emerald Triangle trail (20k).

Drive from Lake Louise to Jasper will take most of the day since you will likely stop at Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Icefields, do a hike at Parker Ridge or Wilcox Pass, stop at several waterfalls, etc. No need to overnight enroute.

Doing the full Maligne Canyon trail, visiting Maligne Lake, and then visiting Cavell Meadows will take all day.

At Mt Robson, do the Kinney Lake trail--rated one of the best nature hikes in the Rockies.

You will be in one of the most beautiful area in the world, so whatever you do you can't go wrong.

No need to apologize for your English. It is perfectly understandable.

I wish I had more answers to your questions, but I will do what I can.

I would suggest you get a good night's rest in Calgary. My choice of hotels is the Greenwood Inn. It is just off of the Barlow Trail at 32nd street.

It has a big parking lot at no extra charge. The rooms are varied in size and style. A room with a king bed is quite spacious. Some roms have two queen beds.

If you decide you want to stay there, I can describe a route out of town for you that is easy to follow.

I don't agree with your choice of trails. There are better ones, although Johnson Canyon is a good one.

The resort there is nice. What you suggest is possible.

Driving the Icefields Parkway in one day is possible, but you will miss some of the best features. Unfortunately, there are not many place to stay overnight along the Parkway. The least expensive place is called The Crossing. It is a motel, gas station, restaurant, gift shop, etc. I would rate it fair.

Our room was ok, but small. The food was fair to less than fair. Certainly not good.

Of the hikes you list I suggest the Plain of Six Glaciers. It is 6 miles round trip from the lake with an altitude gain of 1,000 feet. Not bad.

The Beehive is steeper.

Be sure to see Moraine Lake. It is beautiful.

I like Takkakaw Falls in Yoho.
Many people will suggest Emerald Lake.
To me it is ordinary; better options elsewhere in the region.

Mount Robson is spectacular because it is an isolated peak that towers way above the landscape, some 8,000 feet or
2,500 meters.

In Glacier, Rogers Pass, several steep short trails.

Perly Rock is tough but good.
The Great Glacier Trail is ok, but some of it is in the bush and the glacier has retreated way up the rock face. You can see where it was, but see the ice is difficult because it almost gone.

Before you select any trails, let me suggest you buy a copy of The Canadian Rockes Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson. It is widely available in Canmore, Banff, and many other places.

It gives distances, altitude changes, etc. I have a copy that always goes with me. It is not very expensive, and it is very well researched and the trails are well described.

You will be going to a beautiful area, and you cannot really go wrong with your choices. Some of it you may want to do as you go along.

One problem you may have is finding places to stay if you don't have reservations already.

Good luck.

Hi Pedro,

<b>Sat, Aug 26</b> - Arrive in Calgary at 21h30. Do not expect to have gone through immigration, retrieved your luggage, and gone through customs before 22h30. Then, by the time you’ve picked up your rental car, driven to your hotel, and checked in, it’ll be 23h30. Don’t even THINK about driving to Canmore. Aside from the fact that you’ll be tired from your flight, it’ll be dark, and you’ll miss the view of the mountains as you approach them.

It would be convenient to stay in the northeast quadrant, near the airport. If you choose to stay there, you can recognize the relevant hotels by the fact that many of them have the word “hotel” in their names, and all of their street addresses end in NE (denoting the northeast quadrant).

The hotel that Bob Brown mentioned, the Greenwood Inn, is a good one.

Another idea, which would take perhaps 15 minutes longer, would be to drive to Motel Village in the northwest quadrant of Calgary. You can recognize the hotels from the fact that “Motel Village” or “University” is in their name. In addition to that, several of them are located on Banff Trail NW. Best Western Village Park Inn and Hampton Inn &amp; Suites Calgary University are quite nice. Econo Lodge Inn &amp; Suites University is said to be basic but clean. But do NOT stay at the other Econo Lodge in Motel Village, which is called Econo Lodge Motel Village. It often gets dreadful reviews on the travel discussion forums. Quality Inn University is fine. The advantage of staying in one of these properties is that their location would give you a little bit of a head start towards Banff the next morning.

