Two weeks in British Columbia with family - what to do??

Hi all,

Looking for inspiration on a 2 week road trip with my husband and 7yr old daughter. We're visiting Vancouver in July /August. We have one week in and around Vancouver, but then we have two weeks to tour around. It will be my husband and daughter's first time in Canada. I travelled around BC 20 odd years ago and I know there's loads to see which is part of the problem!! I want to show them everything but I know I can't! And I don't want to be on the road the whole time.

So far I was thinking of making a long weekend trip out to Van Island, mainly to show them Long Beach. And then maybe a round trip out to the Rockies but I'm not sure if that's too far for 10 days? And would you recommend hiring a car and bnb it, or rv?

Argh! Please help, I just can't decide what to do and want to make the most of this trip - just wish we were going for 3 months not weeks! Any advice would be appreciated. Anyone done anything similar?

Thanks,

I would strongly recommend a Rockies trip that is something like this:

Vancouver > Kamloops (1 night) > Jasper (2 nights) > Lake Louise (3) > Banff (2) > Revelstoke (1)> Kelowna (1)

Pretty good trip, and the middle 7-8 days involve only modest driving. Your big challenge is peak season demand for accommodation, and I would be checking www.booking.com and www.airbnb.com straight away.

You really need two weeks for a round trip to the Rockies, 10 days if you fly one direction. With two weeks, you could do the Rockies, then fly to Vancouver Island.

However, accommodation will be a major issue in the Rockies, especially the holiday weekend of August 4-7. You need to book ASAP, and your itinerary may be dictated by availability of places to stay.

I'd make some changes. Skip Kamloops which has little to offer. Stay in Salmon Arm or Revelstoke for a couple of nights. Go to Banff or Lake Lousie or Canmore for a night, then up to Jasper, then back down to B/C/LL. You want to have two chances to see the Icefields Parkway - one of the most scenic drives in the world. Also doesn't make sense to split so many nights between Banff and Lake Louise, which are only 45 minutes apart. May also be a challenge to find something in one of the handful of hotels in Lake Louise at this point - and it won't be cheap. Then back across BC with time in Revy/Okanagan.
Jasper will be the hardest place for accommodations - get bookings there first, then adjust around those dates. You can do more or fewer days in Banff/LL/more before and after, depending on when you can book in Jasper.

That said, AirBnB and booking.com probably aren't the best sites to use -- with the high demand, fewer rooms will be listed there and with whole apartment/condo/house bookings illegal in the national parks, anything listed on AirBnB will be listed elsewhere.

For Jasper, I would try www.stayinjasper.com for Private Home Accommodations. They will likely have 2 or 3 night minimum stays, but are cheaper and less likely to be fully booked than hotels. For Banff and Lake Louise, all legal accommodations are listed at www.banfflakelouise.com Canmore is another option if Banff and Lake Louise are booked and/or too pricey. Note that the Hi Hostels in the area are very family friendly and many have family rooms. They can be a good, more affordable option.

You really need two weeks for a round trip to the Rockies, 10 days if you fly one direction.

No you don't ... I provided a perfectly manageable itinerary of ten nights.

Kamloops is just an overnight stop, I am not suggesting they settle down there. Revelstoke is likewise just a stop, and certainly does not warrant two nights, and I can't see the point of spending much time in the Okanogan on a short trip ... it's just a dry fruit-growing area that isn't particularly scenic.

Two trips on the Icefields Parkway can be nice, but not necessary, and harder to justify on a ten-day trip.

While I appreciate the accommodation issues for August, there are very good reasons to at least aim for Lake Louise, and for three nights - it is the pick of the Rockies. We have stayed in private rooms in the HI Hostels in Jasper, Lake Louise. and Banff ... Jasper was pretty ordinary, but LL and Banff were both pretty good.

I;m not a big fan of Airbnb either, but to dismiss www.booking.com (and similar) is simply ridiculous ... its reach is very deep, even in the wilds of Canada. Local listing services might be useful as well, but don't ignore the big players.

mev - how's your 7 year old with driving? I ask because some are good and some get antsy. I think you can do the Rockies & Interior BC but not combined with Vancouver Island without getting rushed.

All of that sounds pretty boring for a 7 year old. Maybe that is why the Rockies doesn't excite me at all, too many trips I was taken on to there as a child. Likewise, not a lot in Vancouver for a child, though there are a few fun things for them. Science World is fantastic.
I would stick with seeing the lovely Okanagan (very family friendly area) and the Kootenays. It will be very hot there in late July and reservations are a must.

Here are a few places that you could visit: Capilano Suspension Bridge ( amazing view from top), Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Art Gallery and the Grouse Mountain. The last one is probably the best on the list. The ride in the mountain car will give you the full view of the city.

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