Help with Itinerary
Mar 2nd, 2006, 05:44 AM
#1
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Help with Itinerary
We are going to British Columbia in July for 2 weeks. I would appreciate input on the following itinerary. I didn't include Victoria, as i thought it would be too rushed. Any ideas or changes would be greatly appreciated.
day 1: fly in-trive to Kamloots
day 2: to banff
day 3: banff
day 4: banff
day 5: jasper
day 6: jasper
day 7: to whistler
day 8: to tolfino
day 9: tolfino
day 10: tolfino
day 11: to vancouver
day 12: vancouver
day 13: vancouver
day 14: home
Thank you so much!!
day 1: fly in-trive to Kamloots
day 2: to banff
day 3: banff
day 4: banff
day 5: jasper
day 6: jasper
day 7: to whistler
day 8: to tolfino
day 9: tolfino
day 10: tolfino
day 11: to vancouver
day 12: vancouver
day 13: vancouver
day 14: home
Thank you so much!!
Mar 2nd, 2006, 06:58 AM
#2
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sounds reasonable to me - your hitting great spots. don't try to put victoria in there - to rushed and tofino is much nicer then victoria. however, don't quite understand how/why you are arriving at kamloops. i don't believe there is an airport there or if there is, it's a small one.
Mar 2nd, 2006, 07:24 AM
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>>>>>>don't quite understand how/why you are arriving at kamloops. i don't believe there is an airport there or if there is, it's a small one.<<<<<<
Maybe salz14 intends to land in Vancouver and drive to Kamloops, ltt? Salz14, if that's what you mean, be aware that it'll probably take you a good hour to clear immigration and customs at Vancouver Airport. Thereafter, Kamloops is about 4 hours' drive from Vancouver Airport.
Also, if you are coming from East Coast USA, remember that most of British Columbia is three hours behind your time zone. So, when it's 7.00 p.m. in BC it'll feel like 11.00 p.m. to you. Besides that, you probably will have been up since early that morning.
But I think you are correct in wanting to get onto the road and start heading towards Banff. Even if you only got as far as Hope (about two hours from the airport), it would help to make next day's drive more manageable.
Otherwise I think your itinerary is very good.
Maybe salz14 intends to land in Vancouver and drive to Kamloops, ltt? Salz14, if that's what you mean, be aware that it'll probably take you a good hour to clear immigration and customs at Vancouver Airport. Thereafter, Kamloops is about 4 hours' drive from Vancouver Airport.
Also, if you are coming from East Coast USA, remember that most of British Columbia is three hours behind your time zone. So, when it's 7.00 p.m. in BC it'll feel like 11.00 p.m. to you. Besides that, you probably will have been up since early that morning.
But I think you are correct in wanting to get onto the road and start heading towards Banff. Even if you only got as far as Hope (about two hours from the airport), it would help to make next day's drive more manageable.
Otherwise I think your itinerary is very good.
Mar 3rd, 2006, 06:12 AM
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Thanks for the imput. You are correct...i am flying into Vancouver and wanted to drive to Kamloots. Sounds as though i need to just go to Hope. Thoughts on driving to Whistler? A couple of other questions:
1. What part of the Vancouver do you recommend staying in....hotel suggestions?
2. Where do i get the ferry out of to go to Vancouver Island?
Thank you SO MUCH!!!
1. What part of the Vancouver do you recommend staying in....hotel suggestions?
2. Where do i get the ferry out of to go to Vancouver Island?
Thank you SO MUCH!!!
Mar 3rd, 2006, 07:26 AM
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>>>>>>Thoughts on driving to Whistler?<<<<<<
According to Map Quest it's 744 km, and they say it takes 9.5 hours (not counting stops of course). Free Trip says it takes 7.5 hours.
Some people say that their actual driving times are closer to Free Trip's estimates, which are shorter / quicker.
I'm a cautious driver, and I find that my actual driving times are close to Map Quest's estimates.
That Free Trip estimate looks insane to me. Besides, you'll be on vacation. Hopefully you won't just be trying to get from Point A to Point B. You'll be wanting to smell the roses along the way. Hopefully one of the roses you'll want to smell is Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park.
I think that, with stops for lunch and the falls, you would be safer to assume it'll take you 12 hours to get from Jasper to Whistler.
