Canada 🇨🇦 summer 2026

[dimsiaradcymraeg]

We are starting to plan a three week trip to Canada next summer. We’ll book flights using Avios as soon as we can but we need to start thinking about accommodation as I believe August is the peak season.

Our rough route will be Calgary, Banff, Whistler, Vancouver/Island but open to suggestions along the way.

Will be me, DH and two DC (14 and 13).

Purpose of the trip is mountain biking (DS) and nature watching.

I’d love some suggestions for accommodation (we’ll drive and stop rather than motorhome).

Just to add that a lot of the popular destinations have v strict rules around AirBnB so you may not find that as easy as you might think... my top tip would be to do your research and planning early, especially for accommodation and things like visiting Lake Louise from Banff and booking shuttle buses etc.

We did whitewater rafting in Whistler which was fab - but probably something for all of you as it doesn't meet your criteria of being nearby DS...

You could go up the mountain with them and just do a summer alpine trek, as there are olenty if marked routes. you could go right to the top on the sky bridge, you could do peak to peak gondola, you could go to one of the many beautiful lakes and sunbathe or swim, not sure if rainbow lake has reopened but there is a waterfall there too.

If you’re interested you could go to the lil’wat squamish cultural centre. If you want to splash the cash you could do a seaplane ride from green lake. All of these are walkable from whistler’s tourist centre which also has lots of shopping.

going in a dinghy down the river of golden dreams is something you could all do together and you will need to drive to that anyhow

I’m tagging on here as we are planning a trip next year. Probably May. Great to see so many recommendations here for accommodation and trips. We plan to fly to Vancouver and probably stay a night, then internal flight to Calgary to explore Banff/Lake Louise area. Then the Rocky Mountaineer train back to Vancouver and maybe another night there before spending a week in Vancouver island. As wildlife watching is one of our chief reasons to go. Any suggestions welcome!

@Morningmorning Why not fly out to Calgary?

I have met a few people who have been on the train and didn’t find it that great for the money. They felt you needed the most expensive class of ticket. It’s not great for wildlife viewing.

Therefore do you want casual wildlife (great if you see it) or a visit dedicated to wildlife? The best wildlife viewing is probably VI for bears and whales. We’ve been to the Great Bear Rainforest (fly from Vancouver) and that’s spectacular wildlife every day if you do a cruise. The company we’ve used has very small boats with 12 passengers. Obviously not cheap but you won’t see anyone much for a week. It’s an immersive experience.

We have seen bears casually but going on a trip dedicated to wildlife for part of the time there will ensure you actually see it. Late August/early Sept is good for the salmon run and bear sightings. Some lodges like Tweedsmuir are exceptional for this. There are others. VI has orcas and seeing them is always exciting but GBR also has wolves and the Kermode bear and that’s exciting too.

We did a similar trip last year with similar age children. For Vancouver Island, if you're going to Tofino I would recommend Himwitsa Lodge. It's a bit.old fashioned inside, but with a balcony and great view.

@TizerorFizz thanks for the reply. We have researched flying into Calgary but it will end up more expensive as we would fly home from Vancouver. The train is a long held ambition, and no expectation of wildlife watching from there, that will mainly be on VI. We were originally going autumn this year but various family reasons mean we have postponed till next year, possibly late spring.

Off to look up the great bear rainforest!