<b>Sun, Aug 27</b> – Drive to Banff. Go to Johnston Canyon first, because it’s popular, and its parking lot fills up. Then go to Sulphur Mountain. If you care about photography, don’t go up the Sulphur Mountain gondola late in the day. In the afternoon the mountain casts a shadow on the valley below, which gives photos a flat, two-dimensional appearance. Pictures then do not capture the depth of the scene. After that, have a look at the Banff Springs Hotel. If you still have time and energy for more walking, drive the Lake Minnewanka Loop, and do the 1.4 km walk from the Lake Minnewanka parking lot to Stewart Canyon. Spend whatever time you have left strolling through Banff townsite before dinner. I do not think you will have time to visit Grassi Lakes, which are to the south of Canmore, and rather out of your way.

In addition to Johnston Canyon Resort, you might consider staying in Banff townsite – perhaps at Douglas Fir Resort, Hidden Ridge Resort, High Country Inn, or the Juniper. If you want a budget property (by Banff’s standards), you could try Homestead Inn, Red Carpet Inn, or Irwin’s Motor Inn.

<b>Mon, Aug 28</b> – I’m sure when you said Maligne Lake you meant Moraine Lake. I’m glad you’re planning to include it. As Bob says, it’s beautiful. Bob already has answered your hiking question.

I don’t know where you intend to spend this night. Perhaps the same place where you stayed on Aug 27th. Although I usually advocate choosing a single base in the Banff / Lake Louise area, someone who is moving at your speed might want to transfer to the Lake Louise area for this night. But it may be difficult to get accommodation in Lake Louise. You could try for a loft suite at Lake Louise Inn. Otherwise stay at your previous accommodation, even if it does mean a little bit of double backing between Lake Louise and Banff.

More in next post ..........

<b>Mon, Aug 29</b> - Icefields Parkway to Jasper. Yes, it would be possible to do everything you said you wanted to do. No, I do not think it would be a good idea to spend a night in the middle of the Icefields Parkway. It would be a good idea for someone who had more time than you have, but it would be a poor idea for you.

You might want to do a Google search for HOME ACCOMMODATION + JASPER. Home accommodation is like a Bed &amp; Breakfast, but without breakfast. Although they don’t provide breakfast, several home accommodations come with kitchens.

<b>Tue, Aug 30</b> – I suggest you visit Mount Edith Cavell first. Then the tram up Whistlers Mountain. Then Maligne Canyon. Finally, if time permits, visit Maligne Lake, but time may have run out and you may need to sacrifice this landmark.

<b>Wed, Aug 31</b> – I recommend against taking the tram ride on this day. I don’t believe you have time for it.

You can find out driving times by consulting Map Quest ( www.mapquest.com ). However, to help you out, driving times – not counting stops -- are as follows:

Jasper to Clearwater : 3.5 hours

Jasper to Kamloops : 5.5 hours

Jasper to 100 Mile House : 6 hours

You will need to add at least 2 hours for the detour to see Helmcken Falls. Add to that an hour for lunch.

You’ll be assisted by the fact that you’ll cross time zones just west of Jasper, and you’ll gain an hour.

100 Mile House probably is about as far as you can expect to get. At 100 Mile House, you can see Bridge Creek Falls.

<b>Thu, Sept 1</b> – Although you technically could reach Vancouver on this day, I suggest you drive only as far as Whistler. It takes 4 hours to drive from 100 Mile House to Whistler, not counting stops. Lillooet is of historical interest, because it was Mile 0 on the wagon trail leading to the Cariboo gold fields. 100 Mile House is – you guessed it – 100 miles from Lillooet. The road between Lillooet and Pemberton has sharp turns and steep inclines. It is not dangerous by any means, but it requires concentration. I recommend a stop at Nairn Falls just past Pemberton. Once you get to Whistler, there are a number of things you can do, like a gondola ride.

I have never spent a night in Whistler, so cannot recommend accommodation.

