The trip from British Columbia through the Rockies to Alberta is spectacular by any route. Problem is you are in very high country and on a cloudy day you may find yourself in or above the cloud ceiling and see nothing. With a car you may have more flex in your travel time as well as the ability to stop and absorb the vista. Someday however, I would love to go by train down the Fraser Canyon. The prairies are beautiful in their own right and I did not find them boring at all. The north shore of Lake Superior is beautiful when you are in view of the water. If you cross Manitoulin Island you can take a ferry to the Bruce Peninsula and follow from there to Toronto. Superior and The Bruce should be ablaze with fall colour in October. Have a good trip! If you go farther east and are interested in Celtic music Cape Breton's Celtic Colours Festival is in mid October.