So I am going with my Mum in the summer, the trip is for her 50th and I am wondering what you lot would recommend seeing/doing there apart form the obvious attractions and of course I will be getting in a few days mountain biking somwhere!

I have also been looking online and found the popular places to visit like Lake Louise etc… but if anyone has been and has some specific places they would recommend we stop by them let me know!

Thanks

Take the Icefields Parkway road between Banff and Jasper.

Its the wrong way but Vancouver Island is amazing (its also massive)

Things to do and see in Canada between Calgary and Vancouver in summer?

Oooo! I know the anwswer to this one as I did that trip a few years back with the missus…

Its…. get bitten to death by mosquitoes – seriously, go well prepared, there’s only about five days the place isn’t covered by snow so there’s a bit of a feeding frenzy 🙂

Columbia Icefield – go on the snow coach tour

(If it hasn’t all melted yet).

Peyto Lake in Banff National Park.

Whistler (of course)

Second peyto lake

Also various hot springs about, we visited the one in Banff. Sitting in hot water with a view of the mountains.

Whale watching from vancouver

we did a plane flight over the rockies from a town called gold or golden also float plane ride from whistler was good white water rafting was good too loads to do and see if you see cars parked at the side of the road on your travels it will probably be beacuse there are bears or other wildlife to be seen lake louise is stunning

Banff, Jasper (icefields parkway between the two), Whistler, over to Vancouver Island (West coast) and back to Vancouver, that was our honeymoon anyway!

Visit this place – http://www.trufflepigs.com/

Try variations on this loop – http://www.bikepirate.com/x-country-trails/jumpingpound-loop/

Do this loop – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dld_GZFestA&feature=share&list=UUUIuC5K238rOl-wIe-UhqCw – 10 mins from downtown calgary in Bowness – visit cadence cafe and bowness cycles whilst you’re there

Visit Kicking horse resort and hire a big bike – then visit golden for a beer – Mount 7 is just across the valley if you can find anyone to uplift you

Drive the back road from Kamloops to Pemberton – 214 km of the most beautiful twisty mountain roads and valleys you are likely to experience

if you like icecream this place is a must – Leavitt’s Ice Cream Shop,
3410 3 Ave NW, Calgary, AB T2N 0M2, Canada

Visit Canmore – plus if you can do the goat trail over to Banff – not difficult but a very pleasant ride for an afternoon

Instead of going to Lake Louise, go a few miles further up to Lake Moraine as its much more pleasant.

Try and visit the Okanagan valley – it will change the way you view Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okanagan

Do not go to Drumheller or Banff they is shit

Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Columbia Ice Sheet – well, pretty much all of the Icefields Parkway; Banff, Kananaskis, Canmore; it’s a good 11+ hour drive from Calgary to Vancouver so you’ll probably need a stopover. We stayed in Kamloops.
Kelowna Valley has Canada’s vineyards so that may be worth a trip too.
Chinatown, Stanley Park, English Bay in Vancouver all good

Banff is great to go to for a few days, there is a restaurant that does good fondue. Fun town to hang out in.

Lost lake in whistler for a walk/gentle ride. Horse riding in the area is great too. Doing the zip trek from whistler mountain is excellent if your Mum likes a buzz (no climbing really and incredible views).

Spend a few days in Van too – good town, bike ride in Stanley park on a sunny day is hard to beat. Eating round Yaletown – best looking waiting staff of anywhere I have ever been!

I loved it, went for honeymoon, heading back in a few years for a 10th anniversary and will be doing the Icefields parkway and Golden and Jasper.

http://www.petersdrivein.com/

This place is a Calgary institution – well worth a visit – ask for small fries – trust me you wont want anymore

If you think Blackpool is a good example of the UK then you’re good to go to Banff

If not then avoid Banff at all costs – it is an absolute dump and will distort your view of what Canada is all about.

I cannot stress this enough

You think Banff is a dump?

Do you live with a girl called Alice ?

I wouldn’t describe Banff as a dump! Certainly wasn’t when we went in 2005.

My pic of a dump. What a hole.

Plumber I believe is a former Calgary resident.. I’m still one. It’s required for us to think it’s a bit of dump.. The best analogy I can give is that it’s like Ambleside but worse. I make a conscious effort to avoid Banff between the months of May and September. You’ll struggle to park and the pavements are heavy on the tourists. Canmore is a nicer town but also suffers from urban sprawl. However compared to some other places in the world the view is magnificent.

Back to the OP. How long are you going for? It’s a couple of days just to drive the distance so recommendations would vary depending on time available. If you’re driving all the way to Vancouver and you are accompanying a 50 year old mother as per plumber I would recommend a couple of days in the Okanagan valley after you’ve done the rockies (Penticton in particular). It’s the wine growing region of Canada and with a bit of effort you can find some wonderful vineyards combined with magnificent scenery. There is also plenty of fruit growing etc along with lakes to relax by etc, etc.

Mountain biking wise.. Canmore is a good area near Calgary; then Golden / Revelstoke have some stuff. There isn’t actually a lot of good biking inside the National Parks; it’s mostly on the fringes.

I travelled this way about 10 years ago so it may have changed a lot. But this is what we did and thoroughly enjoyed it:

* Went to an NHL game. We watched the Calgary flames play – a great atmosphere. We saw a streaker try to climb on the ice during overtime wearing just socks. He knocked himself out climbing over the barrier and landing on his head. He got a standing ovation.

Edit: ha ha I just found it – http://www.puckreport.com/2009/10/today-in-nhl-history-calgary-streaker.html?m=1

* Visited Banff. Yes it is touristy but its worth it. We walked up Banff mountain and went to Banff springs. Also had a few good nights out in the town.

