I would welcome any comments or suggestions on the following plans.

Two couples (early 60s) want to spend 7-10 days in the Rockies with goals of seeing the aera, enjoying the wonderful environment and perhaps taking in the change in foliage. We must leave right after Labor Day and have to be back by mid-Sept. We are thinking about the following itinerary:

1. Calgary - 1 night and rent a car
2. Banff - 2 nights
3. Lake Louise - 1 night
4. Jasper - 1 night and turn in car
5. Jasper to Vancouver - 2 nights
(Rockie Mountaineer train from Jasper to Quesnel where they put you up in a hotel and onto Whistler where we get our own hotel for a night and then on to Vancouver where the train ends.)
6. Vancouver - 1 night (We have spent 3 days in Vancouver so don't need to see it again.)

We were considering doing all this as part of a Rocky Mountaineer vacation tour but that's very expensive. We think we can do the same type of thing ourselves cheaper without sacarificing too much in terms of using good hotels, sightseeing, hiking, etc.

Would love any thoughts.

Bob

Have you checked with the car rental agency about dropping off the car in Jasper? Is it actually possible and how much would the drop off fee. Jasper is not a big city and I'm not sure if a rental agency would even allow you to drop off a car there. Other than that the itinerary looks pretty good.

Although your itinerary is fine as it is, you could consider trading the night in Calgary for an extra night in Jasper. Also, you could consider choosing Banff <b>or</b> Lake Louise rather than staying in both. They're close enough that one can be used as a base for visiting the other. So, if you did that, you'd have 3 nights in Banff or LL and 2 nights in Jasper.

Avis, Hertz, National and Thrifty have offices in Jasper. A quick search of Avis's web site (only because it happened to be first in the alphabet) suggested that it would be more expensive to drop a car off in Jasper than it would be to pick it up and drop it off at Calgary Airport. However, the one-way drop off fee would not be that great if it was divided amongst 4 people. I'm confident that 4 of you doing the Calgary - Banff - LL - Jasper portion of the trip on a self-drive basis would be able to do it more cheaply than 4 of you going on a coach tour. Besides that, you'd have more flexibility to stop and linger at the scenic lookout points that interested <b>you</b>.

Hi there, Beechtree, wish I was going! I have always travelled to Canada in September time, but the fall colours are, in my opinion, best in Ontario with the softwoods. Your best bey for seeing the fall colours (i.e. larch) is to visit the like of Lake O'Hara. Alot of the good views are restricted to hiking trails. Of course, you'll also hit the aspen change, and this is pretty spectacular along the 1a between Banff and lake Louise. I'm not sure what your reason is for wanting to get across to Vancouver - consider what you want to gain from this part of your trip. A visit to Whistler? I'd say you'd be better to spend those extra days exploring Jasper with Maligne lake, Edith cavell glacier and the Miette Hot springs. There are losts of hikes, for all abilities in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper areas. A great book is the Rockies Access Guide, available from the tourist office/ Friends of Banff shop (they have a web site and you should buy a copy and read before you go! Maybe also consider spending some more time in and around Banff, it's very commercialised but pretty and there's still plenty to see and do.

I did the Rocky Mountaineer a few years back and was disappointed - it just doesn't stop for wildlife, and the scenery was bland after leaving the rockies. You may well have more fun in your vehicle.

There are many short walks leading off the Ice fields parkway to beautiful view points, so don't rush this part of your trip.

I would caution though about arriving late into any of the towns - book ahead would be my recommendation, especially Jasper - I was once badly caught out in September as the hotels fill up with coachloads of tourists and some have few rooms for cold callers.

I would say you'll do it much cheaper, and you have your independence to come and go and do what you want when you want.

Thanks for the great input re car rentals and overall itinerary. We are thinking about whether to do the train portion or to stick with a car and the Rockies. All 4 of us are o.k. with walks and hikes. I've going to get a copy of the Rockies Access Guide.

Definitely add another night to Jasper, however it needs to happen.

With your current itinerary, you will drive from Lake Louise to Jasper, probably taking up most of the day, and then leave on the train the next day (morning?). This gives you no time in Jasper at all.

I also question the train for such a short visit, especially since you don't actually want to visit Vancouver.

By making a circuit, picking up and returning the car in Calgary, and omitting the train, you will save a lot of $$ and have the opportunity to see just as much, if not more.

For two couples consider renting a mini-van, or something similar. You will all be a lot more comfortable.

For much less than the cost of renting a minivan, book a Buick Rendezvous from Avis. It is the only car that they have in their F (station wagon) category, and rents for about the same price as a full size car, with almost the same amount of space as a minivan. If, for some reason they don't have one available, they always upgrade you to a minivan.