<b>Fri, Sept 2</b> – Drive from Whistler to Vancouver, stopping at Brandywyne Falls just outside of Whistler and Shannon Falls just outside of Squamish. It takes 2 hours from Whistler to Vancouver, but each waterfall will add half an hour.

Spend the afternoon in Stanley Park.

I will leave it to others to suggest where you should stay.

<b>WARNING : THIS WILL BE A PUBLIC HOLIDAY LONG WEEKEND, SO I EXPECT THERE WILL B E A DEMAND FOR ACCOMMODATION.</b>

I also will leave it to others to suggest where you should dine.

<b>Sat, Sept 3</b> – Do some window shopping in the morning (Granville Island Market or Yaletown or Robson Street).

I recommend a visit to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in the afternoon.

More in next post ..........

<b>Sun, Sept 4</b> – Drive to Revelstoke. Yes, you should be able to reach Revelstoke, which is 6.5 hours from Vancouver. Three Valley Gap is an interesting place to stay. Griffin Lake Lodge gets rave reviews on the travel discussion forums. If you cannot get into these accommodations, there is quite a good supply of adequate motels in Revelstoke. You may be interested in visiting Revelstoke Dam or driving the Meadows in the Sky Parkway just outside of town.

<b>Mon, Sept 5</b> - Drive through Rogers Pass and Yoho National Park. Just before the hamlet of Field, British Columbia, turn off to see the natural bridge over the Kicking Horse River and Emerald Lake. There is a 2-hour lakeshore path that you can walk if you wish. Just after Field, take the turn off to see Takakkaw Falls. Carry on to Banff.

Revelstoke to Banff is about 4 hours. Add an hour for a quick visit to Emerald Lake and an hour for a visit to Takakkaw Falls. Add 2 hours on top of that if you do the lakeshore path around Emerald Lake. Add an hour for lunch. Add an hour for the hour you’ll lose when you cross time zones between Revelstoke and Golden. All of these activities effectively could use up 8 to 10 hours.

Bob Brown also has given you some recommendations for this day. I’ll leave it to you to decide which of his suggestions and which of my suggestions you want to follow and to adjust time estimates accordingly. As Bob said, you’ll have to decide some of this stuff when you’re in the area.

I expect the TransCanada Highway to be busy on this day, which is the Labour Day public holiday. It would be prudent to drive extra carefully.

I discussed Banff accommodation earlier. This time you could stay in Banff again or you could consider staying in Canmore, 15 minutes to the east of Banff. There you could consider staying at Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge, Drake Inn or Bow Valley Motel.

If you stay in Canmore, who knows, you may even get a chance to visit Grassi Lakes.


<b>Tue, Sept 6</b> – You said you’d be departing at 14h20. You don’t have to leave Banff / Canmore super early. Between 8h30 and 9h30 would be fine.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Finally, i'd like to know if you think we must skip the last part of this travel, because we will not have enough time to even touch the surface of the Okanagan Valley and would be better to see the Yoho National Park from Lake Louise in day 4 and, in that case, flight directly from Vancouver to Calgary day 12?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

Flying to Calgary probably will cost you quite a bit of money, not only because you’ll have to pay for the air fares but also because you are likely to incur a one-way drop off fee if you pick up a rental car in Calgary and drop it off in Vancouver.

April floated out the idea of flying home from Vancouver, which I think is a good idea. However, if you are committed to your flights and cannot change them, the above itinerary is feasible.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; sorry for my English&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

I would give my eye teeth to write Spanish as well as you write English. The Fodor’s forum should give its collective eye teeth to receive enquiries that are as well formulated as yours.

Adios.

To add to the information above, some more driving times -

Jasper to Kamloops is a 5 hour drive. Note that you will be crossing a time zone (from Mountain time to Pacific time) as you drive from Jasper to Mount Robson, and you'll gain an hour, so your day will be &quot;longer&quot;.

The highway between Jasper and Kamloops is two lane undivided. The speed limit is 90 or 100 km/hour (and slower in sections).

