Itinerary Doable or too much driving?
 

My husband and I (60 and 62 yrs.) have a 10 night driving vacation. We fly in and out of Seattle in mid-July, and will have a rental car. Initially we were planning on just doing Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler—not the exact order but depending on the car ferry schedule, etc. Whilst reading the boards and at a friend’s suggestion we are now really excited to include the Canadian Rockies—Banff and Jasper National Parks. If we have to give up Whistler, then we are OK. We also would like suggestions with any of your favorite 3* + accommodations—don’t really need amenities, just a clean comfortable room. Any advice with the itinerary will be v. much appreciated.

Our tentative itinerary will be:
Day 1 and 2---2 nights in Seattle (arrive around 1 pm into Seattle from California)
Day 3--1 night in Kamloops
Day 4--1 night in Banff
Day 5--1 night in Jasper
Day 6--1 night again in Kamloops or other (we’d like to hear your thoughts)
Day 7 and 8--2 nights in Vancouver
Day 9--1 night in Victoria
Day 10--1 night in Seattle for our flight next day around 2 pm. To California

Thank you.

If you like to skim the surface and see beautiful passing scenery, that would work fine.

If you want to stop at vinyards and visit museums for two or three hours each, it's very tight.

Personally, I'd love that trip, on that schedule, and have done each leg of it, more or less, several times.

BAK

Its a lot of time in the car.

Thank you BAK and live42day for your response. Now that I know, we'll surely keep the drive time into consideration, and perhaps stick with my original plan.

Brains are funnythings.

To some brains, a mountain is a mountain, and to other brains, one mountain is very diffrent from another.

But be assured, there are lots of mountains in the Seattle and Vancouver and Whistler areas, and really, it's a better routine to stay inthe smaller area and skip going all the way to the Rocky Mountains, which look similar to the casual observer.

I drove that route (and more) constantly for my 1st decade in business visiting customers along the way. I would say you have it just right with the exception of Kamloops - it is not even worth a few hours. Kelowna is a much better stop & on a nice lake. But I strongly suggest you do more like Vernon (the area is pretty) or try to get up to Nakusp. It is off the usual route and far more interesting than Kamloops. Nelson is nearby, but it is not really interesting. To say that it is a "lot of driving" misses the point - the driving is the best part. There is a lot of great cowboy country with huge ranch tracts that is beautiful. Victoria deserves a day - you will feel you missed something, but you won't have. The best part of Vancouver island is up around Long Beach but it is too far for your schedule.

I think Nelson is well worth a stop - it's a very sweet little
town with lots of interesting architecture and a certain
'funkiness' that's fun. JMHO, of course.

I think that since night 6 is negotiable, and since others have sorta voted-down Kamloops, you might consider strategizing to get yourself nearer to Vancouver on "night 6" AND THEN SWAP your Victoria/Vancouver nights, to do Victoria first, and THEN two nights in Vancouver, before the final trip to Seattle for the flight out.

(A) This affords more margin for error, or new inspirations in Victoria (you could stay another night, and reduce Vancouver to one night if you HAD to)

AND

(B) It lets you get the fullest effect of Vancouver on your last day in Canada, allowing you to leave fairly LATE in the evening, for the 3-ish hour trip to Seattle.

(I wish I knew which days of the week you were talking about)

But, for example, with border traffic coming back to the U.S. being so slow, I always recommend that folks STAY quite LATE in the Vancouver area, setting out for the border at 9pm or later. (I like that better than a 6:30 arrival at the border and then a 60-90 minute wait!)

IF you are in VICTORIA on that last day, you are at the mercy of the ferries.

Since you don't need to fly from Seattle until 2pm, you could burn the candle fairly late, enroute to a hotel/room near to the airport (???), and have plenty of time prior to your 2pm flight.

Just my thoughts.