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the ultimate Canadian road trip
Yoo-hoo! Quick note—
This itinerary still a drafted itinerary, meaning we either have not personally experienced this OR finalised it all yet. Take the inspo you want from it (sorry if it’s a little messy)!
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GETTING THERE
LONDON HEATHROW (LHR)
TO
CALGARY INTERNATIONAL (YYC)
Cheapest flight (from £369 each off peak)
Airline: WestJet
Flight duration: 8 hours 45 minutes
Direct: Yes
(Their website is super confusing. Just keeps saying no flights found for every date)
Other premium airline flights (from £900+ each)
Airline: Air Canada
Flight duration: 8 hours 50 minutes
Direct: Yes
Airline: Virgin Atlantic
Flight duration: 8 hours 45 minutes
Direct: Yes
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Best time to visit?
Looks like late May / early June for nice weather (before it gets too hot and crowded) and to coincide with the majority of wildlife. All of the new ‘Spring’ baby animals are starting to emerge and find their feet too!
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getting around
CAR RENTAL & CAMPER VAN HIRE OPTIONS:
CANADREAM – Canadian RV Rentals. So many vehicle size options, and lots of different drop off locations such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Whitehorse, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax.
INDIE CAMPERS – RV Rentals. Different drop off options including Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver.
DAYS 0-0
BRITISH COLUMBIA
BRITISH COLUMBIA MAIN AIRPORT: VANCOUVER (YVC)
DAY 1:
– Arrive into Vancouver airport, make way to hotel, explore city.
DAY 2:
– Day: Vancouver City Sightseeing Tour: Capilano Suspension Bridge & Vancouver Lookout
– Evening: Sunset Whale Watching Adventure from Vancouver
© All photography copyrights reserved by Landsea Tours Ltd.
© All photography copyrights reserved by Landsea Tours Ltd.
DAY 3:
– Catch BC Ferry over from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. Takes 1 hour 40 minutes, a ‘saver’ ticket can be as little as $65 with a car. $13 without a car.
Arrive onto Vancouver Island, pick up rental car?
Things to do on Vancouver Island:
- Pacific Rim National Park Reserve – Long Beach Unit
- Canso Plane Crash Site
- Close by – Tonquin Beach, Tofino – sunset
- Cox Bay Beach
- Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara
WILDLIFE: “SEA WOLVES”, Orcas, black bears, bald eagles, marmots, sea otters, sea lions. Spring is best time to see most wildlife. Huge migration of animals – humpback whales and sealions etc. Sea otters pup in spring.
DAYS 0-0
ALBERTA
ALBERTA MAIN AIRPORT: CALGARY (YYC)
Banff / Banff National Park
DAY 0:
– Pick up camper van from either rental company from Calgary location.
– Drive approx. 1hr 30 minutes (140km) to Banff Town.
– Two Jack Lake, scenic Lake just 14 minute drive before Banff town.
– Explore Banff town. Banff town sign. Banff Gondola for sunset.
– Stay at The Hidden Ridge Resort. Gorgeous outdoor rock pool, epic scenery and wildlife, sauna, free parking and good location for transit bus. Quite pricey though – £350 a night!
DAY 0: Book a specific ‘sunrise tour’ to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise to “get there before everyone else”.
Moraine Lake & Lake Louise Sunrise | Award-Winning Premium Tour or
Moraine Lake, Lake Louise & Banff Secrets | Award-Winning Tour
Moraine Lake for sunrise and rent a canoe on Lake Louise, tell tour operator in advance to jump the queues.
– Evening: Banff Upper Hot Springs, highest operating hot spring in Canada. Open 10am-10pm. No advance booking, pay at reception.
– Stay another night at The Hidden Ridge Resort.
– If you drive and park at Lake Louise, after 7pm is free of charge / less busy!
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Don’t forget to buy your Banff National Park Pass!
Everyone visiting Banff or Lake Louise needs to purchase a Park Pass for entry into the National Park. Buy yours online and save time and hassle when arriving at the park entrance.– CHECK IF WE NEED TO DO THIS WITH ORGANISED TOUR.
Public transport details: Use Roam Transit Route 9 everyday in the summer.
