Planning August 2024 vacation. Already blew the dates to stay in the parks, but seems like plenty of nearby (30 min) airbnb options and/or hotels. Fine spending about $400/night. Group of 3: myself, wife, and 13 year old daughter who loves to read and complain (LOL, she's great but that's the deal). We are not super hikers, but love things like white water rafting, boat tours, canyoneering. Our best trip ever was probably a week spent divided between Vegas (pools, went to a show, no gambling) and Zion (hikes, bike riding, canyoneering, rafting). So with that in mind, curious of opinions on the following options I have narrowed down and want to finalize soon:

OPTION A: Couer d'Alene and Glacier NPFly to Spokane, start with 2-3 nights in Coeur d'Alene (stay at condo/airbnb, relax, do water activities/golf). Then drive to Whitefish are and stay 3-4 nights (stay in airbnb, plan guided activities mostly in Glacier so we can get access to the park).

Main upside: seems like a sure winner, as I know wife/kid will be happy in fancy Couer d'Alene and know we'll like Glacier (I personally did this combo a few years ago for 3 days)

Potential downside: not new/adventurous enough....hence Option B

Side note: There is a world in this option where I'd like to cross up to the Canada side for a day or to, something about this little town Fernie seems really cool, but also kinda out of the way and still far from Waterton NP in Canada.

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OPTION B: Calgary and Banff/Jasper NPFly to Calgary, start with 2-3 nights somewhere closer to (or in) Calgary that is nice (like Couer d'Alene - but not sure where) and explore the city/area and probably head into Banff as well. Then head up toward Jasper and stay somewhere up there for 3-4 days exploring what looks absolutely stunning (book in some guided water options that seem available).

Main upside: Canadian rockies seem way more impressive and/or unique than anything we have ever experienced.

Potential downside: seems potentially more rural with less activities (13 year old gonna be super annoyed if we are just hiking)

Side note: seems like coming from US, Canada exchange rate may let us stretch our dollar a bit more (but I am dumb about math so could be the opposite)

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