Vancouver - Calgary, 18 Days August 2015
Discussion
Hi Guys 
Booked flights last night for next years holiday, flying into Vancouver and out of Calgary with 18 days in between.
I realise theres alot of Canadian Rockies in between the two, but I'd also like to spend a little bit of time in both cities if possible.
Anyone done a similar trip? any must-see/do recommendations?
We are planning on hiring a car in Vancouver so pretty flexible with regards to route and itinery!
Thanks in advance
Pete
Booked flights last night for next years holiday, flying into Vancouver and out of Calgary with 18 days in between.
I realise theres alot of Canadian Rockies in between the two, but I'd also like to spend a little bit of time in both cities if possible.
Anyone done a similar trip? any must-see/do recommendations?
We are planning on hiring a car in Vancouver so pretty flexible with regards to route and itinery!
Thanks in advance
Pete
Just come back from exactly the same trip in 14 days - it's absolutely stunning. My route was Vancouver -> Kelowna -> Revelstoke -> Lake Louise -> Jasper -> Calgary. Later popped up to Banff, which I really liked and would recommend inserting that in between Jasper and Calgary, which would also remove the hassle of a 5 hour drive between them. My advice:
- Budget a lot more time for Vancouver than Calgary. The former is brilliant whereas I really didn't like Calgary very much - flat terrain, mile upon mile of strip malls and petrol stations and just generally a tatty looking place (though some might disagree with me).
- In Vancouver, I did Stanley Park, Grouse Mountain and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The latter two were expensive but worth it, especially Grouse Mountain. Have a look around Downtown and Gastown. I also wish I'd budgeted some time for Granville Island.
- Kelowna was a pleasant stop-off for a day, main activities are either watersports or wine tours so if you don't like either then don't budget a huge amount of time.
- Revelstoke was a very charming small town, plus the views from the top of Mount Revelstoke were some of the best on the trip - well worth going up even if you don't stay in the town, it's right on Highway 1. The next major town you hit eastbound is Golden, not far after this it's worth a stop to see the spiral tunnels - where trains enter one part of the mountains and pop back out at a completely different level. There's a prominent viewpoint here with lots of info.
- Lake Louise and Moraine Lake - beautiful. Not much in the way of activities (other than renting a boat), but you can spend hours hiking around and just looking at the scenery.
- Jasper - a must do. The drive up from Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway (c. 3 hours) is mesmerising and passes the Columbia Icefield centre, Sunwapta & Athabasca Falls. All are worth a stop. It's also the only place where I saw bears close-up. Jasper itself was also a nice town and had a few decent restaurants. Spend at least 1 night and then you can spend the next morning blasting back down the Parkway.
- Banff - much like Jasper in that it's a small town in the middle of a National Park, but it's a bit bigger and more touristy. A very pretty place though and no shortage of activities in the area. I also spent some time in Canmore, which is about 10m south of Banff and broadly very similar.
- Calgary - did the downtown area, which was pretty good. Apparently the zoo is also a decent trip out. Also went out to Drumheller and the Royal Tyrell dinosaur museum (a huge number of fossils have been found in that area), which I found really interesting.
We did broadly the same trip in an RV back in 2005, albeit the other direction. We also had 3 days in Calgary as it was the Stampede.
Basically it's utterly awesome. I love Canada in general, and the western side is fantastic.
Also, I spent 9 weeks in Vancouver working in 2010. It's a great city, one of my favourites. I didn't do a lot on my days off other than walk around Stanley Park (and saw a pair of eagles close overhead). It's not a large city, everywhere in the centre is a reasonable walk, although as said, public transport is pretty good.
I always wanted to try a Japadog, but never got around to it. It's a fairly famous hot dog stall with a Japanese theme, the queues were massive all day long from what I could gather, so they must be pretty good.
The Maligne Lake in Jasper is one of the most serene places I've ever been to in the entire world. In fact, it's probably the most serene place. There's a nice (or was) boat trip up the lake to Spirit Island. When they shut the boat engines off and you step ashore, the silence is deafening.
It's probably worth a canoe trip if you're so inclined, although I think it's an hour paddle in each direction, possibly more.
Here's a photo I nicked off the internet.
Basically it's utterly awesome. I love Canada in general, and the western side is fantastic.
Also, I spent 9 weeks in Vancouver working in 2010. It's a great city, one of my favourites. I didn't do a lot on my days off other than walk around Stanley Park (and saw a pair of eagles close overhead). It's not a large city, everywhere in the centre is a reasonable walk, although as said, public transport is pretty good.
I always wanted to try a Japadog, but never got around to it. It's a fairly famous hot dog stall with a Japanese theme, the queues were massive all day long from what I could gather, so they must be pretty good.
The Maligne Lake in Jasper is one of the most serene places I've ever been to in the entire world. In fact, it's probably the most serene place. There's a nice (or was) boat trip up the lake to Spirit Island. When they shut the boat engines off and you step ashore, the silence is deafening.
It's probably worth a canoe trip if you're so inclined, although I think it's an hour paddle in each direction, possibly more.
Here's a photo I nicked off the internet.
Edited by Super Slo Mo on Monday 28th July 15:32
Did a 23 day trip back in 2008. Originally booked a saloon car, but upgraded to an SUV (Ford Edge) on seeing one at the rental place. Symbollica's post is excellent and covers a lot of what we did. Didn't bother crossing the Rockies towards Calgary and I haven't lost any sleep over it.
