Pacific NW - Does this make sense?
 

Just some preliminary itinerary thoughts for July 2010.
Does any of this make sense?

Fly from FLL to Calgary
3-4 days in banff
Evening flight to Seattle
2 days in Seattle
Evening Amtrak to Vancouver
3 days in Vancouver
Evening Amtrak back to Seattle
Pick up auto rental in the morning
Drive to Port Townsend
Sleep over in PT
Drive to Port Angeles. Probably Hurricane Ridge, etc
Park auto and late afternoon ferry to Victoria
2 nights - about 2 days (part of 3 days) in Victoria
mid-afternoon ferry back to Port Angeles
Sleep in Seattle (or near airport) for next morning return home

Total of about 14-16 days.

I'm no expert... but I don't think going from Canada (Banff), to Seattle, back to Canada (Vancouver), to Seattle, back up to Canada (Victoria) particularly makes sense. Wouldn't it work better to simply do some kind of a "loop"?

I agree with Suze. With your above itinerary, you will be entering Canada 3 times! (FLL is Florida?) I would drive to Vancouver from Banff, take the ferry from there to Victoria, take the ferry from there to Port Angeles, then drive to Seattle. Or vice versa. Less hassle, less waiting in lines to enter/leave the US.
Serendipity42

The problem with driving will most likely be the very high cost of a one way car rental from Canada to the US. So if that does prove to be prohibitively expensive, you could look at driving to Vancouver, going to Victoria from there and dropping off the car in Vancouver or Victoria before taking the train or Victoria Clipper to Seattle (depending on where it's most economical to drop the car off). Or fly to Vancouver from Calgary and do Victoria from there and take the train or Clipper as above.

Then once you're in Seattle, pick up a car and drive out to the Peninsula for a few days.

Maybe I should have explained my reasoning.

Using air miles I am permitted one stop over and it must be in the US.

So, I would be flying from FLL to Calgary. Then I would be returning to FLL with a stop in SEA.

I would have to make my way from SEA to Vancouver and back.

Also, getting to Victoria from Seattle seems to be easier from Port Angeles since I'd like to spend a couple of days in that area instead of from Vancouver.

Now does it make sense?

I really don't get it. Are you sure your stopover plan is within the parameters of the ff program? If your airlines stop must be in the US, now can you go from FLL to Calgary - stop over, then fly to SEA, stop over, then return to FLL? It seems like one extra stopover to me.

In any case, crossing the border multiple times could get very old. So how about this? Calgary to Seattle (flight, if this somehow works). Amtrak to Vancouver - ferry to Victoria (using public transport). Return to Vancouver. Then to Seattle (Amtrak) and car rental and OP?

But whatever. If you don't mind crossing the border and having a rental car you leave at PA, go for it.

Orcas,

Let me explain further.

I can go from FLL to Calgary. However, the stopover on the "way back" must be in the US.

I checked and Seattle is considered "on the way back".

I thought of doing that. However, going from Vancouver to Victoria without a car requires a bus on either end with a ferry in the middle.

I would have to do this twice to save one border crossing.

Personally, I'd just fly into Seattle or Vancouver, pick up a rental car, and make a loop from there, including Banff and Jasper. Yes, it is a longish drive across the interior of BC, but I find it somewhat scenic, and you aren't rushed for time. You can take the car on the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, and Victoria to PA; it's not cheap, but it won't break the bank either.

If you can "open jaw" the flight and don't want to do as much driving, and can fly in to Calgary and out of Seattle, you could consider taking the train from Banff to Vancouver, then bus from Vancouver to Victoria via ferry, ferry from Victoria to PA, pick up a rental car in PA for ONP, and drive to Seattle.

You're going to some great places at a great time of the year (except Calgary can be HOT), but your hopping around makes no sense. Please, take a deep breath and figure out a simpler flight plan. One-way car rentals across the US-Canada border are unrealistic - I know. You'd be thinking they would be begging for the business, but they're not into that.

Take it from someone who spent days figuring out how to get a cheap flight to Edmonton for the Giant Mall (I gave up).

Curmudgeon has some good ideas. There is an incredible train, the Rocky Mountaineer, from Calgary/Banff to Vancouver. Amtrak between Vancouver and Seattle is a terrific US train and there is also the fun hydrofoil ferry from Victoria to Seattle.

Also, I (and zillions of others) have taken the Bus from Vancouver onto the Ferry and into Victoria. I had my doubts, but it's totally practical and as easy as taking a car on that route.

In truth, your border crossing will not be bad if you go with your plan. The crossing with the most potential for delays is by car on I-5. It should not be hard on Amtrak or on the ferry, especially if you walk on. So, that isn't really a problem as long as you aren't smuggling drugs.

That said, now I will contradict myself. You might want to rent a car when you are in Seattle. Drive to Vancouver. Take the car ferry to Victoria (BC ferries), then take the car ferry to Port Angeles, and you'll have your car on the OP, and can return it to Seattle.

So your Banff trip is at one end, and the loop is from Seattle counterclockwise (or the other way - doesn't matter).

Sounds like fun, we just spent two days in Seattle at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, I highly recommend it! We ahd an Executive Suite for $169 booked from Expedia. Let me know if you would dining recs for Seattle, it's a foodie's heaven there! ***kim*** ((#))