Author Topic: O Canada. Best western places to visit.  (Read 7885 times)

spartana

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O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« on: July 10, 2017, 09:39:59 AM »
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« Last Edit: August 17, 2017, 08:39:06 AM by spartypants »

bacchi

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2017, 10:27:10 AM »
Banff is very crowded right now and Lake Louise and the tea house hikes are like you're at Disneyworld (there's a long line of people on the trail). Leave early if you plan to do these hikes. (And forgot the food at the tea houses -- they're not worth it, even for the ambiance. Pack your own lunch.)

Jasper and the smaller lakes are better.

We liked Riding Mountain NP in Manitoba. It's not on the coast but it's less crowded and has a small boardwalk town on Clear Lake.


Dmy0013

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #3 on: July 10, 2017, 10:48:04 AM »
Victoria would be beautiful this time of year
The Okanagan would have a lot of their fruit trees in bloom - not sure if its ready to be picked though?
Yoho National park...

Depends how far you are willing to drive and what areas you plan on going?  Talk with the locals in town and find out where to go.

But places like Banff will be very busy with travellers from all over the world.

debbie does duncan

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2017, 11:17:09 AM »
Welcome .....it may be wise to check and see where the wildfires are burning before you go!
The interior of BC and the northern parts are on fire .

http://www.timescolonist.com/clark-announces-100m-aid-fund-as-wildfires-burn-across-b-c-1.21012646

Vancouver Island seems to be OK!


pachnik

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #5 on: July 10, 2017, 01:29:12 PM »
Wildfire! Ugh didn't realize there were so many there right now. I'll be moving slowly up north so hoping by the time I get to Canada the fires and much of the crowds will be gone or at least less. Since I don't have a time limit I can hang out in less crowded less tourisy areas until the (pesky American ;-)) tourists go home. Thanks for the info. Ive never heard of some of those places and they seem very beautiful.

Really bad wildfires right now unfortunately.  You could consider checking out the Sunshine Coast which is a 20-minute ferry ride from West Vancouver.   A series of small seaside towns, lots of trees and ocean. 

Personally, I love American tourists and hope I meet a lot of them when I go on my Alaska cruise later this summer! 

deborah

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #6 on: July 10, 2017, 04:13:17 PM »
'Ksan villiage and museum and the Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park as well as the Nisga'a museum.

jamesbond007

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #7 on: July 10, 2017, 04:33:32 PM »
Are there Best Westerns in Canada? I guess there are.

pachnik

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #8 on: July 10, 2017, 04:37:54 PM »
Are there Best Westerns in Canada? I guess there are.

Yes, there are Best Westerns in Canada.   They are considered pretty okay here. 

JoJo

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2017, 06:12:06 PM »
Early September is a great time to visit Vancouver Island for some wildlife viewing.  Included:
* Summer Saturday at Butchart Gardens (free concerts and fireworks)
* Black bears wrestling across the river in Port Alberni
* Grizzly bear trip from Campbell river (bears on on mainland, take a boat to see them)
* Amazing whale watching in Port McNeill
* Snorkeling with Salmon (and a seal and a bear)!

Blogged about it here:
https://thehotflashpacker.com/british-columbia/

HPstache

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2017, 07:33:00 PM »
If you enjoy mountain biking, check out whistler Blackcomb.  The sea to sky highway getting there is beautiful too.  Stop at Shannon falls.

Poeirenta

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2017, 10:35:19 PM »
I just now booked a trip to Nelson, B.C. for our anniversary. Looks pretty cool...I can report back in a couple of weeks! We live in the US Okanogan and have been eating the wildfire smoke from Canada all weekend. You know they're bad when the smoke makes it down here. ☹

MrsTuxedocat

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #12 on: July 11, 2017, 12:58:33 AM »
One of my favourite places out west that has not been mentioned is Sooke. It's the epitome of the west coast: towering evergreens, rocky ocean and fabulous parks.

