Vancouver – Banff Round Trip – recommended driving itinery

In Vancouver with work at the end of May and tacking on a two week holiday.

Anyone got any recommendations of a nice circular route that will take us to Banff/Jasper and back to Vancouver.

I’ve seen some suggestions of going to Prince Rupert and coming back via Vancouver Island but thinking that’s probably a bit far for two weeks?

Depends how much you want to drive vs. stop and do stuff. We had a camper (5th wheel) for 3 weeks and headed East, then North to Banff, Jasper etc and back through Whistler, typically stopping for a couple of days each time.

I don’t mind having some long driving days, but there’ll only be me driving. Prefer some longer driving days interspersed than averaging the driving out.

We did this a few years ago.

4 of us in a Ford Fusion (like a North American Mondeo)

We had 3 weeks and our itinerary was something like this:

Fly to Vancouver
Vancouver – Tofino
Tofino – Parksville
Parksville – Kamloops
Kamloops – Clearwater
Clearwater – Japser
Jasper – Banff / Canmore
Banff – Revelstoke
Revelstoke – Kamloops
Kamloops – Whister
Whistler – Vancouver

If you’ve only got two weeks then I wouldn’t try and fit in Vancouver Island

The roads are good but the distances can be pretty huge – although they do use kilometers to make things seem further away!

We were on Vancouver Island a couple of years ago so weren’t originally planning on going back, but then I keep seeing this sort of itinery and it got me thinking

Also considering whether to drive route 3 across to Banff rather than trans canada highway.

Don’t overestimate how far you can drive in a day – I’ve done a bit of driving over around Banff – their main ‘motorway’ wasn’t much bigger than the backlane behind our house. Certainly chugging along behind a cop car who was tailing a bear wandering up the road put a hell of extra time on a journey once.

We did Vancouver, then flew to Calgary and did Banff etc.

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are worth a visit -Lake Louise is a tourist magnet mind. Economy section of the Lake Louise Inn was grim back in 2009, don’t know what it’s like now but probably best avoided

Athabaska Glacier on the Icefield Parkway is also worth a visit, between Jasper & Banff

Vancouver to Calgary via Kamloops, Revelstoke, Golden, Salmon Arm has amazing scenery – keep your eyes on the road mind! It’s also a heck of a long way – 1200? km – 11+ hours

My top tip is don’t roll your rental car in Wells Grey National Park 🙄

Have hichhiked this route back in the day, was standing hitching by the bridge in Hope, East of Vancouver when it dawned on me, it was the very one in First blood, where John Rambo is hitching when he gets arrested for vagrancy…luckily didn’t see the Sherrif though.

Certainly going up the coast via Vancouver Island would be my choice.

We hired a 4×4 as we needed it in places due to snow in mid-May and it was great for doing drifts in the Moraine Lake car park as it was sheet ice and empty.

Jasper is nicer than Banff, but the cablecar in Banff was good trip.

Driving over the Rockies to Golden was fun in a snowstorm with trucks skidding in the snow.

Lake Louise is a bit of a tourist trap, lots of Chinese day trippers, but getting upgraded to a suite that overlooked the lake was nice once the throngs had receded. Probably wouldn’t want to stay there though.

We’ll be camping for the most part.

I’ve just looked up and that would be 2350 km total, excluding any side trips. Our last big trip was 1440 km in the same time, and that was about right so think I’ll have to rule out the Prince Rupert option.

Kelowna valley is wine country btw

Another vote for Kelowna, visit a vineyard it’s more interesting than you think. We stayed at a campsite right on the lake shore, stunning views.

My top tip is don’t roll your rental car in Wells Grey National Park

And don’t run over a big rock lying in the road just outside Jasper, bending your wheel rim so bad the tyre goes flat and the rim needs repaired, in a rental car you have no damage insurance for.

I have my excess insurance sorted already 🙂

We went from Whistler to Jasper via Kamloops.
It is a very long way – not so much the distance but your average speed. The roads are certainly not motorways, more like British B roads a lot of the way.
Kamloops is a bit of a dive, it seems to exist only because it is halfway between two much more interesting places and you need somewhere to stop.
We loved Jasper, Banf is a nicer setting but a bit too touristy for my liking.
Lake Louise is stunningly pretty, very popular with tourists but as ever, you only need to walk more than 200 yards from the carpark and you’ll leave 99% of them behind.
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned the beef yet! You’ll never have a better steak than in Alberta. And in Jasper they do a slow cooked pot roast that is to die for…
Enjoy your trip, I’m insanely jealous!

