Western Canada by RV. If you like camping, you’ll love Canada – especially the west of the country, where the mighty Rocky Mountains offer spectacular scenery. Kitschy, really – and yet completely natural. That’s western Canada.
I first travelled here about ten years ago, doing #VIARail Train Travelling across Western Canada; highlighting the route Between Banff & Jasper: The most beautiful 300 kilometres on Earth. and introducing you to a very special destination: First Nation Travel in Canada: Discover Kamloops in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
This time, it’s different. There are six of us travelling together across three generations! My parents in a rental car, my husband, the children and I in an RV. As part of our #CreativElenaRTW round the world trip, we are travelling from Vancouver to Calgary in just under 10 days. In this article, I’ll tell you where we stopped and which highlights along the route are particularly suitable for bringing young kids along.
Road trip through the Rocky Mountains: Western Canada by RV rewards you with many views like these.
Western Canada by RV: Renting from Canadream.
We start our journey in the south-east of Vancouver City. Canadream’s rental location is conveniently located near the Trans Canada Highway, which runs from Vancouver in the west to Newfoundland in the east of this vast country.
The friendly staff take their time to explain the features of our home on wheels; having rented a camper van in New Zealand before, we already feel familiar with many things. By the way, it’s not really “camper van” here in North America. Rather, everyone talks about renting, driving or buying an RV, a Recreational Vehicle!
Another tip: Canadream offers really good booking advice via Zoom or telephone. This made it easier for us to choose the right model for our family prior to even arriving in Canada.
Ready to go: while we wait to pick up our RV, entertainment for the children is provided on site by the friendly Canadream staff.
Hope, British Columbia: Holiday Motel & RV Resort.
After about an hour’s drive, the last urban streets of Greater Vancouver disappear, giving way to the foothills and mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains.
In the small town of Hope, it is already significantly cooler during evenings and mornings than it is near the coast. We book our RV site and a motel unit for my parents at the Holiday Motel & RV Resort; the necessary amenities such as laundry service, local diner and typical Canadian Tim Hortons breakfast are all within walking distance.
Western Canada by RV: Our first park up in Hope, British Columbia.
After four weeks of camper van travels through New Zealand, we quickly get the ropes here in Canada, too.
Road trip adventure: Have you ever tried to overtake a truck like this?!
Kelowna: Summer by the lake and our visit of the Okanagan Valley and its wineries in West Kelowna.
“We just have to stop here – for at least a day and two nights”, I tell my family about the Okanagan Valley in western Canada. On my first visit here years ago, I have already enjoyed the diversity of this famous wine and fruit-growing region, which benefits from a mild, even desert-like climate. Read more about it here: The Okanagan #Winelover Valley: Top Travel Stories from a World Class Wine Destination.
My dad and I, the biggest #winelover fans in the family, decide on a private tour of the West Kelowna wine region. Adriane from Carefree Wine Tours really meets our expectations and prior knowledge of the Kamptal wine region in Lower Austria; she knows exactly which of the more than 400 (!) wineries to take us to.
The children have a great time on the lakefront in downtown Kelowna: a playground, sandy beach, ice cream and restaurants make a (summer) day in the Okanagan a wonderful experience for the whole family.
Early summer be like: Kelowna on the Okanagan Lake.
We are lucky and are allowed to park our (self-contained) RV in the car park of the motel where my parents have booked a room, which also has a small barbecue area, kitchen and swimming pool!
Thank you so much, dear Adriane, for the great wine tour in West Kelowna!
Revelstoke Railway Museum (and other Rocky Mountain highlights).
A few hours’ drive further north, the mild, dry climate of the Okanagan Valley has once again given way to the cool mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains.
Our next destination is the historic railway town of Revelstoke with its truly interesting railway museum, easy hiking trails, a delicious sockeye salmon dinner and our stay “in the woods”, at the Revelstoke RV & Cabin Resort.
For railway fans and recent history lovers: a well-designed museum with a play area for children, so that adults can take their time exploring the history of western Canada’s rail development era.
Very long freight trains, some of them totalling several kilometres, pass by frequently. Be careful when planning your route: they can sometimes stand across the entire town for hours!