Mount Robson is about 80 km west of the town of Jasper (it takes about 50 minutes to drive).

Maligne Lake is about 60 km to the south-east of the town of Jasper, and it can take up to an hour to drive (it's a narrow two lane road, and is one of the roads on which you're almost guaranteed to see wildlife, especially bighorn sheep, often deer and elk, occasionally moose, and even bears!!

Visiting Maligne Lake, taking the cruise down the length of the lake, and then walking Maligne Canyon, can take you the better part of daylight hours. Combining that with the Mount Edith Cavell trail (30 minutes drive from the town of Jasper) is ambitious (unless you decide not to take the cruise on Maligne Lake).
There is a trail along the eastern shore of Maligne Lake, and if you find wildlife fascinating, you will have an opportunity to see many different species of birds (especially early morning or in the evening).

For a break in the middle of the day in Jasper, I would suggest lunch on the outdoor patio at Jasper Park Lodge - good food and a pretty view overlooking Lac Beauvert with Mount Edith Cavell and the Whistlers in the background. Other eateries where we've enjoyed casual lunches are Evil Dave's Grill (on Patricia Street), and Jasper Brewing Co. (on Connaught Drive).

For a different kind of a &quot;ride&quot;, try white water rafting on Athabasca River (www.whitewaterraftingjasper.com or www.riverguides.com).

I would recommend staying at least one night in Jasper, but reserve your accommodation now - in the summertime the best places are quickly booked up.

Craig91355 and Borealis have made good points. For some reason, although I had seen April's and Bob Brown's posts before I posted my messages, I did not notice Craig's.

Obviously when you add up all of our suggestions, you have too many activities to fit into your trip. Something will have to go.

If you want to take Borealis up on the suggestion of white water rafting or Craig up on the suggestion of hiking the Kinney Lake Trail, here is an idea you could consider.

Think about skipping the day in Banff, and just go straight from Calgary to Lake Louise. You'll have an opportunity to see Banff townsite, and perhaps even spend the night there, on your way back to Calgary. Banff is a pretty town nestled in gorgeous mountains. It's a good idea to see it -- briefly. But the hiking around there is not as good as the hiking in the Moraine Lake / Lake Louise area.

Speaking of white water rafting, other areas on your route where that is available are the Pemberton / Whistler area and the Kicking Horse River in Yoho National Park.

Hope that helps.

WOW!!

Thanks a lot to everybody for your info, reallly very helpful and apprpiate.
I really appreciate your time and opinions.
We had take some decisions: Booked BW Village at Calgary for 1st night, Johnston Canyon Resort for 2 nights and Beckers Chalet for the next 2 nights.
The most difficult part now to decide it's from Jasper to Vancouver: I'm in trouble to fill 3 days for this area, given our limited time, but, at the same time looks to me that 2 days it's not enough at all. First of all, i can't find a good place to overnigth the first day, because Whistler seems to me too far ( if we see Helmekin Falls) and can't find nothing really fancy at 100 Mile House, Cache Creek, Clearwater or Kamloops area.
I really appreciate a lot some suggestions ( timing, things to do, accomodation...) for this part of travel. Probably i'm wrong and this part must be done in three days minimum or i'm missing some really interested places between Wells Gary and Lilloet.
Really i'd like to overnight at Whistler ( i'm skier and Whistler it's a myth and don't hesitate to come again), but, at the same time i don't want to skip nice places for this.

Finally i'd like to know if this journey would be feasible in one, even large, day and if you think if worth it to see even a little part of Fraser Canyon: Early depart from Vancouver - Hope - Hell's gate- Hope- Merrit - Kelowna- Vernon- Sicamous and finally overnight at Revelstoke.
I was thinking in another option but probably it's by far too ambitious: after Hope go to Priceton - Penicton - Kelowna.- and overnight in Revelstoke I'd like some comments on this.

I'm in the last steps of planning because we depart sunday to Montreal ( via London, crossing fingers...), and even i can't brought with me the Lonely planet to read in the plane...

