In July 2024, we visit Canada's west coast: stunning scenery combined with a few cities. For 19 days, we'll travel by rental car through the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. To keep the trip affordable, we'll alternate hotel stays with a few home exchanges. It's the perfect way to get to know the Canadians' daily lives better.
- Calgary
day 1: Calgary Center
day 2: Drumheller - Banff
- Lake Louise – Lake Moraine
- Icefields Parkway – Jasper
- Vavenby – Dutch Lake
- Kamloops
day 1: Kamloops Center
day 2: Wells Gray Park
day 3: Lake Isobel - Ferry to Vancouver Island
- Vancouver Island
day 1: Campbell River
day 2: Elk Falls – Telegraph Cove
day 3: Glendale Cove – Knight Inlet
day 4: Wildlife Rescue Center
day 5: Cathedral Grove – Goats on the roof - Vancouver
day 1: Waterfront – Gastown
day 2: Stanley Park – Granville Island
Calgary
After a long flight with a stopover in Frankfurt, we set foot on Canadian soil. We pick up our rental car and drive to our first exchange family. They don't have any plans to visit Belgium yet, but they're happy to welcome us to their spacious home. We have the entire basement to ourselves. They've prepared dinner for us and have some tips for our city trip the next day. But above all, they're very understanding that we're tired from the long flight and suffering from jet lag. So, we go to bed early.
day 1: Calgary Center
We're just a few days too late to catch the Calgary Stampede, a ten-day annual event with rodeo shows and all sorts of other activities. We decide to take a walk through the city center. We take the elevator all the way to the top of the Calgary Tower for an impressive view of the city. In the distance, we catch a glimpse of the Rocky Mountains. Back down, we visit the city library with its impressive entrance hall. We have lunch with our feet in the Bow River in St. Patrick's Island Park and visit the Studio Bell Music Center. Calgary is a very pleasant and clean city. Everything is relaxed, and crowds seem nonexistent. Traffic also flows smoothly.
day 2: Drumheller
A 90-minute drive takes us to Drumheller, the "Dinosaur Capital of the World." Many important fossils have been discovered here. First, we make a short stop at Horseshoe Canyon. You can also go hiking here, but we don't have time for that. After another visit to the hoodoos, rock formations shaped by the elements, we reach the place we came for: the Royal Tyrrell Museum. This museum is entirely dedicated to dinosaurs and features numerous fossils and reconstructions. There's so much to read and see that we easily spend several hours there. Before returning to Calgary, we drive past the World's Largest Dinosaur, a gigantic structure shaped like a dinosaur. You can climb the 106 steps into its mouth, from where you have a panoramic view of the surroundings. We pass on that. It's nice that all the streets in the area are named after dinosaur species.
Banff
After saying goodbye to our exchange family, we drive an hour to Banff. The landscape suddenly looks completely different. We're in the Rocky Mountains and surrounded by high peaks. Banff is very busy. We drive straight to the Gondola, where we have a reservation for the cable car. We got a cheap "family ticket," but that was only available before 10 a.m. We're a bit late and we worry that we might not be allowed in. However, no one checks our ticket, so we can go up without any problem. Impressive views up there! Many people hike to the top. It's undoubtedly worth it, although it does require some fitness. We drive back to downtown Banff for lunch. Finding a free parking spot is quite a challenge. Fortunately, we're not staying overnight. In the afternoon, we continue to the Lake Louise Inn. From there, we'll visit Lake Louise and Lake Moraine tomorrow. The hotel consists of several buildings in a green setting. There's an indoor pool and mini-golf. There's a supermarket within walking distance. Very convenient. There are two restaurants in the hotel, but that's actually not enough for the number of guests. When we look for a table around 8 p.m., we're told that there will be one for us an hour and a half later. Fortunately, we receive a beeper to take to our room.
