Sumas can get busy with people from the Abbotsford and Chilliwack area crossing south. Probably better than the other crossing though.

If you're already in Kelowna, I would suggest heading south on 97 and pick up WA 20 (North Cascades Highway) - if it is open - to Mt Vernon and head to Seattle from there. More scenic drive.

You're trying to do/see too much, in too little time.

You must be a sucker for punishment. This is an insane amount of driving for not a lot of sight seeing. To each their own though...

Can you suggest which parts should I remove from the iti?

re-do
 

Day 4 - as proposed - begins in Victoria i.e. requires a BC Ferry ride i.e. it is even longer than 14 h!

I suggest a re-do, bearing in mind the ferries. There is excellent ferry service from downtown Victoria-or-Sydney to Seattle-or-Anacortes Penninsula. BC Ferries, by contrast, is expensive and somewhat unreliable e.g. $50 res fee for a car -or-wait 2 h in a line waiting!

In Vancouver, challenge the kids to do The Grouse Grind. Its a tough hike, but the views are worth it, and the workout is incredible.

Unfortunately the U.S. ferries are not cheap (being stuck on the Island, it's my business to know).

Black Ball (Coho) is USD 18.50 / adult pax and USD 64 / vehicle + driver up to 18', USD 5.25 per extra. Reservations are USD 11 OW / USD 16 RT.

WSF isn't cheap either but reservations are free, between Sidney and Anacortes. USD 19.85 per adult pax, USD 55.20 per vehicle up to 22' and driver October-April, USD 68.95 May-September.

By contrast, BC Ferries big ship routes are CAD 17.20 per adult pax and CAD 57.50 per 20' vehicle, CAD 6.50 per extra.

Where did you get the CAD 50 reservation fee from? It's only C$10 if made at least a week in advance, $21 day of departure.

Child/youth fares seem to be overall less in CAD on BC Ferries than Baclkball in USD. WSF fortunately only charges 50% of the children in OP's party.

W/O reservations and assuming they'd all fit into a 18' low vehicle, the OP would pay USD 165.75 per direction for Black Ball, USD 158.05 on WSF, CAD 169.3 (~USD 133.75) on BC Ferries.

Hello all, this is my revised and somewhat final itinerary. The other family that were supposed to travel with us have backed off so we'll only be 4 in this trip.

We'll be going to meet with our relatives (who'll be flying in from LA) in Seattle.

Day 1
Grouse Mountain
Capilano Bridge
Vancouver city tour

Day 2
Victoria / Butchart Gardens by Seaplane

Day 3
Vancouver City (pls suggest)

Day 4
Drive to Revelstoke, stopover at Kamloops

Day 5
Lake Louise
Moraine Lake
Banff

Day 6
Columbia Icefields
Sulphur Mountain
Banff

Day 7
Explore Banff

Day 8
Drive to Kelowna, stopever at Revelstoke

Day 9
Seattle

Day 10
Seattle

Day 11
Seattle

Day 12
Back to Vancouver for flight back home.

More doable but I wonder if you should drive to Victoria (save a lot on seaplane fares unless you want the experience) and then go down to Seattle. Not sure what you want to do there but I think 2 full days is more than enough.

From there, drive to Penticton (or Osoyoos) via the North Cascades Highway (US-20?) if it's open and then up US-97/BC-97 over night. Can drive to Banff the next day.

This way, you get to go through less unpredictable border process/quieter crossings which won't take as much time.

On the return from Banff, stop in Kelowna as you wish and then straight to YVR the next day for your return flight. It's a 4 hr drive but I'd give yourself 6 just in case, or have one extra day in Vancouver.

We would like to experience the sea plane.

My wife and her sister doesn't see each other often since we live half way across the earth, that's why we have 3 days in Seattle.

I'd say that itinerary looks a bit more easy going. The only thing I might do is move Sulfur Mountain from Day 6 to Day 7. This allows you to take the whole day and explore the sights along the Icefields Parkway. Peyto Lake and Bow Lake are (very) popular stops along the way and you'll find other random stops along the way too.

Looks much better. I wouldn't spend as much time in Seattle, but I understand family.

There seems to be a bit of backtracking in Banff/Lake Louise/ice fields. I suggest you pull up a map and confirm you want that order.

Note that Moraine Lake and Lake Louise have limited parking and they close the road when the lots get full. There is a shuttle every half hour or so from a parking lot further away to Lake Louise; I don't think it ran to Moraine Lake.

The advice we we got in August was be at Moraine Lake before 8 am. We got there at 8, and only got a spot because someone was pulling out.

For Lake Louise, you can park at the hotel parking is you have a high tea or spa reservation.

Enjoy your drive.

Remember these planes can have major luggage restrictions that are enforced. I can't recall what they are but it likely varies by carrier anyway so worth checking.

I'd personally find it tough to do Morraine and Louise in one day. Despite the crowds there's a reason they are two of the most popular ones and turning up at either past lunchtime (or 8am) could be tough. During peak season anyway.

Dont forget that on the drives random stops due to a bear or other indigenous wildlife can happen and add a good while on!

If you want to do the seaplane thing, perhaps a flight-seeing tour in Vancouver would be better.

Back to Banff, I think a half day is sufficient. As others said, you might want to stage yourself closer to Lake Louise for the icefields parkway, and heading for Field (not much there I know, except a good place to eat) before you head back towards the coast.

I would also consider staying the night in Lake Louise between days 5+6 instead of going to Banff. Why? If it's a nice day in summer, the parking lots at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are full before 8 am as mentioned, so you will want to hit those as early as possible on day 6. I would spend the rest of the entire day driving to and from the Columbia Icefields. There will still be a decent amount of winter snowpack in the mountains in June, and again, if the weather is co-operative, it is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever undertake and you will want to stop for a lot of photos on that road.

Sulphur Mountain is an easy 2 hours out of your day in Banff.

We are going to be very flexible in the places we go to around Banff. It will depend on what time we are going to wake up in the morning and the mood of one of my sons (he is a special child). But I will make sure we go to the places mentioned in the itinerary.

Regarding the seaplane ride to Victoria, can anyone suggest how to go about in Victoria and to Butchart Gardens without joining a tour group?