GreenSheep

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2017, 07:55:07 AM »
I just got back from Banff and Jasper National Parks (both in Alberta, not BC). The towns of Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper were all crowded, but Jasper was tolerable. Not much to see/do in any of the towns unless you're into visiting numerous gift shops that all sell the same stuff. I did the Plain of Six Glaciers hike (past Lake Louise, to the tea house), and it wasn't very crowded going up (started around 8am), but it was getting more and more crowded as we returned, so the advice to go early is good. It's a beautiful hike, so I can see why it's popular. And yes, pack your own lunch and skip the tea house altogether. The drive from Jasper to Banff is beautiful, and there are several areas where you can pull off and admire the view.

The Okanagan area is very nice, and this time of year there's lots of good, fresh produce! I stayed in a B&B in Penticton a few years ago and loved it. I don't know what the crowds would be like this time of year; I was there in the summer, but I had my dog with me, so I didn't venture out much. Mostly just relaxed at the B&B overlooking the lake.

BigHaus89

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2017, 11:12:48 AM »
I just now booked a trip to Nelson, B.C. for our anniversary. Looks pretty cool...I can report back in a couple of weeks! We live in the US Okanogan and have been eating the wildfire smoke from Canada all weekend. You know they're bad when the smoke makes it down here. ☹

Nelson is my favorite town to hang out in. Tons of stuff to do and a really cool vibe.

Jasper NP and Revelstoke are amazing areas and a little less busy than Banff. I highly recommend those areas.

TrMama

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #15 on: July 11, 2017, 01:30:46 PM »
We frequently camp in the provincial parks on Vancouver Island and there seem to be dogs everywhere. I think you'll be find both in the park and on the trails. There may be a few really sensitive areas that are closed to dogs, but certainly not very many. Also, the campfire ban is in place everywhere in the province until October. If you're camping you'll need to plan around it. On the plus side, the air quality in the campgrounds is way better than normal :-)

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/

Keep an eye on the various fire tracking websites. The situation can change really fast.

On the Island, check out the town of Courtenay. It's one of my favorite places. It's a ski town, on the ocean. The hill is Mt Washington.

I also like Apex in Penticton (in the Okanagan). It's a lesser known hill, but it has fantastic spring skiing and practically no crowds. We spent spring break there with the kids and didn't wait in a single line, for anything and the snow was perfectly light. Penticton also has a really neat farmer's market every Saturday in the summer. Red Mountain in Rossland is also supposed to be cool.

If you want to be able to ski a bunch of different hills, I'd pick a spot for your winter stay somewhere around Revelstoke or Golden. You'd be reasonable driving distance to several different hills.

HPstache

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #16 on: July 11, 2017, 02:40:41 PM »
Part of this trip is to check out ski towns in both the US and Canada to possibly spend a few months in winter. So any cool ski town suggestions would be great. Someone I know mentioned Fernie (or maybe it was Fernly) as a good place to visit.

I am assuming you'll check out Bellingham while you're out this way? 

TrMama

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #17 on: July 11, 2017, 04:15:16 PM »
We frequently camp in the provincial parks on Vancouver Island and there seem to be dogs everywhere. I think you'll be find both in the park and on the trails. There may be a few really sensitive areas that are closed to dogs, but certainly not very many. Also, the campfire ban is in place everywhere in the province until October. If you're camping you'll need to plan around it. On the plus side, the air quality in the campgrounds is way better than normal :-)

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/

Keep an eye on the various fire tracking websites. The situation can change really fast.

On the Island, check out the town of Courtenay. It's one of my favorite places. It's a ski town, on the ocean. The hill is Mt Washington.

I also like Apex in Penticton (in the Okanagan). It's a lesser known hill, but it has fantastic spring skiing and practically no crowds. We spent spring break there with the kids and didn't wait in a single line, for anything and the snow was perfectly light. Penticton also has a really neat farmer's market every Saturday in the summer. Red Mountain in Rossland is also supposed to be cool.