But remember that you'll gain an hour just west of Jasper, when you cross from the Mountain to the Pacific Time Zone.
I would say it would be worth it to bite the bullet and do this long day's drive, if you feel up to that kind of thing.
Another option is to spend only one night in Jasper. Then, on Day 6, try to get to Valemount or Blue River for the night. That will get you between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours out of Jasper, and will help you on the following day's drive to Whistler.
There are a couple of disadvantages with the Valemount / Blue River plan.
(1) Several of the accommodations in Jasper have minimum 2-night stay requirements.
(2) I dislike single night stop overs, and I try to keep them to a minimum. I would prefer to have a long day's drive in exchange for being able to spend 2 or 3 nights in each place. That is just a personal preference of mine.
The fact is that you are trying to squeeze a lot into this vacation. I think the initial itinerary you drew up was very effective. It covered the territory as efficiently as possible (except for the idea of spending the first night in Kamloops, which was unrealistic).
You fitted in as much as you reasonably could without short changing any one destination. I would not want to spend any less time at any one of the destinations than you will be spending in them. That is, I consider 3 nights to be the minimum stay for Banff, 2 nights to be the minimum stay for Jasper, 3 nights to be the minimum stay for Tofino, and 4 nights to be the minimum stay for Vancouver.
However, in the case of Vancouver you could use the Tofino - Vancouver travel day to visit the "North Shore" on your way into Vancouver. That to some extent makes up for a day in Vancouver. Therefore your 3 nights in Vancouver effectively gives you almost what 4 nights could have given you.
The 2 areas in which you will be forced to make sacrifices are the drives from the coast to the Rockies and from the Rockies back to the coast. In each case you'll be doing most of the drive in a single day. That is ambitious.
Many travellers split that drive into 2 or more days. For example, the Okanagan Valley (around Kelowna and Penticton) is a popular stopping point on the way from Vancouver to Banff. However, the single day drives to and from the Rockies are not impossible.
>>>>>>What part of the Vancouver do you recommend staying in .... hotel suggestions?<<<<<<
The central part of Vancouver is the most convenient base for sight seeing. By the central part I mean downtown or the West End. What is your price range?
>>>>>>Where do i get the ferry out of to go to Vancouver Island?<<<<<<
There are two mainland ferry terminals that you could use. One is Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver (which is to the northwest of downtown Vancouver). The other is Tsawwassen, which is to the south of downtown. Since you'll be approaching from Whistler, i.e., from the north, the most convenient terminal for you to use will be Horseshoe Bay. That ferry will take you to Departure Bay / Nanaimo.
Depending on the day of the week and the time of day that you'll be doing the crossing, it may be prudent to make a reservation on the ferry. I would make one if it was my trip. Even with a reservation, you should be at the terminal about 45 minutes before sailing. You can look up schedules and prices and make reservations at BC Ferries' website:
http://www.bcferries.ca
According to Map Quest it's 744 km, and they say it takes 9.5 hours (not counting stops of course). Free Trip says it takes 7.5 hours.
Some people say that their actual driving times are closer to Free Trip's estimates, which are shorter / quicker.
I'm a cautious driver, and I find that my actual driving times are close to Map Quest's estimates.
That Free Trip estimate looks insane to me. Besides, you'll be on vacation. Hopefully you won't just be trying to get from Point A to Point B. You'll be wanting to smell the roses along the way. Hopefully one of the roses you'll want to smell is Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park.
I think that, with stops for lunch and the falls, you would be safer to assume it'll take you 12 hours to get from Jasper to Whistler.
But remember that you'll gain an hour just west of Jasper, when you cross from the Mountain to the Pacific Time Zone.
I would say it would be worth it to bite the bullet and do this long day's drive, if you feel up to that kind of thing.
Another option is to spend only one night in Jasper. Then, on Day 6, try to get to Valemount or Blue River for the night. That will get you between 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours out of Jasper, and will help you on the following day's drive to Whistler.
There are a couple of disadvantages with the Valemount / Blue River plan.
(1) Several of the accommodations in Jasper have minimum 2-night stay requirements.
(2) I dislike single night stop overs, and I try to keep them to a minimum. I would prefer to have a long day's drive in exchange for being able to spend 2 or 3 nights in each place. That is just a personal preference of mine.
