Recommendations for a 3-week itinerary in Western Canada

Hi everyone,

Here’s the itinerary I’ve planned for this summer. I’d love to get your thoughts and recommendations on it. We’ll be 2 adults and a 15-year-old teen.

11/07 Calgary - arrival around 9 PM 12/07 Calgary - exploring the city 13/07 Calgary : Stampede 14/07 (Canmore) Banff - Kananaskis Valley - Town of Canmore - Banff Centre - Upper Hot Spring (pool) 15/07 Banff - Johnston Canyon - Lake Louise - Moraine Lake 16/07 Banff - Banff Gondola with ridge walk (1 km) - Lake Minnewanka 17/07 Yoho (Field) - Herbert Lake - Yoho Valley Road (before Field) - Field - Natural Bridge - Emerald Lake + hike to Takakkaw Falls - night at The Crossing 18/07 Jasper - Icefields Parkway - Herbert Lake - Bow Lake - Peyto Lake viewpoint (15 min from the parking lot) - Saskatchewan River Crossing - Columbia Icefield with the Skywalk - Sunwapta Falls - Goat and Glacier Lookout - Athabasca Falls 19/07 Jasper - Maligne Valley - Medicine Lake - Maligne Lake 20/07 Jasper - Whistlers Peak - Miette Hot Springs 21/07 Wells Gray - Yellowhead Highway 22/07 Wells Gray - Helmcken Falls - Dawson Falls - Spahats Falls - Clearwater Lake 23/07 Hat Creek Ranch 24/07 Whistler 25/07 Whistler 26/07 Nanaimo - Sea to Sky Highway - 1.5-hour ferry 27/07 Nanaimo - North Coast - Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park - Old Country Market - Goats on Roof - McMillan Provincial Park - Cathedral Grove 28/07 Victoria - Kinsol Trestle - Malahat Skywalk 29/07 Victoria - whale watching 30/07 Victoria - Inner Harbour - Chinatown - Fisherman’s Wharf floating houses 31/07 Vancouver - 3-hour ferry 01/08 Vancouver 02/08 Departure

We’re being really careful not to spend more than 3 to 4 hours driving between stops. We want to take our time. Thanks for your input....

Hi there, overall it seems like you’ve done a good job estimating travel times. Here are a few notes: * 14/07 (Canmore) Banff - Kananaskis Valley - Canmore Town - Banff Centre - Upper Hot Spring (Pool): I’m not sure if you’re leaving from Banff or Calgary in the morning? If it’s the first option, you’ll waste a lot of time backtracking. It’s better to stay in Calgary the night before and do the Kananaskis loop toward Canmore and Banff. Plus, that lets you see some of the Prairie landscapes, which really contrast with the Rockies. You could stop at a ranch or Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. * 17/07 Yoho (Field) - Herbert Lake - Yoho Valley Road (before Field) - Field - Natural Bridge - Emerald Lake + Takakkaw Falls hike - night at The Crossing: Same as before. If you’re staying in Field, why backtrack to Herbert Lake just to spend the day at Emerald and Takakkaw? You’ll lose time in your day since you’ll pass Herbert Lake again the next day... * Victoria: 3 days in Victoria and only 1.5 in Vancouver seems unbalanced. Especially after already spending 2 days in the Nanaimo area. After the breathtaking Rockies, the green hills of Vancouver Island might feel a bit dull. Also, the road between Nanaimo and Victoria "runs along" the coast but you don’t see the ocean—it’s not coastal scenery unless you take detours like Rathtrevor Beach (good idea). It’s better to spend a bit more time in Vancouver, a city with tons to do, especially in summer.

I’m not very familiar with British Columbia (only been once). 3 days in Victoria seems like a lot to me—one less would be enough, and that extra day could let you either head out to Ucluelet/Tofino on Vancouver Island or add an extra day in Vancouver.

After the breathtaking landscapes of the Rockies, the lush hills of Vancouver Island might seem a bit bland.

Well, they’re really not the same thing at all. There’s *plenty* to see and do on Vancouver Island or the Sunshine Coast—though the latter is often overlooked by international tourists. But you’ll need time...

Hi everyone, and thanks for your feedback!

Regarding the points of interest mentioned, they’re not necessarily in order. So the itinerary will be optimized to avoid backtracking.

For Yoho, it’s just a stopover—we’re planning to spend the night at "The Crossing"... so yes, there’ll be some backtracking since we’ll go as far as Field before heading back toward The Crossing.

For Victoria, we want to do a whale-watching boat tour, which is why we’ve booked 3 nights. A full day will pretty much be dedicated to that.

Vancouver’s a big city, and it doesn’t really appeal to us that much. We’re only spending 2 nights there, which is basically 2 days: crossing early in the morning when we arrive and heading to the airport in the late afternoon on the departure day. But maybe it’s worth reconsidering the split between Victoria and Vancouver?

This means you’ll have the afternoon free on the first day and the morning on the second—so 2 half-days. After that, it’s all about personal preferences and priorities, for sure. But for me, Vancouver and Montreal are the two Canadian cities worth visiting.