Rockies to the Pacific: A Western Canada Road Trip

DAY 1: ARRIVE IN CALGARY

Arrive in Calgary, pick up your SUV, and make your way downtown. Your hotel is in the East Village, close to the Bow River pathways and within walking distance of restaurants and city attractions. The remainder of the day is free to settle in, head out for dinner, or take a walk along the river before beginning your drive west.

Accommodation: Alt Hotel Calgary East Village (or similar)

DAY 2: CALGARY TO BANFF

Leave Calgary and head west as the prairie gives way to foothills and, eventually, the peaks of the Canadian Rockies. Enter Banff National Park and settle into your mountain lodge. Spend the afternoon exploring Banff, visit Bow Falls, walk along the Bow River, or choose an easy trail for your first taste of the park.

Accommodation: Buffalo Mountain Lodge (or similar)

DAY 3: LAKE LOUISE & MORAINE LAKE

Join a guide for a day at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, where private vehicle access and parking are restricted. With the transportation logistics taken care of, you’ll have time for lakeside walks and views of the surrounding peaks and glaciers while your guide provides context on the landscapes you’re seeing.

Accommodation: Buffalo Mountain Lodge (or similar)

DAY 4: EXPLORE BANFF NATIONAL PARK

Today is completely open for you to explore Banff National Park. Drive the Bow Valley Parkway, choose a hike or walking trail, visit viewpoints around the Bow Valley, soak in the Upper Hot Springs, or spend more time in Banff. Having a full unscheduled day gives you the flexibility to make plans around the weather and your own interests.

Accommodation: Buffalo Mountain Lodge (or similar)

DAY 5: DRIVE THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY

Travel north along the Icefields Parkway, with the day set aside for the journey rather than simply getting from one place to another. Stop for mountain lakes, waterfalls, glaciers, and viewpoints along the route before leaving the national park corridor and continuing toward Nordegg. Settle into your lodge surrounded by the forests and mountains of David Thompson Country.

Meal: Dinner
Accommodation: Aurum Lodge (or similar)

DAY 6: GUIDED GLACIER ICEWALK

Return to the Columbia Icefield area for a guided icewalk. With specialist equipment and an experienced guide, venture onto the glacier to see its ice formations and meltwater features up close while learning about the forces shaping this changing landscape. Spend the afternoon making additional stops along the Icefields Parkway before returning to your lodge.

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: Aurum Lodge (or similar)

DAY 7: ALBERTA TO SHUSWAP LAKE

Head west into British Columbia, travelling through the Rockies before the landscape opens into the forests, ranchlands, and lakes of the province’s interior. Continue to Salmon Arm on the shores of Shuswap Lake. After a day on the road, stretch your legs with a waterfront walk or enjoy a quiet evening by the lake.

Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: Prestige Harbourfront Resort Salmon Arm (or similar)

DAY 8: ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA TO WHISTLER

Travel through British Columbia’s interior via Cache Creek and Lillooet, following a quieter, historically significant route. The day reveals a striking contrast in landscapes, from forested lake country to dry canyon terrain shaped by the Fraser River, before climbing back into the Coast Mountains. Continue south toward Whistler and arrive in the pedestrian village for an evening at leisure.

Accommodation: Aava Whistler (or similar)

DAY 9: WHISTLER'S ALPINE

Take the gondola high into the Coast Mountains for Whistler’s Summer Alpine Experience. Ride between Whistler and Blackcomb on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola and spend time at elevation, with walking trails and mountain viewpoints to explore. Return to Whistler Village afterward for a free afternoon and evening.

Accommodation: Aava Whistler (or similar)

DAY 10: WHISTLER TO TOFINO

Follow the Sea-to-Sky Highway south alongside Howe Sound before boarding the ferry to Vancouver Island. Once across, turn west and make your way through the Island’s mountainous interior and forests to Tofino. Settle in for three nights on the west coast, giving you time to explore without packing up again the next morning.

Accommodation: Hotel Zed (or similar)

DAY 11: BEAR WATCHING IN CLAYOQUOT SOUND

Head onto the water for a guided bear-watching and cultural tour in Clayoquot Sound. Travel through the traditional territory of the Ahousaht Nation, watching for black bears as they forage along the shoreline at low tide. Along the way, your guides share knowledge of the local ecosystem and the relationship between the Nation, wildlife, and these coastal waters.

Accommodation: Hotel Zed (or similar)

DAY 12: EXPLORE TOFINO

The day is yours to spend on the coast. Walk long Pacific beaches, follow trails through temperate rainforest, explore Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, or stay closer to Tofino for local restaurants, shops, and galleries. With no scheduled excursion, you can plan the day around the weather, tides, and your interests.

Accommodation: Hotel Zed (or similar)

DAY 13: TOFINO TO VANCOUVER

Cross Vancouver Island and board the ferry back to the mainland, travelling through the coastal waters between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Continue into Vancouver and settle in near Granville Island, where the Public Market, artisan studios, restaurants, and waterfront paths are within easy walking distance.

Accommodation: Granville Island Hotel (or similar)

DAY 14: DEPART VANCOUVER

Enjoy breakfast or a final walk if your flight time allows, then return your rental vehicle and make your way to Vancouver International Airport for departure