Vancouver/Rockies/Vancouver Island tips

[Sarvanga38]

We are off in September, flights booked in and out of Vancouver.

Seventeen nights out there (although first night a late landing so doesn't really count) - just planning our route.

Have spent many hours arguing with myself about the Rocky Mountaineer, but I think I'm coming down on the side of just too much money for something I'm not entirely convinced I'm going to love - see if anyone convinces me otherwise. We are very used to driving ourselves about.

We will probably do two/three days in Vancouver to start with, then head up to Lake Louise/Banff, across Jasper National Park to Valemount-ish, then back down to Vancouver to catch a ferry to Vancouver Island.

The only accommodation I have booked at the moment is five nights on Vancouver Island.

Does anyone have any tips for me, or suggestions of things I'm planning wrong please?

I liked Moraine Lake more than Lake Louise which was more crowded.

Have you considered a few nights in Calgary region? Driving on to the badlands and the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump world heritage site we found fabulous, provide a great contrast to the cities and mountains.

Tofino on Vancouver Island is my forever favourite happy place in the entire world. I loved it. Enjoy - you'll have an amazing trip.

Thank you, will look at both of these.

It was pre covid so might have changed however you can get the airport train /metro to downtown Vancouver, we stayed at the sandman, handily it had a car hire in the basement so we picked up the rental and headed off. Do prebook your ferry to and from Vancouver island but my recommendation is a round trip of out towards the rockies then down into the USA by waterman lakes/glacier national park, back through the USA to Seattle then take the ferry across the sound to the Olympic peninsula, you then can take the ferry directly to Vancouver Island then straight back to Vancouver (city) on the other ferry route. Roads are excellent and usually empty apart from the cities so you'll eat up the mileage

We were on Vancouver Island last September. What I really enjoyed (and would have been very sorry to miss) was a day trip by boat to see Grizzly bears hunting for salmon. We spent 2 hours each way on the boat and saw orca and humpbacked whales en route. When we landed we saw bears with cubs hunting for salmon. It was amazing!

How fabulous! Wildlife will definitely be a focus on VI.

I was in Banff last September.. the Rockies are incredible.

I suggest the following in Banff area..
Lake Moraine
Lake Louise
Lake Miinnewanka boat trip
Sulphur Mountain cable car
Marble Canyon

Have a great trip 😊

Peyto Lake view Point is also beautiful! Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Noted, looks fabulous.

Have a fab trip...I would second Tofino.

(We were skiing in BC (Silver Star Mountain) last week and flew back from Vancouver last Sat...can't believe we've been back a week already!)

I know someone who did the Rocky Mountaineer and didn't really rate it. He said unless you paid for the top tier level, there wasn't a great view and most of the other people on the train were fairly elderly so didn't have a lot in common.

It is a big drive from Vancouver to the Rocky Mountains and a further 3-4 hrs to Jasper. I guess if you're used to driving it's not so bad, but you will be in the car for at least 2 more or less full days. I did enjoy Jasper but it could be dropped if you wanted to reduce traveling time a bit.

I loved Vancouver Island , it's amazing.

I probably would go Gold level if we did the RM, in an 'in for a penny, in for a pound' sort of way - but I think that might make it even more staid and not us.

All these things being added to my discussion list, some great tips so far. It seemed so far away, but the year racing by already and not so far away.

(One of the things we've definitely found in the US since Covid is that when you want to do something, it is best to just get on and book it rather than our old spontaneous approach😂- so am keen to work our plan out.)

@Sarvanga38 We have met people who did the Rocky Mountaineer and didn’t rate it either and they had the most expensive tickets. We met them at a fantastic bear lodge in Tweedsmuir Park. Driving and staying somewhere lovely is just as good.

I would try not to rush around too much though. Vancouver island is 400 miles long so loads to see and do. Tofino has bears and you have salmon around in September. Lots of whale and orca trips. Accommodation can be in short supply though but I would want more than 5 nights on VI.

There’s also enough in Vancouver for several days so you need to work out what else to see in BC and how much time you want to spend driving in the Rockies. Seeing everything is a snapshot really.

I came in to this thread thinking the RM was a no, and it has definitely underlined it, so that is good - decision made, RM is a no.

Fully hear the bit about not trying to fit too much in too, @TizerorFizz - years of driving around the US have taught us how easy it is to do that, so we will definitely bear it in mind. We are also considering taking an internal flight to cut some of the driving out too.

When we did this we also spend a couple of nights in Whistler which was fantastic.
Where are you staying on VI?

We did an internal flight to cut out one of the trips from Calgary to Vancouver (can't remember which way). It was definitely worthwhile for us as whilst there is amazing scenery at either end, the drive between the two is uninspiring and long.

We've actually gone for Ucluelet on VI, in that I found accommodation I fancied there more easily than what was available and not a ridiculous price in Tofino. It's just on hold though, and I'm likely to keep looking in Tofino to see if I see anything I like better.

Yes, exactly what we'd do. That Vancouver up to Banff doesn't look the most inspiring of it.

We also did Whistler like @Soontobe60 , loved it and the drive from the ferry terminal to Whistler is gorgeous.

It depends really what type of people you are. We aren't great city people so we spent minimal time in Vancouver itself, but we loved all the outdoorsy activities. I actually preferred the Vancouver/Van Island and Whistler part of the stay more than the Rocky Mountains, but that could have been because DS was 7 or 8 at the time and not much into admiring scenery.

The Museum of Anthropology at the uni of BC in Vancouver is outstanding. Just a total PITA to get to. Closed until June 24. Vancouver has good walking trails, restaurants and whale watching. Enough to ease yourself into Canada before you set off. I think Campbell River is also worth a visit on VI.

@Soontobe60 I meant to add, if you really want something special, have a look at Bluewater Adventures. Not cheap but fantastic “get away from it all” experiences in nature with amazing wildlife sightings.

We did the RM from Bamf to Vancouver (gold leaf) but enjoyed it less than the trip we did on the Via train from Toronto to Jasper earlier in the trip. The Via is also possible from Jasper to Vancouver. We met some interesting people and enjoyed the views. Sleeping on the train was an adventure too!

You can stop at the spiral tunnels on the way from BC into Alberta, just for interest (train times should be available online). Some impressive waterfalls that you can walk to as well.

It is likely that you will have to park and ride to see Lake Louise, and the buses can do a combined trip to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake (in either direction). Some nice fairly short hikes from there (as well as longer ones of course). The park and ride should be booked in advance - you can either book ages in advance, or if you want to see about weather, there are more tickets available about 2-3 days beforehand - check the time/day they are released as they go quite quickly.

Unless you are staying in Banff and have accommodation there, you may need to park and ride into there as well as parking can be very limited now.

You could do Colombia icefields tour on the way to Jasper. A boat trip on Maligne lake to see Spirit Island is quite popular (apparently one of the most common photographs taken in the Rockies!).

If you go to the Drumheller/Badlands area east of Calgary, there is a great museum about the dinosaurs etc and sometimes trips/activities from there where you can learn about paleontology.

If you do the Icefields tour on the way to Jasper, bring your own pack lunch. I have rarely come across food so bad, I occasionally read trip advisor reviews for giggles and it doesn't appear to have improved in the intervening years.

Icefields definitely on our list ... food tips noted!