I have just begun to plan a 2 week trip to Vancouver and the Rockies for next summer.

My tentative schedule is:
Fly from Chicago to Vancouver
4 nights Vancouver-Victoria
1 night Rocky Mountaineer Train Trip
8 nights in the Rockies
1 night Calgary
Fly home from Calgary.

Any advice regarding how to allocate our time in Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise etc.?

Does this intineary make sense?

Would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks

eto

I'd cut one night out of the Rockies and add it to Calgary, but otherwise, it sounds great.

Lake Louise is just a ittle drive from Banff, so for many people it makes sense to stay in one or the other, rather than getting hotels in both places. Banff has a lot more life to it; lake Lousie is hardly any town at all, but a very nice mainhotel, and some excellent smaller ones.

How are you planning to get around in the Rockies? Brewster and otehr tour companies will carry you from place to place, but many travellers like to have a car. And a car is handly for gettingyou too and from Calgary, plus there are other interesting places to see in the foothills, rather than in the mountains nor in Calgary proper. A small town rodeo, for instance, is a lot of fun. There's oil well territory, and cattle ranches to drive by, and more.

Get a map, and notice how the Rockies are on an angle. this means it is a very long drive from Japser, in the mountains, to Edmonton, not in the mountains, but only a short drive from Banff to Calgary. Knowing this may affect any idea of driving from Banff to Jasper to Edmonton the Calgary.

Any special interests,hobbies, etc. we should know about to help planning?

BAK

BAK

Thanks for the advice BAK.

I think the suggestion to add a night to Calgary makes sense since we love exploring cities.

We love the outdoors, hiking, exploring, taking lots of pictures, spotting wildlife. Visiting this part of Canada has been on the list for a long time and we want to make the most of our time there.

We figured that we could rent a car after we got off the train which would give us more flexibility. Based on what you said about distances, it seems like it would make the most sense to take the train to Jasper and proceed south from there, visiting Banff last to be closer to Calgary.

Appreciate your help.

eto

Eight nights in the Rockies is vague.
Can you supply more details of what you intend to see.
Most people are not aware that Kootney National Park and Glacier National Park even exist. Glacier technically is in the Selkirks, and it is famous for steep trails. Kootenay is spectacular in places. I just hope Marble Canyon, a narrow limestone cleft in the rocks, is open this coming year. The entrance was sealed off with concrete barriers last year. Fire damaged the bridges and the area will not reopen until the repairs are complete.

I would get a car. Those canned tours are to me a pet abomination. You really don't get to see the details.

Hello Eto,

To add some flesh to Bob's points ......

The downside of catching the train from Vancouver to Edmonton is that you miss the scenery in British Columbia's Glacier National Park (not to be confused with Montana's Glacier National Park) and Yoho National Park. That would be a loss, because Rogers Pass and various other views from that route are spectacular.

The train has pros and cons. The pro, as far as I can tell, is that neither traveller has to drive, so both travellers can relax and look at the scenery.

The con is that you cannot stop and get out to look at a view when you want to. Even suppose you were to take the Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver to Lake Louise or Banff instead of Jasper. Sure, you would essentially follow the same scenic route as the TransCanada (#1) Highway. Yet, there are a few gorgeous scenic lookout points on that route that require taking a short detour, which you can do by car but can't do by train.

The following is an itinerary that many travellers in your situation have done:

1 - Fly to Vancouver
2 - 5 - Vancouver
6 - Kelowna
7 - Lake Louise
8 - Lake Louise
9 - Jasper
10 - Jasper
11 - Banff / Canmore
12 - Calgary
13 - Calgary
14 - Fly home

Some notes about my suggested itinerary:

* I think Vancouver deserves 3 full days, not counting arrival day, and Victoria needs at least a full day (which can be done as a day trip from Vancouver).

* This itinerary has you travelling up the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper and back down the Icefields Parkway again. That is not as crazy an idea as it sounds. The scenery looks different when you drive the route in different directions.

* From Calgary you might consider doing a day trip to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller. The dinosaur skeletons are awesome.

Hope that helps.

I have to agree with Bob - there is a lot to see in the Rockies, which include not only the main (largest) National Parks of Banff and Jasper, but there's also Yoho National Park, Kootenay National Park, Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park, Mount Robson Provincial Park, and Kananaskis, with Glacier National Park to the west of the Rockies.
Eight days may not be enough!!

Definitely do rent a car - you'll really appreciate the freedom it gives you.
Don't miss the drive on the Icefield Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper.
I would consider spending 4 full days in the Banff-Lake Louise area (and Yoho), one day to drive the Icefield Parkway to Jasper - stopping at all the points of interest, two days in the Jasper townsite area, and one day to drive back down the Icefield Parkway to Banff then on to Calgary (it's approx a one hour drive between the two).
Personally I prefer Jasper to Banff because it is not as touristy, is much less crowded, and there are just as many spectacular hikes and trails as there are in Banff. Plus Jasper is not that far fron Mount Robson (tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies) where there are some incredible trails and views.
If you are planning a trip in July, you may be interested in attending the Calgary Stampede (the "cowboy" festival, July 8 to 17, 2005), and that would add at least one day to your Calgary stay.
If time permits when you are visiting Victoria on Vancouver Island, drive to Pacific Rim National Park for one day. If you love nature, you will absolutely be delighted with the western edge of the island - lots of whale watching, spotting of eagles and shore birds, also seals and other marine wildlife.
In fact - if I were you I would skip the cities and concentrate on the natural areas!!

