Please forgive the wooliness of the thinking and lack of knowledge of this post, but I am still in the early stages of planning,

My wife has a conference in Banff in September, and I am keen to come with her as I have never visited North America and I believe the area is one of outstanding natural beauty.

If her employer allows it, I will be sharing her paid for hotel room for the duration of the meeting, if not I am likely to join her at the end of her week. If I have about 10 days to 12 day - excluding travel into and out of Canada, how would people recommend spending the time?

I know this question is meaninglss without context, so I would say we are in our mid 40s, moderately fit, enjoy hiking, kayaking and cycling. Budget wise we normally rent an apartment when holidaying in Europe, and if possible would like to do similar (Can anybody recommend any rental sites as the ones I use seem not to have much in Alberta) otherwise we would be looking at probably not a lot more than C$1000 for a week.

As for itinerary, how long would people recommend for Banff - is it a good base from which to see things, or would it be preferrable to split our time between Banff and somewhere else - possibly Calgary? We were thinking of Vancouver, but I think flying into Calgary and out of somewhere else may prove difficult (in terms of claiming back the airfare ).

So if we were to hire a car, would it be feasible/advidsable to spend time in Banff, drive to Vancouver via a scenic route over ? 2 days, spend time there and then drive back (via another scenic route) before departure. Alternatively is there enough to see and do in Alberta and leave other parts of Canada for another time.

Thanks for any advice, and sorry again for the vagueness.

The Banff - Jasper road is in my opinion(and we've done all the major National pa

sorry my fault. to continue :is one of the greatest scenic roads of all.To fully enjoy the sites I would count on ;
Banff 3 days-1 day for the drive up to Jasper-3 days in Jasper.
Becker chalets in Jasper is great to stay there.Paul

If you have 10 to 12 days excluding the conference, you could certainly make a trip to Vancouver and back while seeing some incredible scenery.

I would suggest that you drive from Banff to Jasper, spending a day or two in Jasper, then take Hwy 5 (Yellowhead) to Kamloops and continue on to Vancouver. At Kamloops you have the choice of the Trans-Canada (Hwy1) through the Fraser Canyon to Hope, or the faster Coquihalla Hwy (5) direct to Hope. Continue to Vancouver. You can do this in one long day, but it would be best to break up the trip, probably at Kamloops.

Spend at least 3 days in Vancouver, and then from Hope, head east on Hwy 3 to Osoyoos and the Okanagan Valley. You will want to spend an overnight in one of the many wine towns in the Okanagan. Continue north to Salmon Arm or Sicamous and then head east on the Trans-Canada. Salmon Arm would make a good overnight stop as would Revelstoke. This will take you through more of the magnificent mountain national parks (Revelstoke, Glacier and Yoho. Stay overnight in Lake Louise and then head to Calgary for your flight home.

An added thought--if you have the time, you could leave the Okanagan and head east on Hwy 6 from Vernon to Nakusp and then head north along Upper Arrow Lake to Revelstoke. It's a very scenic route, but then so are most routes in BC.

Thank you for the replies. Since my original post, I have clarified that I will be joining my beloved after the conference. It will also be slightly cheaper to Fly into Calgary and out of Vancouver as to use a return flight to Calgary (Strange, but true as of lunchtime today)

So a couple more questions please - is Canmore a viable alternative to Banff itself? There seems to be a lot more in the way of rentable apartments there. Is there public transport between the two towns.

I might now be looking at 3-4 days in the banff area, renting a car, driving to Jasper (1 or 2 nights), Kamloops (1 night) then onto Vancouver for a week.

Would Fodorites modify this in any way (more time in one , less in the other?)

I live in Calgary and prefer Canmore to Banff. Banff is very commercial and I am a bit jaded. Banff Park is amazing. You may also think about going to Radium B.C. then onto Golden. Both are smaller centers and have lots of scenery. Revelstoke is 1/2 way between Calgary and Vancouver. depending what part of September you are in Banff the Adams River Salmon run occurs near the beginning of October. It is near Salmon Arm or Scotch Creek. After 25 years of hearing about this I will probably attend this year. I have been in the area after the Salmon run but never during its peak. I am sure even in September something should be happening. Do a web search on it. Again Vancouver is a big city I would wander up to Whistler home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is off season so you can get good rates. Or try Vancouver Island from Victoria to Toffino ( I prefer Ucluelet Sound) it is beautiful. Don't forget to stop at the Cathederal Forest for pictures and bring a picnic lunch or a least a sub sandwich

Canmore certainly has a wide variety of accommodation, but without a car it is not a viable alternative to Banff as there is no public transit between Canmore and Banff. I suppose one could use the airport shuttle between the two, but I don't know how convenient or cost-effective that would be. Banff in my opinion is also a more attractive town than Canmore.

Your one-way itinerary to Vancouver is fine. I would spend at least two nights in Jasper in order to take in the attractions there.

However I would also consider returning from Jasper via the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise, and then making your way to Vancouver through Revelstoke and the Okanagan Valley. The views and vistas on the Parkway are different in each direction, and many people recommend the two way trip. You also then get to see the other mountain parks which are magnificent. (e.g. Emerald Lake and Takawka Falls in Yoho Park, Rogers Pass in Glacier, and the Meadows in the Sky Parkway in Revelstoke are not to be missed).

Kamloops is find for an overnight stop, but it doesn't have much more to recommend it. The Okanagan Valley with its vineyards and orchards would give you a totally different landscape from the Jasper-Kamloops-Hope route.

Thanks again. I am certainly not against the idea of having a car for the whole time in Canmore/Banff. Although you drive on the "wrong" side of the road from the UK, I have driven frequently in Europe, so don't mind left hand drive.

So many things to look into - I will certainly study the various options. Thanks again for the assistance.