Beste places to see on my trip from Vancouver, Canadian Rockies, Yellowstone and back

[Lifemagician]

Dont want to rush anything but dont want to miss a lot of stuff down the road as well.

In that case, make sure you go to the visitor centre wherever you travel. Those folk are a wealth of information, and will advice you on exactly what to do in your time frame and with your interests at heart. Always take the maps they offer, as they frequently have every little attraction in the park marked on them. You should also print off any NP maps you find on their websites. For attractions along the road, near your route, nothing beats good detailed paper maps. One place near where you are going I loved, and should meet your requirements, is Yoho NP.

Along the Icefields Parkway there are many side routes leading to hikes such as overviews and waterfalls. Although the Icefields Parkway could probably be driven in an easy day, you will get a lot more out of it, and see tons more, if you take a couple of days.

After Whistler on your way to Cache Creek (you can cut across to Kamloops from Cache Creek), there is the lovely town of Lillooette. Nearby is a provincial park with three glacier lakes, one above the other, each draining into the lower, from the glacier which feeds them, and each a brilliant turquoise colour. A great hike will take you to the top lake, and maybe see some wildlife along the way. I don't recall its name, it is almost two decades since I was there. Just that I was stunned by its beauty.

I would definitely recommend you take the spectacular Sea to Sky highway - 99, with a stop at Giribaldi Provincial Park, and the hike up to the waterfall there.

Edit: If you want to go to Jasper first, and then down to Banff, I would go via Prince George, and then take highway 16 - Yellowhead Highway - to Jasper. It is an incredibly scenic drive and there are several provincial parks along the way, as well as a number of small towns.

Do you have good maps? If not, it is not too late to order a Rand McNally road atlas from the RTA store. If you order it now you will have it in a couple of weeks. It will at least allow you to see the big picture, rather than being restricted to what fits on a screen.

Lifey

[bctraveler]

There have been road closures from avalanches near Jasper to Lake Louise, so always check on canada511 for road closures before you leave.