Road Trip Vancouver to Banff in 5 Days: Revelstoke, Golden, and Lake Louise

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While we have only been home for a few days from our road trip from Vancouver to Banff, I have been inundated with requests on replicating or expanding on our recent trip. I like to call our trip from Vancouver to Banff an express trip, because we left on a Monday and were home on a Friday. If you have more time, I suggest you add to this itinerary. However, I wanted to share with you where we went, what we did, and where we stayed to help you start to plan your own trip from Vancouver to Banff, especially if you are traveling with kids like we were!

Part 1 Vancouver to Banff: Vancouver to Revelstoke

Travel Time: 6 hours

Distance: ~550 km

Accommodation: Sutton Place Revelstoke Mountain

We drove straight from the Vancouver suburbs to Revelstoke. It took about 6 hours, stopping just once along the way. We had a busy day planned at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort and wanted to be able to take advantage of as much as the day as possible. While it is light out quite late in British Columbia in the summer (usually until close to 10 pm), much of the resort shuts down around dinnertime (including the restaurants on the ski hill.)

Driving from Vancouver to Revelstoke is quite easy, take Highway 1 out of town and when you get to Hope, hop onto HWY 5, the Coquihalla Highway, that will take you to Kamloops. From Kamloops, you get back onto HWY 1 and that will take you right to Revelstoke. More on getting from Vancouver to Revelstoke.

This is all highway driving and we were able to do this on a little less than one tank of fuel. Which for my Honda Pilot, is about 70 litres and costs around $110 to fill up when gas prices are over 1.60 / litre.

Vancouver to Revelstoke Route Map

Because we were on a quick trip to Banff and back, Revelstoke was the perfect midpoint to stop for the (day and) night. We chose to stay at the Sutton Place on Revelstoke Mountain Resort because it meant we could park the car until the next day and enjoy all of the summer activities on the hill without worrying about driving back into town at the end of the day. There would be lots of car travel to come. It also offered a swimming pool (one of our family hotel musts, and had large rooms for our crew of 7 – we were 2 adults and 5 kids aged 5 to 15 and chose a 2 bedroom suite (since most of the kids were happy to sleep with us adults, but a 3 bdrm would have probably done us a bit better.)

We priced out other hotels in town, but would have had to book 2 rooms to fit us all in. The Sutton was the perfect choice. It also had a kitchen, which would have been perfect if we were staying a few nights. When we return this winter, I know I will love having the kitchen and being right on the mountain. The gondola was just a few steps from the exit of the hotel! The one thing that I did not like about the Sutton was that it was HUGE and our car ended up being 5 minutes walk from our room and to get to the pool it required walking outside into the “village” and into another building. But other than that, it was perfect!

Part 2 Play All Day at Revelstoke Mountain Resort

We arrived in Revelstoke around 2 pm which gave us just under half a day to enjoy the resort. I would suggest a bit more time, but now that we have done it, we know! The Revelstoke coaster is the big draw to the ski hill in the summer, allowing those non-mountain bikers to experience the thrill of a 1.4 km drop down the hill, reaching speeds of up to 42 km/h.

Because the coaster is so popular, if you have the chance, go in the morning. We did not and there was a wait of almost 2 hours. But that did not worry us. We checked in, got our Play All day passes and then took the Revelation Gondola up the mountain for a late lunch at the Mackenzie Outpost.

At the top of the Revelation Gondola, the kids could have ran around and explored for hours if we had had the time. The alpine landscape is very different than lower down the mountain. The alpine is full of loose rock and is located at over 1600m. The views of Revelstoke below and the surrounding mountains are stunning!

After lunch, our time had come up for the coaster, so we hopped into the queue (of just 5 people) and had our first coaster ride. The Resort has put together an awesome system to avoid giant queues on the hill. There are big screens with numbers on them and when your numbers come up, you can get into the line. This keeps the coaster at capacity without a big queue. If you have a play-all-day pass, you can use your second coaster ride right away, or save it for a bit later.

I have a post specifically on everything to do at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort. It provides more details on what to do while you are there!

Revestoke Mountain Resort Important Information

PLAY ALL DAY PASSES

Adults $69

Children 6-12 $59

Under 5 $20

Includes up to 2 coaster rides, aerial park access, gondola hiking & sightseeing, axe throwing (age 10+), and disc golf.

