seattle-vancouver-rockies, please evaluate my itinerary.
Aug 26th, 2006, 08:34 AM
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seattle-vancouver-rockies, please evaluate my itinerary.
Sept 23 Saturday Arrive Seattle Seattle
Sept 24 Sunday Seattle by day/Drive to Vancouver at night Vancouver
Sept 25 Monday Vancouver Vancouver
Sept 26 Tuesday Vancouver Vancouver
Sept 27 Wednesday Drive to ClearwaterVisiting Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park. Clearwater
Sept 28 Thursday Drive to JasperStop in Mount Robson Provincial Park en route. Walk in Maligne Canyon in the afternoon Jasper
Sept 29 Friday Drive to Lake Louise Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, Columbia Ice fields, Peyto Lake Lake Louise or Banff
Sept 30 Saturday Moraine LakeLake Louise Banff
Oct 1 Sunday ? Banff
Oct 2 Monday Drive to Kelowna, see Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake Kelowna
Oct 3 Tuesday Drive to Seattle, see Seattle in noon and night Seattle
Oct 4 Wednesday Depart Home
Sept 24 Sunday Seattle by day/Drive to Vancouver at night Vancouver
Sept 25 Monday Vancouver Vancouver
Sept 26 Tuesday Vancouver Vancouver
Sept 27 Wednesday Drive to ClearwaterVisiting Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park. Clearwater
Sept 28 Thursday Drive to JasperStop in Mount Robson Provincial Park en route. Walk in Maligne Canyon in the afternoon Jasper
Sept 29 Friday Drive to Lake Louise Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, Columbia Ice fields, Peyto Lake Lake Louise or Banff
Sept 30 Saturday Moraine LakeLake Louise Banff
Oct 1 Sunday ? Banff
Oct 2 Monday Drive to Kelowna, see Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake Kelowna
Oct 3 Tuesday Drive to Seattle, see Seattle in noon and night Seattle
Oct 4 Wednesday Depart Home
Aug 26th, 2006, 11:47 AM
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Hello Governator,
I believe your itinerary is very close to the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" stage.
If it was my vacation, I would spend the night of Sept 24th in Seattle and drive to Vancouver on the morning of the 25th. I would visit Stanley Park on the afternoon on the 25th.
On the 26th I would visit Vancouver's North Shore (Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain and Horseshoe Bay) or, better still, I would do a day trip to Whistler, stopping at Shannon Falls and Brandywyne Falls on the way.
Driving to Vancouver at night, at least to my taste, gives it the feeling of "If it's Tuesday this must be Belgium."
The last night in Banff is fine. You could consider substituting that night for a 2nd night in Jasper.
If you had a 2nd night in Jasper, you could ride the Jasper Tramway (up Whistlers Mountain), and you could do the beautiful drives to Mount Edith Cavell and Malgine Lake.
If you kept your night in Banff, you could visit Johnston Canyon and you could ride the Sulphur Mountain Gondola.
If you did not have that 3rd night in Banff, you'd still have time to stroll around Banff townsite, which is in a very pretty setting.
Either choice would be good. If it was my trip I might be inclined to opt for a 2nd night in Jasper. On the other hand, if you opt for a 3rd night in Banff, that would be pleasant too.
Generally speaking, I believe your itinerary makes good use of the time you have available.
I believe your itinerary is very close to the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" stage.
If it was my vacation, I would spend the night of Sept 24th in Seattle and drive to Vancouver on the morning of the 25th. I would visit Stanley Park on the afternoon on the 25th.
On the 26th I would visit Vancouver's North Shore (Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain and Horseshoe Bay) or, better still, I would do a day trip to Whistler, stopping at Shannon Falls and Brandywyne Falls on the way.
Driving to Vancouver at night, at least to my taste, gives it the feeling of "If it's Tuesday this must be Belgium."
The last night in Banff is fine. You could consider substituting that night for a 2nd night in Jasper.
If you had a 2nd night in Jasper, you could ride the Jasper Tramway (up Whistlers Mountain), and you could do the beautiful drives to Mount Edith Cavell and Malgine Lake.
If you kept your night in Banff, you could visit Johnston Canyon and you could ride the Sulphur Mountain Gondola.
If you did not have that 3rd night in Banff, you'd still have time to stroll around Banff townsite, which is in a very pretty setting.
Either choice would be good. If it was my trip I might be inclined to opt for a 2nd night in Jasper. On the other hand, if you opt for a 3rd night in Banff, that would be pleasant too.
Generally speaking, I believe your itinerary makes good use of the time you have available.
Aug 29th, 2006, 11:42 AM
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>>>>>>If I stay the whole time in Banff, how long does it take to get to the icefields parkway, 'scenic part'?<<<<<<
The whole of the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper is highly scenic.
If your starting point was Banff, it would take you 45 minutes to drive from Banff to Lake Louise (but that 45-minute drive, with views of Castle Mountain, etc., is very scenic too).
Just past Lake Louise you would turn onto the Icefields Parkway. As I said before, the entire length of the Icefields Parkway is beautiful. The middle section, near the Columbia Icefields, is especially spectacular. The Columbia Icefields are about half way from Lake Louise to Jasper, so about 1.5 hours from Lake Louise (not counting stops).
