21 days around the Rockies and BC
This is an example for a classic three weeks tour of the Canadian Rockies, BC and Vancouver Island.
Starting in Calgary and ending in Vancouver, this is a great example of how to capture as much as possible for this great land called Western Canada.
Turquoise Lake, Massive mountains, long rivers, big glaciers, grizzly bears, killer whales and some of the best hiking trails you'll ever experience.
Day 1 - Landing in Calgary
You'll start your trip by landing in Calgary international airport.
Two options are in front of you:
1. Spend an afternoon in Calgary, exploring the city.
2. Drive for 1.5 hours to the town of Canmore, at the edge of Banff National Park and enjoy this little town and it's beautiful mountains around it.
Night at Canmore
Day 2 - Banff National Park
The mountains in Banff National Park are massive and it requires a lot of effort to climb up to a great view point of the park.
But there's another option: Take the Sunshine Village gondola up to ski resort (in the winter) and go for a hike on any of the trails around. All of them will offer an amazing view of Banff National Park's massive mountains, including the beautiful Mt. Assiniboine.
Night at Banff
Day 3 - Banff National Park
There are many hiking trails at Banff National Park. Short and easy hiking trails, to long and strenuous hiking trails.
Some of the better ones are: Johnston Canyon, Citadel Pass, Bourgeau Lake and Cory Pass.
After the hike, you can enjoy exploring the magical town of Banff.
Night at Banff.
Day 4 - Kotneey National Park
Kotneey National Park is located West of Banff National Park and it gets much less tourists than Banff National Park does.
Therefore, a chance to enjoy the Canadian Rockies in a less crowded environment.
You can find great hiking trails here: Stanley Glacier and Hawk Creek.
If relaxing is what you're looking for, you can head to Radium Hot springs.
After the hike, you can drive to Lake Louise and spend the night there.
Night at Lake Louise
Day 5 - Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake is one of the most iconic lakes in the Canadian Rockies.
It's amazing turquoise color and wall of mountains around it, makes it one of the most beautiful spots in the Canadian Rockies.
After a look at Moraine Lake from the viewpoint, you can go on a hike to Consolation Lakes or Lake Annette. The best option will be the Paradise Valley Circuit but it's a long 20km hike.
Night at Lake Louise
Day 6 - Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is located West to Lake Louise and offers some amazing scenery.
Some of the best hikes there are: Lake O'hara Alpine Circuit, Niler Meadow, Iceline and Hamilton Lake.
Booking your entrance to Lake O'hara in advance is highly recommended.
Night at Lake Louise or Emerald Lake
Day 7 - Columbia Ice Field & Athabasca Glacier
Highway 93, also known as Icefield Parkway is one of the most famous roads in the world - for good reason.
The road starts roughly at Lake Louise and goes all the way to Jasper through some of the most interesting and beautiful terrain in the Canadian Rockies.
You can stop at the Columbia Ice Field visitor centre and check different activities. You can hike up to the Athabasca glacier or go for a guided tour on it.
A very good option will be to hike to WIlcox Pass and enjoy an amazing view of the Athabasca Glacier and Mt. Athabasca.
Continue driving to Jasper and stop for a sneak peek of the Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls.
Night at Jasper
Day 8 - Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park has an enormous variety of hiking and adventures to offer.
Your first day in Jasper National Park should concentrate on the Maligne Lake area. Here, you'll find great hiking trails like: The Bald Hills and Opal Hills.
You can also take a boat ride to Spirit Island.
On your way back to Jasper, you can stop at the easy Maligne Canyon hike and enjoy a majestic little canyon full of little streams.
Night at Jasper
Day 9 - Mt Edith Cavell
Mt Edith Cavell is one of most beautiful and easily accessible areas in Jasper National Park.
At Mt Edith Cavell you can find beautiful mountains, glaciers all around and amazing lakes.
The Cavell Meadows hike has many different options and it's definitely one of the better hikes in Jasper National Park.
In the afternoon, you can go back to Jasper and enjoy the town or go to Pyramid Lake and enjoy the sunset.
Night at Jasper
Day 10 - Welcome to BC
It's time to leave the Canadian Rockies and head into wild BC.
Today is mostly a driving day from Jasper to Williams Lake with a few stops along the way.
About an hour outside of Jasper, you can stop at the Mt Robson Visitor Centre and enjoy the view of the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies.
Then, you can stop at Blue river and go for a short but scenic boat ride down the river, hoping to see some bears and other wildlife.
