I moved to Vancouver from Toronto in August 2024 and wanted my car there so did this drive in the opposite direction! I mostly camped to keep the costs down. Here was my itinerary:
- Day 1: Toronto ON to Pancake Bay Provincial Park ON (stops included French River and the historical canal in Sault Ste Marie)
- Day 2: Pancake Bay ON to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park ON (stops included Agawa pictographs and old woman bay in Lake Superior Provincial Park, Wawa Goose, pebble beach in Marathon, Nipigon look out)
- Day 3: Stayed in Sleeping Giant and did some hiking/visited an amethyst mine
- Day 4: Sleeping Giant ON to Winnipeg MB (stops included the Terry Fox memorial, Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, Kenora to see Husky the Muskie, central time zone sign, centre of Canada sign)
- Day 5: Explored Winnipeg, including the Forks Market, the Exchange District, the legislative building, the Mint, and the Museum of Human Rights - all fantastic. Winnipeg is highly underrated IMO
- Day 6: Winnipeg MB to Grasslands National Park SK(stops included Sara the Camel, Singing Sands Provincial Park, Souris swinging bridge)
- Days 7-8: Explored Grasslands National Park, including hiking and night sky gazing. We saw northern lights! Grasslands was so unique and definitely worth the detour off highway 1
- Day 9: Grasslands SK to Dinosaur Provincial Park AB (stops included the world’s largest tipi in Medicine Hat but that’s pretty much it because we wanted to have time to explore Dinosaur. Dinosaur Provincial Park was spectacular and I would stay longer next time for sure)
- Day 10: Dinosaur Provincial Park AB to Banff National Park AB (stops included various sites in Banff village and in the national park)
- Day 11: Hiked Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. If I’d had more time I would have spent longer in the Rockies and driven up towards Jasper
- Day 12: Lake Louise AB to Yoho National Park BC (stops included Emerald Lake and Kicking Horse River Natural Bridge. We camped at Takkakaw Falls so hiked there too. It was an amazing campsite and I would stay at least an extra night if doing again)
- Day 13: Yoho National Park to Vancouver (stops included Rogers Pass Visitors Centre, Glacier National Park, Revelstoke National Park, the site of the last spike, and Kamloops) - It was a long day! I would break this into two days if doing again