bowlsman

I have scanned all of the most recent 'posts' but have not been able to reach a conclusion. We (a newly retired English couple) will be driving from Calgary to Vancouver in June. We have sorted out stops in Banff and Lake Louise but I am now looking at further options: Between Lake Louise and Vancouver we will have three nights. My current thinking is that we will do two nights in Jasper and one in Kamloops or Sun Peaks. However, is it a good alternative to miss Jasper and take the route from LL through Revelstoke? We enjoy great scenery and have no problem with long drives and stopping off wherever we fancy for short walks / hikes. Final question - Recommendations for good (not the most expensive) hotels in Jasper or the Revelstoke route through the mountains? Sorry it is so long but I wanted to provide as much info as possible.

Garfield

Take the trip up to Jasper, you will see some of the best sights in the park.

dfr4848

IMO the Icefields Highway between Banff/LL and Jasper is one of the most spectacular drives anywhere. I wouldn't miss it.

msteacher

I agree with the above posters that Jasper is well worth the trip. The Icefields Parkway between LL and Jasper is really amazing. I haven't done the rest of your planned drive, so can't really comment on the best route, but personally I thought Jasper was everything a national park should be... like Banff without all the people. We really enjoyed staying at Pine Creek Bungalows. It's nothing fancy, but good clean cabins right along the Athabasca River at a reasonable price. These cabins really allow you to enjoy the beauty and peace of your surroundings. Be sure to ask for a riverfront cabin.

tovarich

We did a reverse tour in 2000.I propose the following :Jasper 2 days then the most beautiful road to Jasper -stay a few days then on to Wells Gray prov.park-then on to Vancouver.Paul

kodi

I agree with the others. DO NOT miss Jasper and area. The Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper is outstanding and not to be missed.

Although I've never driven it, The Yellowhead Highway from Jasper to Kamloops is designated as scenic on my RandMcNally map book.

Kamloops is a fair sized town. There are many choices of motels. Sorry I can't be more specific.

From Kamloops, the fast way to Vancouver is down the Coquihalla Highway, but if you have time, take Highway 1, The trans Canada Highway, down through Lytton. Stop at Hell's Gate .. and on down to Hope.

lunabug

I too advise coming through Jasper. Even living in the area I still enjoy every chance to travel the Icefields Parkway. For rooms in Jasper you have the choice between cabins just out of town like Alpine Village which gets good reviews or in town at one of the hotels. Most of the mid priced places are fairly generic. If you can get into Park Place Inn it is a small boutique hotel right downtown. I have stayed there and it is my favorite place in Jasper.

krp329

The Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper is incredibly scenic (it is named for the Columbia Icefield, which is 100 km/60 miles south of Jasper). I have lived in Jasper for over 20 years and never get tired of driving this highway. More information is here: http://www.icefieldsparkway.ca/

Jasper National Park has many similar sights and attractions as Banff National Park - scenic mountain views, canyons, waterfalls, glacial lakes, a boat cruise, mountain top gondola etc. but the town is smaller and not as touristy. There is lots of GREAT hiking.

Jasper Tourism's website is at www.jaspercanadianrockies.com and has full information regarding accommodations and attractions. Parks Canada's website is www.pc.gc.ca (from there, you can pick either Banff or Jasper, for full information about either park - there are maps and list of scenic places.) For more economical accommodation, you may want to consider private home accommodation or B&B: www.stayinjasper.com .

The drive from Jasper to Kamloops takes about five hours and is also very scenic, with varying scenery. It goes past Mt. Robson ,the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, then through deep valleys, through areas that were burnt in a huge fire in 2003, then it approaches Kamloops, which is an arid area. The town of Kamloops itself is nothing exciting in my opinion - I only stop there to see friends. There's the usual strip with malls, motels and gas stations. I would recommend staying at the small town of Clearwater instead, 4 hours from Jasper - it's the "gateway to Wells Gray Provincial Park". There is great hiking there (Trophy Meadows) and although I have not yet seen it, I hear Helmcken Falls is beautiful.

You might also want to consider a stop-over in the Okanagan valley on your way to Vancouver - BC's wine country.

bowlsman

Many thanks to you all, looks like we will be staying a couple of nights in Jasper.

Harry (bowlsman)

schnauzer

Can I please hijack this thread? We are wanting to come to USA and or Canada next January for some skiing. I would love to see some of the rockies in the snow and am wandering if any of the suggestions given to bowlsman would also be suitable for January? Or totally unrealistic. maybe not by driving but by a train trip perhaps? I have no idea of the conditions in this part of the world, we are coming from Australia. Can anyone help? I might post a new thread if I don't get many responses from my hijack. thanks, Schnauzer

ozgirl

Hey schnauzer, we often seem to be following each other around... go to Canada in the spring/summer! We had a month last August and it was absolutely awesome. Jasper itself was beautiful Harry, and deserves as much time as you can allocate and I would second the recommendation for Wells Gray Provincial Park - Helmcken Falls was truly spectacular and it was one of many. We stayed in Clearwater at Dutch Lake cabins
http://www.dutchlake.com/
great setting, clean and very economical cabins.
Enjoy!

ShelliDawn

One more vote in favour of going to Jasper for the best scenic drive.

Also, another vote for taking the Trans Canada from Kamploops to Vancouver (instead of the Coquihalla). It's a much more scenic drive and only adds an hour or two more driving time. If you're starting the day in Kamploops, that shouldn't be a worry.

Kamloops is a city of about 85,000 people, so there's lots of choices for staying overnight. Here's their official tourism site which may be of help: http://www.tourismkamloops.com/

krp329

ozgirl, I have stayed at the Dutch Lake cabins too, and also recommend them. I was very impressed with the cleanliness!

Schnauzer, if you want to ski in the Rockies, I would suggest you fly into Calgary and go to Banff/Lake Louise, or fly to Edmonton and go to Jasper. You may want to drive between the Jasper and Banff via the scenic Icefield Parkway - but it's a high elevation road in WINTER driving conditions, and not for the inexperienced or faint-of-heart. The highway is open during the winter, but can be closed for short periods of time following snowstorms, or for avalanche control, so it'd be best to have a flexible itinerary, in case road conditions are not good when you are here.

There is scheduled train service to Jasper ... www.viarail.ca . Rocky Mountain Rail Tours does a high-end tourist train to Banff in the summer months, but I am not sure if it runs at all in the winter. You could google them for more info.