1st Trip to Canada in June 04 - Need some advice

Actually this will be our first trip to North America.

We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We
will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.

We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small
towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us?

Are you going to spend all three weeks in Vancover? Or you have visa to get
into US too?

Kenny

"6656" wrote in message
om...
Actually this will be our first trip to North America.

We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We
will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.

We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small
towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us?

Kenny wrote:

"6656" wrote in message

We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Are you going to spend all three weeks in Vancover?

Another careful reader, I see. Good one, Kenny; ya done yersef proud.

cheers,

Henry

6656 wrote:

Actually this will be our first trip to North America.

We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We
will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.

We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small
towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us?


Hi

OK are you going to stay in the western part of Canada only?
Will you rent a car.
You can see BC and take a boat tip in the Yukon/NWT and see real outback
Or hike the mountains and water ways????

do you have any perseved ideas on what is Canada and where you want to see



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It's difficult to do without knowing you and your interests.

We like seeing mountains, we're not great lovers of big cities. We will go
for a day hike and would even contemplate staying in a Youth Hostel to
accomplish a particular hike that required it (but wouldn't camp, like my
comforts, don't like carrying to much weight).

So, here's our ten day itinerary from a few years back. Seattle,
Vancouver, Wells Gray Park, Jasper, Columbia Ice Fields, Banff, Golden,
Revelstoke, Kaslo, Bonners Ferry, Spokane.

Now, Seattle, Bonners Ferry and Spokane are in the US and we did that
because we were going on to San Francisco and it worked out cheaper to fly
from the UK to and from the US, hire the car, cross the border and come
back.

I think there were 3 highlights:

Wells Gray Park. I simply didn't allow enough time. It's a drive in from
the main road and then we didn't have time to hike all the highlights.
What we did see was very attractive.
Columbia Ice Fields. The only other Glacier I remember visiting was in the
French Alps. In that case I remember going inside, at Columbia you ride a
bus on to the glacier. The ride itself is pretty spectacular. The view
from the Glacier and the view of the glacier are spectacular.
Kaslo. Tiny little town in the Arrow Lakes region. 50's style motel with
each room in a separate chalet just facing onto the street. Lovely lake at
the end of the road. Old stern wheel paddle steamer/museum. Nice Cafe
overlooking the lake. No traffic to speak of.

But that takes away from lots of other things. The Lake at Lake Louise.
The Hot Springs at Nakusp. The Spiral Railway Tunnels (and a train showing
both ends) on the road from Lake Louise to Rogers Pass. The Skunk
Cabbage(!).

It also ignores the places we left out like the Caribou Highway to Prince
George or Radium Hot Springs and Cranbrook - we had to make decisions!

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Suggest you take a look at the tours offered by Pacific Coach Lines
www.pacificcoach.com for some ideas of places to go using the B.C. ferry
system. You might consider, for example, going directly from the Vancouver
Airport to Vancouver Island, using the Pacific Coach bus and the B.C. Ferry.
During the ferry crossing you'll see a lot of the smaller islands which your
family might like exploring, using as a base, some little town or Victoria.



"6656" wrote in message
om...
Actually this will be our first trip to North America.

We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We
will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.

We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small
towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us?

Originally posted by 6656

Actually this will be our first trip to North America.



We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We

will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.



We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small

towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.



Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us? .

Do you intend to rent a car or rely on tours. I could suggest a few
places but a car is a must.

If you let us know I am sure the folk around here could put you right. I
must say that 3 weeks is a bit tight on time to see much.


--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Let me get in here before the hordes come with specific town advice. It
might help you narrow down what you will read later.

You don't say how far you want to travel inland from Vancouver, but I would
suggest that you don't try and go farther than Calgary, and Southern
Alberta.

You should spend several days on Vancouver island - Victoria is a beautiful
small city but the provincial park on the west side of the island is "to die
for".

Vancouver and the "lower mainland" as it is called will easily consume the
better part of a week. You should find all you need about it on any number
of websites or travel books.

You should then drive through the Rocky Mountains to Calgary. Fantastic
drive. Again, there is lots to find on this drive on the trans Canada
Highway from other sources, but please look up Takakkaw Falls and Moraine
Lake (ten minutes from Lake Louise and MUCH more beautiful) - two lesser
known wonder sites for tourists.

Once you get to Banff, head north and drive to Jasper, visit an icefield,
count the mountain goats, etc.

Then try Calgary for a few days, a great city in a great location. Too bad
you will miss the "Stampede". If you want a change of scenery going back
head south to Waterton Lakes Provincial Park, on the Montana border and then
make you way back through northern Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Seattle
and Puget Sound are worth a visit if you come back this way.

Have a blast, eh!

Beauty!
"6656" wrote in message
om...
Actually this will be our first trip to North America.

We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We
will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.

We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small
towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us?

What is "ya" and "yersef" ?

I guess what I meant was vancover area...... or they intend to travel in the
northwestern of North America. What did you recommand them before you judged
my writing skills??

Kenny

"Henry" wrote in message
.. .
Kenny wrote:

"6656" wrote in message

We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Are you going to spend all three weeks in Vancover?

Another careful reader, I see. Good one, Kenny; ya done yersef proud.

cheers,

Henry

My suggestion would be to spend some of that time sailing the Inside
Passage to Alaska and Denali. Fascinating First Nations villages
reachable only by boat, ice bergs, lovely islands, lots of sealife and
kayaking if you want, and of ocurse Denali. You'd probably enjoyone of
the smaller boats insteadof a big cruise ships- maybe even one run by a
conservation group or National Geographic or lots of others. You might
fdo that for 10 days or so and still have the other half of your time
for mainland Canade. If you like gardens, don't miss Butschart (?sp?)
Gardens on Vancouver Island.

Have a great trip!

Susan

6656 wrote:

Actually this will be our first trip to North America.

We (wife, 2 kids (7 & 8) & myself) have been to europe & Aust & NZ. We
will be landing in Vancover and intend to spend 3 weeks there.

We like outdoor family activites and exploring villages and small
towns along the way. We don't intend to spend time in big cities.

Can anyone suggest a 3 week iteniary for us?