7 Days In Canada: EPIC ROAD TRIP From Calgary to Vancouver

7 Days In Canada: EPIC ROAD TRIP From Calgary to Vancouver

I took a road trip across Western Canada driving from Calgary all the way to Vancouver with plenty of stops to see glaciers lakes waterfalls and a lot of other surprising stuff along the way my nights were spent sleeping everywhere from a luxury hotel overlooking one of the world’s most iconic Lakes to one of the worst motels I’ve ever stepped foot in and my days consisted of exploring the breathtaking Rocky Mountain Landscapes I mean I’ve been to natural wonders across every continent except Antarctica and Western Canada is at the top of the list when it comes to a inspiring nature although Banff National Park is a unique site of natural beauty there’s still so much more in Western Canada that I discovered and luckily enough I got everything on camera and in this video I’ll be sharing this memorable road trip of mine with you hey folks David G here welcome to Western Canada I’m starting my trip here in Calgary and I’m spending a few nights at a DoubleTree by Hilton for around $100 a night it’s a decent deal for Calgary and the free Diamond breakfast is definitely a plus but since it’s my first time in this Canadian city I’m going out on the town but going out on the town looks a little bit different over here in Calgary so I decided to come over to Nose Hill Park for a few hours just to walk around and it’s actually located in the city of Calgary right now you can’t see the city but normally you should be able to but I have the feeling that it’s fixing to clear up here soon in the meantime these First Nations’ medicine wheels are interesting to visit the fog’s starting to go away so you can kind of see that there’s part of Calgary behind me and by the way Nose Hill Park is the fourth largest urban park in Canada but I really wonder if the three larger parks are this nice to go on a hike in less than an hour ago it was super foggy out here and now look at this Sunshine that’s pretty much the story of weather in western Canada to my understanding I’ve been wanting to come out here for at least 5 years now and there was a lot of planning involved I’ve been keeping my eye on the prices over the past few years and this fall just turned out to be when airfare a place to stay and my schedule fell into perfect alignment but other than getting here and sleeping somewhere this part of Canada is not all that expensive compared to other parts of North America I mean I really only had to budget around $40 a day for food and drink and then a one-way car rental for one week costs about $300 that’s from Calgary to Vancouver anyway this is my only full day in Calgary so I think it’s time to head downtown and see what we find Downtown Calgary is right on the Bow River and the Fall Foliage is amazing I’m sure it’s nice in other seasons but this is a special time to visit believe it or not this is Calgary there’s good public transport to take you around town and the library is a beautiful piece of architecture that serves as an important cultural center then the Calgary Tower is Iconic though it’s not quite the tallest building in town and the city just feels very walkable plus you can’t go to Calgary without trying ginger beef it’s a Canadian Chinese dish that was created in the 1970s and it’s pretty tasty Calgary is definitely a place where you could spend more than just a few days and it’s even ranked as one of the world’s top 10 most livable cities ever every single year since 2015 but the Rockies are calling and it’s time to set off on my road trip the drive from Calgary to Banff only takes a little over an hour on the road about half an hour before the park Lac des Arcs is a nice place to take a break right before entering Banff National Park there’s a town named Canmore that’s definitely worth a stop there’s a lot of nice restaurants here and other stuff to do too I even found it a bit nicer than the town of Banff itself but Banff does have one pretty big advantage over Canmore the town of Banff is located inside Banff National Park but the main attraction here is really the vast beautiful nature and you can access great hikes right from the town The Tunnel Mountain Summit Trail is the Park’s most popular hike and it’s a nice way to get to a mountain peak as an intermediate hiker it does happen to be Banff’s lowest mountain peak but the views are still worth it by the way the person entrance fee is $10.50 in Canadian dollars but if you pay for one day you get the second free well to be exact you get the second day free until 4:00 p.m. entrance is also good for other national parks in the area like Yoho or Kootenay so you really won’t break the bank on park entrance fees out here in the Canadian Rockies then the three main places people stay around here are Banff town behind me then Canmore where I’ll be staying tonight and then Lake Louise where I’m going to stay tomorrow night while I didn’t stay in the town of Banff on this trip there are a lot of great options there there’s even a luxury Fairmont Resort that some people like to say is haunted