Hello all,

I'd appreciate some input from you.

I'm looking at a trip to the Rockies this August. I was thinking of one of the following three routes:

1) Kamloops - Jasper - Banff/Lake Louise - Calgary.

2) Kelowna - Banff/Lake Louise - Jasper - Calgary

2) the other alternative is to skip the drive from B.C. to Alberta and do Calgary - Banff/Lake Louise - Jasper - Calgary.

Also, if I chose option #3, am I missing out on a really spectacular drive from Kamloops or Kelowna to Jasper?

Which one would you recommend (or definitely not recommend). Also, are there places in between those major centres that you'd definitely recommend that I stop off (or stay in).

Thank you in advance for your assistance. I really appreciate it.

You list two #2's.
If second #2 is option 3, there are pros and cons. .

The ride from Kamloops to Jasper was featureless in my view until I got to Mt. Robson. Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and towers about 8,000 feet above Kinney Lake on its southern flank.

Kelowna to Lake Louise can be very interesting depending on which way you travel. I suggest that from Kelowna you drive to Vernon and turn east and south on on BC route #6 to a hamlet called Needles. There you cross the Columbia River on a ferry (or did). From there ferry dock on the east side of the river, turn northward to Nakusp and Revelstoke.
Another ferry ride is involved, this one a bit longer.

At Revelstoke your route then becomes the Trans Canada Highway over Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park. From Rogers Pass you descend through Golden, and then you cross the Rocky Mountain Trench and ascend the canyon rather steeply to Yoho National Park.

By staying on this road you pass the town of Field, ascend Kicking Horse Pass, pass the southern terminus of the Icefields Parkway, and soon reach the exit for Lake Louise Village, Lake Louise itself, and Moraine Lake.

The drive to Jasper along the Icefields Parkway is very spectacular. I highly recommend it.

The approach route essentially boils down to seeing Glacier National Park or not because Mt. Robson is not all that far from the Jasper town site.

So you could see both Mt Robson and view the peaks of the Selkirks and the Purcells as you drive over Rogers Pass.

In addition there are some spectacular views as you leave Revelstoke and, off the Trans Canada, you pass the entrance to Mt. Revelstoke National Park.

Of the two parks, Revelstoke and Glacier, Glacier in my view is the more spectacular.

One question, how do you plan on arriving in Kelowna?

First, July/August is the busiest time for visitors in the Rockies and getting any type of accomodation at this point is going to be a real challenge.

Are you flying in to Calgary (as your 3 option implies)? How would you be getting to either Kamloops or Kelowna? They aren't ususal starting places for visitors.

You don't mention how long you expect your trip to be. 1 week? 2? This would greatly affect my recommendations.

IMO, there is spectacular scenery all the way from Vancouver to the Rockies. You really can't go wrong visiting any of the places in between. But, depending on what you like to see/do will influence where you'd rather spend your time.

Hi Brookwood,

thank you for your info . I need to be in Kamloops for work. If I start in Kelowna, I'll be going from Kamloops to Kelowna to meet my SO. My SO will be going from Calgary to Kelowna.

Hi ShelliDawn,

Thank you to for your info.

I'm going to Kamloops through Calgary. If I decide to start in Kelowna, I'll be driving to Kelowna from Kamloops to meet my SO who will be flying from Calgary to Kelowna to meet me.

They aren't the usual starting points but I'm trying to schedule a trip around some work obligations (taking place in Kamloops).

I'm expecting my trip to be two weeks long.

You should start looking for places to stay now.

In visits past, we have found an apartment in the village of Field.
Quite a few people who own houses there have renovated parts of the house to serve as an apartment.

I have used three of them: Spiral Tunnels, Mt. Stephen Guesthouse, and Mt. Burgess.

If you search on Field Accommodations you will find a partial listing.

Motels and hotels around Lake Louise are expensive. Cabins at various places also do a heavy business in summer.

In Jasper, you can try some of the better places like Becker's Chalets, Jasper House Bungalows, and Patricia Lake Bungalows. There are some convential motels as well.

Banff itself has quite a few motels and hotels, but it also draws many people in the summer, hoards of them it seems.

I hope you are successful because there are many lovely views to take in up and down all four of the contiguous parks: Yoho, Kooteney, Banff and Jasper.

There are also B&Bs in the area:

www.bbcanada.com - covers the entire country, so use the menus to find whichever area you need.

... and, in Jasper, private home accommodations: www.stayinjasper.com

Although it may be getting difficult now to book accommodation in Jasper for the August long weekend (Aug 1-4), you should still be able to find something for other times.