Banff to Vancouver self drive vacations
Canada, and British Columbia in particular, is all about exploring the great outdoors. Or The Great Outdoors, as it should be written, because if anywhere deserves the superlative, it is here. Our Banff to Vancouver self drive vacations capture all that is wonderful about this state, and there is no better way to get around.
Our trips are entirely bespoke, designed to meet your interests and needs. Routes are put together by experts and you’ll benefit from a well-thought-out itinerary featuring activities chosen based on years of accumulated knowledge and local connections. Hotels are located conveniently, support is there whenever you need it, and you’ll have a good quality vehicle at your disposal. No stress – just drive yourself from A to B each day, stopping whenever you like along the way. And driving from Banff to Vancouver is all about the stops…
A car will get you to the trailheads earlier than the coach groups. It will allow you to enjoy a relaxed lakeside sunset without worrying about how to get back to your hotel in time for dinner. It will conveniently fit your walking boots, your picnic hamper and your damp swim stuff next to your suitcases, and if you should call in at one of the Okanagan Valley’s 200-odd vineyards, you can probably squeeze a case of wine in there, too.
Many of our self drive tours also offer you the chance to connect with Metis or First Nations guides to learn about their culture, and how their communities balance traditional ways of life with the modern world. These experiences also explore Indigenous communities’ relationships with the land, giving different perspectives and greater depth to your travels.
Our trips are entirely bespoke, designed to meet your interests and needs. Routes are put together by experts and you’ll benefit from a well-thought-out itinerary featuring activities chosen based on years of accumulated knowledge and local connections. Hotels are located conveniently, support is there whenever you need it, and you’ll have a good quality vehicle at your disposal. No stress – just drive yourself from A to B each day, stopping whenever you like along the way. And driving from Banff to Vancouver is all about the stops…
A car will get you to the trailheads earlier than the coach groups. It will allow you to enjoy a relaxed lakeside sunset without worrying about how to get back to your hotel in time for dinner. It will conveniently fit your walking boots, your picnic hamper and your damp swim stuff next to your suitcases, and if you should call in at one of the Okanagan Valley’s 200-odd vineyards, you can probably squeeze a case of wine in there, too.
Many of our self drive tours also offer you the chance to connect with Metis or First Nations guides to learn about their culture, and how their communities balance traditional ways of life with the modern world. These experiences also explore Indigenous communities’ relationships with the land, giving different perspectives and greater depth to your travels.
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Iconic routes
The vast majority of people on a Banff to Vancouver self drive tour start in Banff National Park (a two-hour drive from Calgary Airport), then continue west, a journey of around 850km. There are daily direct flights between Calgary and Vancouver so you can fly in and out of the same city if preferred.
Banff is the gateway to some of the most iconic routes in north America, including the Icefields Parkway. Whilst this 230km route between Banff and Jasper only takes about three and a half hours to drive, you might want to make it last most of the day. This is one of the most scenic roads in the world, with an enthralling cavalcade of mountains, valleys, icefields and waterfalls passing your windows. The Pacific Rim Highway is another beaut of a route, unfurling for 125km along the mountainous spine of Vancouver Island from Port Alberni to the seaside town of Tofino on the Pacific coast. The highway’s twists and turns and vertiginous views are just made for travelers who love being behind the wheel. Vancouver Island is reached by a short car ferry from Vancouver on the mainland.
You can also leave the car behind for a spell. On some of our Banff to Vancouver self drive tours you can take the Rocky Mountaineer from Jasper to Vancouver with an overnight stop in Kamloops. That way you can drink in those stunning landscapes from the train carriage, with no need to keep an eye on the road.