Book online in advance or buy same day at the resort (if available)

REVELSTOKE COASTER ONLY PASS

Adults $29

Children 6-12 $29 ($12 if riding with an adult)

Under 5 $12

Includes one coaster ride.

Book online in advance or buy same day at the resort (if available)

Activity Hours

Hiking & Sightseeing Upper Gondola: 9:00am – 5:45pm Lower Gondola: 8:00am – 7:45pm

Pipe Mountain Coaster 8:00am – 8:00pm

Aerial Adventure Park  9:00am – 7:00pm (6:00pm last start time)

Axe Throwing 10:00am – 6:00pm

Mountain Biking  9:00am – 5:45pm (Stoke Climb closes at 4:30)

Part 3 Golden

The next part of the Road trip from Vancouver to Banff took us on a 2 hour drive from Revelstoke to Golden. Make sure you get gas in Revelstoke (we forgot when we driving out of town) as there is not much in the way of services between these two points.

Road Trip Revelstoke to Golden Drive

There are two things that you should not miss in Golden. The first, is the brand new Golden SkyBridge, Canada’s highest suspension bridge. At 426 feet off the canyon floor, it offers 360 degree views of the Purcell mountains and the Rocky Mountains and the canyon and waterfall below.

The second thing you should not miss is Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. With views from all directions atop the mountain and experiencing The Grizzly Bear Refuge, and its resident Grizzly, Boo. By observing Boo in his natural habitat, guests have the opportunity to see firsthand how beautiful and majestic grizzly bears really are. Raising awareness of these secretive and noble creatures helps to improve the plight of this embattled species.

Golden Sky Bridge Information

Hours: June – Sept 6th 9am-9pm

Sept 6th to Oct 11th 9am – 8pm

Location: 305 Golden Donald Upper Road (Just 2 minutes off Hwy 1)

2021 Rates: Adults $34 Children $17

What makes it special? Beyond the views and beyond the record-breaking height of these two suspension bridges, there is an epic kids playground that most kids could spend hours on! There is also a zipline and ropes course coming soon

How long to spend here? If you want to walk the suspension bridges, an hour is enough. If you have kids, add more time to play at the playground.

Where can I get more info? visit my post on the Golden Skybridge

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Summer Information

The Adventure pass gives you sightseeing to the top of the mountain as well as a Grizzly interpretive tour. It is the best option to get the most of your time on the mountain. The mountain is also open for mountain biking.

2021 Rates: Adult $50.95 Youth (13-17) $42.95 Child (6-12) $24.95 Senior $42.95

2021 Mountain Biking Rates (Gondola & Catamount Chair): Adult $61.95 Youth (13-17) $45.95 Child (6-12) $30.95 Senior $45.95 (Catamount Chair only rates are cheaper)

What makes it special? As the first Grizzly bear refuge, Boo’s time in captivity has been instrumental in creating many rescue and release programs for Grizzly bears in BC.

How long to spend here? Minimum 2 hours. The Grizzly tour is almost an hour and a visit to the top of Kicking Horse offers unparalleled views. If you have time, allow time to hike at the top.

Part 4 Golden To Canmore

While I am not telling you my Itinerary is perfect, I am telling you what my itinerary was. So after leaving kicking horse in the late afternoon, we drove to Canmore where we would stay for the next three nights. If we were to redo this trip, I would do Golden on the way there and Revelstoke on the way back, or the other way around. I will provide more info at the end on what I think the perfect itinerary would be (after throwing this one together … I may travel a lot, but that does not mean I plan all of the details ahead of time!)

Golden to Canmore Road Trip

We got into the Worldmark Canmore – Banff in the evening. My parents have a timeshare there, that is why we booked it. The name is a bit misleading, I did not know we would be 30 minutes outside of Banff, but it is a stunning town, and was happy to experience it.

Part 5 Banff in One Day

We had one day to get a first impression of Banff. We jumped at the opportunity to take a tour to give us an overview of the town. We chose to go with Pursuit’s Open Top Touring buses! These 1930’s inspired vehicles give plenty of views, and offer insight into what Banff was like in the 1930s. They stop at viewpoints and tell stories of what made Banff into what it was today.

