dhuey

Greetings, my fellow North Americans to the north. I seek your advice. I'm planning a family trip in August after a triathlon my wife will do in Whistler. Do have any recommendations for X and Y? Thanks.

Monday: drive from Whistler to X, spend the night.
Tuesday: drive from X to Y, spend the night.
Wednesday: drive from Y to Lake Louise, spend the night.
Thursday: another night in Lake Louise.
Friday am: drive to Calgary airport.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Jasper2009

Have you considered driving the Icefield Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise - one of the world's most scenic highways? It's not the most direct route, but doable within your time frame.

If you prefer a more direct routing, spending a night in Kamloops may be the most convenient option (though neither town is overly exciting IMO)

CanuckFlyHigh

Drive from Whistler to Jasper. It's only 740KM and beautiful. Spend night in Jasper.
Stay there Tuesday night as well.
Drive to Lake Louise on Wednesday (most beautiful drive in Canada)
Drive to Banff Thursday - stay at banff springs (or stay 2 nights at LL - your call)
Drive to Calgary Airport Friday

codesinvan

Agree with CanuckFlyHigh. Japser, Lake Louise, Banff. There is also a really nice Fairmont hotel at each location.

dhuey

Thank you so much, folks!

dhuey

I'm under the impression that the town of Jasper isn't anything special, and that it's more the surroundings. Are there nearby attractions in Jasper that make it worth staying there for two nights? Thanks once again.

radnub

Kelowna, BC is a nice option too. You can hike, kayak or do a wine tour there. Personally, I'd do two nights in Kelowna and two nights in Lake Louise/Banff area.

CanuckFlyHigh

Well after a long day of driving, you won't get to see much in Jasper the night you arrive. You will want the entire next day to explore the area (at a bare minimum!). Some of the most beautiful lakes, mountains, etc are in Jasper. It is much more "authentic" and less busy than Banff/Lake Louise. Additionally, you are going to want to do the Jasper to Lake Louise drive during the daytime, so if you don;t stay two nights in Jasper, you would essentially be driving to Jasper, sleeping, waking up, and then driving to Lake Louise, which would be pretty pointless.

Highly recommend you stay at the Fairmont's along the way.

Jasper2009

100% agree!^

As mentioned above, the Icefield Parkway is an amazing drive and you should plan to spend a full day for that including stops.

emma69

There's a nice hot springs near Jasper (that is like a swimming pool, but naturally fed) that she might appreciate after the triathalon.

eigenvector

Since your wife is doing a triathlon I assume you guys are fit and interested in outdoor activities. There is tons of hiking around the Jasper townsite and along the Icefields Parkway towards Lake Louise. Everything from difficult, full-day hikes (e.g. the scramble to the summit of Pyramid Mountain which starts about 10 minutes behind Jasper) to leisurely strolls around Maligne Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in the country.

TheBOSman

I'll be doing this in reverse in May (Lake Louise-Whistler), though with a little more time available to me. Haven't worked out my exact spots for overnighting, or what I'll be doing exactly along the way, but have done a bit of research. Let me know if there's anything you want to have an on-the-ground opinion of in May, I can report back then late in the month.

If you're going for most cost effective (cheapest hotel nights), with least amount of driving, probably Kamloops and then Revelstoke would be best. You could get away with one night in roughly Salmon Arm-Sicamous area, allowing an extra night in Whistler or Lake Louise area.

If you're willing to spend more, consider staying here instead of Revelstoke, since it will be open in August (though may be pricey): http://heathermountainlodge.com/

Whistler to Jasper is 8.5 hours according to Google Maps, just for reference. I've done 11-13 hour drives in a day myself, but they can be a bit tiring. Depends if you're up for that. There aren't a lot of hotel options Kamloops-Jasper, but if one interests you, Whistler-X-Jasper-Lake Louise is definitely workable. But definitely try to fit in Icefields Parkway if at all humanly possible, even if just part of it done out of Lake Louise. I've allocated an entire day to it (I'm going Jasper-Lake Louise in May).

CanuckFlyHigh

A good place to stop between Whistler and Jasper is a little town called Blue River. There is a heli-ski operation (one of the best in the world) that I go to every winter. In the summer, they rent their cabins for very reasonable prices. Mike Wiegle is the name of the place.

surreycrv

Blue River is cool. The Swiss bakery a few kms off the hwy is the place to go. Drive thru town and take a left.

TheBOSman

Swiss bakery is in Valemount : https://goo.gl/maps/j4xTuxWRGzL2

Unfortunately I'm driving through on a day that they are closed . Hopefully they open more days during the summer...