drive Vancouver-Banff vs. Seattle-Banff

[elaine5]

looking at cruises to Alaska and then going to Banff. For those in the NW, how does the drive compare? I see Van-Banff is about 8 hrs vs. 10.5 from SEA, but on a Sat in early July, how accurate is that? Would we be better going via Spokane vs. the border crossing going to Vancouver?

If it's really more like 4 hours longer, then we might just stay with Vancouver. Thanks, Elaine

[Gardyloo]

Where does your cruise end? If Vancouver, then go from Vancouver. If Seattle, then go from here.

 

From Seattle I always make Banff an easy two-day drive; I like to overnight in Nelson BC, a beautiful little town in the Kootenays, then drive to Banff via Revelstoke the next day. The drive north to Nelson from I-90 is very picturesque, and the Kootenays are spectacular. https://goo.gl/maps/KcX36D5BVR22

 

Vancouver to Banff via the TCH or BC 5 is still pretty grueling for one day.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Gardyloo

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• is this a one way trip (leaving via Calgary/Edmonton?) or a round trip?
  
• which port is your cruise ending? Seattle?
  
• Vancouver has lots to offer for a first time tourist for a few days.
  
• Vancouver shows 8.75 hrs vs 10 hours from Seattle on the shortest route on Google maps. The time difference is distance from the two ports to Abbotsford. It excludes border crossing time.
  
• Saturday crossing? Which weekend? Mornings and Evenings will be heavier.
  
• For the longer routes East of Seattle, you might enjoy checking out "Leavenworth".
  

[elaine5]

traveling Sat after 4th of July. Trying to decide between SEA and VAN for RT cruise. I know one ways are better, but for our family, timing, etc. a RT for 7 days is what we need. Wondering how much more time/trouble from SEA-Banff the drive would be. I thought that VAN-Banff was a "not bad" 8 hr drive in the summer???

and, would you recommend taking Nelson route vs. going a bit further east and up via Cranbrook, BC, which appears to be 2 hrs less drive? We would spend the night on the way if leaving from SEA.

looking for advice from those in the PNW area (who are familiar with traffic patterns), or who have actually done either drive. tx.

Edited December 2, 2016 by elaine5

[Gardyloo]

trying to decide between SEA and VAN for RT cruise. I know one way's are better, but for family, timing, etc. a RT for 7 days is what we need. Wondering how much more time/trouble from SEA-Banff the drive would be. I thought that VAN-Banff was a "not bad" 8 hr drive in the summer???

and, would you recommend taking your route vs. going a bit further east and up via Cranbrook, BC, which appears to be 2 hrs less drive?

That makes things easier. Do your round trip cruise out of Vancouver, because the Seattle sailings go west of Vancouver Island, on open water, making for a less scenic and bumpier ride. The Vancouver departures are on scenic, sheltered "Inside Passage" waters for much more of the time.

 

I take Google's time estimates with plenty of salt. Remember they're "wheels turning" times, assuming generally speed-limit driving, and don't count stops for fuel, food, mother nature, road construction, picture taking, etc. If you were prepared to spend a night en route then the scenic opportunities would be expanded greatly.

 

BC 5 (or the Coquihalla Highway - "Coq") is freeway and quite fast. (Built as a toll road, no longer one.) You can make good time, but the TCH past Kamloops has a fair amount of two-lane sections, which can be trucky and trafficky at times.

[elaine5]

thanks. I read about the open water, a bit nervous about that, but we did the North Sea this summer to Norway, so can probably handle it.

In Van--only Celeb, HA, DCL RTs. Celeb is out b/c it doesn't go to Skagway, HA out b/c teens don't want to sail on it, and we all love DCL, even if it is not the "best" in Alaska. In SEA, we have more options. Easy choice for us is DCL--but don't know that we want to pony up the significantly extra $$$$ for DCL. Thus, wondering if we could make SEA work.