Banff is the gateway to some of the most iconic routes in north America, including the Icefields Parkway. Whilst this 230km route between Banff and Jasper only takes about three and a half hours to drive, you might want to make it last most of the day. This is one of the most scenic roads in the world, with an enthralling cavalcade of mountains, valleys, icefields and waterfalls passing your windows. The Pacific Rim Highway is another beaut of a route, unfurling for 125km along the mountainous spine of Vancouver Island from Port Alberni to the seaside town of Tofino on the Pacific coast. The highway’s twists and turns and vertiginous views are just made for travelers who love being behind the wheel. Vancouver Island is reached by a short car ferry from Vancouver on the mainland.
You can also leave the car behind for a spell. On some of our Banff to Vancouver self drive tours you can take the Rocky Mountaineer from Jasper to Vancouver with an overnight stop in Kamloops. That way you can drink in those stunning landscapes from the train carriage, with no need to keep an eye on the road.
Indigenous culture
Much of Canadian land is still Indigenous owned so there are many fascinating stories to hear as you drive around British Columbia. Simon Mills of our partner Native Escapes has travelled around Canada at least a dozen times, including with his family. “In Vancouver we went out in a kayak in the ocean, which was really exciting, to learn about Indigenous people’s relationship with the water and the life within it.” Self-drive tours give you the freedom to follow your own schedule, meaning that you can take your time with guided walks, conversations, and visits to museums like the Audain Art Museum in Whistler – there’s no need to hurry back onto a tour bus.
Where to go on a Banff to Vancouver road trip
Banff National Park
Funny thing about Banff: people often think that pictures of the park have been digitally manipulated. But no, it really is that gorgeous. Even if (like me) you’re only familiar with your phone camera’s most basic settings you can produce some gasp-worthy images in Banff. Craggy mountains, plunging valleys, glaciers, forests, lush alpine meadows and pristine lakes – all ready and waiting for you to get out there and explore them whether that’s on foot, on a bike, on horseback or by canoe. Must-sees in Banff include Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, which between them must be two of the most photographed natural landmarks in Canada.
Jasper National Park
As serene as it is sensationally beautiful, if you think of a Banff to Vancouver self drive route as a triangle, then Jasper National Park is the pointy tip and halfway mark. If you’re outdoorsy, you’ll love the freedom that a hire car grants you here, allowing you to tackle challenging river rapids, meet Metis guides to learn about the region’s landscapes and wildlife from their point of view, or hike on the Athabasca Glacier and learn first-hand about the effects of climate change on Jasper’s icefields. And, if you’re feeling stiff from being behind the wheel for a while, pause for a soak in the Miette Hot Springs (Hottest in the Rockies!).
Okanagan Valley
An idyllic place to while away a few days on the journey between Banff and Whistler, the Okanagan Valley is famed for its peach and apricot orchards, as well as its wineries. Popular bases for self drivers include the towns of Penticton and Kelowna, both of which sit on the shore of Okanagan Lake. You can enjoy sailing, SUP and kayaking on the lake, but watch out for Ogopogo, an evil water spirit from First Nations folklore that bears a passing resemblance to Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster. If you’d rather not tangle with Ogopogo, hire bikes instead to explore the area’s wineries, or the Kettle Valley Rail Trail, which passes through tunnels and over some handsome old railway bridges.
Revelstoke
Boasting small town charm in abundance, Revelstoke can trace its history back to the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880s. Adventurous self drivers can pull over for a day or two here and to enjoy everything from mountain biking to white water rafting, kayaking and hiking in the Kootenay National Park. But there’s plenty of pleasure to be had just wandering Revelstoke’s heritage buildings, taking in the railway museum, farmers’ markets, and al fresco dining and concerts.
Vancouver
Our self drive vacations usually finish in Vancouver, but they don’t just finish. Instead, you can make good use of your car, hopping over to Vancouver Island, where pods of orcas, humpbacks and grey whales are often sighted, along with porpoises, sea lions and seals. Elsewhere on Vancouver Island you can canoe in the sea with a member of the Coast Salish people, learning traditional songs and about their relationship with the water. If you have kids with you and they’re at the mad for sea creatures age, you can also visit the aquarium in Ucluelet. Your entrance fee supports efforts to preserve the region’s eelgrass beds, which shelter young fish and provide forage for waterbirds.