Night at Williams Lake
Day 11 - The Coastal Mountains and Nuk Tessli
From the touristic Canadian Rockies to the secluded and wild Nuk Tessli in the heart of the Coastal Mountains.
You'll start the day by driving to Nimpo Lake, where you leave the car and take a beautiful 20 min float plane flight to the secluded log cabins of Nuk Tessli.
After a quick tour of the place, you'll go for a short hike up to Lookout Point where you'll get a chance to see some of the areas you're going to explore in the next few days.
Night at Nuk Tessli's log cabins
Day 12 - Nuk Tessli's mountains and meadows
Today, you'll hike to North Pass Lake.
This is a secluded and small alpine lake located in the mountains above Nuk Tessli. Here, you find no other tourist but yourself, making this an experience like no other.
The warm wood heated outdoor hot tub will be waiting for you when you come back in the afternoon.
Night at Nuk Tessli's log cabins
Day 13 - Canoeing to Boundary Lake
If you travel in Canada, you must try going on a canoe day.
Today will be all about that.
Nuk Tessli's lake is connected by short portages to two other lakes. Today, you'll explore these lakes by canoeing them to the farthest lake, Boundary Lake. We keep canoes on each lake so there's no need to carry them.
Night at Nuk Tessli's log cabins
Day 14 - Jacobson Lake (Iceberg Lake)
It's time to visit one of the most exciting and amazing areas in Western Canada, Jacobson Lake.
Jacobson Lake is an amazing glacial lake surrounded by massive cliffs and mountains.
An unforgettable 20 min float plane flight will take you there.
At Jacobson Lake, you'll go for a boat ride in front of the glacier that flows into the lake.
Then, you'll dock the boat and hike to the glacier.
Night at Nuk Tessli's log cabins
Day 15 - Ape Lake (Symphony Lake)
Ape Lake is another beautiful lake, not too far from Jacobson Lake.
Ape Lake is surrounded by two massive glaciers and mountains. Hiking here is just amazing since you'll be hiking on a surface that used to be (until the late 1980's) the surface of the lake.
Your hike will take you the ice caves, little lakes, streams, amazing rock formations and massive glaciers.
In the afternoon, you'll fly back to Nimpo Lake.
Night at Nimpo Lake
Day 16 - Grizzly Bears in the Bella Coola Valley
Back to the car. A beautiful 1.5 hour drive will get you down to the Bella Coola Valley (1200 meter drop).
The Bella Cola Valley has a very big salmon run and many bears come here in September for feeding.
You can go to one of the viewing platforms or go on a bear viewing boat tour down the river.
You can also go hiking or hire a 4X4 drive and explore the mountains around.
Night at Bella Coola
Day 17 - Vancouver Island
Now, to the third and last place are of your trip: Vancouver Island.
BC Ferries operates a ferry service from Bella Coola to Port Hardy during the summer months.
This is the best way to get from the main land to Vancouver Island and also a very pretty on way to do so.
When you get to Port Hardy, drive south to Campbell River.
Night at Campbell River.
Day 18 - Marine wildlife at Campbell River
Campbell River is located on the Eastern side of Vancouver Island, very close to a narrow sea corridor between the island and the main land.
This makes this town the perfect place to see Humpback Whales, Killer Whales, Pacific Dolphins, Sea Lions, and much more wildlife. Go for a wildlife boat tour with one of the local companies.
You can also visit Elk falls if you have the time.
After the tour, drive to Tofino.
Night at Ucluelet or Tofino
Day 19 - Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
The towns on Ucluelet and Tofino are located on the edge of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
This beautiful park is very different from the parks so far on your trip. The rainforest is big, full of life and beautiful.
You can go to the Long Beach, bear tour, kayking, surfing and much more.
Night at Ucluelet or Tofino
Day 20 - Pacific Rim & Whistler
You can start the morning by going on the Rainforest Trail A & B or the Ancient Cedar Loop. These are great hiking trails that capture the essence of the Pacific Rim.
In the afternoon, you can start driving to Nanaimo and take the ferry back to the main land (Horseshoe Bay).
Day 21 - Whistler & Vancouver
Whistler and Squamish offer a large variety of activities.
You can find great hiking, many beautiful lakes, gondolas that will take you to the top of the mountains, mountain biking, climbing, long ziplines and much more.
Spend a day or two here. When you had enough, drive for about 1.5 hours to Vancouver.
Night at Vancouver