We headed out of Vancouver through Vancouver Island, then way up North to Prince George via Whistler (well worth a short stay) and down through Jasper/Banff that way. To be honest, there wasn't much up far North other than vast amounts of trees, so probably not worth it.
We spent a bit more time in Banff than Jasper, as there's more to see and do. If you're feeling flush, stay a night at the Fairmont at Lake Louise!
There's a couple of lakes just outside Banff that not so many people tend to go to. You get the stunning scenery, without fighting the crowds to get that perfect photo - Two Jack Lake and Johnson Lake (had this one to ourselves in Sept). Peyto Lake off the Icefields parkway is a must see, though busy.
We headed out of Vancouver through Vancouver Island, then way up North to Prince George via Whistler (well worth a short stay) and down through Jasper/Banff that way. To be honest, there wasn't much up far North other than vast amounts of trees, so probably not worth it.
We spent a bit more time in Banff than Jasper, as there's more to see and do. If you're feeling flush, stay a night at the Fairmont at Lake Louise!
There's a couple of lakes just outside Banff that not so many people tend to go to. You get the stunning scenery, without fighting the crowds to get that perfect photo - Two Jack Lake and Johnson Lake (had this one to ourselves in Sept). Peyto Lake off the Icefields parkway is a must see, though busy.
For our honeymoon in 2012, we did Calgary - Banff - Lake Loise - Jasper - Sun Peaks - Vancouver with a hire car.
Best holiday I've been on, the views are stunning (especially between Lake Louise and Jasper). Thanks to this thread, it's got me wanting to go again! Anyone done it in an RV?
Best holiday I've been on, the views are stunning (especially between Lake Louise and Jasper). Thanks to this thread, it's got me wanting to go again! Anyone done it in an RV?
Fantastic responses, thanks guys! In the next couple of months I'm going to start putting an itinery together.
If anyones interested, TranSat allow you to place a deposit of £200pp on flight tickets....you know...just in case you dont fancy dropping a wedge of cash all at once (or in my case, 2 adults, 2 childrens worth! :'()
Next up is hotels!
Thanks again!
If anyones interested, TranSat allow you to place a deposit of £200pp on flight tickets....you know...just in case you dont fancy dropping a wedge of cash all at once (or in my case, 2 adults, 2 childrens worth! :'()
Next up is hotels!
Thanks again!
For hotels, I can recommend (if you go to these places!) The Rimrock at Banff, not quite as nice as the Fairmont apparently, but we loved it, also the Deer Lodge hotel at Lake Louise.
We went through Trailfinders, probably not the cheapest way of doing it, but the advice was worth it.
We went through Trailfinders, probably not the cheapest way of doing it, but the advice was worth it.
It was 2005 when we went, but no, you're not crammed in for most of them.
In Calgary we were a little tight, as it was Stampede week and the place was rammed anyway, although when I say a little tight, I mean by US/Canadian standards not European, so there was enough room. Everyone is friendly anyway so it's not a huge issue.
From what I remember of other campsites, particularly in the Rockies, your space is in amongst trees, so generally there's a decent sized gap with massive pines in it between you and the next RV.
Don't forget also that many of the RV spaces are 'Pull through', designed for the mobile bungalows that many of the North American RV owners have. They also often have individual BBQ's, picnic tables and large areas that you can put chairs in etc.
The only place it felt a bit squashed was Whistler, where we were in a car park as it was summer season and the place was busy.
Most places had electric hook ups, but there were a few without. We had a small RV, with an inverter on board, although for one night we coped without mains electricity.
Hindsight being what it is, next time I'd have a bigger RV, one of the ones with a permanent bed at the back and one over the cab, as the additional room makes things a lot nicer. I had one of these to do the Yosemite/Vegas/Grand Canyon/Monument Valley tour a couple of years ago.
In Calgary we were a little tight, as it was Stampede week and the place was rammed anyway, although when I say a little tight, I mean by US/Canadian standards not European, so there was enough room. Everyone is friendly anyway so it's not a huge issue.
From what I remember of other campsites, particularly in the Rockies, your space is in amongst trees, so generally there's a decent sized gap with massive pines in it between you and the next RV.
Don't forget also that many of the RV spaces are 'Pull through', designed for the mobile bungalows that many of the North American RV owners have. They also often have individual BBQ's, picnic tables and large areas that you can put chairs in etc.
The only place it felt a bit squashed was Whistler, where we were in a car park as it was summer season and the place was busy.
Most places had electric hook ups, but there were a few without. We had a small RV, with an inverter on board, although for one night we coped without mains electricity
.Hindsight being what it is, next time I'd have a bigger RV, one of the ones with a permanent bed at the back and one over the cab, as the additional room makes things a lot nicer. I had one of these to do the Yosemite/Vegas/Grand Canyon/Monument Valley tour a couple of years ago.
Just remember that with an RV, you have to take it everywhere you go. If you stay in one place for a few days, that means driving the thing out to the sights you want to see. I've never tried it on our driving tours, but I cant help but think it would be a bit of a pain in the arse.
Understandable with a family though - hotels certainly wouldn't be cheap.
Understandable with a family though - hotels certainly wouldn't be cheap.
I've never found it a problem. Depends on your personal preferences I guess. Mind you, I did spend a bit of time many years ago doing multi-drop deliveries in urban areas in an 18 tonne truck, so an RV is relatively small and manoeuvrable by comparison, even the bigger ones.
America/Canada is pretty well geared up for huge vehicles anyway, it's not like the UK in any way.
America/Canada is pretty well geared up for huge vehicles anyway, it's not like the UK in any way.
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