Beechtree

My wife and I will be spending 6 days in the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper) and are thinking about ending the vacation on the Rocky Mountaineer from Jasper to Vancouver where we are flying home from. After looking at the prices of the train, realizing that the road follows the train tracks much of the way, we are considering spending 2 days driving from Jasper. We would go from Jasper to Kamloops or the Shuswap Lake spend the night then on to Vancouver for a night near the airport so we can fly out early the next morning. Is the drive rugged or too long given we want to see the scenery. Any thoughts would be helpful. Thanks Bob

joyadvtr

The roads are good highway driving on all routes in the Spring and summer, in the winter there is snow. I prefer the Banff to Shuswap or Kamloops(scenic and lots of small towns) route versus Jasper and coming down the Yellowhead to Kamloops (scenic but not as many small towns). I found Jasper to Kamloops is a long drive. Wells Gray Park is on the Yellowhead and a beautiful Provincial Park. You might see more wildlife on the Jasper to Kamloops route. But I have also seen wildlife on the Banff route. If you want to follow the train you need to take Highway 1 east out of Kamloops and follow it thru to Cache Creek and go south from there. Banff to Shuswap about 4 hours or drive to Kamloops about 5/12 from Banff, Kamloops to Cache Creek and on to Richmond about 5 hours. If you are going to stay in Kamloops keep in mind that the trains pull into town 3 times per week and all the mid range and upper range hotels fill up fast. Stay in the Shuswap or in Salmon Arm cheaper and they have some nice hotels or motels. Depending on the time of year you are travelling you need to keep in mind that they still have snow in the mountains in March and April.

Daniel_Williams

I can't comment on the roads; I'm sure they're lovely. I took the VIA Canadian train (which was lovely and I believe quite a bit cheaper than the Rocky Mountaineer, esp. if you get a berth) this past summer. I didn't see a road parallel to the train going through the Rockies except in the morning coming close to Vancouver. The views are gorgeous, and if you go toward the summer solstice, you'll get about 8 hours of Rockies viewing before nightfall. The train passes right next to the Pyramid falls and very close to Mount Robson. Spectacular.

I'm sure the drive is lovely too...and gives you your own options of where to stop.

Enjoy whatever you decide. DAN