Thanks again to everybody and i hope i can send a review after return.

Hi again, Pedro,

Considering the time scale you are working with, I really think you need to accomplish the journey from Jasper to Vancouver in 3 days. That is a perfectly reasonable length of time in which to do it. A place in which you could consider staying is Sun Peaks. It’s a ski resort town about an hour from Kamloops. Obviously there’s no skiing there in the summer, but I’ve heard it’s a nice place to stay in summer too.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Finally i'd like to know if this journey would be feasible in one, even large, day and if you think if worth it to see even a little part of Fraser Canyon: Early depart from Vancouver - Hope - Hell's gate- Hope- Merrit - Kelowna- Vernon- Sicamous and finally overnight at Revelstoke. I was thinking in another option but probably it's by far too ambitious: after Hope go to Priceton - Penicton - Kelowna.- and overnight in Revelstoke I'd like some comments on this.&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

If you used the shortest way to get from Vancouver to Revelstoke, it would be feasible to do it in a day. The shortest way, as I think you know, is Vancouver – Hope – Kamloops – Salmon Arm – Revelstoke. That would take 6.5 hours, not counting stops. If you went via Lytton and Kelowna, it would take you 10.5 hours, not counting stops. If you went via Manning Provincial Park, Princeton and Kelowna, it would take 9.5 hours, not counting stops. Given that there would be scenic spots where you would want to stop, and given that you also would need to eat, I think the two longer routes are too ambitious.

HOWEVER, your idea would be feasible if you stopped in Vernon instead of Revelstoke. If you stopped in Vernon that night, it still would be feasible to reach Banff the following night. Vernon – Banff is 6 hours, not counting stops. Even if you added a couple of hours to see Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls, an hour for lunch and the hour that you would lose when you crossed time zones between Revelstoke and Golden, it still would be possible to get from Vernon to Banff in a day.

I’m sorry, I’ve realized I got the dates and days of the week mixed up in my previous posts to you. However, I think I still got the overall number of days right.

More .............

Here is an itinerary that I believe represents a reasonable compromise amongst your competing desires:

Sat, Aug 26 – Calgary

Sun, Aug 27 – Johnston Canyon

Mon, Aug 28 – Johnston Canyon

Tue, Aug 29 – Jasper

Wed, Aug 30 – Jasper

Thu, Aug 31 - Sun Peaks

Jasper to Sun Peaks is 5.5 hours, not counting stops. In order to see Helmcken Falls, you would need to add a minimum of 2 hours. You would gain an hour when you changed time zones west of Jasper. You ought to add an hour for lunch. Even if you add an hour or 2 or 3 in Mount Robson Provincial Park, this day’s drive would be feasible.

Fri, Sept 1 – Whistler

Sun Peaks to Whistler is 5 hours, not counting stops. In theory, you could press on all the way to Vancouver, which would be 7 hours, not counting stops. I personally think that going all the way to Vancouver would deprive you of opportunities to stop and see waterfalls, etc. Also remember that the drive between Lillooet and Pemberton, which has sharp turns and steep inclines, requires more than the usual amount of concentration.

Sat, Sept 2 – Vancouver

Sun, Sept 3 - Vancouver

More ...........

Mon, Sept 4 – Vernon

I believe it would be just a little too much of a stretch to reach Revelstoke on this day. Therefore I recommend Vernon instead. It’s at the north end of the Okanagan Valley. It is not quite as touristy as Penticton and Kelowna. However, I believe it is worth pressing on to Vernon for this night. The hour that you would cover between Kelowna and Vernon on this day would help you out during your drive to Banff the following day.

If you drive Vancouver – Hope – Manning Provincial Park – Princeton – Kelowna – Vernon, it normally takes 7.5 hours, not counting stops. This would be the Labour Day public holiday, so I expect roads would be busy. I believe you can expect the journey to take longer than usual. Nonetheless it could be done.

If you drive Vancouver – Hope – Lytton – Spences Bridge – Merritt – Kelowna – Vernon, it normally takes 8.5 hours, not counting stops.