DAY 0 (TBC): SHUTTLE TO LAKE O’HARA (RANDOM DRAW APPLICATION) TBC- Due to the popularity of Lake O’Hara day day shuttle bus, Yoho National Park has instituted a random draw process for reserving seats. Tip: everyone in your group submit an application to maximize your chances. Apply before you arrive. Only accessible by this shuttle, no vehicles allowed. Dedicated car park just of Trans Canada Highway 15 minutes away. Otherwise, skip to Day 4. If lucky enough to be selected, hike to the Lake O’Hara viewpoint – Opabin Prospect viewpoint / Opabin Lake. Distance: 5.4 mile loop.
DAY 0:
– Check out of The Hidden Ridge Resort.
– Drive 30 minutes (25km) to Johnston Canyon trail, easy trail to waterfalls and plunge pools in Kananaskis Country (past Banff town, on route to Banff NP. Lower and upper falls, boardwalk. Start location here. Parking is limited.
– Drive 3.5 hours along the scenic Icefields Parkway up to Jasper National Park. Best time is early when sunrises over mountains to see wildlife crossing the roads. Note: This route has tolls.
Stop offs to consider en route: Waterfowl Lakes, Columbia Icefield Skywalk, Panther Falls,
Jasper National Park “The Rockies”
North of Banff
– Stay at Overlander Mountain Lodge.
DAYS 0-0
Jasper National Park “The Rockies”
North of Banff
DAY 0:
6 hour Jasper Wildlife and Waterfalls Tour with Maligne Lake Cruise from Jasper: 5* and Badge of Excellence.
– Jasper SkyTram in the evening? Or Old Fort Point loop walk?
– Stay over again at at Overlander Mountain Lodge.
- Cross border into British Columbia – Mount Robson Provincal Park?
© All photography copyrights reserved by Maligne Adventures from the 6 hour Jasper Wildlife and Waterfalls Tour with Maligne Lake Cruise tour.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
BRITISH COLUMBIA MAIN AIRPORT: VANCOUVER (YVR)
Mount Robson Provincal Park
Wells Gray Provincial Park
VANCOUVER (MAINLAND)
VANCOUVER MAIN AIRPORT: VANCOUVER (YVR)
- Stay at Fraser River Lodge just before Vancouver city. Epic mountain views.
- Get BC Ferry over from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. Takes 1 hour 40 minutes, a ‘saver’ ticket can be as little as $65.
VANCOUVER ISLAND
- Pacific Rim National Park Reserve – Long Beach Unit
- Canso Plane Crash Site
- Close by – Tonquin Beach, Tofino – sunset
- Cox Bay Beach
- Grotto Spa at Tigh-Na-Mara
WILDLIFE: “SEA WOLVES”, Orcas, black bears, bald eagles, marmots, sea otters, sea lions.
Spring is best time to see most wildlife. Huge migration of animals – humpback whales and sealions etc. Sea otters pup in spring.
STATE 3
MANITOBA
MANITOBA MAIN AIRPORT: WINNIPEG (YWG)
Getting to Churchill – no roads that connect it to rest of Manitoba. Has to be train or plane from Winnipeg. Train takes 48 hours?! Plane takes 2hr 30 minutes.
CHURCHILL
“POLAR BEAR CAPITAL OF THE WORLD”
- Flight from Winnipeg to Churchill
- Polar Bear Jail in Churchill – Polar bear holding facility where polar bears that are considered troublesome or dangerous are isolated until they can be relocated.
- Stay at Lazy Bear Lodge?
- Wild polar bear expedition tours
- Swim with wild beluga whales – Season: June – September in Hudson Bay. Tour operators: Lazy Bear Expeditions / Churchill Wild Safaris
- Northern lights tours. Can be seen all year round, best in Jan / Feb / March.
STATE 4
ONTARIO?
ALGONQUIN PRONVINCIAL PARK
- The best place to see wild moose in Canada. Location: Just outside of Toronto / Ottawa.
STATE 5
QUEBEC?
- Omega Parc: Safari Park ‘waking up with the wolves’ experience. Not far from Ottawa. Lodges with free roaming wolves. Drive comfort of own car to witness free roaming elk, bison, bears, foxes. Deer coming up to the car.
- See harp seals (white fluffy pups born during February – March). Magdalen Islands / St Lawrence.
TO CONSIDER:
- Cape Breton Island / Nova Scotia