johkar

Finally got to take our long-awaited trip to Banff and Jasper, after having to cancel our original plans in June (right during the flooding.) I will try to be brief and cover just the highlights.

Who: DH and myself, plus my brother and sister-in-law for the Banff portion.
When: Aug 31 - Sept 8
Where: Flew to Calgary, stayed in Canmore 4 nights; then DH and I went on to Jasper for 3 nights. Final night in Calgary.

Biggest Impression:
- Canadian Rockies are beautiful!! And different from the Colorado Rockies that I am more familiar with. There is wider valley area between the peaks, so you are not climbing in to mountain passes as much. Plus the peaks are not as high, so at least this time of year, you don't see the snow-capped peaks. The blues in many of the lakes are unlike anything I've seen in nature. You read about it, but you really must see it to appreciate it.

- Diversity: Being from the states, a trip to Canada is rarely considered 'international' travel. But I enjoyed a real international feel, from the signage all in English/French, to the French/German/UK accents we heard all around us, to the metric system and $1/$2 coins! Really added a sense of adventure and fun!

The Best:
- Thrifty Car Rental, from downtown Calgary office. I reserved our full size car here when the price of renting from the airport was about twice that of the downtown office. Cab ride downtown was $40. I asked the agent who helped us in the downtown office if they could help us secure a cab back to YYC when we dropped the car off; he told us we could return the car to the airport. He even changed our paperwork and signed it, to prove this was ok. Sure enough, no questions asked when we dropped off at YYC. So for just a $40 cab ride, we still saved nearly $300 by renting from downtown. Plus, it was our only chance to see downtown Calgary, which is lovely. I recommend this!!
(Also, this smaller office was out of everything except a very tricked out mini van, so we got a free upgrade! What a great start to our trip!)

- Canmore - We stayed here instead of Banff. Highly recommend this; also recommend Rundle Cliff condos, where we stayed. Lots of food/shopping options, plus activities.

- Grassi Lakes hike in Canmore: Fairly easy hike, and huge scenery payoff for the effort. Beautiful mirror effect in the lake.

- Georgetown Pub in Canmore - great fish & chips.

- Banff: As beautiful as all the pictures! Plus, great shopping! Recommend the
Rose & Crown pub; great lamb pita. Can you tell we like pub food?

- Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel; fun to just go walk around. Flowers were amazing! Such elegance everywhere!

- Icefields parkway: Peyto Lake, Sunwapta falls, Mistaya falls - beautiful!! Athabasca glacier. awesome. Easy hike up to the edge, worth doing.

- Jasper - Patricia lake Bungelows; we had a Grove Suite. Pricey, but very nice. Beautiful grounds and lake. Also, Pyramid Lake and the little island there - great for a casual stroll in a beautiful setting.

- Poutine at Jasper Brewing Co; I was determined to try this Canadian specialty, and was not disappointed! Also, pizza at Famoso's - real Italian style!

- Maligne Canyon: Breathtaking, a must see! Also, easy hike.

- Delta Calgary Hotel at YYC: Can't beat the convenience for an early morning flight back home. Took us 5 minutes to get from our room to the check in area for our flight. Actually, the Calgary airport was very easy to navigate both coming and going.

- Weather; thank you Canada for such beautify weather! Upper 70's for highs, clear blue skies, and barely any wind! Rained a bit our final two days, but can't complain at all!

Disappointments:
Not many, but I'll list a few things -
- Wildlife: Where was it?!? We saw a lot of warning signs, but only saw two elk in an entire week. DH and I even got up early (6:00 am) and went out in search, but nothing! Must have been their vacation too.

- Lake Louise/Morraine Lake on a holiday weekend: Don't get me wrong, these are beautiful spots, would not miss them for the world! We went on the Plain of Six Glaciers hike on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Got there about 10:00 am, and had to go to overflow parking. Not too bad. But by the time we were well in to our hike, the crowds were overwhelming. The tea house was mobbed. My advice, go very early, especially on a weekend or holiday! Had to try Morraine on a Wed, even then, by around noon when we arrived, it was hard to get a parking spot. Go early!

- Wild Bills BBQ in Banff: Don't go, trust me. Bad service, not great food.

