The Perfect Family Trip: West Coast Edition
We're back! If anyone has followed our other "Perfect Family Trip" installments, you will know that although we don't have years of full timing under our belts, we have done 5 other major summer road...
Forum Discussion
Orion wrote:
I would change the route once getting to Jasper.
Except for the first hour or so after leaving Jasper, the route to way past Kamloops, is very 'ho-hum' . The best idea, and the one suggested all the time on the Trip Advisor site, is to head back down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise. It looks very different from the other direction, you have two chances to hit good weather and views, and finally, it is one of the world's most spectacular drives.
After Lake Louise , you head east through the Kicking Horse pass to Golden, then through the spectacular Rogers Pass to Revelstoke, after which you have some choices.
This one takes you down through the very scenic Okanagan Valley with its lakes, orchards and vineyards. link
A second alternative is to carry on past Kamloops and take the back road into Vancouver via Whistler. This is very scenic, especially through the mountains and along the fjord after Whistler. Depending on the size of your rig, it may be an exciting drive too! Link
Finally, you can stay on Highway 1 after Kamloops and head down to Vancouver through the again scenic, Thompson and Fraser Canyons. Link
There are other routes as well, just make sure you do the Icefields Parkway between Banff & Jasper in BOTH directions!
This is a huge help! The map I have now is a very rough draft. I know very little about most of the loop and NEED suggestions like yours. I will make the adjustments you suggest this weekend.
Our rig is 35'. I am a comfortable mountain driver. As long as I have a little shoulder to work with. I would not drive our rig on 550 through the San Juans, but everything else we've been to, I would.
