llawjm has indicated that this thread is about Canada
Having looked at some posts, and getting some more ideas, could the following looped road trip be done inside 18 days or so?
http://tiny.cc/CanadaRoadTripRouteIdea1
Vancouver, BC
Whistler, BC
Pemberton, BC
Lillooet, BC
Cache Creek, BC
Kamloops, BC
Clearwater, BC
Blue River, BC
Valemount, BC
Jasper, AB
Canmore, AB
Sulphur Mountain, AB
Banff, AB
Moraine Lake, AB
Lake Louise, Banff, AB
Revelstoke, BC
Shelter Bay, BC
Nakusp, BC
Osoyoos, BC
Hope, BC
Vancouver, BC
Where to start????
A little background: I live near Vancouver, since 1996. I lived in Edmonton 8 years. I'm an automobile tourist & amateur photographer.
You like outdoors, don't seem to have serious budget restrictions & plan to drive everywhere.
First I'd like to add a far-away BC destination to your lists: the Queen Charlotte Islands. Exotic, really off the beaten path (ie expensive) but different from anywhere else I've been to in Canada (Newfoundland & the Territories are the only places I've not been to). I'm sure the web can help you for more info.
I'd like to eliminate a few places from your list, because I've been there and I didn't find much: Pemberton, Lillooet, Cache Creek.
Vancouver Island: add Tofino on the west coast where you could surf, go sea kayaking or whale watching. There's a hotel, I think in Tofino, that was built on a rocky shore for people who like storms. Almost everywhere on Vancouver Island is interesting; but there are also many islands accessible by ferry & float planes that are ...maybe... more interesting, though smaller.
You listed Nakusp, Osoyoos, Hope in BC. Hope is on the way to Osoyoos from Vancouver. You could also hit Harrison Hot Springs, kind of on the way to Hope but via another highway. What is called the BC Interior is very interesting for tourists; for instance... Did you know there were camels used in some of the old mining towns?
You mentioned Jasper, Banff, Icefield Parkway, Valemont... When I lived in Edmonton, I used to go for 3-4 day photography weekends "in the Rockies" - stop anywhere, anytime & take some opportunity shots, maybe a little bit of hiking. One can easily get interested in just about anything between Banff & Jasper, for a week or more. Maybe take a tour bus at first just to get a feel for the place or find some destinations you want to go back to on your own. There are other "rockies" parks you might consider, like Yoho.
3 weeks seems like a long time for a visit, but you could spend a week in Vancouver & Vancouver Island, a week between Jasper & Banff, and another week in the Interior visiting places like Barkerville, Nelson, Kelowna & Kamloops...
The west side of the Rockies is much more rugged that the Alberta side; I found a day trip in the Alberta foothills via highway 22 - from Crowsnest Pass to Calgary - is relaxing, has interesting vistas, all kinds of little towns, the "kinda morbid" but fascinating Frank Slide disaster.
Sometimes the "tourist attraction" is the actual drive: Highway 1 from Vancouver to Golden which could be stretched to two days if you stop here & there or make some short side-trips.
I wish you a great trip, I doubt you'll be disappointed wherever you choose to go.
On a personal note, I'm driving from Vancouver to Montréal this year with my camera, a laptop, a credit card, some laundry soap; I'll be gone for ±6 weeks.
It was nice reminiscing while writing this. Thanks.
Enjoy!
Claude
PS: Try renting an Altima from Enterprise Car Rentals
[ 01-Jul-2010, at 17:48 by dbl-nkl ]
llawjm,
That looks like a lot of destinations for 18 days! I think that I would take dbl-nkl's advice. It sounds pretty good. I don't know BC and Alberta as well as he does, but I have done a lot of hiking in Banff and Jasper National Parks. There is one hiking guide that I have used called Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies: An Opinionated Hiking Guide by Kathy and Craig Copeland, available on amazon.ca . It is a really easy read, has lots of information, and is user-friendly. I think you will benefit from this guide. I know quite a few people who use and swear by it.
Anyway, a hike in either (or all) Banff, Jasper, or Yoho National Parks is a must on your trip, especially for nature lovers!
Have a great trip and I hope that I have helped!
Steph
Sounds like a great trip,i did the same trip 2 summers ago going as far west as Tofino and south of Calgary to the Waterton Lakes park, did the Pemberton to Cache Creek area and not much there other than a scenic drive,especially coming into Lilouet, the whole trip was done easily in a Toyota Yaris sedan with wife and 2 kids so you dont need a hulking behemoth SUV to make the trip, if you were doing the trip in the summer i'd recommend renting a Mustang or Sebring convertible but late October can get very chilly up in the mountains and snow could be a slight possibility. You may find some of the summer tourist areas closed at this time of year but there will be enough going on to keep you busy.,enjoy the drive and interesting destinations will pop up frequently,i would pack some motion sickness pills (Gravol or Dramamine)for your passenger as hours of twisty mountain roads driving can become physically nauseating for some.
[ 03-Jul-2010, at 04:07 by jambo101 ]
Hi
We've just returned home from Canada to the UK today. Maybe you would be interested in our blog
http://barbara-s.travellerspoint.com/
Take it easy on the winding mountain roads through steep canyons. Don't be afraid to drive a little slower and more cautiously. Better safe than sorry. As there may be snow on the roads, I would advise a rental with snow tires. They can save your life. Roger's Pass is the worst of it. After that it isn't as bad.
hi
keep in mind though that roger's pass gets really treacherous in the winter--i suggest that you cross it first (the earlier the better given your timeframe) so that you can get back before the snow really sets in. then hi northern bc if that's your intention, then do the lower/south stuff. highly recommend a loop through the kootneys, especially nelson--very cool little town. ditto on bypassing lillooet, pemberton and cache creek, and i might add kamloops to that.
definitely add tofino, barkerville and the queen charlottes and other islands if you can fit them in.
have fun!
We've been to a lot of places but the drive from Jasper to Banff is in our top 5. If you do make the trip take a few minutes and stop at Peyto Lake, it 's not a detour so it won't be a big deal. Here's why:
http://www.google.com/images?q=peyto+lake&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=hU5ATJGSFYG78gbWmZniDw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CB0QsAQwAA
Hi Travelers!
We've been very lucky to have so many responses to our forum posts. I've not had enough time to collate all the information and tips as yet, however from what I have read we are both in for a lovely trip in October.
Quiet a few people have mentioned that traveling through the Rockies in October is going to be hit and miss weather wise.
Would it be wise to try and head as far north as we can (Jasper) and then work our way down towards Banff etc. Thus driving clockwise from Vancouver.
Thanks again for every one's advice and tips. We shall certainly report back!
Matt
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