# Vacation planning- train or drive from Vancouver to Lake Louise?



## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 11, 2007)

I have wanted to take a Rocky Mountain train trip for a long time. They seem very expensive. I thought I had seen something about a 3-4 day trip for just a few hundred dollars, but I don't know where. Would it be better to just rent a car in Vancouver and drive, spending a few nights in hotels along the way? I haven't looked at a map, yet. This would be for next summer.
Thanks,
Liz


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## ricoba (Oct 11, 2007)

I was going to suggest VIA Rail, Canada's national passenger rail line.

But when I looked at their site, I see they no longer go through Banff/Lake Louise (the old CP route) and they now use the northern, CN route to Jasper.

When I took VIA across Canada, many moons ago there was both a southern Rocky route (Banff/Calgary) and a northern route, (Jasper/Edmonton), but as I just saw it's only a northern route now.

You can search here on TUG and read John Cummings review of the Rocky Mountaineer, as I remember he was very disappointed with the trip.


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## calgarygary (Oct 12, 2007)

Liz, depending upon your driving habits, the trip from Vancouver to Lake Louise is either one or two days.  It is not Via that goes through Banff/Lake Louise it is the Rocky Mountaineer and their website is here. The days of it being just a couple of hundred dollars are long gone.  For those folks whose budget and time allow for it, I highly recommend going to Vancouver Island, driving up to Port Hardy, taking the ferry (full day) to Prince Rupert, driving across to Jasper and then down to Lake Louise.  This trip will give you some of North America's most spectacular scenery.


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## ricoba (Oct 12, 2007)

calgarygary said:


> I highly recommend going to Vancouver Island, driving up to Port Hardy, .



It wasn't until I drove from Nanaimo to Port McNiel and took the ferry to Alert Bay one year, that I realized how large, beautiful & remote Vancouver Island is.

Just bringing up Port Hardy brought back many memories for me.  It's not really a place all the tour books point out!


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 13, 2007)

The trains are so expensive. Driving sounds like it wouldn't be more and might give us a lot more flexibility. I think I'll talk to Auto Club and see if they will do a trip plan for us.
Thanks,
Liz


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## Laurie (Oct 13, 2007)

*Astronomy b&b*

Here's one of the best places we've ever stayed, and it's on the way in Osoyoos, tho perhaps not the most direct route  - an astronomy b&b, where your stay includes both a night-time star and morning sun viewing from their observatory:

www.jacknewton.com/canada.htm

Prices were reasonable, rooms lovely, the hosts really friendly and interesting, the views from this place were spectacular, and the breakfast was too!  They book up solid though, so advance reservations needed. You can make it in one day from Vancouver, we did (actually we got there from Victoria in a day, inclduing the ferry ride) and probably can make it to Lake Louise in another day, if you wanted to, driving through very pretty scenery.

There was only one auto rental company I found who permitted Vancouver pick-up and Calgary car-drop for not much $, so call around.

edited to add: This b&b is on Anarchist Mountain! (just a little trivia tidbit)


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## ricoba (Oct 13, 2007)

Liz, you can go to AAA for advice, but you don't have to.

For a road trip you would drive the #1 Trans Canada Hwy from Vancouver to Banff/Lake Louise.

From Banff/Lake Louise I would then take the #93 North to Jasper.

From Jasper take the #16 West to the #5 South and head to Kamloops, where you would then connect with the #1 West, back to Vancouver.

It sounds like a lot of numbers, but it is NOTHING like all the numbers we have here in LA.

BC and Alberta do not have the major freeway systems like we do here.  It is much more pleasant, slower paced and beautiful driving.

To see the route I just described, go to google maps and google Banff and you will see the highway routes in and out of Banff.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 13, 2007)

Wow, that sounds so great. I really need to get some maps as I have no idea where anything is. Why would I want to drop off the car in Calgary? (not sure where that is either), but I was just planning on driving back, maybe a different route if there was one.
Thanks,
Liz


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## Laurie (Oct 13, 2007)

Liz, Banff to Calgary airport is just a couple hours drive. But yes, you could drive 2 very different routes between Vancouver and Banff.

I always keep a Rand McNally US Atlas handy to my home computer, it includes Canada and Mexico - some of my favorite reading! (a world atlas too)

http://www.banff.com/vacationguide/index.shtml

http://www.banff.com/gettobanff/index.htm


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## calgarygary (Oct 13, 2007)

Liz, if you do decide to drive, you then have to decide how much time you want to devote to the drive from Vancouver to Banff.  Taking the Trans-Canada all the way is the least favourite of my choices.  The most scenic semi-direct route is taking the T.C. (#1) to Hope, then #3 to 3A to 97 which will take you through the Okanagan Valley and then up to the T.C. again.  The fastest route (my choice) is to take the T.C. to #5 better known as the Coquihalla. It is a toll highway where you will stop once to pay the toll, take 5 until it meets up with the T.C. near Kamloops.  The T.C. falls in between the two with respect to speed and scenery.

In any case, if you do drive make sure that you are comfortable driving in mountains as the Golden area can be hard on some drivers.  The trip is spectacular and is 10 hours to 3 days depending upon how many times you stop to enjoy the scenery.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 13, 2007)

Does that count frequent bathroom breaks and me not supposed to sit in a car for more than an hour at a time (back issues)? Which route would take us to the place mentioned that has an astronomy B$B? Both my husband and I loved that idea. I think we will spend maybe 3-4 nights in Vancouver, then go back to the airport to rent a car and spend 24 hours in Victoria and then begin this track. Would two weeks be reasonable for the whole trip? I am going to go to Hawaii and use our Shell Explorer points and do a girls trip and then meet my husband in Seattle and go on from there. Getting excited!
Liz


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## BevL (Oct 13, 2007)

calgarygary said:


> ... The most scenic semi-direct route is taking the T.C. (#1) to Hope, then #3 to 3A to 97 which will take you through the Okanagan Valley and then up to the T.C. again.