Just noted that Judy posted - she always gives great and detailed advice!!

Happy trails!!

Go with Judy. She and others live out there. I come from far away for a few days ever now and then, like the last 7 summers.

I do, however, stay overnight in back country lodges well away from paved roads. I even did it last year with my cane in one hand and a hiking pole in the other. Gosh was I slow!!

There is a lot to see in those hills.
The geology of the region is a text book lesson in thrust faults, shale valleys and limestone and quartzite ridges. And, if you go through Golden, you cross a most interesting geologic feature: The Rocky Mountain Trench, which runs from northern Montana to the Liard River. The trench is where two land masses in the past ground past each other. It is a plate boundary.

I can't comment on the Vancouver/Victoria portion of your trip, but we went with the following itinerary in the Rockies, and we wouldn't have done it any differently:

Day 1: flew into Calgary, stayed overnight near airport

Day 2: Drove to Lake Louise from Calgary, had the bulk of the day in LL and stayed overnight

Day 3: Drove to Yoho National Park, stayed in LL that night

Day 4: Icefields Parkway up to Jasper, overnight in Jasper

Day 5: Jasper

Day 6: Drove Icefields Parkway down to Banff, overnight in Banff

Day 7: Banff

Day 8: Drove from Banff to Calgary, spent the day night in Calgary

Day 9: Calgary Airport and back home

Thanks everyone for all your advise. You've given a lot of info to research.
As a result of Judy's comments I'm considering eliminating the train and driving as you suggest especially since the train is so expensive.

eto

One fact you need to consider about a car is that renting in one place and leaving it off at another can be costly.

Consider Avis, for example, the one way fee is $225 Canadian. That is probably cheaper than 2 or 3 train tickets.

You can fly between Vancouver and Calgary on Air Canada for about $130.00 per person, one way.

Bob, did you know (by any chance) a J. Hatten (or Haddon) Howard, Jr. who taught Geology at UGA twenty years ago or so?

Eto, a very obscure but interesting place outside Calgary - the Standing Buffalo Jump.

I would definitely pick up a car and drop it off in Calgary and adjust my budget elsewhere to afford it.

My memory failed me - according to Judy-in-Calgary, it's Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump!

I topped the "Canada vacation" thread so you can read some of those ideas

Another vote for "Head Smashed In" - fascinating!

We're all so different in our preferences. My husband and I definitely liked the Lake Louise area better than Jasper {also great!}, largely because of its proximity to wonderful trails, including those in Yoho. We're big hikers, and didn't find the trails overall as varied and spectacular in the Jasper area. I feel picky for even saying that, because it's amazing, really, whereever you go!

On the plus side for Jasper, we saw far more wildlife {almost TOO much as some uneducated tourists insist on running up to and feeding creatures, which is dangerous for both man and beast}in the Jasper area.

We visited Banff a couple of times and enjoyed the activity as a break from the outdoors, but our lodging preferences definitely lean toward Bob's - the more remote,the better! Do visit Angell Glacier when in Jasper, preferably in the morning or evening to spot more wildlife and avoid crowds - it's my favorite short trail.

I did not know Dr. Howard personally, although I knew of him. One of the problems at UGA has been what we have often called the "silofication" of the campus -- each department was/is like a walled city from the middle ages.

I was in the Terry College of Business and there were very limited opportunities to meet faculty from other schools during our daily lives.

Almost everyone I knew in other schools at the University was through social, neighborhood, or recreational activities. Every once in a while, I got to meet someone through a session at the Instruction Development Center or through University level committees.

I did know a few people in Education because I taught over there briefly when I was asked to help develop a course.

Let me throw in one more item here.
There is a fantastically good trail guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson that is now in its 7th edition. Anyone wanting to plan a trip to the region from Peter Lougheed Park to north of Jasper should have this book. It is available widely in the area once you get there. Look up one of my old posts for mail ordering. It is available, but not from Amazon.

Also, Ben Gadd has written a great book on the geology, wild life, plants, weather, climate, and so on of the Rockies. It is a truly an encyclopedia of all things natural from the Rocky Mountain area. I endorse it as highly as I do the hiking guide, and that puts both of them at the top of the list.

do not miss edith cavell mountain/glacier just outside jasper. you stand among ice chunks on the edge of the lake. it is awesome.
banff and lake louise are surrounded by waterfalls, trails,vistas,etc which , to this easterner, were unbelievably gorgeous. the info available from the park service [just send an email request and you will get great material, including a pamphlet on how to avoid being eaten by a bear!]. vancouver is wonderful, but not at all the same as the natural splendor of the rockies.