Lake Louise – Lake Moraine
When we tried to book the shuttle bus to Lake Louise and Lake Moraine a few months before our departure, it turned out the number of spots was already very limited. Only the last few trips of the day were still available. Lake Moraine is only accessible by bus. So we booked a ticket anyway, but we'll try to reach Lake Louise on foot earlier that day. We leave before dawn for a long hike uphill. We want to reach the lake before the crowds. And we succeed! When the first kayaks depart onto the lake, we arrive. We still have some energy left and decide to continue the climb, via Mirror Lake to the teahouse at Lake Agnes and then even further to Little Beehive. Beautiful views everywhere. Towards the evening, we take the reserved shuttle bus to Lake Moraine. Just when we thought it couldn't get any more spectacular... The water here is even deeper blue!
Icefields Parkway – Jasper
The Icefields Parkway runs from Lake Louise to Jasper. This must be one of the most beautiful routes in the world: stunning views, impressive waterfalls, bright blue lakes... Along the way, we visit the Athabasca Glacier with an "Ice Explorer," a special vehicle that takes us right up to the glacier. We can walk around for half an hour and taste the clear glacier water. Unfortunately, we realize once again how dire the climate is. The glacier is shrinking every year. The excursion we took probably didn't help either. Smelly vehicles and far too many tourists crammed together. We will not do this excursion a second time! Towards the evening, we reach our hotel, the Mount Robson Inn in Jasper. We heard today that this region is ideal for stargazing and decide to drive to Medicine Lake after sunset. From here, you should see a beautiful starry sky. Unfortunately, there's a full moon tonight, so it won't be dark enough to see many stars. We already see some wildlife: several deer and a few 'elk' (a type of moose).
Vavenby – Dutch Lake
After a nice breakfast, we leave our hotel. Little do we realize that we will be among the last to stay here (for now). A forest fire has been raging in Jasper for several days and is getting closer and closer. In the coming days, it will completely destroy the hotel. Very sad! We sincerely hope that everything can be rebuilt quickly. We drive west and arrive in Vavenby around noon. We've booked a horseback ride at Sarah and Darcy's farm. A great experience! The people are very friendly and we get a delicious lunch along the way. After three hours on horseback in temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius, we need some refreshment. We find that at Dutch Lake: a small beach with nice cool water. We don't have much time here, as we still have a long way to go. We've arranged a second home exchange in Kamloops. We'll be staying there for three days.
Kamloops
dag 1: Kamloops Centrum
After the past few busy days, we're taking a relaxing day. We're heading to Riverside Park, a park in downtown Kamloops where you can swim, eat ice cream and just relax. In the summer, they host concerts and food trucks in the evenings. A great atmosphere!
day 2: Wells Gray Park
A one-hour drive takes us to Wells Gray Park, famous for its waterfalls. First, we stop at the information center. There, we receive a map with a route that takes us past the main waterfalls. We can drive from one spot to the next. Some waterfalls are close to the parking lot, while others require a bit of walking and even some climbing. There are waterfalls of all shapes and sizes. At one waterfall, you can walk around the back. We don't dare to try that. The rocks are very wet and it looks a bit dangerous. We do go close by and are treated to a refreshing shower.
On the way back by car, we get another spectacular surprise: a bear sitting next to the road! A "Cinnamon Black Bear," we're told later. He's very calmly searching for food. We don't want to scare him, so we make sure we don't get too close. We get the chance to watch him closely. After about five minutes, he's had enough. He crosses the road and disappears into the bushes.
day 3: Lake Isobel
Near Kamloops, there are numerous lakes worth visiting. A little research tells us that Lake Isobel is very beautiful, with an easy hiking trail. This proves to be true. We enjoy the tranquility and are amazed by the scenery.
Ferry to Vancouver Island
On Vancouver Island, we're staying with a host family again, more specifically in Campbell River. They're planning to travel to Europe next year and we're staying with them for a little over a week. The drive from Kamloops to Campbell River is about six hours. On the way, we have to take the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. It goes very smoothly and everything is well organized.