Do this route for one way out for sure.  You will find Osoyoos where the astronomy B and B is on this route, basically Highway 3 ends up in Osoyoos, then you take 97 north through the Okanagan Valley - lots of wineries along this route so it could easily take two days for that alone if you're into that kind of thing.  Then you'll head up through Kelowna, Vernon, Armstrong to Salmon Arm where you will reconnect to Highway 1.

The absolutely most boring drive (but fastest if you're blasting back) is to take Highway 1 to Hope, then highway 5, the Coquihalla (or Coke as we call it) to Kamloops, then either Highway 5 to Jasper or Highway 1 to Banff.  The coquihalla is a really good highway, very fast, but not much in the way of scenery, to my way of thinking.

Looking forward to any help we can give in planning your trip.

Bev


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## ricoba (Oct 13, 2007)

While I agree that the Okanogan is very pretty, and I like it a great deal, in my mind it's almost like Canada's California.  

While I can't speak for Liz, the area that will be the most dramatic and the most unlike California, will be through Glacier, Yolo & the Rocky Mountians.

Don't forget that we down here in CA, already have lots & lots of lovely wine producing areas, but we don't have Rogers Pass and the Rockies!


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 14, 2007)

I think the Rockies is what I am interested in. I have driven through the US Rockies in the past, but my husband hasn't. I lived up in Sonoma County for many years, so wineries don't have much appeal. Lakes, humongous mountains, open spaces and wildlife are big on our list.
Thanks,
Liz


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 14, 2007)

I was looking at some of these links. Would it make sense to see if I could get a timeshare week in Banff? SFX said Vancouver was a very difficult trade in the summer and then I conceived this idea of a midweek trip from Seattle to Vancouver and then on to Victoria and the Rockies. Would it be a good exploring point if we were able to get something in Banff?
Thanks,
Liz


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## randyz (Oct 14, 2007)

Liz,

As you have probably already gathered from other posts road trips here in BC have many options. 2 weeks will be lots of time to see many things. Get yourself a map and discover the many possible circle routes. If wineries have no appeal, you can skip the okanogan which is really about wines and lake sports (eg waterski) in the summer. Given you got plenty of lakes, wineries and desert near where you live probably worth a pass.

When you get out a map checkout the two major east-west corridors from Vancouver across BC. Hwy 1 the Trans-Canada/Rogers Pass/Northern Route and Hwy 3/Crows Nest pass/Southern Route

The southern route includes many from Vancouver includes Manning Park, Similkameen River/Keremeos, Osooyos (discussed in previous post) Nelson (very artsy Rocky mountain town, Kimberley, Fairmount/Radium all on the way to Banff.

To do Jasper you can travel north and double back, or go farther north to the Yellowhead route. (This would miss hwy 1 and Rogers Pass which is probably prettier)

Another option if returning on Hwy 1 is to head for Lililoet and take the Duffy Lake Road to Whistler and return that way to Vancouver via the Sea to Sky highway.

Hope I have not confused you and this gets you started. Such a circle tour would take you through 3 major mountain ranges, rain forest, pine forest, pine desert, lakes and rivers, hot springs, ranch country and fjord vista's. Writing this makes me realize how spoiled we are.

If you are into getting off the road and into the woods let me know and I can give some ideas, with 2 weeks its definitely doable.

Randy


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Oct 14, 2007)

Wow, my mind is racing. I went to Banff National Park site and looked at lodgings available. I am also looking at the possibility of doing a camper van rental. How can June be so far away?
Liz


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## Laurie (Oct 14, 2007)

Liz Wolf-Spada said:


> I was looking at some of these links. Would it make sense to see if I could get a timeshare week in Banff? SFX said Vancouver was a very difficult trade in the summer and then I conceived this idea of a midweek trip from Seattle to Vancouver and then on to Victoria and the Rockies. Would it be a good exploring point if we were able to get something in Banff?


Yes, a timeshare week in Banff is very worthwhile, and you can either drive a fair bit thru great scenery every day, stopping often, or not that far each day, you're right in the scenery - do you use anyone besides SFX? 

Even prime summer isn't actually that difficult a trade thru RCI and sometimes DAE, if you trade into Banff Rocky Mountain Resort, right in Banff park and great location ... or Banff Gate Mountain Resort, the one with the a-frames in Canmore, a bit further out but better views from your unit... tho for RCI it might be easier if you plan for summer 2009 at this point.  DAE seems to have a relationship with BRMR, so you could put in a request-first if you join. Oh - and Trading Places seems to have a relationship with another very nice resort there in Canmore, so any of these exchange companies are worth checking. 

Either way, exchange or other lodging, you can't go wrong.


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## eal (Oct 14, 2007)

Good idea about the map - get a good-size map of Alberta and British Columbia, pick out possible routes and then post again with specific questions.  There is a ton of expertise about the Rockies here on TUG.


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## calgarygary (Oct 14, 2007)

ricoba said:


> While I agree that the Okanogan is very pretty, and I like it a great deal, in my mind it's almost like Canada's California.
> 
> While I can't speak for Liz, the area that will be the most dramatic and the most unlike California, will be through Glacier, Yolo & the Rocky Mountians.
> 
> Don't forget that we down here in CA, already have lots & lots of lovely wine producing areas, but we don't have Rogers Pass and the Rockies!



You still do the National Parks (btw it's Yoho) & Roger's Pass with this route.  What you miss is the Fraser Canyon (Hell's Gate) and Osoyoos area (Canada's only desert).  What you almost certainly gain is more scenery and more often than not, better weather.


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