# Thinking of Banff for summer 2011-help please



## hsintang (Apr 22, 2010)

I am thinking a trip to Banff (or combine with other cities on the West side) for next summer (most likely in Aug).  We will be flying from SFO. It's probably cheaper to fly to Vancouver, and then how long is the drive from Vancouver to Banff?  Any sightseeing places between the two places.  Besides rockie mountains, lakes.. anything I should not miss.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Yvette


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## BevL (Apr 22, 2010)

It's a day's drive, more or less, straight through from Vancouver to Banff.  Some sights to see would be a day in and around Kelowna, Penticton, basically the Okanagan Valley.  Nice lakes and things, good wine country although you're no stranger to that.  The north Okanagan, Shuswap Lakes country is very scenic.

If you're thinking of flying to Vancouver, think about flying to Seattle, or even Bellingham.  Alaska and Allegiant both fly out of Bellingham and will be much cheaper than flying to a Canadian city - the taxes kill you up here for flights.


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## tashamen (Apr 23, 2010)

When we did that trip, we took two days for the drive - you can do it in one long day but would not have time to really stop to see much.  Why not fly into Calgary instead?


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## sfwilshire (Apr 23, 2010)

We spent a night in Jasper, then drove the Icefields Parkway to Banff. We also spent a night on the return trip to break up the drive.

Sheila


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## talkamotta (Apr 23, 2010)

The best part about Banff is getting there.  Take your time, if you have it.  Kootenay and Yoho NPs are beautiful.  So much stuff to see.  

We drove up there from Utah and spent 2 weeks.  It was hard to fit alot of things in and so much more we missed.


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## RIMike (Apr 23, 2010)

*Going myself in July/August*

The suggestion to fly into Calgary is a good one. If you have to make the trip to Vancouver, why not take the train?  If you have more questions about the trip let me know. I have gone several times...beautiful and love it...a trip of a lifetime.


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## Tacoma (Apr 23, 2010)

THe train is a great way to travel between Calgary and Vancouver however it is a commercial venture and very expensive.  I suggest flying into one city and out of the other.  I believe that car rental companies make it possible to rent in one city and drop in the other.  Check prices for that so as when I have checked that for other trips the car rental drop off fee at another city was outrageous.  You can never go wrong spending time in the Rockies in the summertime.

Joan


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## BevL (Apr 23, 2010)

We took the train from Vancouver to Edmonton one year.  It was a very nice trip but we travelled all night so you don't see as much as if you drive it yourself and break it up over two days.  

But if the drive intimidates, it's a great option, albeit expensive, I think.  We got a great rate, two for one, BC resident thing.  And this was probably 20 years ago!!


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## hsintang (Apr 24, 2010)

Thank you for all the suggestions.  I will do some studies on airfares (and maps).  There are not many timeshares at Banff, so I may have to put an on-going request.  I am with RCI, II, and soon SFX.  Which one do I have a better chance to get the best one?

Yvette


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## BevL (Apr 24, 2010)

I'm sure you'll get more expert advice than I can give here.  RCI I think has the most inventory there.  SFX maybe not so much because of the quality of timeshares near Banff - they are not beautiful resorts, from what I have read, but are in a beautiful location.  I'm not sure what Interval has.

You will definitely need an ongoing search.  Most popular time of the year to visit, of course.


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## eal (Apr 24, 2010)

DAE has considerable Banff Rocky Mountain Resort inventory.


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## flexible (Apr 24, 2010)

RIMike said:


> The suggestion to fly into Calgary is a good one. If you have to make the trip to Vancouver, why not take the train?  If you have more questions about the trip let me know. I have gone several times...beautiful and love it...a trip of a lifetime.



We would be grateful for advice. We'll want to drive - Possibly for a month using two full week exchanges then shorter stays with RCI Points/VI points/Marriott points/II short stays etc. I think Jasper will be a hotel though.

We want to leave before it gets unbearably hot in Mendocino County, CA. We can go through Tahoe/Idaho North to BC, then Banff area/then up to Jasper. 

Some people suggest the roundtrip drive to/from Banff/Jasper is so scenic we'll enjoy both directions. Some people mention leaving Jasper toward Vancouver then south.

Some suggested the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon which I've never seen.

We booked:
10-17 July 2010 - Destinations at Panorama, BC
17-24 July 2010 -Elkhorn at Falcon Crest, Canmore, AB

We hope to leave Panorama early on the 17th and go to the http://CalgaryStampede.com then back to Canmore.

We booked those weeks because they were back to back. I'd love to know more about the resorts and whether I am better off changing the reservations. We can probably stay at http://radiumhotsprings.com instead if it is much better.

We spent a week in Vancouver & Victoria BC before so those areas aren't important for this trip. I have never been to Western Canada and have heard it is gorgeous!

Thanks in advance for any advice.


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