is it haunted or is it not? but given the Fairmont was charging somewhere around $600 for the night I needed to stay I skipped that one and opted for what turned out to be by far the nicest Super 8 by Wyndham I’ve ever seen in neighboring Canmore I did stay at the Fairmont Lake Louise though and we’ll get to that a bit later in this video a good place in Banff National Park to get nice views at dusk is Vermilion Lakes and it’s so close to Banff town you could even walk there I’m already on my second day here in Banff and I can say there’s lots to do here Beyond just going to the town there are just tons and tons of hikes I can imagine spending a week or even like a month here and just seeing new stuff every day basically they even have a pretty decent public transport system that goes to some of the main sites but I’m pretty happy that I chose a car otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to go to where I am now for example and a lot of the different hikes that I’ve done there’s also some abandoned buildings in Banff National Park that are worth checking out this is actually the old site of a coal mining operation this one here is just about a 10-minute drive away from Banff town and down the way there’s an entire ghost town that some consider to be cursed it’s been interesting to see which sites have a lot of tourists and which don’t in banff this is one of the ones that has almost nobody visiting it at least right now but I made a separate video about it if you’re interested to know more overall fall is just a great time to be out and about with the foliage and mild temperatures and I just got a little bit lucky with the good weather it’s also important to keep in mind that western Canada is bear country there’s both Grizzlies and black bears out here but just taking a few precautions usually means you’re going to be okay and the statistics of even coming across a bear really small another nice spot in the park is Johnston Canyon Johnston Canyon has a pretty extensive hiking Network and all along the way you’ll see beautiful waterfalls so you can hike just like one mile or you can go for like 5 miles and you’ll still see something great beautiful it also happens to be about maybe a 20-minute drive from downtown Banff so it’s very easy to get to to get here you’ve got to go on a smaller road and there’s a lot of active wildlife I even saw a wolf this morning but unfortunately I was driving and was not able to get it on camera other than the wolf that I saw my wildlife spotting was mostly limited to elk deer and mountain sheep in all honesty though spotting wildlife was just not a huge priority for me on this trip but in the national parks out here you can spot Wolverines grizzly bears and tons of other Wildlife if you’re lucky but I really wanted to step foot in as many of the parks out here as possible so I made a detour to take a hike in Kootenay National Park before heading up to Lake Louise right next door just a little bit West of Banff you got Kootenay National Park which is where I am now my stop in Kootenay National Park was short but I’m really glad I made it there was hardly anyone else out hiking and the trail took you through these old-growth forests over a river and up to a collection of what are known as paint pots which are brightly colored mineral water pools that look like something completely out of this world I was intrigued by the paint pots so I just drove over here they call these paint pots because the soil and water combine and make this kind of yellow orangish thing everywhere so orange wowwwwww would you expect to find us in the Rocky Mountains? Kootenay check what else are we going to find on our drive to Vancouver? and to get to cout I actually had to leave the province of Alberta and enter the province of British Columbia so during my return drive to Banff to get to Lake Louise I made a pit stop at the provincial borderline British Columbia’s over there during my weeklong road trip I simply didn’t have time to visit Yoho National Park and I can’t help but stress that the more time you can spend out in the Canadian Rockies the better luckily I did find the time to visit Jasper National Park which was a real treat but first let’s see what it’s like staying at a luxury hotel on Lake Louise the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is pretty historic the original Hotel was built in the late 1800s in conjunction with the railroad with the goal of bringing more visitors to the area the actual hotel experience that I had wasn’t so stellar though the breakfast was on point and the deal I got was pretty competitive for a luxury hotel with pristine natural surroundings but what really stands out at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is well Lake Louise that’s a lake it is neighboring Moraine Lake was closed for the season and going further north seasonal closures are worth considering if you’ll be traveling outside of summer but Lake Louise itself was 110% worth the visit and by staying right on the lake it’s easy to beat the morning rush for the popular lakeside hike but my morning