Fine dining in Revelstoke: To celebrate my parents’ 44th wedding anniversary, we enjoy a delicious sockeye salmon dinner at the Regent Hotel restaurant.
After a short hike to Begbie Falls, we reach the Columbia River with a view across to the Revelstoke Mountain Resort.
Arriving at the Revelstoke RV & Cabin Resort: a great location right inside the forest.
Golden, British Columbia.
From Revelstoke towards Lake Louise, our route takes us through spectacular landscapes such as Rogers Pass and Glacier National Park. Building roads or even a railway line in these remote, avalanche-prone mountains (in the late 19th century, mind you) is and remains a technical masterpiece. The fascination of being able to move around comfortably in such raw mountain ranges remains.
In Golden, our next stop en route to Banff and Lake Louise, we get to park our RV at the Days Inn by Wyndham just like in Kelowna (thanks to my parents’ motel booking). There, we stay in the company of the friendly “truckers”, a typical sight here in North America.
Crossing Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park: Spectacular natural scenery wherever you look.
Short nights, long days and perfect travelling weather make our stay at the beginning of June a very special experience.
Lake Louise (including tips for a daytime visit).
Lake Louise, along with Banff, is one of the most beautiful and most visited places in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. And rightly so.
Glittering lakes, spectacular mountain ranges and the mere mention of the world-famous Ski World Cup venue attract visitors in droves. The equally beautiful Moraine Lake, located in the immediate vicinity of Lake Louise, has already fallen victim to the rush: only those with a (pre-booked) parking permit are able to visit.
At the beginning of June, the start of the high season, we are able to get a parking spot for the day but only just! The parking areas are huge, but not endless, the rush is enormous, also reflected in the parking costs. And yet. Just ten minutes’ walk from the Fairmont Hotel Lake Louise, the hustle and bustle noticeably subsides: my mum and I walk along the lake for over half an hour and finally find some of the peace that this landscape inspires. Check this out.
Lake Louise: “Out back”, there are (much) fewer tourists! My mum and I really enjoy our little walk by the lakeside.
One of my favourite photographs of our entire #CreativElenaRTW round the world trip: Our two boys after more than three months on the road.
Must-Stop along the Jasper-Banff-Highway: Peyto Lake.
Both my husband and I have already been to Peyto Lake, and gorgeous Emerald Lake before. We therefore suggest to my parents that we take a short detour to Peyto Lake.
This lake, whose striking colour changes from deep blue to turquoise green to ice grey depending on the weather and the seasons, is impressive not only because of its location but also because of its shape: it resembles a dog’s head with two pointed ears and a snout!
Peyto Lake is located about an hour northwest of Banff, is well signposted and – on the day of our visit – not quite as crowded as Lake Louise. From the car park, it takes about 20 minutes (young kids to reach the viewing platform overlooking the lake.
World travel photograph on Peyto Lake between Banff and Jasper in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Banff (Again, At Last!).
In Banff, too, it’s better to book (everything) in advance, again even at the start of the summer season. Once again, we just manage to book one of the last RV sites at Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court (which has over a thousand sites!), clearly highlighting the extreme popularity of Canada’s most visited national park.
Our trip up Sulphur Mountain with the Banff Gondola, offering some of the most beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains, almost falls through, however. Even 36 hours in advance, all ascents and descents are fully booked, online reservations no longer possible. In the end, we are lucky as there must have been some cancellations. Wow!
Other than that, it’s best to just go with the flow, stop at the Wild Flour Café for really great coffee (and cake), or enjoy a great (kid-friendly) tour at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies. Even though my husband and I tend to avoid very crowded places, we both are simply drawn to the magic that Banff provides!
Check out the following article list of Banff love shared on my travel blog:
- Banff & beyond: #ExploreCanada the local way.
- #myBanff Mountain Film & Book Festival & other travel delights in the Canadian Rockies
- Visiting #myBanff during winter: Ski, Hot Springs & Snow Delights in Western Canada
- Roadtrip through the Canadian Rockies: Three tips for exploring Banff & around.
The view from above: Beautiful Banff from high up in the air.
Making our way to the top of Sulphur Mountain: I was last here when this young man was still in my belly!
