Summer Vacation Ideas

[GP_Matt]

I am looking for some ideas for a place to go this summer for a week or two.

We have baby who will be 18 months in the summer. Our normal travel is off season international travel or ski trips/camping.

Due to day care we will have to plan for the last week in July/First week in August so I suppose I need to start booking.

I am leaning towards something like interior BC and renting a place near/on a beach but we are wide open to any better ideas or suggestions for spots in BC.

Camping would work but my wife will want a place with more amenities so hike in spots are out.

Thanks

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I am looking for some ideas for a place to go this summer for a week or two.

We have baby who will be 18 months in the summer. Our normal travel is off season international travel or ski trips/camping.

Due to day care we will have to plan for the last week in July/First week in August so I suppose I need to start booking.

I am leaning towards something like interior BC and renting a place near/on a beach but we are wide open to any better ideas or suggestions for spots in BC.

Camping would work but my wife will want a place with more amenities so hike in spots are out.

Thanks

Osoyoos is my favorite for the interior of BC but it is fairly expensive.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

I am looking for some ideas for a place to go this summer for a week or two.

We have baby who will be 18 months in the summer. Our normal travel is off season international travel or ski trips/camping.

Due to day care we will have to plan for the last week in July/First week in August so I suppose I need to start booking.

I am leaning towards something like interior BC and renting a place near/on a beach but we are wide open to any better ideas or suggestions for spots in BC.

Camping would work but my wife will want a place with more amenities so hike in spots are out.

Thanks

Well seeing as how you live in Edmonton, a nice vacation would be coming to Calgary. How about you rent my house from me for the two weeks, while I go somewhere awesome? Pretty close to Sikome Lake!

[photon]

We went to Kelowna a number of times when my son was younger. I like renting a house/condo via VRBO or Airbnb with kids, sooo much more convenient than a hotel.

There's also some nice places in Montana, rented a cabin on a lake there a few years ago that was really nice.

[Slava]

Yellowstone is a place I would like to go, if you're after a road trip. It's supposed to be amazing, and I'm sure that someone will chime in who has been.

[Northendzone]

Kelowna
Whitefish
Fernie

You could rent one of those baby back pack carrier things from MEC and hike.

Your child would also be old enough to be in a baby bike trailer.

[OutOfTheCube]

We did Vernon-Kelowna last year with our son a little bit younger than that. It worked well, there's lots to see and do all in the same area(s) and it isn't crazy expensive.

[GP_Matt]

How does the pricing in Montana compare to Interior BC given the current state of our dollar?

[photon]

It seemed fine when we went but that was when the dollar was in the high 80's I think, so it might be a little tougher now, but food in general is cheaper in the US so that might not be a huge difference, the biggest hit will be on the accommodation probably.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

How does the pricing in Montana compare to Interior BC given the current state of our dollar?

Based on my historical visits, the general price of food and gas is cheaper - ie one US dollar buys you more food in the us than one Canadian dollar would buy you in Canada.

But with exchange, I'd have to think us is now more. There is not a lot of stuff that you would be doing in whitefish with a child of that age that comes with an entrance fee - ie an amusement park, so I suppose you could think of that as a cost savings.

I'd guess if you compared a week in fernie versus a week in whitefish assuming similar accommodations in both places I'd have to think Whitefish would be more. But it seems a little more exotic than fernie

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

How does the pricing in Montana compare to Interior BC given the current state of our dollar?

You might save a few bucks going to the US but it won't be significant because of the weak exchange rate. As others have mentioned, food and fuel are cheaper and I find that accommodations are usually quite a bit cheaper. You also save on tax in Montana vs BC.

If you consider going to the states Idaho is a good options as well as the Whitefish/Kalispell region. Sandpoint or Couer d'Alene, Idaho (or Spokane Washington) are good options.

[Swift]

If you're near Revelstoke, stop off at the Enchanted Forest. Our son still thinks he went to Disneyland.

[Mazrim]

If you want amenities while camping, I would suggest Syringa Provincial Park near Castlegar. Newly installed shower building and many sites have electrical. It's a cool area, with the nearby marinas and the Keenlyside Dam a short drive away. There's a pretty significant beach there and you can get sites that face the beach as well. There's also plenty of trees to keep the summer heat off the campsite too. I enjoyed my time there camping.

Castlegar is about a 15 minute drive away so it's easy to get supplies whenever you need.

[GP_Matt]

Thanks for the tips everyone.

I guess my next step is to identify some specific options and commit to something.

[TheAlpineOracle]

We spent a couple days in Coeur D'Alene on the way home from Seattle a couple of years. I was highly impressed. Am definitely going to head back. I would think renting a house a long the lake would be a great family vacation.

Not sure what the price would be now though, but it was affordable at the time. Locals kept mentioning though that it was becoming quite popular, even among the celebrity crowd and the place was booming. Combine that with the USD/CDN difference, and maybe it's not as reasonable as it used to be.

[Tyler]

Maybe it was just because I was in California, but the cheaper food thing in the US seemed greatly overstated.

Found everything (except maybe chicken breasts and dairy) to be about the same price as they are here, but in USD. With a 75 cent dollar, food is way more expensive in the States than in Canada when you're travelling down there.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Maybe it was just because I was in California, but the cheaper food thing in the US seemed greatly overstated.

Found everything (except maybe chicken breasts and dairy) to be about the same price as they are here, but in USD. With a 75 cent dollar, food is way more expensive in the States than in Canada when you're travelling down there.

All depends on the State. California is super expensive. Florida on the other hand is dirty cheap.

[Superflyer]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

If you consider going to the states Idaho is a good options as well as the Whitefish/Kalispell region. Sandpoint or Couer d'Alene, Idaho (or Spokane Washington) are good options.

Last summer we went to Faragut National Park to camp and it was great. We are going back again this summer. It is half way between Sandpoint and Couer d'Alene and 5 minutes to Silverwood.
The park itself was amazing. Lots of lakes around there and hiking.

[Canehdianman]

We went camping down to Wayfarers State Park in Montana 2 years ago.

Absolutely beautiful campground, right on Flathead Lake and about 1/2 km from Bigfork (which has some delightful microbreweries around it).

Family loved it, we will be going back for sure.

[troutman]

This thread had some ideas, and a few recommendations for Sandpoint Idaho:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...int+silverwood