Seatlle - British Columbia - Yellowstone
 

Three of us (two 60-year-olds and a 30-year-old) want to drive on a route Seatlle-British Columbia-Yellowstone-Seattle in the end of October? We are thinking about doing something like this:
http://www.autotoursusa.com/tour/New...orer/S9-SEA-31

As I understand, this route would include such interesting places as Great Falls, Glacier Natl. Park, Yellowstone Ntl. Park, Lake Louise Glacier, Revelstoke Glacier Ntl. Park, Blackfeet Indian Reservation. We are mostly interested in a scinery and short hikes. Which places would you recommend to add or remove from the above list?

We have about ten days for the entire trip.

Imho, this is a wonderful, scenic trip which we have done some years ago - I think we had six weeks! 10 days is not nearly enough - you'll be driving all the time!

I agree with Carrabella. The auto tour you referenced is for 16 days and it only has 1 full day in Banff and just over a day in Yellowstone (with no visit to Grand Tetons) - not nearly enough IMO. So 10 days really won't work.

With 10 days I'd concentrate on the Banff/Lake Louise area and Yellowstone/Tetons. Still a little rushed, but doable.

I'd actually be a little nervous about weather in the high country at the end of October. In both Yellowstone and Banff the temperature is below freezing every night by then, and in the 40s F/single digits C in the daytime. I personally have been hiking in Yellowstone in late August when it snowed a couple of inches in an hour or two.

You can cut at least a day, more like 2 off your itinerary by skipping Vancouver. Look at a map - Vancouver is actually quite a distance west of Seattle, and the drive from Vancouver along the TCH to the Rockies is not the fastest east-west route going.

I'd offer a couple of alternatives for your consideration. First, fly into Calgary and pick up a one-way rental car (for drop in Vancouver.) It's a very short drive from Calgary to Banff/Jasper, then head south into the Montana parks, keeping an eye on the weather as you go. After Yellowstone (and don't miss the Grand Tetons, just to the south) head west to Seattle, then up to Vancouver, lose the car, and fly home from there.

Second suggestion would be just to cut out Vancouver entirely, drive across US 2 (Stevens Pass - lovely in October) to Spokane, then through the Pend Oreille country to the border. Cross into Canada at Metaline Falls, then north through the Kootenays (stop in very cute Nelson BC) to connect with the TCH at Revelstoke. Then complete your route as planned. This will save a good day, and the country around the Kootenays is very beautiful and ought

If weather in the high country looks dicey as you travel along, have a backup plan, e.g., back through Idaho and return via the Columbia Gorge, stopping at Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Rainier.

Oops...

...<i>ought</i> to be pleasant in October.

Thank you for you suggestions. We will actually start our trip from San Francisco. The goal is to visit Yellowstone park, but we don't want to have a 15-hour drive from SF to Yellowstone through the middle of nowhere. So the idea is to have a short cheap flight from SF to Seattle and to start and complete the trip in Seattle.

Gardyloo, your first suggestion to fly from SF to Calgary and then from Vancouver to SF would be much more expensive for us then if I flew to and out of the same city. So I guess this is not an option for us.

Also, Gardyloo, do I understand it right that your second suggestion doesn't include visiting Banff?

Did we maybe choose the wrong city to fly to? What scenic round trip route would you suggest to visit at least Baniff and Yellowstone?

<i>Gardyloo, your first suggestion to fly from SF to Calgary and then from Vancouver to SF would be much more expensive for us then if I flew to and out of the same city. So I guess this is not an option for us. </i>

A round trip from SF to Seattle in late August is around $120 on Alaska. A round trip to Vancouver (Air Canada) for the same days is around $360. An open-jaw SF-Calgary, Seattle-SF for the same days is $214. Yes, it's more, but not (IMO) a deal-breaker, especially if it meant less time behind a steering wheel.

<i>Also, Gardyloo, do I understand it right that your second suggestion doesn't include visiting Banff? </i>

Sure it does. Banff is very close to Calgary - around an hour's drive, mostly on freeway. Also from Calgary it's a fairly straight shot over the border near Lethbridge then south on I-15 to I-90 and into the park via Bozeman.