Originally Posted by
frankcoton
May 16th: Fly into YVR, rent car and drive to Victoria.
Don't underestimate the length of time necessary to do this. From YVR you'll need to drive to the ferry docks then you need to wait for the ferry, then you need to cross, then you need to drive to YYJ. THe two cities are geographically close but don't think you can drive from one to the other in an hour or less - you can't.
Banff National Park is a jewel. Ditto Jasper. Don't shortchange yourself here. It's easy to spend a week in these 2 parks alone, not to mention Yoho which is a short drive from Lake Louise. Also, assuming the road is open then, you'll want to see Lake Morraine while you're in the Louise area.
Jasper to Banff is about 300 km. Banff to YYC is about 130 km or so. And once you approach the YYC area, you need to navigate through semi-suburban roads (they aren't really highways all the way) so it does take time to get to the airport. It would not be unreasonable to estimate 4-5 hours to get to YYC (airport) from Jasper. Suggest you consider leaving from YEG instead as this will save quite a bit of driving.