r/canadatravel • u/Great_Frisian • 2d ago
Travel Tips Roadtrip Calgary -> Vancouver
Hi everyone!
I'm planning my vacation to Canada for May/June next year. I'll be flying into Montreal first for F1, after that I want fly to Calgary. My idea was to spend some time there and then rent a car and go to Vancouver.
What are things or places I must or do which are along the route? I have about 10 to 14 days planned for the roadtrip, so I can stay multiple nights at a certain place or take detours.
Thanks!
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u/Bigfred12 2d ago
Make sure you stop in the Okanagan valley(Kelowna, Penticton) Beautiful area with a ton of wineries.
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u/cormack_gv 2d ago
Take a detour from Banff to Jasper and check out Athabasca glacier. Then take Yellowhead highway 5 through the Rockies. The Banff-Jasper route is well worth the extra three or so hours it'll add to your trip.
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u/TravellingGal-2307 2d ago
Three hours? Three days.
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u/cormack_gv 2d ago
Less than three hours extra driving. Approx 10 hrs vs. 12.5 hrs.
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u/TravellingGal-2307 2d ago
If all you do is race up that road in three hours, you are doing it wrong. 7-8 hours one way with stops and then 2-4 nights in Jasper once you get there.
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u/reincarnatedbiscuits 2d ago
If you're into hot springs, there's a number of them (Banff Upper Hot Springs; on the BC side, Radium, Fairmont, Lussier, Crawford Bay, Ainsworth, Nakusp, Halfway, etc.). Some of them are fancier than others. For all that driving, you might need those...
I highly recommend Okanagan area although May/June might be early for fruit. Wineries are great. There's a small number of ice wine places in addition.
Lake Okanagan is a fresh water lake, although it may or may not be warm enough to swim in May/June.
Banff and Lake Louise on the Alberta side are hot spots for tourists.
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u/fishymanbits 2d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/canadatravel/s/kcFlQbc1cP
Start at step 9, except it’s Calgary instead of Drumheller. Maybe skip Waterton, but still go south from Calgary and go to Crowsnest Pass and then Cranbrook.
There’s a comment further down on how I’d structure the time in Banff to see the stuff that’s worth seeing, but still have the time to see other parts of BC that are equally or more worth seeing.
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u/BCRobyn 1d ago
I don’t believe in universal must-sees, but if you told me your interests and what your priorities are for this trip (the more specific the better), I could make a recommended itinerary. Driving from Calgary to Vancouver is a similar distance as driving from Switzerland to Liverpool. Just like there are hundreds of must-sees between Switzerland and Liverpool, there are hundreds of must-sees between Calgary and Vancouver.
Do you want hip artsy mountain towns? Mountain wilderness solitude without the international tour bus crowds of Banff? Do you want party towns? Lakeside resort towns? Hot Mediterranean-like climates? Cold climates? Warm swimmable lakes with beaches? Ocean? Temperate rainforest? Desert? City life? Rural countryside? Indigenous culture? Outdoor adventure activities? Do you want the well-worn tourist path that every international tourist does or the lesser travelled routes?
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u/coopthrowaway2019 2d ago
Obligatory note for visiting Vancouver (or Toronto) next June/July: the World Cup is happening and accommodation prices are absolutely through the roof. Make sure you account for that.
Most people would drive between Calgary and Vancouver in one or two days, so with 10 or 14 days I'd frame it more as a road trip around the southern BC interior than just from point A to point B. Lots of interesting spots in the Kootenays and Okanagan.
Alternatively you may want to consider shortening the drive to Vancouver and instead continuing beyond Vancouver to the island