You do not need to decide now which of these two routes you’ll take to Vernon. You’ll only have to decide by the time you reach Hope on that day. At that point you’ll need to decide whether to turn southeast to Manning Provincial Park or north to the Fraser River Canyon.

To my taste the Manning Provincial Park route is prettier. On the other hand, the Fraser River Canyon route strikes me as being more interesting. Manning Provincial Park will expose you to scenery that, although it’s beautiful, is fairly similar to other scenery you will have seen elsewhere in British Columbia. The Fraser River Gorge is different.

NOTE : If you went to Hell’s Gate in the Fraser River Canyon, there would be no need to return to Hope. After seeing Hell’s Gate you could cut across to Spences Bridge and Merritt and from there to Kelowna.

Tue, Sept 5 - Banff

It takes about 6 hours to drive from Vernon to Banff, not counting stops.

Wed, Sept 6 - Fly out of Calgary

Good luck with everything. As they said in Star Wars, &quot;May the Force be with you.&quot;

Hello and thanks again

Judy: i don't know if i'm getting older or too much confused with so many names, routes,numbers and dates in a short frame of time. We just realise reading your suggestions that we will fly out Calgary Sept 7 at 14,20, so we have one more day.
Probaly my mistake comes from counting 12 days ( i had skip the day we will depart...)

So, much better for us...
I remember that when was planning the travel, i figure out the Labor Day to stay partially in Vancouver, in order to skip traffic.
I'd like to stay two full days at Vancouver, so if we arrive Sept 2 at, let say, noon, we can go out there Sept 4 afternoon and we will have 2 1/2 days to arrive at Banff area. Can you suggest me in that way an overnight place in order to see more relaxing Fraser Canyon or Manning Provincial Park and Yoho?

Finally i have 2 more doubts: Do you think it's a good idea to see the Lynn Canyon bridge Sept 2 in our way from Whistler to Vancouver?
How about to purchase a National Park Canada Pass at 123,80$ CAD or Discovery Package at 155,50$ CAD in order to save time and money?. I'm a bit confused about these Passes.

PS: We are used to do similar tough circuits in other big countries ( 3 years ago in Australia ) but now we need to recharge batteries for this one that will be very &quot;hard&quot; also.

Thanks again.

Pedro.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Can you suggest me in that way an overnight place in order to see more relaxing Fraser Canyon or Manning Provincial Park and Yoho?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

Sorry, Pedro, I am not the right person to suggest accommodation in the Fraser Canyon or Manning Provincial Park. I have only driven through those areas during the day, never stayed in them at night. From what I saw, there did not seem to be a great deal of accommodation around. But perhaps someone else would be able to suggest something to you.

One thing I can say is that there is a fair amount of accommodation around Harrison Hot Springs and Hope (about 2 hours east of Vancouver). Even if you were to go only as far as Hope on Monday, September 4th, it would give you a head start on September 5th.

If you made it to Hope on September 4th, you could make it to Revelstoke on September 5th. If you made it to Revelstoke on September 5th, you would have quite a bit of leisure time in Yoho National Park en route to Banff on September 6th. Revelstoke to Banff is 4 hours, not counting stops.

Hope to Revelstoke via Lytton and Kelowna is 7.5 hours, not counting stops.

Hope to Revelstoke via Manning Provincial Park, Princeton and Kelowna is 7 hours, not counting stops.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Do you think it's a good idea to see the Lynn Canyon bridge Sept 2 in our way from Whistler to Vancouver?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

No, I do not. Lynn Canyon Regional Park is a delightful temperate rainforest with a charming stream running through it. It is an enchanting place to walk. If a visitor to Vancouver is not going to get a chance to go to Whistler, it would be very nice if he/she went to Lynn Canyon.

If you will have come from Whistler to Vancouver, you will have had plenty of exposure to temperate rainforests, especially if you have done the short walks into the forest to see the waterfalls that I mentioned before (Nairn, Brandywyne and Shannon).

