# 3 weeks touring in Western Canada



## Keitht (Aug 21, 2009)

If you had 3 weeks to combine touring and some 'based' time in BC and Alberta, what would be your itinerary?
I appreciate it's a very broad question, but it's intended to be.  We're hoping to get back to the area in the next couple of years or so and have been to Vancouver, Whistler, Jasper and Banff.  That doesn't mean we wouldn't want to go back to any/all of the above as we loved them all.
We're open to all suggestions.  We enjoy walking and photography (both great options in the area), and we like to find out more of the history of an area.


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## Karen G (Aug 21, 2009)

Keitht said:


> We're hoping to get back to the area in the next couple of years or so and have been to Vancouver, Whistler, Jasper and Banff.


All four of those areas are outstanding.  Are you at all interested in coming on down to Washington state?  You'll be so close when you are Vancouver that you might want to consider the San Juan Islands, Seattle, and other parts of the state.


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## Keitht (Aug 21, 2009)

Karen G said:


> Are you at all interested in coming on down to Washington state?



We're not discounting any option at present.  This is planned as probably our last major trip to the area so we want to get it right


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## ricoba (Aug 21, 2009)

Why not try a tour of the interior of BC?

For example you could start at Vancouver, drive up to Kamloops, then up to 100 Mile, Williams Lake, Quesnel,Prince George, from Prince George you could head south on 16 to Tete Juane Cache back to Kamloops.  From Kamloops then head east again towards Vernon and explore the Okanagan, Kelowna, Penticton.  From Penticton take Hwy 3 West back to Vancouver.

Or you could do a West Coast of BC tour -

Vancouver/Tsawwassen ferry ride over to Vancouver Island to Victoria.

From Victoria head north to Parksville, then west over to Tofino, then back to Parksville, again head north up to Port Hardy, take the ferry over to Prince Rupert, from Prince Rupert head east to Prince George and then Kamloops back down to Vancouver.

Lots of driving but lots of wonderful scenery and wonderful places to visit.  

Since I never lived in Alberta, I will leave an Alberta trip up to folks more familiar with that area.


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## Canuck (Aug 21, 2009)

I've lived in Alberta and the West Coast.......and in between (Now I'm back on the West Coast and will never move again)    
However, I have to say the islands are amazing and easy to hop around.  Vancouver Island of course is great, Tofino, Parksville, Sidney etc.  But also Hornby, Denman, Salt Spring and yes those beautful USA Islands, Orcas, Lopez and I can go on and on.  Each island is so differant, some have warm sandy white beaches (Hornby Island) others lush rain forests, bald eagles, killer whales and amazing farm fresh produce and great seafood!  All are close to Vancouver and or Seattle and taking the ferry is half the adventure.

Anyhow, those are my thoughts!  Enjoy and keep us posted on what you decide!


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## ricoba (Aug 21, 2009)

Canuck said:


> I've lived in Alberta and the West Coast.......and in between (Now I'm back on the West Coast and will never move again)
> However, I have to say the islands are amazing and easy to hop around.  Vancouver Island of course is great, Tofino, Parksville, Sidney etc.  But also Hornby, Denman, Salt Spring and yes those beautful USA Islands, Orcas, Lopez and I can go on and on.  Each island is so differant, some have warm sandy white beaches (Hornby Island) others lush rain forests, bald eagles, killer whales and amazing farm fresh produce and great seafood!  All are close to Vancouver and or Seattle and the taking the ferry is half the adventure.
> 
> Anyhow, those are my thoughts!  Enjoy and keep us posted on what you decide!



I agree that it would be easy to make a 3 week trip on just the Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island. 

I have spent many wonderful and happy days on Pender Island.

Doing for example, Salt Spring, and a few of the smaller islands then Victoria, and then the west coast of Vancouver Island would be a nice trip with much less driving.


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## eal (Aug 22, 2009)

For Rocky Mountains scenery you could consider Kananaskis Country, east of Canmore, and the Columbia Valley, i.e. Radium, Invermere, Fairmont Hot Springs, etc.


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## Passepartout (Aug 22, 2009)

There's the Okanagan area. If gazing at the heavens is your thing, here's a link to a B&B with an observatory http://www.jacknewton.com/canada.htm There are wineries, the upper Columbia River, and down in the USA, Lake Chelan area. 

The islands in the San Juans are truly wonderful. If angling holds any interest, June and July NW salmon fishing from Northern Vancouver Island is as good as it gets. 

It would be hard to see all of the area Keith wants to see in 3 weeks. I'm planning to take a lifetime or two and am not too sure I'll get it all done.

Happy travels....

Jim Ricks


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## eal (Aug 23, 2009)

Yes several lifetimes are probably necessary to see everything.  I am 60 years young, born in Alberta, and still working on it!


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## RIMike (Aug 23, 2009)

*Three Weeks in BC*

With Vancouver as your starting place, I think I would take a lot of time on Vancouver Island first, going both over to Tofino (Pacific Rim National Park) and also all the way up to Port Hardy.  From there I would make a least one adventure over to the mainland to see the Grizzly Bear Feeding, either staying at Knights Inlet or TideRip Tours out of Telegraph Cove.

