Vancouver to Banff then Calgary
 

I plan on taking my family on a trip to Calgary to visit family before the summer ends. We plan on driving there to save money on flights as well as the freedom in having a car while we are there. We plan on stopping by Jasper as well as Banff. What is the route you guys recommend we take on getting there? As well as cheap accommodation. We were deciding to stop at Jasper on the way to Calgary and then taking a day trip to Banff from Calgary.

If time is not a problem, I'd recommend hitting BC5 after Kamloop.

It's a much longer way mind you, adds 3hrs easy to the trip on an already long drive. But you get to see both Jasper/Banff national park on the way south via hwy16 in their entirety (you drive through diagonally through both parks).

On the return, I'd suggest taking the long way home via the US unless hitting the Okanagan Valley was the idea, in which I'd take Vernon on hwy3.

The reason of coming back via US is to make the most out of the trip. SR20 is called "the most scenic mountain hwy in WA" for a reason. I did the drive once and IMO it totally worth the extra time. It's absolutely gorgeous in the summer (not accessible in the winter I believe).

Last but not least, it's going to be a crazy long drive. Maybe renting a car with unlimited mileage would make more sense. :D

I plan on taking a week or two in Calgary otherwise the rent a car would make a ton of sense.

This. I did a very similar route a few weeks ago (though we went Highway 1 to Prince George before heading East on Highway 16.) If time isn't an issue, go Hwy1 instead of 5. It's a much more beautiful route with plenty of places to stop and visit compared to 5 (trust me, I live right off of Highway 5... it's boring as shit.)

Just a couple of side notes about Jasper and Banff. If you haven't booked a hotel or campsite yet, do it asap. I'd be surprised if they aren't full already at this point. They also cost money to enter, assuming you're planning on staying. Also, if you're driving through on a weekend or a holiday, be prepared to sit in a *lot* of traffic.

As for cheap accommodations, they don't really exist in Jasper and Banff. Not when it comes to hotels and motels, that is. Camping is your cheapest option. I stayed in Whistler's Campground, which is about a two minute drive away from Jasper village. It's a well equipped campground with heated showers, lots of available firewood, and decently wooded campsites. The only downside is that it's anywhere between thirty minutes (Athabasca Falls) to an hour and a half (Columbia Icefield Glacier, Skywalk, etc) from any of the really cool places to visit.

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...c3&oe=58153AC6
(Part of Athabasca Falls)

https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...0e&oe=58139FF1
(Part of the hike up to the Columbia Icefield... Be careful, lots of sinkholes off the path and that hike is steeper than it looks)

Banff is a very similar story. You may be better off finding a hotel outside of the park and simply getting up early to visit. We ended up staying in Radium Hot Springs (don't worry, there are plenty of closer towns that make more sense from a day trip POV.)

canmore is about 15min east on the highway from banff. nice small town i call mini-banff. they also have a microbrewery called the grizzly paw with good soda and nice beer. i had dinner at their pub and tried a bunch of beer and sodas there. you should see if they have cheaper lodgings than banff

Following this thread..
As I wanted to plan a week trip from BC to AB..

Like Lomac said, cheap and Banff/Jasper should never be used in the same sentence. There both expensive to stay, eat and do any activities.

Any good places to stop? I'm 600 km away from Calgary just passed Kamloops.