I am so excited to share this road trip itinerary with you! This road trip is my absolute favourite road trip I've ever done. It's a very busy trip, filled with adventure, beautiful nature, and tons of local towns.  

This fully loaded guide includes a day-by-day itinerary complete with things to do in each city, hiking recommendations, places to eat and camp. 

Revelstoke, BC, Canada

Banff, AB, Canada

Osoyoos, BC, Canada

Lake Louise, AB, Canada

Victoria, BC, Canada

Kamloops, BC, Canada

Golden, BC, Canada

Nelson, BC, Canada

10 Day Road Trip Victoria, BC - Banff, AB

> Drive 4 hours to Golden (suggested time: leave at 7am)

> Ferry from Swartz Bay to Horseshoe bay (suggested time: 8am ferry) 

> Drive to Kamloops (4 hours drive to arrive around 2pm) 

> Stop in Revelstoke (1-2 hours) and visit the Enchanted Forest and Pipe Mountain Coaster and The Village Idiot for lunch. 

>Arrive in Golden around 1 or 2pm. *Note the time change in Golden. 

> Alpine river raft in the afternoon. We booked the afternoon session which was from 3:30-6:30pm and paid $100 for this adventure.  We met at their office location in Golden and they gave us safety precautions and fit us into our wetsuits and other gear. They then bussed us up the river to the starting point where they gave us another safety lesson in the boats. It was beyond fun and I left very safe the entire time. They take your picture and give you a beer afterwards to celebrate! Don't forget to bring your GoPro - you will want to film this adventure! **If you choose this company to raft with, you get free access to their campground along the Kicking Horse River. 

> Suspension bridge. We highly recommend this activity. If you go in the evening, after 7pm, you save 20%. With the discount, we paid $28 for this activity and it was so worth it! There is 2 LARGE suspension bridges, and tons of other activities to do on this property like swings, zipline, and walking paths. I also highly recommend spending some time shopping in the gift shop on the property, we found some really beautiful and unique stickers, sweaters, hats and more all for a very reasonable price.  

Kicking Horse River Whitewater Rafting | Canadian Rockies

Golden Skybridge: Suspension Bridge and Adventure Golden, BC

We got access to the Kicking Horse River Campground through the rafting company mentioned above. They will provide a map and instruction how to get there - it was 30 mins out of town. It is wild camping with no water, hook ups etc. Please practice zero waste camping. There are also Bears and other wildlife in this area, please be cautious and pack all food and garbage in the vehicle when not in use. 

> Drive to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (Suggested time: 10am) We paid $55 for the Adventure pass which included the gondola, access to mountain trails, and grizzly bear refuge. If you're up for real adrenaline adventure, try the Via Ferrata rock climbing! There is lots of small shops and breweries and restaurants to try at the Mountain Resort. 

> Stop at Golden Visitors centre to get Banff National Park entry passes. ($10.95/day/person)

> Head back into town (suggested time 2pm) and explore everything Golden has to offer. Explore town leisurely until 5pm. Lots of shops, breweries, restaurants to explore. 

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

> Drive to Emerald Lake (1 hour drive). Enjoy the bright green lake, go for a walk around the lake and perhaps have picnic dinner with a beautiful mountain and lake view. 

> Drive 30 mins to Campground at Lake Louise. 

> Start EARLY this morning (suggested time: 6am). We got to the parking lot just before 6 and got one of the last parking spots. Allot roughly 4-5 hours for hiking and admiring the views at the top. The hike is 10.5km round trip. It is a hard hike, but so worth it. Absolutely incredible views of Lake Louise below. 

Day 4: Big Beehive Hike at Lake Louise & Ice Field Parkway 

*If you're not into hiking, I recommend taking the morning to sleep in and then head out a bit earlier to really enjoy the Ice fields Parkway drive and all the stops along the way. 

> I recommend going back to the campsite and nap for a few hours to recharge. 

> Drive Ice fields parkway (2 hours round trip) Stop at: Payto lake, Bow lake, and Crawfoot glacier. You will likely see wildlife on the road so keep your eyes peeled and cameras ready. 

> Drive 1 hour to Banff Town (suggested time: leave around 10am). There is free public parking at the Banff Train Station and spend the day exploring this jaw-droppngly beautiful town. 

