Driving Distances: what do you guys reckon?

[BZG Wagon]

Is 2,100kms too much to drive solo over 10 days?

I'm heading to Vancouver next week and would like to go to the Rockies & Whistler. I have 3 options:
1) Drive Vancouver / Banff / Jasper / Banff / Calgary & fly back to Vancouver. Works out quite expensive being a one way rental & I double up parts of the journey. Roughly 1,500kms excluding side trips.
2) Fly to Calgary & drive Banff / Lake Louise / Jasper / Lake Louise / Banff / Calgary & fly home. Basically end up doing the same trip in reverse and miss some great scenery driving up from Vancouver. 1,000kms excluding side trips.
3) Vancouver / Banff / Jasper / Whistler / Vancouver round trip. 2,100 kms excluding side trips.

The 3rd looks the most appealing - I wouldn't hesitate if I had someone to share the drive with. Having second thoughts being on my own with long stretches and wanting to cram a bit of sight seeing in along the way. What does an average trucker do in a week?

[Al]

Did that over Labour weekend (five days) in 2005. Christchurch to Auckland and return. In a bumpy noisy mr2 as well.

[Grrrrrrr!]

500kms a day is no stress if you just want to get places. (ie auckland to wellington in a day isn't a hassle). It depends how much time you are wanting to be driving, and how much time you want to be sightseeing and doing other stuff..

Its still good weather up that way right? Would suck in snow/ice etc.

[Dell'Orto]

Nah its fine. I've driven 700 in a day before in the south island, so US roads would be a doddle.

[duddley]

2100 kms over ten days breaks down to 210 kms a day so should be no sweat on decent roads.

[FST4RD]

I drive 350+ks a day in my job. The other day I drove close to 800ks, did my day job then headed to the coast straight after work.
Make sure you get plenty rest every night!

[Bling]

^^ That.

I did 2500km in aussie over two weeks, 2100 over 10 days wouldn't be too much of a hassle at all. If you did your driving in the morning you'd have the rest of the day to sightsee.

Sounds like a fun trip btw. Though without a passenger not quite so much. So pick up hot hitch hikers along the way

[wde_bdy]

That's an easy drive, I've done Auckland and back in a day (1,000k's) a few times now and regularly do 1,500km weekends.

Callum

[BZG Wagon]

Weather should be good... statistically it’s the season with the lowest likelihood of rain (I’ll be on holiday so challenge that assumption). There is a remote chance of snow. Also hear they drop the speed limits during summer to protect wildlife (70kph - 90kph most of the trip).

I think I need to be more diciplined with my driving. I usually stop off and detour everywhere to check things out, take photo's etc. which can turn a 4 hour drive into a 10 hour trip... Might be hard to break this habit in the rockies.

I don't find 4 - 5 hour drives overly difficult (usually pretty tired or occasionally have headaches by the end). The thought of 4 - 5 hour drives back to back is new territory for me.

Think driving Brisbane to Melborne (and then a little bit further) along the coast in terms of distance.

[gt4dude]

1000 in one stretch can be hard on the body when your hard on the throttle ;D

[85AW20v]

Fly to Calgary, trip around as mentioned then train back through the Rockies to Vancouver. We got on the train in Banff - I think, was a long time ago!! See some nice scenery on that trip.

[saft]

Easy

My record in one stretch in the states was over 1800km.
Obviously on the icefields you won't be covering a lot of ground in a day but knocking out 1000km isn't a stretch on major highways.

Btw. The scenery is AMAZING.

And banff has reputation like Hamilton when it comes to disease hahah.

[sergei]

Although not technically "Solo", I did a tad under 6000kms in 10days with my wife as passenger. We started in Cairns and Ended up Melbourne with some detour to Great Ocean Road. Because of long straight roads it was extremely boring. Because Australians are worse than Kiwis in their driving abilities, where it would be a fun road it was extremely frustrated (being hold up by 6 HSV driving 30kph is not fun at all), and because Australian government is even more protective, all the fun bits had a buzz killing 60kph limit.

I did similar kms in NZ even shorter time (again me driving 100%) it was great fun (except $&#$% camper vans holding everyone up).

Thinking about my solo driving I did Auckland to Mount Cook and back with some detours in 3 days (about 3000kms), that was 100% solo and was intense (but fun never the less).

[evil_si]

In 10 days thats nothing, im a field service mechanic and drive upto 3500 a week (5days) for work

[TTEETT]

I did just under 3,000km in a week of Targa, a good portion at speeds that would make poo's come out of most people.. easy

[MAC_HATER]

make sure you have an awesome bed at each of your stops and you get a good sleep, folowed by a awesome breakfast in the morning and you can drive all god damn day if you want to

if you dont get a good sleep or pull and all nighter you will run into problems early on in the day like wanting to nap on passing lanes D:

[solitaire]

Just keep you head on straight when you get off the one way highways... i spent 4 hours or so driving without seeing any oncoming traffic and when i got off the highway and onto a bit of road that went in both directions I automatically drove in the left hand lane as my brain was mush

[GTCRSHR]

make sure your doing it in something decent with cruise control if you have the choice

[BZG Wagon]

Cool; I think that solves it. Road Trip!

when i got off the highway and onto a bit of road that went in both directions I automatically drove in the left hand lane as my brain was mush

Did the same twice on my last US trip; once coming out of a shopping mall I pulled out onto the wrong side of the traffic island. The other was pulling out of a scenic lookout and probably drove 3 kays on the wrong side of the (very windy) road without noticing.

I'm fine when there's traffic or on a highway. Just seems to be pulling out of places (might make a sticker like on NZ rentals).

Looked on google maps the the furtherist I've driven solo is 680kms over a long weekend. Did 1,100kms with a mate over two days. And 3,100km with the girlfriend around NZ in 18 days. Like Al said it's basically Auckland / Christchurch return which feels doable.

The train from Banff is flippin expensive. Why solo; I have to take two weeks compulsary leave before September the 30th. My girlfriend is doing her final teaching practicum and the rest of my friends are either poor or married with children (or both). It's been a few years since I last went backpacking by myself but we'll see how it goes.

[Willdat?]

Jeesh...I did a year of driving solo Nelson to Queenstown every fortnight. Down the West Coast after work on a Friday, and back again on Sunday. Oil change every 6 weeks, and 4 new tyres every 12...