Canada: Recommendations in Toronto, Whistler, Calgary or Vancouver/Vancouver Island?

[wheresmymojo]

Hi,

We're doing a big trip in Canada for DH's birthday in a couple of months.

A few days in Toronto before flying to Calgary for a few days. We pick up a car while in Calgary and are going to drive to Vancouver stopping at Whistler, Kamloops, Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

Does anyone have any recommendations for sights, day trips, restaurants that we should check out?

Tofino on Vancouver island is a glorious place t9 stay. I’d go back in a heartbeat. I know you’ve booked Victoria but if it’s changeable have a look at tofino. Amazing kayaking on the inlet, wildlife tours, great food.

So jealous lovelyupnorth. We got back 3 weeks ago. I want to go again immediately.

We are doing a similar itinerary to the OP in August, except we are flying from Toronto to Vancouver and driving from there to Calgary through Whistler, Clearwater, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff. We are staying a couple of nights in each place on the way but three nights in Calgary.
We are two adults, 4 kids ( 17, 16, 13 and 11) so if anyone has any recommendations that would be great.
This is probably a long shot but our 17 yo and 13 yo would love to go horse riding but neither DH or I can accompany them. None of the companies we've contacted will allow under 18s without parents, they all say it's down to insurance.
We've found somewhere for them to ride without parental accompaniment in most countries we've visited, including the USA, so wonder if there is any possibility that there is somewhere they can ride near our route in Canada.

Lake Louise get there early. Very early after about 7.30 you have to use the park and ride and it’s awful.

Better do the gondola. If you get there early it’s quite and also do a good breakfast deal. If you pick up a map you can get a $5 dollar discount.

We made the most of the jet lag.

More posts shortly. Currently in Grande Cache North of Jasper

Thanks Lovely. I am so excited about this holiday. Am just hoping it's not spoiled by kids!

Tell me about it we tried to go to an indoor climbing place yesterday but you needed a copy of your first aid certificate not something I’d normally carry.

Just looked up a place for riding near where we are staying currently so about 90 minutes north of Jasper and it looks like they have a minimum age of 10 for riding ubartrailrides.com

Near Banff we enjoyed the Johnson canyon walk. Again I’d suggest getting their early around 8am as by 10 it’s like a theme park. Also very worth doing the trial all the way to the ink pots. As most people seem to only get to the lower falls. Got a lot quieter the further we walked but by going early we had large parts of the upper trail to ourselves.

North of Jasper in a town called Hinton we enjoyed a fantastic coffee and cake and a walk along the Beaver Boardwalk did it early evening and really enjoyed a close up and personal display by one of the beavers.

One thing bring coats as it’s colder and wetter than normal at the minute. Though got sun forecast for tomorrow and Monday. Which is good as going white water rafting tomorrow.

For some reason my 17 y/o DD didn’t pack one 😂

Also ice cream in Banff at Moow is awesome

this café/bakery in Whistler is fab
www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g154948-d4498850-Reviews-Purebread-Whistler_British_Columbia.html

QQ for those of you in BC/ Alberta atm. How likely is it we will see bears?

It’s berry season - we were there about a month ago and saw 3 grizzlies and 2 black bears ( not all at the same time). From the service bus around Banff.

So did you carry Bear Mace at all times?

On Vancouver Island we loved Long Beach Lodge in Tofino, Telegraph Cove (whale watching tours) and Painters Lodge, Campbell river (fishing galore and if you don’t fish just watch the boats come in and people display their catches) . Crystal lodge in Whistler was great too with a small kitchenette in the room.

No we didn’t, we did ask about buying it but decided against it, but we didn’t go off the beaten track really, there were plenty of people around on all of our walks. If we’d planned to do that I would have. We made plenty of noise though. I was only nervous once, at Johnson Lake when there weren’t many people around. But the bears we saw were concentrating on eating. There were some foolish people who got out of their cars to take photos of the grizzlies.

I'm a little late to this thread but I had to chuckle at somebody recommending Duncan. I live on the island is going to be the first time I've ever seen anybody recommend Duncan as a place to visit it's like the Scuzville of the island. Lovingly referred to as drunken Duncan

We saw bears in Lake Louise from the Gondola and along the highway near jasper.

In whistler we really enjoyed the bobsleigh run and good value for money.

Currently nearing the end of our stay in Vancouver fly home in a coupe of days.

Those of you in Toronto/ Vancouver/Calgary and between now. What sort of clothes should we pack?
We are taking 5 changes each as are staying in AirBNBs with washing facilities. I'm guessing jeans/ long trousers and T-shirts/ hoodies rather than shorts and crop tops!

Currently massively hot. But been down to 7oC.

We travelled with just hand luggage for two weeks and have had laundries at all our places mixture of apartments and hotel/suites - also had fridges and cooking everywhere.

Today in Vancouver is definitely a shorts and t-shirts day.

Okay, 2 hot day outfits, 2 cooler days and one in between then. And a fleece!

It was boiling hot when we were there last year but we had snow in the Rockies! Layers!