After our tour we grabbed lunch and then rented bikes for the afternoon. We chose to rent from Snowtips / Baktrax because of their kid’s inventory! They had bikes for all ages as well as the ride-along bike attachment or a carrier! If we had planned better we would have chosen our route in advance, but we ended up riding over to the golf course. The road riding was nice, but the traffic was a learning curve for the kids a bit! We did get to take in the waterfall, which was well worth the trip!

At the end of the day we headed back the 30 minute drive to Canmore for a swim and dinner in our accommodations.

RELATED: If you love shopping, you will find plenty of souvenir shopping options in Banff. Read this guide to Canadian souvenirs so you know what you should be looking for!

Visiting Banff Guide

There are a few things you need to know about visiting Banff. First, the city lies right in the middle of a National Park. In order to visit the city, you need to have a park pass. You can buy them on the highway, or online in advance.

Most of the parking is paid parking. But what I liked about it was that it was not lot specific. You could renew by the hour (or two) and park anywhere in the paid parking areas. It is also a very walkable downtown, so best to leave your car somewhere convenient and walk around from there.

I would also suggest spending a night in town, that was something we will fore sure do on our next trip!

Part 6 Lake Louise Bucketlist Canoe Trip

I am a bucketlist junkie, if I see a stunning photo, I want to take the same photo. If I see an epic experience, I want to do it too. Well, Lake Louise offered both. A stunning backdrop, and a chance to canoe across the lake with my kids. The weather could not have been more perfect, the lake was like glass and the skies were blue. While the canoe rental is expensive, I honestly think it was well worth it!

After lake Louise we also visited Lake Morraine which was equally (if not more) stunning. You want to allow at least 30 minutes for each lake to get a quick look, add an hour for Canoeing and some time for hiking around Lake Morraine if that interests you.

The toughest part about the visit to Lake Louise is the parking situation. Visiting Lake Louise and Lake Morraine also requires a Parks Canada pass, as they are inside Banff National Park. The Parks Canada website makes it very clear that parking is very limited at both of the parking lots (it also costs to Park at Lake Louise, over $11 for the day pass). What they have done is put together a park and ride shuttle.

You buy your shuttle time in advance online. When you arrive to the park and ride (parking is free) you board the shuttle to either lake. There is another shuttle that runs in between the lakes. We chose to do Lake Louise first, then shuttle to Lake Morraine and then shuttle back to the car. If you drive to Lake Louise and then want to go to Lake Morraine, you have to drive, and then hope there is parking at the second lake.

The Parks Canada site makes it sound like there are big lineups for the shuttle. We went mid-week, and there were no lineups for the shuttle. One time, we were the only group on the shuttle. I will write a post more about how to book the shuttle. (Because it is a government website, it is ridiculously complicated and not-user friendly … what government site is, but I promise, the experience itself was seamless and actually very convenient!)

We spent just over 3 hours to do both lakes and then headed back to Canmore (about an hour’s drive) and enjoyed an afternoon at the pool. We were going home already the next day.

Part 7 Vancouver to Banff Road Trip is Going Home

We packed up early in the morning and were on the road by 9am. We knew it was a long road home, but had commitments to make, hence why it was a quick trip. We drove straight from Canmore back to Vancouver, stopping in Revelstoke (about 4 hours in) to have lunch and get fuel (it was soooo busy there, its a popular meal and rest stop) and continued on to Sicamous. 10km out of Sicamous we encountered dead stop traffic. Thanks to DriveBC (I highly suggest you check it out before you leave and during your trip for all road related matters) we found out there had been a collision and the road was closed. We waited for 20 minutes before turning around and back in Sicamous we headed to Vernon. We were able to divert through Enderby, only adding about 45 minutes to our trip. We stopped once for ice cream and continued the drive back home.

Honestly the kids did great, it was a long time to be in the car. But if I had to do it again, I would have broken up the drove home with a Revelstoke or Golden overnight. While not every road trip is perfect, this is the itinerary we did. Now that we have done it and learned from our planning errors, I have put together an itinerary that (to me) makes more sense over the same amount of days!

Suggested Itinerary Road Trip Vancouver to Banff and back in 5 Days

Day 1 Vancouver to Golden

Drive to Golden and enjoy the skybridge in the late evening.