Vancouver Island
day 1: Campbell River
Campbell River is a charming coastal town. We' have ice cream on the pier and visit the aquarium. Every year, the creatures are caught in May and released in September. There's plenty to see. We can touch starfish and sea cucumbers and we'll get a lot of information.
day 2: Elk Falls – Telegraph Cove
Half an hour north of Campbell River, we visit Elk Falls Park: more waterfalls and this time a suspension bridge. Then we drive another two hours north. Tonight we'll stay at Telegraph Cove, a hotel that resembles a small waterfront village. From here, we'll leave very early tomorrow morning for a grizzly bear excursion.
day 3: Glendale Cove – Knight Inlet
At 6:30 a.m., we check in for our excursion. We have a small breakfast and then board a boat with two other families. The boat takes us to Glendale Cove. Along the way, we see humpback whales and numerous bald eagles. Our guide provides a wealth of information.
After a trip of about two hours, we start looking for bears. Very soon we hit the jackpot! Three grizzly bears are wandering along a small beach, searching for food, a mother and two cubs. After a while, the mother gets a little restless. The guide points out that a large brown bear has appeared further down the beach, probably a male. When it gets closer, the mother and her cubs turn back and disappear into the bushes. What a privilege to be able to see this up close!
Time for lunch. We moor at a jetty and each receive a package with "parts" to assemble a wrap. Delicious! In this setting, everything tastes even better. A seal swims curiously around our boat.
After lunch we transfer to a smaller boat: a skiff. This allows us to sail very close to shore. It's not long before we spot bears again, another grizzly mother, this time with two slightly younger cubs. The mother leads the way, over rocks and beaches, sometimes even a short distance through the water. The cubs hop along after her, playing. We see them swimming for a bit too. It's extremely quiet on our boat. Everyone is impressed.
It's still a long way back to Telegraph Cove, so after an hour it's time to leave. Along the way, we see a family of orcas and several dolphins. What a fantastic day! This wasn't a cheap excursion, but it was a success.
We drive 2 hours back south to our host family in Campbell River.
day 4: Wildlife Rescue Center
Near Campbell River, we visit a wildlife rehabilitation center. A guide provides a wealth of information and explains everything in the visitor center. On the way back, we have lunch at Tim Hortons, a traditional Canadian chain known primarily for its donuts.
day 5: Cathedral Grove – Goats on the roof
An hour's drive from Campbell River is Cathedral Grove, a forest of very tall and ancient trees. We take a lovely walk there and read all the information signs. On the way back, we stop at "Goats on the Roof," a large store with... yes... goats on the roof.
Vancouver
day 1: Waterfront – Gastown
After saying goodbye to our friendly host family, we set off for Vancouver: a two-hour drive and a one-hour ferry ride. In Vancouver, we first dropp off our rental car. We won't need it in the city. The rental company's office is within walking distance of our hotel, so no hassle with public transportation or taxis.
Shortly after noon, we're able to check in at the Blue Horizon Hotel. We're staying on the 20th floor and have a beautiful view of the city. Since we're only in Vancouver for two days, we're heading out right away.
A leisurely stroll takes us past the Waterfront and Gastown, a vibrant neighborhood known for its whistling steam clock. We finish at an Italian restaurant near the hotel.
day 2: Stanley Park – Granville Island
Since the women in our family aren't particularly fond of cycling, we decide to explore Stanley Park on foot. We walk around the entire seawall, about 10 km. There's plenty to see along the way: from totem poles to specially stacked stones, a few statues, a bridge...
Around noon, we relax in our hotel pool before heading out again. We walk to the ferry that takes us to Granville Island: there are some great shops, a market and a few restaurants. We have our "last Canadian supper" on a terrace by the water, under the radiant sun.
Plan yourself?
Itching to get out and about? All the practical tips about transportation, accommodations and activities can be found in the "Practical" section. You'll also find transparent information about the costs there:
Western Canada Practical