Fly drive - West Canada - planning stages

maisie06

Hi - I have done it twice!! in June 2014 we flew into Vancouver and spent 2 days exploring the city and then [picked up the car saving a couple of days of car hire and parking charges - you don't need a car in Vancouver it's all walkable with excellent public transit.

We then drove the BC99 sea to sky upto Whistler and stopped over for a couple of nights, then on to Clearwater, we stayed in Wells Gray NP, not so tourist heavy as other places but really beautiful, we travelled up on the Duffey lake road via Pemberton, if mty memory serves me right...amazing trip with stunning scenery..

After Clearwater we headed for Jasper, be prepared for the WOW factor of the Rockies, you pass right under Mt Robson on the way and the Visitor centre is a worthy stop. After Jasper you MUST take highway 93 - the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic drives in the world, down to Lake Louise and Banff...We flew home from Calgary after 15 wonderful days exploring!!

We saw loads of wildlife including Bears, Whales, Elk and Wolves..

in 2016 we did another flydrive again landing in Vancouver but this time we went to Vancouver island spending 4 nights there, then back to the mainland for a night at Harrison Hot springs before heading off to explore the Okanagen region, including Osoyoos, and Kelowna then heading up to Banff via Revelstoke and again flying home from Calgary.

I don't think it really matters whether you fly into Vancouver or Calgary first, although many people recommend working you way west-east.

We chose to travel by car and stop in hotels, it actually worked out cheaper, and I hate cooking so camping was a no for me! Plus the car was really easy to park in little towns on the way where a motorhome may pose a problem, but it's personal preference really. Do be aware you won't be able to collect a motorhome on the same day as your flight lands though.

You will have an amazing time - we did and I would go back again! On a side note you could drop you car in Vancouver and take the Amtrack train down to Seattle for a visit there.

Both Trailfinders and Canadian affair offer fly drives with free one way drop fees between Calgary and Vancouver.

mn1977

I have been going to Whistler from Vancouver for over 44 years. So to say I know the Sea to Sky highway is an understatement.

But I have been recently taking the bus, private car services and even a helicopter one time.

If you have group of more then 6 people you should really think about getting a private bus.
There are many companies out there that offer this service and the one i have been using lately is Limobook.

You can see their cars here:
limobook.ca/fleet

If you are thinking of doing the helicopter method definitely check out:
blackcombhelicopters.com

Whistler is located in the spectacular Coast Mountains of British Columbia just two hours north of Vancouver. There are many different ways of travelling between Vancouver and Whistler depending on your budget and the size of your group.:beer::beer:

Caz3121

OP was from 2017 - suspect they have travelled by now

tocsin

But as we're going there next month, it was a timely resurrection

doningtonphil

tocsin wrote: »

But as we're going there next month, it was a timely resurrection

Hi tocsin

What have you booked so far?

TELLIT01

We've done variants on the OP's route. Both times we hired a car and booked B&B or apartments along the route. First time we did Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Whistler and Banff with a one night stop between Whistler and Banff. Second we flew into Calgary, stayed a couple of days, then drove to Jasper for a few days and back to Canmore for about 10 days. Loved every minute of it. First trip was June time, second in September. We did catch the start of winter by the end of September on the Icefield Parkway.

tocsin

doningtonphil wrote: »

Hi tocsin

What have you booked so far?

Mrs T found a good deal for the Rocky Mountaineer round trip, so that's taking up most of the holiday

Apart from that, a few days in and around Vancouver. We're flying out with BA in the middle of August, so have fingers crossed that the pilots don't go on strike!

sazaccount

tocsin wrote: »

Mrs T found a good deal for the Rocky Mountaineer round trip, so that's taking up most of the holiday

Apart from that, a few days in and around Vancouver. We're flying out with BA in the middle of August, so have fingers crossed that the pilots don't go on strike!

If you want any tourist ideas for Vancouver give me a shout as I'm currently living here and spending the weekends doing all of the lovely tourist things (as many free things as possible!!)

tocsin

sazaccount wrote: »

If you want any tourist ideas for Vancouver give me a shout as I'm currently living here and spending the weekends doing all of the lovely tourist things (as many free things as possible!!)

Thanks, and sorry for not replying sooner - been in the wilds of southern Arizona - would love some ideas as we have a few days (3 +4) at either end of the train trip.

Jumblebumble

tocsin wrote: »

Thanks, and sorry for not replying sooner - been in the wilds of southern Arizona - would love some ideas as we have a few days (3 +4) at either end of the train trip.

Trolleybus into Stanley park and a quick craft beer in the cafe on an outdoor terrass was bliss
Free ferry across to Vancouver north was also good