Wild Flour Café: Great vibes with even better cuisine in the heart of Banff. We can park our RV close by, in a parking lot for the day – at no extra charge!
Such a lovely memory of our RV visit to Banff National Park: Waking up and having breakfast here with the boys!
Lake Minnewanka or: Of boots and bears.
Not far from Banff, practically next door, lies lovely Lake Minnewanka. We only stop here briefly, take a short walk around and would probably have taken a boat trip if we hadn’t had several hundred kilometres to drive that same day.
Just as we are about to turn back onto the Trans Canada Highway, we realise how much we are merely guests in a huge national park surrounded by wild animals: a bear is standing less than five metres away. It glances briefly in our direction, then turns around and disappears into the forest. The whole spectacle lasts less than a minute. We are simply in the right place at the right time, completely fascinated – and very happy that the children and we are already IN our RV at that moment!
What a view! This bear gently moves away from us, as we pass it in our slow-driving RV.
Spectacular scenery once more: Minnewanka Lake in Banff National Park.
Must-do with children: searching for dinosaurs in Drumheller!
A good hour east of Calgary, two hours’ drive from the Rocky Mountains, lies the rather dull town of Drumheller. In the vastness of the flat prairie landscapes surrounding it, it would not stand out if it weren’t for a landmark attraction: the Royal Tyrrell Museum, really worth seeing, with its focus on four billion years of Earth’s history – and especially the age of the dinosaurs.
We learn that the province of Alberta and the entire western part of Canada were once located on a primeval sea, far before the Rocky Mountains existed. Here, dinosaurs, flying pterosaurs, fish and other reptiles thrived in all their diversity. Millions of years later, the retreat of the sea and the folding of the Rocky Mountains exposed their fossils. In fact, western Canada, together with the neighbouring US states, is one of the best sites for finding dinosaur fossils in the world.
Today, the whole of Drumheller is under the spell of dinosaurs. Funny footprints on the ground and dinosaur statues that children can climb on are scattered throughout the city. Nearby, we also visit the “hoodoos”, peculiar sedimentary landscapes that invite you to climb and walk.
Welcome to dinosaur state in Drumheller!
We recommend allowing three hours for a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. The impressive fossil exhibitions are truly captivating.
The museum is also really well done for visiting with kids.
We stay at Dino RV Park, where the region’s motto continues. A little further out, we visit the hoodoos sedimentary landscapes around Drumheller, where fossils are still being found today.
Calgary in (less than) 24 hours: Heritage Park for the whole family.
The last stop on our RV road trip through western Canada is Calgary. Here, we return our rental car and RV, pack our bags and fly on to Toronto, the last stop on our #CreativElenaRTW round the world trip.
Before that, we have some time to visit the city, focusing on Calgary Heritage Park. Both Georg and I have been here before and can highly recommend a visit, especially with children in tow and grandparents who are interested in history! If you would like to know more, here is what else I have already written about Calgary: First Nation Travel in Canada: A day trip with the Tsuutina Nation around Calgary.
Hello Calgary, hello Heritage Park – Canada’s largest living history museum!
The kids love taking the historical steam train inside the park.
The history of the First Nations is also taken into account here: we are guests in a real prairie tipi, where we learn about life before the arrival of European settlers.
Last but not least: The brightly coloured car museum with historic pumps, signs and vintage car models in Calgary Heritage Park.
If you would like to know more about each of the destinations of our #CreativElenaRTW family trip around the world, I can recommend the following articles on my travel blog.
They may trigger acute wanderlust, but they are certainly very useful for planning and inspiring a long-distance trip with (small) children
- Perth with kids: Family travel tips in Western Australia
- Near Perth, Western Australia: Exploring Mandurah, Gingin & Pinnacles Desert
- Roadtrip in East Coast Australia: Travel Tips from Brisbane to Byron Bay.
- Campervan Travel in New Zealand: South Island Highlights for families.
- Campervan Travel in New Zealand: North Island Highlights for families.
- Taking the family to Hawaii: Travel tips with kids in Oahu.
- Taking the family to Hawaii: Travel tips with kids in Big Island.
- Roadtrip USA: Travel tips from Grand Canyon to Monument Valley and Santa Fe.
- Vancouver & Whistler in Western Canada: Travel tips for families.