hike was just a start to the magnificent lakes that I’d see driving up the Icefields Parkway to the town of Jasper this is my first stop at Bow Lake this Lake was formed from the runoff of the Bow Glacier which is just beyond the mountains here and even though I’m only beginning my journey up North for the day it’s already feeling much windier and colder luckily I’ve got all the right clothes for the weather there’s also a popular Lodge over here at Bow Lake but remember those seasonal closures I was talking about? this lodge is closed for the season and there’s hardly anyone around here most of the businesses including gas stations are closed between here and the town of Jasper too but just up the parkway there’s a much more lively hiking spot you wouldn’t even know the shoulder season there in contrast to what I saw at Bow Lake the Peyto Lake hike seems to be one of the more popular ones the parking lot’s still full and its offseason never seen a crow that big before the hike is very easy and the views are just great the weather on the Icefields Parkway can really change fast throughout the day and I came right at the right time to view the light blue waters of Peyto Lake and the extensive mountain chain beyond it Peyto Lake would be my last stop within Banff National Park since the Icefields Parkway runs through both Banff and Jasper National Parks and you could drive the Icefields Parkway in about 3 hours without making any stops but there are so many beautiful places to see along the way and it’s always hard to decide where to stop when you’re limited on time let alone pick a favorite but my first stop upon entering Jasper National Park would be a strong competitor for that favorites category instead of calling it my favorite though I’ll just settle for telling you that the Athabasca Glacier took my breath away in the best of ways this is the most visited glacier in North America which is likely due to it being so easily accessible from the roadside you can just walk up to it and there were no tour groups to be seen as I was visiting pretty late in the day my only regret is that I don’t have enough time to do the whole hike right up to the actual glacier but I think I saw a good glimpse of it with a few hours before nightfall and a ways left to drive I had time for one more stop before getting to Jasper for the night since the popular Columbia Icefields Skywalk was already closed for the day I had time for just one more stop before calling it a night this used to be a waterfall and this is also my last stop of the day Athabasca Falls lucky for me this part still is a waterfall and the other side of falls both sides of falls the Canyon goes on for a long long time it’s really amazing how blue the water is everywhere out here in the rivers and lakes and tomorrow I’m going to wake up in Jasper and then drive to British Columbia it’s not very far from where I am in Alberta to be honest but then I’ve got about 9 hours of driving ahead of me so that should be a lot stopping overnight in Kamloops and then end the trip in Vancouver by the way if you’ve been enjoying this video then give it a like and consider subscribing to my channel for more like it this little rental car has been doing pretty good too now for the local hotel up in Jasper pretty nice view in the morning (this) old Canadian hotel has been pretty good this hotel actually has really nice paintings everywhere the animal of the city is you guessed it the bear the town of Jasper is pretty cozy and it reminded me a lot of towns I’d visited in Upstate New York the train comes over to Jasper as well but it’s quite expensive and much of Jasper National Park feels a lot more remote than Banff and with just part of a day left I had to really narrow down what I visited but right near the town of Jasper there are some great things to check out plus my park pass was still valid until 4:00 p.m. . so I started my morning at the town’s Tim Horton’s and then headed over to Pyramid Lake for a short walk on its island these wild juniper berry bushes are like everywhere in the Rocky Mountains they smell really good Pyramid Lake was really the perfect place to start off the day and after a nice morning walk around the island I drove over to check out the nearby Maligne Canyon well technically it’s a gorge and it’s got really nice hiking trails that feature six different bridges crossing it it’s quite a hike so you could just walk over one of the bridges or you could go for all six I ended up doing five out of six little climb wasn’t as little of a climb as I thought it was wow and the sun’s back out again but I’ve got to say there’s nothing else like these national parks out there between Banff and Jasper I’ve seen many things that I’ve never seen anywhere else and it’s just been an amazing experience and today I’m headed onwards out of the parks and on to Kamloops about a 5-hour drive and then after that I’m going to get up early the next day and drive over to Vancouver should be a little bit under 4 hours depending on traffic I’m really not sure what I was thinking climbing up here whoa this is the fifth