After you have had your fill of the wild life in the north of Vancouver Island, I would  head to Victoria where the seat of Government for the Province is located and some very interesting sights as well.  If you are up for it Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands is out standing.

After that I would head back over the Vancouver and Skagit & Manning Prov. Parks (Wolves are in this last one).  All of this could easly be done in a week and a half, leaving the remaining time driving up to Mt Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks.  That would not take you as far east as the Canadian Rockies and the five parks there.  If you have not been to Mt. Revelstoke's Meadows in the Sky it is not to be missed.  

Then depending on where you are catching your flight back, if Calagary then go over to the National Parks...if Vancover then go back by way of Whistler...all of it is amazingly beautiful...only wish I could afford the time off for such a wonderful trip.

Have fun...

P.S.:  Washington State does have some really outstanding places to see too if you decide to spend some time south of the Border like Olympic and Northern Cascades National Parks.


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## John Cummings (Aug 24, 2009)

eal said:


> For Rocky Mountains scenery you could consider Kananaskis Country, east of Canmore, and the Columbia Valley, i.e. Radium, Invermere, Fairmont Hot Springs, etc.



I strongly recommend the Columbia ( Windermere ) valley. I grew up there several years ago and then my wife and I went back up there in 1996. We did a loop trip north from Idaho to Windermere where we stayed for a few nights in a great B&B. We toured the whole area there taking time to visit Fairmont, Radium, Invermere, and we drove around Lake Windermere. It was great. We then continued north through Kooteney National Park to Banff, Lake Louise, and then cut over to Golden. From Golden we went through Revelstoke to Vernon where we stayed for a few days to visit relatives that live there. We then went south through the Okanagan back into Washington State. I just love the Windermere area.

We went back to Alberta in 2005 and spent 2 weeks in Banff/Jasper National parks and Calgary. In 2007, we did Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and a train tour through BC to Jasper and then back through Whistler. This was all covering territory where I had lived and visited before.

It is really hard to say what is best as 3 weeks is not nearly enough to cover the coastal areas, inland, eastern BC, and western Alberta. Each area has its own scenery. I spent 2 years cruising through all the gulf islands and up and down the coastal area between Vancouver Island and the mainland. I have also covered all the inland areas and eastern BC and western Alberta. I just point that out as I cannot really tell you what is best.

You will need to decide on whether you want coastal or inland and set priorities. Otherwise you will run yourself ragged trying to cover it all. You could fly into Calgary and drive to Vancouver with side trips along the way to see the parks, etc. splitting up the time so you would be able to see some of the coastal area as well and then flying back from Vancouver. Of course you also do it in reverse order.


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## calgarygary (Aug 24, 2009)

One of my favourite trips, which I think would work for your timeframe and show you much of what this area has to offer is a circular tour of B.C. and the mountain parks, which you could begin/end at either Vancouver or Calgary.  We did this back in 1986 and it provided an amazing variety of locations/scenery.  We started in Calgary, took the trans Canada west to Hwy. 93 and south to Radium.  You would likely enjoy the hot springs of this area.  We continued on to Kimberly where you get a quaint, almost Bavarian atmosphere in this town.  Following this, a short 2 night stay in the Okanagan (we stayed in Pentiction) will give you some beach time or a chance to explore some Vineyards.  We then continued on to the coast where we took the ferry over to Nanaimo and then drove down to Victoria for some quality English atmoshpere.  Drive up the island after a few days in Victoria and you can stop at one of several towns for some sport fishing or continue straight on up to Port Hardy to catch the ferry to Prince Rupert (reservations on the ferry are a must).  This is a full day ferry trip that will show you much of the inside passage.  Once you leave Prince Rupert, the drive along Highway 16 will give you spectacular scenery especially along the Skeena River.  A short stay at interior towns like Terrace or Prince George might be needed to "re-charge the batteries" but I would allow several days to explore the national parks once you get to Jasper and Banff.

If you could time such a trip to either begin or end during Calgary Stampede, that would also give you a taste of our western heritage.


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## Calyn79 (Aug 31, 2009)

calgarygary said:


> Drive up the island after a few days in Victoria and you can stop at one of several towns for some sport fishing or continue straight on up to Port Hardy to catch the ferry to Prince Rupert (reservations on the ferry are a must).  This is a full day ferry trip that will show you much of the inside passage.  Once you leave Prince Rupert, the drive along Highway 16 will give you spectacular scenery especially along the Skeena River.



I would highly recommend the inside passage B.C. Ferry trip. (Port Hardy to Prince Rupert or the other way around). I live in Port Hardy. The trip is amazing at 1/4 the price if a cruiseship! Also B.C. Ferries put a brand new vessel on the trip as of May09...it is large, gorgeous, very spacious and with great food. Lots to see and do around the Port Hardy/Telegraph Cove area too....whales, fishing, beaches, hikes, first world class native cultural areas and the islands of Cormorant and Malcolm. Can't go wrong on Vancouver Island with the 'circle tour' included.


