The Ultimate Vancouver to Banff Road Trip

Thinking of visiting Canada and want to see a little piece of what this great country offers? Well, a trip from Vancouver, Canada’s metropolitan jewel, through Canada’s Rocky Mountains all the way to Banff, Canada’s premier mountain town, is a great way to see some of it’s rugged beauty while first enjoying British Columbia’s largest city.

First you’ll start your trip in a metropolitan paradise then along the way you’ll see more waterfalls, lakes and hot springs than you can remember, a number of resort style lake towns you won’t soon forget then drive through some of Canada’s highest mountain peaks and finally arrive in one of the most famous mountain resort towns in North America.

A quick note on Canadian Geography and Distances

While being from Canada means we’re often immune to it’s many charms, we do know that a visit to Canada is on many peoples travel bucket list. Covering a huge portion of land between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and as far north as the North Pole, the terrain and people you’ll meet in Canada are as varied as anyplace you’ll find on Earth.

Starting on the west coast you have gorgeous coastal areas leading into the majestic Rocky Mountains followed by miles of grassy rolling hills that lead to seemingly never ending prairies in the center of Canada. From there you hit the many small lakes and hills of the rock covered Canadian Shield before finally arriving at the Great Lakes themselves which then leads you the Appalachian Uplands and back down to the Atlantic ocean. And that’s only if you travel in a straight line!

Over the years we’ve met numerous travelers who’ve asked if they can land in Toronto and drive to Vancouver in a few days. Well, to be blunt, that’s a 40+ hour straight drive with no stops through 5 provinces and is over 4,200 km or 2600 miles in distance.

If you actually…