On a day trip from Banff townsite, it would be reasonable to drive the Icefields Parkway as far as Sunwapta Falls, about 40 minutes' drive beyond the Columbia Icefields. That time estimate assumes you'll stop to see Peyto Lake, ride the Snocoach onto the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefields, and stop to look at Sunwapta Falls.
The whole of the Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper is highly scenic.
If your starting point was Banff, it would take you 45 minutes to drive from Banff to Lake Louise (but that 45-minute drive, with views of Castle Mountain, etc., is very scenic too).
Just past Lake Louise you would turn onto the Icefields Parkway. As I said before, the entire length of the Icefields Parkway is beautiful. The middle section, near the Columbia Icefields, is especially spectacular. The Columbia Icefields are about half way from Lake Louise to Jasper, so about 1.5 hours from Lake Louise (not counting stops).
On a day trip from Banff townsite, it would be reasonable to drive the Icefields Parkway as far as Sunwapta Falls, about 40 minutes' drive beyond the Columbia Icefields. That time estimate assumes you'll stop to see Peyto Lake, ride the Snocoach onto the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefields, and stop to look at Sunwapta Falls.
Aug 29th, 2006, 12:51 PM
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Thanks for the useful info. In deciding wether to drive to vancouver at night or morning. a) Is it a scenic drive? b) If I drove on a Monday morning would I probably encounter a lot of traffic?
Aug 29th, 2006, 12:56 PM
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1) Being a person who likes to settle into one hotel. Would I be missing a lot if I, spent 4 nights in Banff, and took the day trip from Banff to the middle of Columbia Ice Fields and skipping Jasper, as opposed to spending a night or two in Jasper and 2 or 3 nights in Banff.
2) What's your opinion of spending 3 nights in vancouver and 3 in rockies (not counting stop over towns) as opposed to 2 nights in vancouver and 4 nights in the rockies. Thanks.
2) What's your opinion of spending 3 nights in vancouver and 3 in rockies (not counting stop over towns) as opposed to 2 nights in vancouver and 4 nights in the rockies. Thanks.
Aug 29th, 2006, 12:59 PM
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Sorry, another question. Is there any reason, based on time of year, is there any reason to consider moving rockies portion or trip to beginning and vancouver portion to end of trip? Thanks.
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Aug 29th, 2006, 02:52 PM
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>>>>>> In deciding wether to drive to vancouver at night or morning. a) Is it a scenic drive?<<<<<<
No.
>>>>>>b) If I drove on a Monday morning would I probably encounter a lot of traffic?<<<<<<
Yes.
>>>>>>1) Being a person who likes to settle into one hotel. Would I be missing a lot if I, spent 4 nights in Banff, and took the day trip from Banff to the middle of Columbia Ice Fields and skipping Jasper, as opposed to spending a night or two in Jasper and 2 or 3 nights in Banff.<<<<<<
I also am a person who likes to spend several nights in one spot rather than having a string of one-night stays. I think there is a lot of merit in spending 4 nights in Banff rather than 1-2 nights in Jasper and 2-3 nights in Banff.
The only weak link in that idea is this. Are you then going to use the same route to get from the coast to Banff as you use to get from Banff back to the coast? One way or another – whether or not Jasper is involved – there is some merit in taking one route TO Banff and another route FROM Banff.
>>>>>>2) What's your opinion of spending 3 nights in vancouver and 3 in rockies (not counting stop over towns) as opposed to 2 nights in vancouver and 4 nights in the rockies.<<<<<<
Well, there is some merit in the idea if it’s combined with another of your ideas, namely, reversing the direction of travel.
>>>>>>Is there any reason, based on time of year, is there any reason to consider moving rockies portion or trip to beginning and vancouver portion to end of trip?<<<<<<
Yes. The Rockies cool off much sooner than the coast does in the fall. I don’t think it would make much difference on a trip that’s as short as this one will be. On a trip of two or three weeks, however, I would recommend starting in the mountains and ending at the coast. However, if you combine the idea of reversing the direction of travel with the idea of adding a night to Vancouver, going to the trouble of making the changes becomes more worthwhile.
So, you could consider ……………
23 – Land in Seattle
24 – Drive to Kelowna (you could use the Lynden-Aldergrove or Sumas-Huntingdon border crossings, which are further east and less busy than the Peace Arch-Blaine and Pacific Hwy-truck customs border crossings that are used to access Vancouver – an additional reason to opt for this scheme)
25 – Drive to Lake Louise / Banff.
26 – From your LL/Banff base, explore Moraine Lake and LL
27 – Do day trip up the Icefields Parkway
28 – Explore Banff’s environs (Johnston Canyon, etc.)
29 – Drive to Kamloops (stop at Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park on the way)
30 – Drive the rest of the way to Vancouver. It should take 4 hours. This should give you the afternoon to sight see in Vancouver. Stanley Park should be the priority.