Wells Gray Provincial Park
This wilderness area in British Columbia’s Cariboo Mountains makes for a delightful overnight stop on the journey between Whistler and Jasper National Park. Hiking trails proliferate through the evergreen forest, with beautiful waterfalls tumbling over craggy cliff edges into lakes where you can enjoy a refreshing swim. Horse riding is also popular, while the wildlife contingent is all present and correct: bears (come in August for the salmon spawning), moose, elk, mule deer and wolves. Nighttime is the preserve of Wells Gray’s owls.
Whistler
One of America’s largest ski resorts, Whistler is also a hive of activity outside the winter months, from hiking and ziplining through rainforest, to wildlife watching. Among our favorite experiences here is a twilight canoe tour, during which you’ll paddle gently along a river lined with old growth forest, eyes peeled for movement on the banks that might indicate beavers, otters, racoons or even black bears.
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Practicalities
Tailor made touring
Are you passionate photographers wanting two weeks of landscapes, landscapes and more landscapes? Are you taking the kids (and maybe the grandparents, too) and looking for a spacious, comfy minivan and a relaxed pace of travel? Or are you lovers of the Great Outdoors, seeking a trip where every day finds you hiking, canoeing, rafting or wildlife watching? Self drive vacations give you complete freedom – the flexibility to take that scenic-looking detour, follow that waiter’s recommendation of a great local swim stop, or have a snooze after a sunny riverside picnic.
Our Banff to Vancouver self drive vacations offer tailor made touring. You can rely on stacks of useful tips, and routes that have been designed by people who have driven these areas themselves, sometimes with their own families in tow. Their knowledge is built on years of developing local connections, and they always have a backup idea if there needs to be a change in plans.
Our Banff to Vancouver self drive vacations offer tailor made touring. You can rely on stacks of useful tips, and routes that have been designed by people who have driven these areas themselves, sometimes with their own families in tow. Their knowledge is built on years of developing local connections, and they always have a backup idea if there needs to be a change in plans.
When to go
Self drive vacations here are best between May and the end of September. Late spring going into autumn coincides with the best wildlife watching – bears emerge from hibernation from April onwards, while orcas patrol the waters off Vancouver Island from midsummer. Avoid winter: many small businesses shut up shop, higher passes may be closed, and you need to carry around a set of snow chains.
What is driving in British Columbia like?
The well-maintained roads between Banff and Vancouver are very smooth, and you can forget all thoughts of long tailbacks, or queuing in motorways. These are mountainous landscapes, though, so you do need to be prepared for the occasional hairpin turn, plenty of inclines and declines, and some stretches where there are no guard rails. If you enjoy driving, then Canada will fill you with joy.
“I particularly enjoyed the drive across Vancouver Island because it felt very different to elsewhere in Canada,” says Simon. “Single track much of the way, the roads twist and turn and go up into the mountains and down before you reach the west coast with its lovely surfing beaches.”
Naturally, your vehicle will be fitted with a GPS device to ensure you can get from A to B on time. We’ll also ensure you have useful route notes to refer to, so that you never miss a spectacular viewpoint, or a roadside food stand.
“I particularly enjoyed the drive across Vancouver Island because it felt very different to elsewhere in Canada,” says Simon. “Single track much of the way, the roads twist and turn and go up into the mountains and down before you reach the west coast with its lovely surfing beaches.”
Naturally, your vehicle will be fitted with a GPS device to ensure you can get from A to B on time. We’ll also ensure you have useful route notes to refer to, so that you never miss a spectacular viewpoint, or a roadside food stand.
Can you hire an EV?
You can’t drive through landscapes like this and not want to protect them. It is perfectly possible to explore British Columbia with an electric vehicle, and we’ll be happy to arrange that for you. But, given that there are some big distances involved at times, we recommend that you let us know as early as possible. That way we can design an itinerary where you can be 100 percent confident of getting a charge when you want it.
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