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## eal (Aug 31, 2009)

Back in the day, when we were young and had more time available (i.e. we were unemployed) my husband and I spent a month touring Vancouver Island in a VW van - it was the trip of a lifetime!


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## Laurie (Aug 31, 2009)

Passepartout said:


> If gazing at the heavens is your thing, here's a link to a B&B with an observatory http://www.jacknewton.com/canada.htm


I have stayed at this b&b, and it was my favorite b&b experience of all time! These folks are wonderful, amazing views from the rooms and the dining room table (breakfast was delicious by the way), and they provided even more amazing night-sky and morning-sun viewings thru their observatory - all included with room price.


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## asp (Aug 31, 2009)

as usual in life, depends on what you want to do - do you describe yourself as "urban" or "rural" ? Is quality dining (not necessarily fine dining)  important - tell us a little more, and we can help more.  I used to own a book store, and when people would ask what was good, I'd say "tell me about your favourite books".  

For me, I would fly into Calgary, take the train (or a motorhome - they have one way drop off's) to Vancouver - the Rockies are SPECTACULAR.  I was raised in Vancouver, and didn't know that land could be flat except in the river valleys, but I still remember seeing the Rockies the first time.  No comparison to the Coast Range.  I would skip the interior, unless just driving through, but that is because I am an island/mountain lover.  Enroute, the Okanogan valley is beautiful, as is the Shuswap, and is great in a motorhome

If that won't work, land in Vancouver, and go to Whistler, take the Peak to Peak Chair (which I haven't done yet, but know that the top of the chairs is incredible), go through to the interior via Pemberton to Lilloet.  .

Then, onto Vancouver Island, where you can enjoy whatever wildlife/scenery you may want - lots of small islands, big islands, remote islands, great food, nice restaurants, funky out of the way diners, remote beaches, busy beaches, Victoria and Butchart gardens, etc.  If you can get an open jaw flight at a decent price, go back through Washington via the San Juans or via Olympic peninsula coming back up to Seattle - Tacoma airport.

Remember that with trips to islands, it generally takes a whole day to get on and off - even the small ones it will take half the day.


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## bizaro86 (Sep 2, 2009)

Hello,

I'm a local to Calgary, so I thought I'd pitch in a few thoughts. The mountains are gorgeous, spectacular and equal to any mountains anywhere I've been. But that's not all that there is to do around here. 

The Calgary Stampede was previously mentioned and is certainly worth a visit for rodeo/chuckwagons if that is when you're coming. Also, Calgary took in a large number of Vietnamese immigrants during the "boat people" years, so we have some of the best Vietnamese food anywhere, which is worth a try if you're not familiar with it. It also tends to be very reasonable, since there is lots of competition.

Southern Alberta also has two world heritage sights outside of the Mountain Parks. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is a great chance to learn about the history of Alberta's native peoples, and is a neat experience. 

http://www.head-smashed-in.com/

You mentioned you were interested in history, and the second World Heritage site I'll mention goes back quite some time. Its dinosaur provincial park, which has spectacular views, and tons of fossils and interesting things like that. You can camp in the park if you're interested in that sort of thing, otherwise I'd get a room in Brooks, which is nearby, or daytrip out from Calgary. (~2 hr drive)

Park Website: http://tpr.alberta.ca/parks/dinosaur/flashindex.asp

Another great option is the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller. It is a spectacular facility on its own, and there are great walks through the badlands nearby. If you've never seen a hoodoo, this is the place.

www.tyrrellmuseum.com

You didn't mention your taste in the arts, but Edmonton has a great fringe festival (I believe it was the first in North America) in the summer, along with a really large mall with a water park/amusement park. 

So you could really do a few days of touring based out Calgary, as all of the places I've mentioned except edmonton could be day trips from Calgary at ~2 hour drives. Or stay in each small town, which would probably be cheaper, although may not net you as nice accomodations, more Best Western/Super 8, although B&Bs may be available. 

In summary, the mountains/interior of BC are great, but there are definitely things worth seeing in Alberta as well.

Michael


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## Keitht (Sep 6, 2009)

asp said:


> tell us a little more, and we can help more.



I was deliberately vague in my original post in order not to sway people's feedback.  It's entirely possible that somebody will come up with a suggestion that they might have held back on had I said my interests are xyz.
After the initial feedback I'm happy to expand on what we have done in the past.
On our first visit to Western Canada we based in Whistler for 2 weeks but spent 5 days in the middle of that period in Vancouver and Victoria.  We then drove to Banff for a week, stopping overnight in Salmon Arm.  We travelled the Icefield Parkway as far as the icefield and took in places such as Bow Lake, Peyto and Lake Louise.
On our second visit we flew in to Calgary, had 3 nights there then drove up to Jasper for a further 4.  After that we had 2 weeks in Canmore and spent the vast majority of the time in and around the park and Canmore.  We had planned to travel out and about more but we were there at a time of major forest fires in BC and the smoke severely limited the photo ops.


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