Self-Drive Northwest Trails

Day 1

Seattle Arrival
Arrive at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, pick up your car and proceed to your hotel. Discover some of the Emerald City’s attractions tonight.
Hotel: Days Inn Town Center or similar

Day 2

Seattle – Vancouver (140 miles)
This morning at 08:00 hours you will be met by your Tour representative and provided with a welcome kit which includes driving instructions, vouchers, maps, and brochures of the places you are about to visit. Then drive north to Vancouver, Canada’s spectacular western gateway. Discover this stunning picturesque city in the afternoon.
Hotel: Sandman Hotel Vancouver or similar

Day 3

Vancouver
A full day at leisure in Canada’s attractive western gateway, or we suggest a trip to the quaint provincial capital of Victoria on Vancouver Island and the famed Butchart Gardens. Return to Vancouver in the early evening.

Day 4

Vancouver – Fraser River Canyon – Kamloops (268 miles)
Today follow the path of the prospectors that went up the Fraser River Canyon on their way to the gold of the Cariboo region. In the afternoon, continue your journey through the interior of British Columbia along the Thompson River, named after the famous trapper and explorer David Thompson. Reach the rugged interior town of Kamloops by late afternoon.
Hotel: The Thompson Hotel or similar

Day 5

Kamloops – Jasper National Park (280 miles)
Continue North, where the beauty of Western Canada’s wilderness is apparent in the region of the Monashee Mountains. Travel famous Yellowhead Highway by Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies before reaching Jasper National Park.
Hotel: Marmot Lodge or similar

Day 6

Jasper National Park – Banff National Park (180 miles)
The Icefields Parkway runs along the ridge of the Rockies. See the Columbia Icefield, the largest body of ice south of the Arctic Circle. Visit Lake Louise before arriving in Banff.
Hotel: Charlton’s Cedar Court or similar

Day 7

Banff National Park – Calgary (78 miles)
You will have time for a leisurely stroll in Banff before you continue by Bow River Valley to Calgary. In the afternoon take a city tour including Calgary’s 1988 Winter Olympics sites.
Hotel: Sandman Hotel Calgary Downtown or similar

Day 8

Calgary – Waterton Lakes National Park – Glacier National Park – Kalispell (219 miles)
Drive south to beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park that shares the international boundary with Montana’s Glacier National Park. This geological wonderland encompasses 1,600 square miles of Rocky Mountain Peaks, offering spectacular vistas at every twist of the road. Drive the Going to the Sun highway (weather permitting). Continue to Kalispell.
Hotel: Westcoast Kalispell Center Hotel or similar

Day 9

Kalispell – Yellowstone National Park (390 miles)
Travel past Flathead Lake and cross the Continental Divide through the Big Sky country of western Montana, where the Blackfoot and bison co-existed for centuries before America’s great westward expansion. Yellowstone, America’s first National Park, is today’s destination.
Hotel: Clubhouse Inn West Yellowstone or similar

Day 10

Yellowstone National Park – Grand Teton National Park – Jackson (120 miles)
See the dramatic peaks of the Grand Teton Mountains as you drive to the rustic town of Jackson Hole.
Hotel: Days Inn Jackson Hole or similar

Day 11

Jackson – Craters of the Moon – Twin Falls (270 miles)
Today drive west and visit the lunar landscape of the Craters of the Moon National Monument, which boasts one of the nation’s highest concentrations of volcanic features. Continue to the awe-inspiring cascade of the Shoshone Falls, called the Niagara of the West, to Twin Falls, Idaho.
Hotel: Red Lion Hotel Canyon Springs or similar

Day 12

Twin Falls – Oregon Trail – Boise – Pendleton (338 miles)
Drive through the vast Boise National Forest, where a segment of the historic Oregon Trail can be seen. Continue to Boise, The City of Trees, and Idaho’s state capital. In Baker City, we suggest a visit to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, which focuses on life along the Trail (admission not included). Continue to Pendleton, home of the yearly Pendleton Round-Up-Rodeo.
Hotel: Red Lion Pendleton or similar

Day 13

Pendleton – Yakima – Mt. Rainier National Park Area (226 miles)
Continue northwest to Yakima. This important agricultural region produces apples, cherries, pears, peaches, and apricots which are shipped to markets all around the world. Continue to Mt. Rainier National Park, an ice-clad extinct volcano towering above its surroundings.
Hotel: Nisqually Lodge or similar

Day 14

Mt. Rainier National Park Area – Seattle (135 miles)
This morning see Mt. Rainier surrounded by lush evergreen forests. Travel back to Seattle in late afternoon.
Hotel: Days Inn Town Center or similar

Day 15

Seattle Departure
Your tour concludes today. Return your car at the airport before your departure flight.