1 – Vancouver sight seeing (either the “North Shore” attractions or a day trip to Whistler)
2 – Vancouver sight seeing during the day. Drive to Seattle at night. See, you’ve even sold me on this idea. You could consider visiting the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia in the afternoon. That is located to the south of downtown. So you already would be on the appropriate side of the city to begin your journey to Seattle. Continue to Seattle after the MOA.
3 – Seattle sight seeing.
4 – Fly home.
Hmmm, no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t manage to carve out 3 nights in Vancouver. But 2.5 days in Vancouver is not bad. I would not shorten your stay in the Rockies any further if I were you.
This latest draft itinerary does involve a certain amount of double backing – the portion of the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1) between Sicamous and Banff. You will drive it on the way from Kelowna to Banff and then on the way from Banff to Kamloops. If you base yourself in Banff rather than Lake Louise, you also will drive between Banff and Lake Louise both morning and afternoon on 2 our of your 3 days in the area. Basing yourself in Lake Louise would be more efficient. I am hearing anecdotal accounts that the hotel prices in Lake Louise are softening. When people are phoning to make reservations they’re getting lower rates than are quoted on the Internet. I don’t know if that makes any difference to you. A certain amount of double backing in the mountains is not bad (Icefields Parkway and the stretch of the TransCanada Highway from Lake Louise to Revelstoke) because mountain scenery looks different when it’s viewed from the opposite direction.
Hope that helps.
No.
>>>>>>b) If I drove on a Monday morning would I probably encounter a lot of traffic?<<<<<<
Yes.
>>>>>>1) Being a person who likes to settle into one hotel. Would I be missing a lot if I, spent 4 nights in Banff, and took the day trip from Banff to the middle of Columbia Ice Fields and skipping Jasper, as opposed to spending a night or two in Jasper and 2 or 3 nights in Banff.<<<<<<
I also am a person who likes to spend several nights in one spot rather than having a string of one-night stays. I think there is a lot of merit in spending 4 nights in Banff rather than 1-2 nights in Jasper and 2-3 nights in Banff.
The only weak link in that idea is this. Are you then going to use the same route to get from the coast to Banff as you use to get from Banff back to the coast? One way or another – whether or not Jasper is involved – there is some merit in taking one route TO Banff and another route FROM Banff.
>>>>>>2) What's your opinion of spending 3 nights in vancouver and 3 in rockies (not counting stop over towns) as opposed to 2 nights in vancouver and 4 nights in the rockies.<<<<<<
Well, there is some merit in the idea if it’s combined with another of your ideas, namely, reversing the direction of travel.
>>>>>>Is there any reason, based on time of year, is there any reason to consider moving rockies portion or trip to beginning and vancouver portion to end of trip?<<<<<<
Yes. The Rockies cool off much sooner than the coast does in the fall. I don’t think it would make much difference on a trip that’s as short as this one will be. On a trip of two or three weeks, however, I would recommend starting in the mountains and ending at the coast. However, if you combine the idea of reversing the direction of travel with the idea of adding a night to Vancouver, going to the trouble of making the changes becomes more worthwhile.
So, you could consider ……………
23 – Land in Seattle
24 – Drive to Kelowna (you could use the Lynden-Aldergrove or Sumas-Huntingdon border crossings, which are further east and less busy than the Peace Arch-Blaine and Pacific Hwy-truck customs border crossings that are used to access Vancouver – an additional reason to opt for this scheme)
25 – Drive to Lake Louise / Banff.
26 – From your LL/Banff base, explore Moraine Lake and LL
27 – Do day trip up the Icefields Parkway
28 – Explore Banff’s environs (Johnston Canyon, etc.)
29 – Drive to Kamloops (stop at Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park on the way)
30 – Drive the rest of the way to Vancouver. It should take 4 hours. This should give you the afternoon to sight see in Vancouver. Stanley Park should be the priority.
1 – Vancouver sight seeing (either the “North Shore” attractions or a day trip to Whistler)
2 – Vancouver sight seeing during the day. Drive to Seattle at night. See, you’ve even sold me on this idea. You could consider visiting the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at the University of British Columbia in the afternoon. That is located to the south of downtown. So you already would be on the appropriate side of the city to begin your journey to Seattle. Continue to Seattle after the MOA.
3 – Seattle sight seeing.
4 – Fly home.
Hmmm, no matter how hard I tried, I didn’t manage to carve out 3 nights in Vancouver. But 2.5 days in Vancouver is not bad. I would not shorten your stay in the Rockies any further if I were you.
This latest draft itinerary does involve a certain amount of double backing – the portion of the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1) between Sicamous and Banff. You will drive it on the way from Kelowna to Banff and then on the way from Banff to Kamloops. If you base yourself in Banff rather than Lake Louise, you also will drive between Banff and Lake Louise both morning and afternoon on 2 our of your 3 days in the area. Basing yourself in Lake Louise would be more efficient. I am hearing anecdotal accounts that the hotel prices in Lake Louise are softening. When people are phoning to make reservations they’re getting lower rates than are quoted on the Internet. I don’t know if that makes any difference to you. A certain amount of double backing in the mountains is not bad (Icefields Parkway and the stretch of the TransCanada Highway from Lake Louise to Revelstoke) because mountain scenery looks different when it’s viewed from the opposite direction.
Hope that helps.