The fact is that you are trying to squeeze a lot into this vacation. I think the initial itinerary you drew up was very effective. It covered the territory as efficiently as possible (except for the idea of spending the first night in Kamloops, which was unrealistic).
You fitted in as much as you reasonably could without short changing any one destination. I would not want to spend any less time at any one of the destinations than you will be spending in them. That is, I consider 3 nights to be the minimum stay for Banff, 2 nights to be the minimum stay for Jasper, 3 nights to be the minimum stay for Tofino, and 4 nights to be the minimum stay for Vancouver.
However, in the case of Vancouver you could use the Tofino - Vancouver travel day to visit the "North Shore" on your way into Vancouver. That to some extent makes up for a day in Vancouver. Therefore your 3 nights in Vancouver effectively gives you almost what 4 nights could have given you.
The 2 areas in which you will be forced to make sacrifices are the drives from the coast to the Rockies and from the Rockies back to the coast. In each case you'll be doing most of the drive in a single day. That is ambitious.
Many travellers split that drive into 2 or more days. For example, the Okanagan Valley (around Kelowna and Penticton) is a popular stopping point on the way from Vancouver to Banff. However, the single day drives to and from the Rockies are not impossible.
>>>>>>What part of the Vancouver do you recommend staying in .... hotel suggestions?<<<<<<
The central part of Vancouver is the most convenient base for sight seeing. By the central part I mean downtown or the West End. What is your price range?
>>>>>>Where do i get the ferry out of to go to Vancouver Island?<<<<<<
There are two mainland ferry terminals that you could use. One is Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver (which is to the northwest of downtown Vancouver). The other is Tsawwassen, which is to the south of downtown. Since you'll be approaching from Whistler, i.e., from the north, the most convenient terminal for you to use will be Horseshoe Bay. That ferry will take you to Departure Bay / Nanaimo.
Depending on the day of the week and the time of day that you'll be doing the crossing, it may be prudent to make a reservation on the ferry. I would make one if it was my trip. Even with a reservation, you should be at the terminal about 45 minutes before sailing. You can look up schedules and prices and make reservations at BC Ferries' website:
http://www.bcferries.ca
Mar 6th, 2006, 03:56 AM
#7
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You guys are the BEST!!! I just realized that i have one extra day, therfore, please give input as to what to do with it. i have no problem putting in 12 hours to get to Whistler. Therefore the options i see are:
1. Extra day Banff--then can do Calgary and more sightseeing
2. Spend a full day in Whistler
3. Other suggestions?
thanks!!!
3.
1. Extra day Banff--then can do Calgary and more sightseeing
2. Spend a full day in Whistler
3. Other suggestions?
thanks!!!
3.
Mar 6th, 2006, 06:06 AM
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Salz14, if you have an extra day, my vote for that extra day would go to Jasper. If you had another day in Jasper, it really would open up the possibilities of what you could include in your sight seeing.
Actually, any one of your destinations could use an extra day, so you would not go wrong regardless of the destination to which you applied the extra day.
If you choose to allocate the extra day to Banff, there are much better uses for that day than going to Calgary.
I assume you'll use the first two days in Banff to visit all the usual suspects (Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon, etc.). If you had not managed to see Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls when you drove through Yoho National Park en route from Hope to Banff, I trust you would include them in those first two days.
Then, if you had another day in Banff, you could use it to visit Kootenay National Park, which is located SW of Banff, or you could use it to vist Kananaskis Country, which is located SE of Banff.
In my opinion Calgary does not have a place on a two-week round trip that starts and ends in Vancouver. If you had three weeks, then okay. In that case you could afford to go further down the food chain and include Calgary.
Actually, any one of your destinations could use an extra day, so you would not go wrong regardless of the destination to which you applied the extra day.
If you choose to allocate the extra day to Banff, there are much better uses for that day than going to Calgary.
I assume you'll use the first two days in Banff to visit all the usual suspects (Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon, etc.). If you had not managed to see Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls when you drove through Yoho National Park en route from Hope to Banff, I trust you would include them in those first two days.
Then, if you had another day in Banff, you could use it to visit Kootenay National Park, which is located SW of Banff, or you could use it to vist Kananaskis Country, which is located SE of Banff.
In my opinion Calgary does not have a place on a two-week round trip that starts and ends in Vancouver. If you had three weeks, then okay. In that case you could afford to go further down the food chain and include Calgary.