* Took a tour up to Jasper along the Icefields parkway (?) and then to kamloops then vancouver. I can’t remember the exact route but we visited lake Louise and lake peyto on the way and stayed in a log cabin in the woods.

* Visit Vancouver – there are some good bars and restaurants. We got the bus over to Vancouver island – in particular Tofino. Stunning place – the hostel was right on the waterfront and you can get a small whale watching tour which also takes you to some natural hot springs. It was a small French guy – I don’t know if he’s still around tho. Also sunset kayaking – awesome.

It’s a stunning area with plenty to see – just enjoy 🙂

Go to nelson. Smoke dope. Ride bikes. Relax.

How active does your mum want to be?

Travelled around for 4 weeks nearly 20 years ago so I’m sure a lot has changed but Jasper was nicer and not as expensive as Banff. Saw bears and moose whilst out biking pretty locally and sure you would see them hiking too.

1 highlight was Bowron lake circuit.

Linky

A fantastic few days paddling in unspoilt territory and total peace and quiet. Loved it and would love to do it again.

Lake Louise – yes it really is that colour

more here

You did well getting all of the folk out of the Lake L picture!

We went from Vancouver to Whistler to Jasper to Banff to Kamloops (Sun Peaks) then a few days on Vancouver Island.

Loved Jasper and the surrounding area, the drive to Banff was great. Banff was disappointing. We moved on a day early and spent an extra night at Sun Peaks.

yeah, my toes were nearly in the water 😉

Walked on Lake Louise in March 2000, & Banff didn’t look like a dump to me (& I have been to Leeds a few times so I know a dump when I see one, sorry Ton.) Canmore was nice. Went to an NHL game also, which was on my bucket list.
I love Canada me.

I have been to Leeds a few times so I know a dump when I see one

south of the river then 😉 sorry Ton 😉

drink kokanee.

My mum is pretty darn active, shes not your typical 50 year old! we will be doing a fair bit of walking I imagine

cheers for the response guys, this has been great, although it does also basically say go everywhere!

How long are you going for? Then can give some highlights….

Woah! Hang on there you whippersnappers, not all us decrepit old 50 somethings are ready to trade in our MTB for a weelchair quite yet! I bet I could give some of you younguns a whuppin at Whilstler…

Banff is a dump in the same way that Whistler, Canmore, Jasper etc etc are all dumps. You don’t to any of them to look at Norman churches, thatched roofs or castles. Aesthetically speaking they are all pretty boring (I think I spent around 30 minutes in Banff itself, but I don’t spent any more time in Whistler than I have to unless I have a bike between my legs…), but it’s what’s around these places is what makes them great. Just stop in the towns for a coffee and cut some bum rope. Another view near Banff:

Icefields Parkway:

As already mentioned, the Icefields Parkway is a total must. It’s also not in between Calgary and Vancouver but whatever, you can just drive up from Banff, stop at Athabasca and turn around and head back down again and it’d still be worth it. It was mentioned that Drumheller is crap but there’s something to be said for being in a desert, and then a few hours later standing on a glacier.

Crownest Highway between Calgary and Hope (and then on to Vancouver) is a pleasant drive. You can also head up to the Okanagen from Osoyoos (don’t stop in Osoyoos unless you want to mix with a million dicks from the Vancouver burbs….) and check out the vinyards.

As long as you don’t spend too much time in Calgary or Langley I don’t think you can go too far wrong!

Oh and judging by your user-name OP, you have to check out Davie Street in Vancouver 😀

we are going for 3 weeks! So far I found a rather cheap deal on a camper van for our first week so we paid £470 for 1 week for unlimited miles for a one was journey from Clagary to Vancouver… so we have that to begin with then make our way back via whatever means from Vancouver to Calgary over the next 2 weeks… what do people suggest for transport? trains? buses? rent a car?

I did it in A pretty bog standard car, overnight stop pin Kamloops on way out, lake Louise on way back to Calgary. Better planning would’ve meant return flight from Vancouver and another day in BC

Walked on Lake Louise in March 2000

Jesus?

Not too many trains or buses in BC or Alberta….

Also bear in mind that the greater area that you are looking at is bloody massive, with plenty of equally massive mountains to drive over. I’d hire something that is comfortable and has a reasonable amount of power. Every time we go on a road trip there always ends up being way more driving than we think, and we live here. Should be able to get a pretty big loop in though unless the camper you hire is a dog.

Very interested in this thread as I’m doing something similar with Mrs Yoshimi…..

10-28 August
Fly to Vancouver and pick up car but only get 1 night here
Drive to Jasper (planning on doing this in 1 day) – 3 nights here
Drive along the Icefields Parkway to Banff – 4 nights here
Drive to Calgary, drop car off, spend the night there, get on plane, fly to Quebec City – 3 nights here
Train to Montreal 4 nights here
Train to Ottawa, spend 1 night then fly back home

Looking for inspiration for our time in any of these places 🙂

Time in Banff / Jasper split between day hikes / kayaking / white water rafting / quad biking / horse riding etc. (plus hopefully get an MYTB hired at some point)

Time in Quebec / Montreal spent sightseeing, boozing and live music

All ideas welcome 🙂

A huge flight and then drive to Jasper in one day? Ouch…..

A huge flight and then drive to Jasper in one day? Ouch…..

Agreed – I’m hoping the excitement will get me through

You will struggle with Vancouver to jasper in one trip. It would be a miserable way to start a trip

Similar distance to the mammoth Nelson – Vancouver I did in a sitting. Google maps suggest 8 1/2 hours. Took me 11 in perfect conditions. Great drive, but was hanging out of my arse by the end.