bridge and the sixth bridge is quite a walk so I have to skip it so the hike over to the fifth Bridge was a little long but luckily there’s a kind of shortcut hike to get back it’s about 2/3 of the length of the one that goes down by the gorge it does skip a lot of the highlights though so make sure to only take it one way well this is my last stop in the Rockies at least in a national park I’m pretty sad to leave but uh yeah I think I have to come back sometime but even though I was sad to be leaving the national parks the drive through rural western Canada was interesting finally got some rain after 3 days and the weather didn’t really fully clear up for me until the following morning in Kamloops but the Hampton by Hilton over and Kamloops really did a good job and when I got in after my 6-hour drive I was able to track down a great Korean barbecue place and it’s not just a coincidence that I’m showing you Canadian Asian food more than once western Canada is full of magnificent restaurants serving up food with its roots in many different Asian countries after I watched the weather clear up first thing in the morning from my window I grabbed some free breakfast and was headed back on the road to Vancouver the sky stayed clear for a little while but once I got closer to Vancouver it got gray and rainy again quick but for all the driving I did in Canada it was one of the most enjoyable times I had driving anywhere driving in much of the world can just turn out to be stressful but driving in Canada is pretty much a breeze one thing to keep in mind is that gas costs a bit more than in the US it is significantly cheaper in the province of Alberta than it is in British Columbia so if you’re doing what I did and driving from Calgary to Vancouver you probably want to fuel up right before leaving Alberta it’s still not as expensive as you’d find in Europe larger cities do have some traffic but if you’re traveling that’s pretty easy to plan around there’s rush hours so just keep that in mind and then the only other thing that can kind of delay you is that there’s often construction on the roads out here there is pretty decent public transport between a lot of cities I did find that it often costs more than driving though especially if you’re more than just one person in the car you really just have to look at the specifics of the route that you plan to take and then you know the time of year and the pricing of renting a car versus taking public transport and all that kind of stuff it’s going to differ depending on what your plans are well because Vancouver is such a crazy expensive city I just spent one night here but there’s still ways to do it on a budget in Vancouver very strange hotel! this place was thoroughly uncomfortable and had a prominent smell of some kind of chemicals likely pest control I guess I should just be happy I didn’t see any pests and the location was central I gave the car back at the airport and returned to my normal reality of taking public transport and walking but Vancouver is a walkable place and it was prime time for viewing the red maple trees Stanley Park is a great place for walking and the sea wall offers some of the best views of the city In Vancouver awalk along the Seawall is a definite must and it was easy to find great Thai food for dinner and even some matcha soft serve for dessert next door but the next day I just had to go traditional Canadian and head to the nearest Tim Hortons affordable food in Canada then for lunch I kept with tradition and had some root beer and a burger from A&W this bathroom on this bus is available while I’m driving as well but I’d recommend a trip to western Canada to just about anyone and I sure hope you’ve enjoyed watching my trip if you did make sure to give this video a like and subscribe to my channel for many more travel videos around the world thanks for watching and give this video a watch next I bet you’ll like it

Join me on an epic road trip across Western Canada from Calgary to Vancouver. I spent an amazing week traveling across Western Canada with a rental car and saw everything from Banff National Park to endless waterfalls. This vlog and comprehensive travel guide features a full itinerary visiting Banff, Jasper, the Canadian natural bliss in between, and a few Canadian cities.

From luxury hotels to rundown motels, the best pad thai in Vancouver to Calgary’s favorite dish, wildlife encounters to how to hike in bear country, and massive glaciers to unknown waterfalls, I’m showing you it all. Oh yeah, and I managed to do my whole Canada trip on a budget!

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Videos about getting the best travel deals: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlHFWceWhDiRgbY9gtd40LzC_xmIdRgaz
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00:00 Intro
00:48 Calgary
03:36 Banff, Canmore, and Kootenay
09:30 Lake Louise
10:14 The Icefields Parkway and Jasper
17:33 Driving to Vancouver via Kamloops
19:44 Vancouver

💵All the prices I show in the video are in USD unless otherwise stated.

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