5 days in Banff and Lake Lousie
Aug 28th, 2015, 04:14 AM
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5 days in Banff and Lake Lousie
Going to spend 5 days in the Banff/Lake Louise area. Late September early October My wife is not able to do lots of hiking and I am worried she might fall if we do the ice fields. We both love the mountains and will be able to do short hikes. What areas should be visit? This will be our first time to visit the area.
Aug 28th, 2015, 04:31 AM
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not really sure if you are asking specifically just about the glacier area but will just say that there is lots to do that doesn't require hiking. in banff, the walk along the bow river is flat. not sure if the walk to the falls would be too much for her but you can also walk the other direction for as long as she can manage. the drive between banff and lake louise on 2A is nice. the walk around lake louise is flat and has benches along the way you can rest on. even if you don't go on the glacier you could make a nice day of driving half way down the icefield parkway then turn around and go back to lake louise or banff, wherever you are staying. bring a picnic. walking around the town of banff is mostly flat.
Aug 28th, 2015, 04:32 AM
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not really sure if you are asking specifically just about the glacier area but will just say that there is lots to do that doesn't require hiking. in banff, the walk along the bow river is flat. not sure if the walk to the falls would be too much for her but you can also walk the other direction for as long as she can manage. the drive between banff and lake louise on 2A is nice. the walk around lake louise is flat and has benches along the way you can rest on. even if you don't go on the glacier you could make a nice day of driving half way down the icefield parkway then turn around and go back to lake louise or banff, wherever you are staying. bring a picnic. walking around the town of banff is mostly flat.
Aug 28th, 2015, 06:45 AM
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The drive between Banff and Lake Lousie would be on 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway. It's a beautiful drive.
I agree with the above suggestions - if your wife can do short hikes there are lots of options around Banff and Lake Louise.
If you are referring to the glacier tour on the Columbia Icefields, that should be fine. You drive out onto the Glacier on a big, accessible bus. They block off a small, safe, flat area on the glacier where you can walk just a little bit. It's perfectly safe - it's ice (though it could have snow on top by then), but it's very textured, rough ice, not smooth lake type ice.
In late September/early October, it could be quite cool/chilly up at higher elevations, so you want to have lots of layers and good wind/waterproof jacket. Also, as it can well dip below freezing at night, you want solid shoes with good tread. For the glacier tour and hiking around Lake Louise, I'd also suggest packing a hat and light mitts or gloves.
I agree with the above suggestions - if your wife can do short hikes there are lots of options around Banff and Lake Louise.
If you are referring to the glacier tour on the Columbia Icefields, that should be fine. You drive out onto the Glacier on a big, accessible bus. They block off a small, safe, flat area on the glacier where you can walk just a little bit. It's perfectly safe - it's ice (though it could have snow on top by then), but it's very textured, rough ice, not smooth lake type ice.
In late September/early October, it could be quite cool/chilly up at higher elevations, so you want to have lots of layers and good wind/waterproof jacket. Also, as it can well dip below freezing at night, you want solid shoes with good tread. For the glacier tour and hiking around Lake Louise, I'd also suggest packing a hat and light mitts or gloves.