If you want to be able to ski a bunch of different hills, I'd pick a spot for your winter stay somewhere around Revelstoke or Golden. You'd be reasonable driving distance to several different hills.
Thanks for the link. I don't really light campfires so no biggie to me and nice to know I can take my dog on most trails (huge problem here in some states). Do you know if campgrounds and parks/trails close after summer or are they open in the fall? I imagine at some point Id rent a place in the states or Canada by end of Oct. or Nov. if not sooner.

Most are open in the fall, some stay open year round. Depends on the park. That site I linked to lists all the parks and should tell you when/if they close for winter. Some of the parks have limited services after Labour Day (aka they close the bathroom/shower buildings). Pit toilets are always open ;-)

In addition to the provincial parks there are also lots of privately owned RV places. They mostly cater to RVers and I don't know as much about them. I think some limit the length of time you can stay while other offer a monthly rate and cater to people who want to live there. The quality varies all over the map.

ToTheMoon

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #18 on: July 11, 2017, 04:26:42 PM »
If you want to be able to ski a bunch of different hills, I'd pick a spot for your winter stay somewhere around Revelstoke or Golden. You'd be reasonable driving distance to several different hills.

Hey Spartana - we live in Golden, BC, and you are most welcome to come and check out the area.  It is in the middle of 5 national parks, and TrMama is correct that there are a lot of great ski hills in the area (Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Lake Louise, Sunshine, and various other (fun!) smaller ones.)  Also check out www.goldenhikes.ca if you are interested in hiking in the area, and don't forget about all the hot springs!

If your dog is okay with kids and our old lab, we could probably help you out with doggie daycare as well. :)

Thanks for the link. I don't really light campfires so no biggie to me and nice to know I can take my dog on most trails (huge problem here in some states). Do you know if campgrounds and parks/trails close after summer or are they open in the fall? I imagine at some point Id rent a place in the states or Canada by end of Oct. or Nov. if not sooner.

Most are open through the fall - also check out the BC Forestry Campsites: www.sitesandtrailsbc.ca.  They are more basic than the Provincial Parks, and the fees are much less as well.  Most campsites/trails are fine with dogs provided they remain on leash.  If dogs are not allowed, it is usually because of high likelyhood of contact with wildlife, which would endanger yourself and your dog anyhow.

BigHaus89

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #19 on: July 11, 2017, 05:30:15 PM »
Thanks for all the suggestions. Most look like areas I really would want to check out. Part of this trip is to check out ski towns in both the US and Canada to possibly spend a few months in winter. So any cool ski town suggestions would be great. Someone I know mentioned Fernie (or maybe it was Fernly) as a good place to visit.


Fernie is a haven for outdoor recreation. It's a very popular mountain biking area. I haven't skied there, but I know a lot of people who have and loved it.

dess1313

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #20 on: July 13, 2017, 05:31:10 AM »
try
https://www.banfflakelouise.com/moraine-lake
http://www.johnstoncanyon.com/

kelowna if you like wines, and such. big tourist town, lots of vinyards, but also lots of hiking.  try pincushion mountain, its a beautiful hike but be prepared for some elevation and steepness

Lews Therin

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #21 on: July 13, 2017, 10:18:20 AM »
I'm heading to Vancouver in September, so I'm gonna lurk here and steal all the good ideas you get.

JoJo

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #22 on: July 13, 2017, 11:22:39 AM »
I'm heading to Vancouver in September, so I'm gonna lurk here and steal all the good ideas you get.

September is a perfect time to visit Vancouver Island if you like wildlife (salmon, bears and whales).  I put a link early in this thread if you're interested.

SEAK

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Re: O Canada. Best western places to visit.
« Reply #23 on: July 13, 2017, 12:56:18 PM »
Atlin, Northern BC. Can't imagine a more beautiful place.

 

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