 Vanocuver to Jasper
(To Andy: Sorry for the private message: Wrong button!)
> I would spend a couple of days in Jasper and then head south on
> The Icefields Parkway and stay either in Lake Louise or Banff
I agree on the route: The Icefields Parkway is a 'must' if you're in
the area for the first time.
But the towns - Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff - are much too
'touristy' to my taste. There are definitely nicer places to spend
a day or two: Less crowded and less souvenir shops.
Valemount for instance with some hiking trails nearby in the
north, and Revelstoke in the south (Revelstoke Dam, Three
Valley Gap ghost town), ...Wild Water Rafting in Golden
> From there the choices are many and varied.
Shelter Bay - Nakusp - Castlegar? Then back to Vancouver
via Osoyoos - Princeton Hope... For one week that means
stretching it a bit, but manageable if you enjoy driving on
winding country roads.
> You could take the TCH all the way driving through the
> Thompson and Fraser Canyons.
I was assuming the OP wants to take this (or the Coquihalla)
to get to Jasper in the first place. Don't ask me why, but I some-
how don't like the Coquihalla Hwy. so I'd recommend the Trans
Canada for the first leg of the trip (White Water Rafting on the
Fraser River!)
> The third choice is taking highway 97 through the Okanagan
> Valley (fruit and wineries) and then hooking up with the
> Crowsnest highway (#3) through Princeton and Hope (this
> is likely the slowest route).
Slow but beautiful :-)
> The good news is that all these routes are different but scenic
> so you can't go wrong.
That's true!
Lodging en route is no problem at all. Five-star Hotels may be
rare, but I'm always happy with a small cozy motel, and there are
plenty of those around.
Jochen from Potsdam (Germany)
|