Trip to Vancouver, Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Vancouver
 

We (3 families from Hong Kong, 6 adults and 5 kids who are 12 and below) are planning a 2-week trip to Canada from 27 Jun to 10 July, hoping to cover the areas listed above. Our initial plan is like this:

27Jun - 29 Jun : Tour around Vancouver area to get over the jetlag
29 Jun - 2 Jul : Drive from Vancouver to Banff. 1 night at Kamloops, 2 nights at Banff
2 Jul - 4 Jul : Drive from Banff to Jasper. 2 nights at Jasper.
4 Jul - 6 Jul : Drive from Jasper to Lake Louise. 2 nights at Lake Louise.
6 Jul : Drive from Lake Louise to Kamloops
7 Jul : Drive from Kamloops to Vancouver
8 Jul : Drive from Vancouver to Seattle (Take the kids to the Boeing Museum)
9 Jul : Drive back to Vancouver
11 Jul : Take the flight back to Hong Kong

We are grateful for any comments on this itinerary. Any suggestion on restaurants and accommodation at each location? Is there car rental company that will allow cross-country journeys?

I'd take highway 3 and 93 (or 97 and 1) from Vancouver to Banff, then up to Lake Louise and Jasper and come back via highway 5, 1 and 99. Why go through Kamloops twice?

What type of vehicle are you planning on renting for 11 people?
The way to do your trip with one US /Canada border crossing would be to fly to Seattle first and tour Boeing. Take the Amtrak train (or bus) to Vancouver and proceed from there. Do you need visas or just passports for everyone?

Here are three alternative routes that cover more ground without backtracking:

http://goo.gl/maps/cymUV

http://goo.gl/maps/TpXhK

http://goo.gl/maps/7yMvr

Hi Erick_L, thanks a lot for your response and suggestion. Routing through Kamloops is suggested by a friend living in Canada who told me that this route offers the best scenic view of the Rockies. Your third alternative is attractive.

Hi Tomfuller, we are considering 3 7-seater vehicles or a truck for the luggage plus a 7-seater vehicle. Any views on that? Regarding border crossing, do you mean car rental companies do not allow cross border trips? We all have the visa or passport for visiting either country.

just some quick thoughts...there are many nicer places to stop for a night then kamloops...consider vancouver to salmon arm or revelstoke...then lake louise / banff...onto jasper...night around clearwater visiting wells grey provincial park...vancouver

I'm thinking that you will spend a lot less on the rental bill if you fly to Seattle and use some public transportation to get out to visit Boeing. Use the Amtrak train or bus to get from Seattle to Vancouver and then rent the vehicles that you need.
The option I like to get from Vancouver to Jasper is the ViaRail Canadian that runs 3 days per week.

Kamploops is nowhere near the Rockies. BC is all mountains but the Rockies are a fairy narrow range on either side of the road from Banff to Jasper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canadian_Rockies.png

The third route I posted is the least interesting in my opinion.

Cross-border car rentals tend to be hard to arrange and very expensive. Best to avoid them unless you have no choice.

My impression is that, especially with so many young kids, you are packing way too much into the two weeks. You'll be doing a lot of driving, with a lot less time to actually enjoy the places you visit. And with kids, things always tend to take a bit longer than anticipated (with adults too!). Two nights or less at each location means a lot of packing & unpacking.

Unless there is some really strong reason to go to Seattle, I'd really consider skipping it. You will save the hassle of the border crossing and free up time for the rest of the trip. I would also consider the option of flying back from Calgary to Vancouver rather than doing two long drives.

You are also coming over one of the busiest weekends of the summer - July 1 is a holiday in Canada. With such a large group you need to make reservations for accommodation and rentals ASAP or you may not have many options. This is especially true in Lake Louise where there are a fairly limited number of options, especially for housing such a large group close together.

Thank you very much for all your advice.