> Stop in at one of the local hot springs. Banff Hot Springs ($ 9.50/pp drop in) or Radium Hot springs ($8/pp drop in) or Lussier Hot springs (Natural hot springs, free entry). We opted for Lussier, it was cool to experience a natural hot spring right beside the river, but it wasn't that warm and it was a little smelly due to the Sulphur in the water. 

>Drive to Cranbrook (4hours from Banff) (suggested time: 4pm - 8pm). 

Lakit lake is a user maintained, free campsite. No need to book or check-in, simply just show up. There are cows roaming free through this area so you might be woken up by moo-ing (LOL). There is a beautiful lake that we went paddle boarding on. Lots of rock climbing options around here too. 

Lakit Lake Recreation Site · Holmes Rd, Arrow Creek, BC V0B 1G9, Canada

> Leave Lakit Lake (Suggested time 10-11am. 3 hour drive) 

>Explore Cranbrook (suggested time: 2 hours) 

> Suggested route: From Cranbrook, Turn North at Creston and head up to Crawford Bay. Take the FREE Ferry across the lake to Balfour. Continue on to Nelson. 

> Arrive Nelson (suggested time: around 3pm) 

> Pulpit Rock (1.8km hike with view of Nelson 1.5hrs) 

> Heritage Walking Tour old buildings on Baker St. 

> Local breweries: Nelson Brewing co.,  Torchlight brewing co., backroads brewing co.

City of Nelson Campground | Nelson, BC

>Stop at fruit markets. Make sure to get some delicious local cherries and peaches!! 

Another Free, wild camping spot behind Osoysoos Golf Course. 

Osoyoos West Bench Dispersed Camping Reviews updated 2023

Lake Louise Soft Sided Campground 

Day 9 & 10 can be spent exploring Victoria or other parts of Vancouver Island. See my guide to Victoria here:

Or, you could spend an extra day or two continuing on from Banff to explore Canmore and Calgary and join back with the itinerary in Cranbrook. 

>Ensure to reserve the Ferry back to Swartz Bay. 

Looking for a custom itinerary? Let's chat! 

*We wanted to keep the cost of this road trip down so we brought a lot of our own food in coolers in the back of the car, hence no restaurant recommendations. 

The Enchanted Forest | Kids & Family Activities, Revelstoke, BC

The Pipe Mountain Coaster | Revelstoke Mountain Resort | British Columbia, Canada

The Village Idiot Bar & Grill

>Stop at some of these great food recommendations for dinner and breakfast the next day: Bacchus Books & Cafe, Whitetooth Bistro, and/or White Tooth Brewery.  

>Shop, eat and drink! Tons of shops, pubs, and restaurants line the streets. Relax and enjoy it!  

Restaurants: Iron Road Brewing, Bright eye Brewing, Mason's Kitchen and Bar, Stills Co tapas Lounge, Brownstone and Cordos. 

>Golf: Bighorn, Kamloops golf and country club, Tobiano Golf course (rated one of the best in the world)

Want to go on a vacation but get overwhelmed by planning? I would love to help (it's my favourite part)!

While you sit back and relax, I'll put together a curated, fully inclusive itinerary just for you and your unique travel style. Including flight and hotel options, how to get around, what to eat, and what to do. 

If you have any questions, send me an email at danielle.evans3@hotmail.com OR DM me on Instagram: @3danielleevans

France

Italy

Finland

Switzerland

Canada

Ireland

Custom Itineraries & Trip Planning

I am so excited to share this road trip itinerary with you! This road trip is an absolute stunner and shouldn't be missed if you're visiting the area! It's a nice easy trip, filled with adventure, beautiful nature, and tons of quaint BC towns! 

This fully loaded guide includes a day-by-day itinerary complete with things to do in each city, hiking recommendations, places to eat and camp. 

5 Day Road Trip: Victoria to Pemberton 

My bread and butter. My hometown. Beautiful British Columbia's capital city. VICTORIA! 

Born and raised here, I pride myself on collecting all the best local places around the city.  I have personally been to all these places and would absolutely recommend. I hope you enjoy! 

A total of 66 things on this map: Restaurants, beaches, coffee shops, hikes, breweries, shopping, things to see and do to help you fall in love with the Victoria area! As a bonus, I've included some of my absolute favourites across the entire Peninsula as I truly believe you can't miss them! 

10 Day Road Trip Victoria, BC - Banff, AB

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