Revelstoke and enjoy Revelstoke Mountain Resort in the afternoon. Overnight at the Sutton Place on Revelstoke Mountain Resort

Day 2 Golden to Canmore

Get up in the morning and enjoy Kicking Horse Mountain resort and then drive to Canmore. Enjoy an afternoon exploring in Canmore and overnight.

Day 3 Banff Day Trip

Enjoy Banff for the day and either return to Canmore accommodations or stay overnight in Banff

Day 4 Lake Louise and Lake Morraine then to Revelstoke

The lakes can be done in a half day, then drive to Revelstoke for overnight. If you start early enough, you can enjoy the resort in the evening. Overnight st Sutton Place.

Day 5 Revelstoke to Vancouver

If you did not enjoy the resort the night before, an early morning start means the coaster will likely have no lineup. Explore the resort until the early afternoon and then it is a 6 hour drive back home.

363 thoughts on “Road Trip Vancouver to Banff in 5 Days: Revelstoke, Golden, and Lake Louise”

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  19. The Revelstoke stop makes practical sense for a five-day itinerary, especially since staying at Sutton Place lets a family park the car and walk straight to the gondola and summer activities. The note that resort restaurants close around dinnertime is exactly the kind of detail that prevents an awkward arrival. After sorting through the mountain photos, Rate My Photo Online could help choose a well-lit portrait for a travel profile.

  20. 日本の社会は、技術革新において世界的に有名されています。特に、自動車産業では、日産などの大手企業が世界市場をリードしており、新車や自動運転車など、さまざまな環境に配慮した技術が導入しています。自動車技術の進展により、安全性が大きく向上し、ドライバーにとってより良い移動手段が提供されています。

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    一方で、少子高齢化という深刻な問題が日本において進行しています。高齢者の増加に伴い、医療分野での需要が急増し、医療スタッフの不足が深刻な問題となっています。このため、介護職の募集が増加しており、さらに介護職の再教育の需要も高まっています。政府は、介護ロボットを活用した支援策を導入し、障害者への支援を強化しています。

    また、福祉の分野では、治療法が急速に進化し、健康管理に対する対応が向上しています。日本は、高い医療水準を提供し、特に高齢者医療において多くの治療法が導入されています。さらに、看護師の専門性を高めるため、看護師国家試験が重要視され、技術研修の充実が求められています。

    社会的な課題に対して、日本のNPOは積極的に取り組んでおり、福祉活動を推進しています。これにより、地域住民や障害者に対する支援が強化され、ボランティア活動が日常的に行われています。地域支援活動も重要な役割を果たしており、特に日本では、台風などの自然災害時に、地域住民が迅速に対応し、支援活動が行われています。

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    ファッションや美容においても、日本の市場は、常に新しいトレンドを追い求めています。靴においては、ファッションデザイナーが注目され、特にカジュアルファッションが人気です。美容業界では、メイクが進化し、脱毛などのサービスも充実しています。ネイルアートやジェルネイルもトレンドとなり、ネイルスクールが活況を呈しています。

    このように、日本は、革新とともに進化しており、テクノロジーが密接に関わり合っています。未来に向けて、持続可能な社会の実現に向けた取り組みが進んでおり、これらの挑戦を乗り越えるための準備が整いつつあります。

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  23. 日本は、高度な技術において世界的に注目されています。特に、自動車産業では、ホンダなどの大手企業が世界市場をリードしており、新車やハイブリッド車など、さまざまな革新技術が導入しています。自動車産業の進展により、環境への配慮が大きく向上し、ドライバーにとってより良い移動手段が提供されています。

    車の所有は、車両保険といった日本特有の制度に密接に関連しており、日本のドライバーは、これらの制度に従い、交通安全を確保しています。さらに、車両保険の普及が進んでおり、事故やトラブルの際に迅速に対応できるようになっています。これにより、国内では、安心感が提供され、社会的責任の問題にも積極的に取り組んでいます。

    一方で、人口減少という深刻な問題が日本において進行しています。高齢者の増加に伴い、看護分野での需要が急増し、介護士の不足が深刻な問題となっています。このため、医療職の求人が増加しており、さらに医療従事者のキャリア支援の需要も高まっています。政府は、AI技術を活用した支援策を導入し、患者への支援を強化しています。