I wasn’t that impressed with Lake Louise in 2005, this was much nicer

Peyto Lake

Tried to post a pic of Crowfoot Mountain, Bow Lake but Flickr on iOS doesn’t work

It was a long while ago but we went Van -> Squamish -> Whistgnar ->Lillooet -> Kamloops -> Bannf -> Jasper -> Well Gray -> Tyax -> Whistler -> Van.

We also, on another, trip explored Van Island.

It’s a lovely part of the world!

We did similar routes to those suggested. I’d recommend booking in activities in advance, as we found some of them full or prices went up closer to time of booking.

We used Kamloops as a one night stop-over. Not a huge amount there, but the Noble Pig Brew house is excellent.

In Jasper, we went on a wild life tour, the guys was nuts, but was very knowledgeable. It was meant to be 1 hour 30 minute tour, it ended up as nearly 3 hours, as he wanted us to see a bear! I think it was the Jasper tour company. You’ll find on tripadvisor.

I’d also recommend a kayak on pyramid lake, with the wild current outfitters. Most amazing place when there are zero tourists first thing in the morning. We have coffee and pastries on a secluded beach and found cougar prints.

Very jealous

places to avoid
Lake Louise, Banff, Calgary, Golden, Kamloops

places to visit Kelowna, Nelson BC, Whitefish Montana

Yep, big distances but IME the biggest issue with an itinerary is that as you approach a signed area of natural beauty that you hadn’t scheduled, you do wonder if you should be making a stop.. the scenic points just keep coming and what if you just missed the most amazing view?
Tourism BC has a few circle driving routes on their web site and info on almost every point of interest.

We did Lake Louise on horseback. You get right up to the flats at the far end of the lake and it’s much prettier/quieter/more awesome.

Given you’ve already been to Icefields (as you’ve got a photo of Peyto lake) why Banff again? What did you do on the Island last time.

May in Banff area is a funny time. There is still a lot of snow up high but the valley is dry. It isn’t peak season so some stuff might be closed.

Personally I’d be doing Squamish, Whistler then head over to the Island. Spend a few days sea kayaking (Johnson strait for killer whales perhaps) and hiking in old growth forest.

If time allows a couple of days in the Okanogan and head over to Revelstoke for some mountains. Glacier national Park for example.

Peyto lake was the furthest up the icefields parkway that I got, it was part of a much bigger trip and only had 3 days between Vancouver and Calgary. Other half hasn’t seen any of it. We’re going right at the end of May/June so aware that plans may depend on what the winter has been like.

Last trip was out of Seattle, round to Olympic peninsula – Vancouver Island (Victoria, Tofino etc) then back via San Juan Islands

A few years ago now but one of our favourite trips~:

Vancouver – 3 days
Camper van (a big one!) via but not an actual match for overnight locations:
Okanagon/Kelowna summer so fruit harvest but not particularly memorable
Revelstoke – great scenery town a bit of a truck stop
Golden – same
Lake Louise – worth a visit if not all day
Banff – up the mountain at sunset is special
Paint Pots at East Kootenay – great p[lace to hike and explore
Moraine Lake – as already said off the beaten track for a hike and more beautiful than lake louise IMHO
A couple of days meandering north through Glacier NP and onto the glacier for a trip
Jasper – loved it, more “real” than Banff
Up to Mt Robson then SW towards Vancouver via Kamloops as we hadn’t time to go to Whistler. Nice drive, cuts the corner and if were hiring a bike from Vancouver and not alone you could take it in turns to do what is about 100m constant downhill on the road.

As has been said the distances are big but the roads are wide and quiet. Just need to get the balance right so you have time for the good stuff.

Clearwater (the orignal lower part) is a bit of an eye opener. Hopefully the uranium mining won’t come back despite the jobs it will create.

We did the opposite direction in two weeks. Had a rental car.

Calgary
Banff
Icefields Parkway
Jasper
Clearwater
Whistler
Vancouver

And although we’ll be camping most of the time, we’ll probably treat ourselves to a hotel one night so any recommendations on that front also appreciated.

The Listel on Robson Street in Vancouver is nice. The Lake Louise Inn (economy section) is not nice. We stayed overnight in Kamloops, hotel was ok but I can’t remember the name of it.

Arrived in Kamloops about 6pm 2nd August 2009, temperature was 38degC – wasn’t expecting that. The desert outside the town was also somewhat unexpected, as were the buzzards circling overhead…

Going to Vancouver Island this June, really looking forward to it