Edited December 2, 2016 by elaine5

[Gardyloo]

thanks. I read about the open water, a bit nervous about that, but we did the North Sea this summer to Norway, so can probably handle it.

In Van--only Celeb, HA, DCL RTs. Celeb is out b/c it doesn't go to Skagway, HA out b/c teens don't want to sail on it, and we all love DCL, even if it is not the "best" in Alaska. In SEA, we have more options. Easy choice for us is DCL--but don't know that we want to pony up the significantly extra $$$$ for DCL. Thus, wondering if we could make SEA work.

Sure, thousands of people make that choice, and far be it from me to discourage visitors to our fair city. ;) Flights will probably be cheaper, too; hotels, not so much.

 

If you're not locked into Banff (and you will have seen a lot of mountains in Alaska) I could lobby - well, no, I will lobby - for Olympic National Park instead. It's obviously closer to Seattle, but the main advantage is the tremendous variety it offers. You have alpine vistas (and in June/July wildflowers) at Hurricane Ridge, stunning rocky beaches out in vampire country, the unique Hoh and Quinault rain forests, hiking, waterfalls, lakes, lavender fields around Sequim ("Skwim"), marvelous Victorian Port Townsend or you could take a ferry to Victoria from Port Angeles and see lots more than you can during your mandatory cruise stop there returning from Alaska.

 

Just sayin'.

[elaine5]

thank you. Been to both Banff (2 yrs ago with teens) and Olympic (pre-kids) and loved both. Teens loved Banff and wanted to go back. Also debating on just going to Whistler (been, pre-kids) if we Rt from VAN, but most concur that the mtns are more spectacular in Banff. We did not get a chance to drive to Jasper, DH wants to fish, and older teens want to WW raft again. Thought Van Island/Olympic might be too much of coastal stuff and not enough rugges mtns for a 2 week trip. Trip is 2018, so fluid at this point. Thanks for tips. Elaine

[LeftcoastBC]

I'm going to promote BC ...:) which you can start in Seattle also.

 

Look at Whistler and keep going North around several circle loops that could take you up into mountains and around through the south eventually. The Okanagan Valley in both BC and Wa. A return to Seattle over the mountains is not out of the question again is a great ride.

 

Highway 1 east of Kamloops is getting better all the time due to double laning but you still will be hitting there in the busy summer period. So the times on google are tight as has been mentioned.

 

Your teens should find whistler more "FUN" than Banff. :rolleyes:

[xlxo]

Trying to decide between SEA and VAN for RT cruise. I know one ways are better, but for our family, timing, etc. a RT for 7 days is what we need.

To clarify... I was suggesting a one way drive from Vancouver (or Seattle) to Banff. After Banff/Jasper, you can continue to Edmonton or Calgary for your flight home. It's a much shorter drive than driving back to the coast.

[elaine5]

yes, plan to fly out of Calgary home, if we go to Banff. I meant that one way cruise to/from Alaska are better, as you get up farther and can spend time in Alaska. We need a RT for this cruise, maybe in the future, we'll do a one way.

[cruiseryyc]

I don't who determined that Vancouver to Banff was an 8 hour drive because they are dead wrong. It's closer to 10 hours and that is wheels turning, no stops included. It is gearing up to be an extremely busy year in the Banff area, so if you decide this is where you're going you will need to make hotel reservations as soon as possible.

[elaine5]

you guys are convincing me to dump Banff and go to Whistler instead. Maybe that's the ticket.

[xlxo]

Another option is a one-way bus tour to Banff and Calgary....

http://keywesttravelandtours.com/package/western-trails/

[xlxo]

With regards to Whistler and Sea 2 Sky....

 

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[xlxo]

Vancouver has mountains too. You can even request to "ride the roof"!

 

Kids may enjoy having breakfast with the bears...

https://www.grousemountain.com/products/breakfast-with-the-bears

 

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[Gardyloo]

you guys are convincing me to dump Banff and go to Whistler instead. Maybe that's the ticket.