The suspension bridge over Lynn Canyon, while it is very nice, is not sufficiently important to warrant a visit on a trip that is as short as yours will be. On the other hand, if you went to Lynn Canyon before continuing to Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver, it would not make a huge dent in your time. So if you really feel like doing it, go for it. But I do not recommend that you go for an extensive walk in the forest in Lynn Canyon, attractive though that forest is.

Since you have only a short time in Vancouver, I think there are other priorities. I recommend:

Sept 2 – Drive from Whistler to Vancouver. When you get to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, turn onto Marine Drive and follow it until the turn off to Lions Gate Bridge, which will take you across Burrard Inlet to Stanley Park. Your other option when you reach Horeshoe Bay is to continue on the highway on which you will have been traveling, Hwy #99, till you reach the turn off to Lions Gate Bridge. That section of Hwy #99 is less scenic than Marine Drive. If you stop at Brandywyne Falls outside of Whistler and at Shannon Falls outside of Squamish, this trip will take you at least 3 hours.

Spend the afternoon in 1,000-acre Stanley Park. Something you might consider doing in Stanley Park is visiting the Vancouver Aquarium. It focuses on the marine life of the Arctic and Temperate zones, and is interesting.

If you park your car without having had a chance to check into your accommodation, leave your luggage in the locked trunk of your car. Carry your passports, money, credit cards and camera equipment with you. Actually that advice applies to your entire journey.

Admission to Stanley Park is free, but you do have to pay for parking there. Also, if you choose to see the Aquarium, to have to pay for that too.

Sept 3 – Explore Vancouver’s other centrally located attractions (Granville Island Market, Yaletown, Robson Street). You’ll probably have time left over, and you can use it to walk along Kitsilano Beach.

Sept 4 – Visit Queen Elizabeth Park. Admission is free (although I think there may be a modest parking fee). Part of the park is an old quarry that has been turned into a pretty garden. It’s the highest point in the City of Vancouver, and there is a good view from there.

Note it is not the highest point in the Greater Vancouver Area (GVA). The GVA is comprised of the City of Vancouver and several other municipalities that are contiguous with it. Burnaby Mountain, for example, is higher than Queen Elizabeth Park. But Burnaby Mountain is in the City of Burnaby, which is a separate municipality.

My main recommendation on this day is to visit the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia. But you can visit QE Park on the way to the MOA, and it will cost you very little in either time or money to do so.

After you’ve been through the MOA and had lunch, you could set out for Harrison Hot Springs / Hope.

More ............

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;How about to purchase a National Park Canada Pass at 123,80$ CAD or Discovery Package at 155,50$ CAD in order to save time and money?. I'm a bit confused about these Passes.&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

The National Parks of Canada Pass is a pass that gets you into Canada’s 28 national parks, that is, wilderness parks that are administered by the federal government.

The National Historic Sites of Canada Pass gets you into historic sites that are maintained by the federal government – old forts and that type of thing (not old by Spanish standards, but old by Canadian standards).

The Discovery Package is a single pass that gets you into both the national parks across the nation and the historic sites from sea to shining sea. Since I don’t know which historic sites – if any – you may be intending to visit in Quebec, it’s impossible for me to know if the Discovery Package would represent good value for money. I somehow doubt it.

According to the way the national parks measure a day, you will be spending 3 days in the Rocky Mountain national parks. A day pass for a group of between 2 and 7 people traveling in the same vehicle costs C$17.80. Multiply that by 3, and you get C$53.40. So it is not worth your while to buy an annual pass for C$123.80. By my calculation, 7 days is the break-even point. That is, if you will be spending 7 or more days in Canada’s national parks, it becomes worthwhile to buy an annual pass instead of daily passes.

Over and out.

Re your hotel accommodation in Vancouver, we've stayed at Bosmans twice. It's not the prettiest hotel from the outside but has clean, reasonable sized rooms and free parking. From there, we walked to Stanley Park, Granville Island and Gastown so it's reasonably central. In May 2006 we paid about $85 per night.