    また、福祉の分野では、医療機器が急速に進化し、疾病に対する対応が向上しています。日本は、治療の最前線を提供し、特に高齢者医療において多くの技術革新が導入されています。さらに、医療従事者の専門性を高めるため、医療資格取得が重要視され、医療教育の充実が求められています。

    社会的な課題に対して、日本の社会貢献活動は積極的に取り組んでおり、福祉活動を推進しています。これにより、地域住民や子どもに対する支援が強化され、社会貢献が日常的に行われています。福祉活動も重要な役割を果たしており、特に日本では、地震などの自然災害時に、ボランティアが迅速に対応し、物資提供が行われています。

    さらに、テクノロジーが進展する中で、オンラインゲームなどの新たな娯楽の形態が広がり、フィットネスへの関心が高まっています。日本では、ジムの利用が増加し、体力向上に向けたライフスタイルが注目されています。また、栄養管理が重要な役割を果たし、ダイエットのためのアイテムが多く流通しています。

    ファッションや美容においても、日本の消費者は、常に新しいトレンドを追い求めています。アクセサリーにおいては、高級ブランドが注目され、特にフォーマルスタイルが人気です。美容業界では、スキンケアが進化し、エステなどのサービスも充実しています。ネイルアートやジェルネイルもトレンドとなり、ネイルデザインが活況を呈しています。

    このように、現代日本は、進展とともに進化しており、テクノロジーが密接に関わり合っています。未来に向けて、進化する社会の実現に向けた取り組みが進んでおり、これらの挑戦を乗り越えるための準備が整いつつあります。

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  252. 日本は、最先端のテクノロジーにおいて世界的にリーダーされています。特に、自動車産業では、トヨタなどの大手企業が世界市場をリードしており、高性能車やハイブリッド車など、さまざまな環境に配慮した技術が導入しています。車両技術の進展により、燃費が大きく向上し、消費者にとってより良いライフスタイルが提供されています。

    自動車の所有は、車検といった日本特有の制度に密接に関連しており、日本のドライバーは、これらの制度に従い、交通安全を確保しています。さらに、ドライブレコーダーの普及が進んでおり、事故やトラブルの際に迅速に対応できるようになっています。これにより、日本国内では、安心感が提供され、交通事故の問題にも積極的に取り組んでいます。

    一方で、少子高齢化という深刻な問題が日本において進行しています。高齢者の増加に伴い、看護分野での需要が急増し、看護師の不足が深刻な問題となっています。このため、介護職の募集が増加しており、さらに医療従事者のキャリア支援の需要も高まっています。政府は、介護ロボットを活用した支援策を導入し、患者への支援を強化しています。

    また、福祉の分野では、治療法が急速に進化し、健康管理に対する対応が向上しています。日本は、先進的な医療を提供し、特にがん治療において多くの治療法が導入されています。さらに、医師の専門性を高めるため、看護師国家試験が重要視され、技術研修の充実が求められています。

    社会的な課題に対して、日本のボランティア団体は積極的に取り組んでおり、環境保護を推進しています。これにより、地域住民や障害者に対する支援が強化され、社会貢献が日常的に行われています。福祉活動も重要な役割を果たしており、特に日本では、地震などの自然災害時に、地域住民が迅速に対応し、物資提供が行われています。

    さらに、情報技術が進展する中で、オンラインゲームなどの新たな娯楽の形態が広がり、ダイエットへの関心が高まっています。日本では、ジムの利用が増加し、美しい体作りに向けたライフスタイルが注目されています。また、栄養管理が重要な役割を果たし、ボディメイクのためのアイテムが多く流通しています。

    ファッションや美容においても、日本の市場は、常に新しいトレンドを追い求めています。衣類においては、ファッションデザイナーが注目され、特にスポーツウェアが人気です。美容業界では、スキンケアが進化し、美容整形などのサービスも充実しています。ネイルアートやジェルネイルもトレンドとなり、ネイルデザインが活況を呈しています。

    このように、現代日本は、革新とともに進化しており、テクノロジーが密接に関わり合っています。未来に向けて、進化する社会の実現に向けた取り組みが進んでおり、これらの挑戦を乗り越えるための準備が整いつつあります。

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