Include a couple of days on the Sunshine Coast and you're good to go.

 

 

 

[elaine5]

awesome suggestions. I have been to V and done the drive to Whistler 20 years ago. We plan to spend a few days in V. We're going to try Whistler with our teens. They are not super thrill seekers (no zip lines), but it looks like we should have plenty of good hikes, rafting, etc. Plus, a beautiful 2 hr drive vs. 10 hrs! We will miss the Icefields Pwy, but that's OK. thanks, again.

[dyeadave]

thank you. Been to both Banff (2 yrs ago with teens) and Olympic (pre-kids) and loved both. Teens loved Banff and wanted to go back. Also debating on just going to Whistler (been, pre-kids) if we Rt from VAN, but most concur that the mtns are more spectacular in Banff. We did not get a chance to drive to Jasper, DH wants to fish, and older teens want to WW raft again. Thought Van Island/Olympic might be too much of coastal stuff and not enough rugges mtns for a 2 week trip. Trip is 2018, so fluid at this point. Thanks for tips. Elaine

 

I cannot imagine getting all of the way to Banf and missing the drive up to Jasper.......:eek:

DD

[elaine5]

we were in Banff for 5 days after a week in S Cal. We had a great time, but not enough time to do everything. That's why we wanted to go back. DH wants to fish, teens want to WW raft again, more hiking, Icefields and Jasper---everyone said we could fill up another week @ Banff. We are East Coasters, so we don't get to see big mtns like the Canadian Rockies. It's the 10 hr drive after a cruise that might be the deal-breaker for Whistler instead.

[VennDiagram]

we were in Banff for 5 days after a week in S Cal. We had a great time, but not enough time to do everything. That's why we wanted to go back. DH wants to fish, teens want to WW raft again, more hiking, Icefields and Jasper---everyone said we could fill up another week @ Banff. We are East Coasters, so we don't get to see big mtns like the Canadian Rockies. It's the 10 hr drive after a cruise that might be the deal-breaker for Whistler instead.

 

Let me add another thing for you to keep in mind regarding driving to Banff in the middle of summer. Several of the past few years have seen large forest fires affecting the various highways at various times. If you're on a tight schedule, you may not want to take the chance.

 

On the other hand, Banff has been named one of the top 10 places to visit by some unaffiliated organization recently.

 

I too seriously doubt that 8 hours that Google is quoting.

[Urban trekker]

You don't say how old you teens are but there are lots of very scenic hikes in the Whistler Area - right from the village you can hike up to Singing Pass and return coming down whistler mountain.

 

Other hikes in the area are Cheakamus Lake - easy walk into a beautiful lake.

 

Others include the Garibaldi Lake and Taylor Meadows.

 

For a fairly strenuous hike - the trip up to the Wedgemont Lake and Glacier is only a short drive from the town center.

 

A little further afield - less than an hour drive is the Joffre Lakes Alpine - a three lake hike with an option of doing some more technical walking to a glacier.

 

There is also bungee jumping.

 

The entire village area is a cyclist mecca - from the easy valley trail to careening down Blackcomb mountain.

 

Alta Lake, Lost Lake and Green Lake provide lots of water based opportunities.

 

At Whistler drive into the Cheakamus Crossing development - same turnoff as Cheakamus Lake - it was the athlete's village for the 2010 Olympic Games - I spent a month living there during the games a Blue Jacket volunteer.

 

As one who has explored both the Rockies and Whistler I will close with this - while the Rockies maybe #1 for many people - Whistler would be my #2 choice.

 

With the free passes to the National Parks in 2017 Banff etc will be a zoo - the hotel prices already high are likely to be even worse next year.

 

Whistler by comparison will have many more favorable rates.

 

Hope this helps some.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

[Coral]

I have been to Whistler and want to do Banff.

 

I loved Whistler - lots to do for kids also!

 

I think you can't go wrong with either.