- HooDoo circle drive in Banff. If you've ever been to Bryce Canyon in Utah, you could skip this. Unique for Banff landscape, but only about 3 spires. If your time is limited, use it for something else.

In summary, highly recommend this trip, we enjoyed everything about it.

lunabug

Thanks for your report. I live in the area and I agree that this time of year there seems to be less wildlife near the roads.

sludick

Glad to hear you were able to make that trip at last, and that you settled on Patricia Lake Bungalows. We've stayed in an older unit there and plan to "upgrade" to a Grove suite next time.

Our first trip was at the same time of year you just went - the crowds were a bit overwhelming, and they tend to drive away the wildlife. Hope you can return another time, maybe later on in September when it's a bit quieter.

kanunu

I have visited the area in all seasons, much more in summer though, and agree that it is great! I enjoyed your Report.
Your comments about the crowds made me remember "the good old days", i.e. mid '70's and '80's, at Moraine Lake. There was only a little lodge then, and several small but decent cabins for rent. So many times we sat on the rockpile at the end of the lake, before breakfast, soaking in the incredible scenery and tranquility - alone!
I also remember my disappoinment one time, when helicopters were bringing in gravel and concrete, hour after hour.... to expand the little parking lot. It has been expanded several times since then. I guess this is considered to be progress, and maybe I was being a bit selfish, not wanting to share with more and more people, what is perhaps the most special place that I have ever been.

Myer

I was in Banff and Jasper for 2 1/2 days in mid August after spending a week inGlacier in Montana.

We saw wildlife.

Evening. Black bear on Maligne road in Jasper.
Morning. MALIGNE ROAD. Saw a mother and 3 cubs. Loads of photos.
Just of the higway in Jasper a black bear.
Lake minnewanka road. Went three times. Female bighorn. Female bighorn. And male bighorn.
Saw a deer with big antlers in outskirts of Banff Townsite.

This was in 2 1/2days.

In Glacier we saw a black bear and a silvee grizzly. Mountain goats several times. Moose and calfs a few times and deer and little.

Are you photos posted anywhere. Thinking of a trio there next year.

My photos are at:
www.travelwalks.com

PRLCH

Thank you so much for sharing, johkar. Thanks also to Myer for the photos. DH, my daughter and I have 4 - 5 weeks next July when we plan to visit the Canadian West Coast and Alaska (hopefully not too rushed a trip). You have indeed confirmed what a beautiful area it is, and your tips are most appreciated.

Myer - your photos are stunning, and your photo gallery extensive. I anticipate I will spend an additional couple of weeks travelling with my daughter in the US - probably some more national parks (rather than cities). She will then stay on for a semester at an American university (don't yet know which one), so I am sure she too will be checking out your photos too.
Thank you!

Myer

I don't know if anybody is still following this thread.

I'm taking my daughter to Banff & Jasper in early August and trying to decide between a few Lake Louise area hikes.

Originally thought it would be Lake Agnes Teahouse but I'm not sure about the scenery. Now considering Plain of Six Glaciers.

Any comments on either? Thanks.

kgsneds

You can do both in a loop.

If you have a day, you can go up to Lake Agnes, up one or both the Beehives, then across the Highline out to the Plain of Six Glaciers.

The best views of the lake are from the Beehives, and the view on the Plain of Six Glaciers are quite incredible. Not so much of the lake, but of the glaciers and the glacial moraine.

LindainOhio

We have done both and actually did a circuit that included both hikes. They are both beautiful hikes and many recommend that if you can only do one, do the Plain of Six Glaciers, being sure to walk beyond the Teahouse.

I love the Lake Agnes hike though, but maybe because it was our first ever hike there. We also had the best time talking to a couple of students working and living there near the Teahouse. We missed this hike last visit. You need to get an early start if you don't like crowds. This is a popular trail.

Myer

I wonder what the hike would be like if we do Plain of Six Glaciers first and then if we decide to add on Lake Agnes.

How much distance and time would that add to the hike and is it any more difficult doing it that way?

AndrewDavid

thanks for the report,

for a reason i can no longer remember in summer of 1970 i took a long bus ride from berkeley california to vancouver and got on a train to montreal. at that time there were 2 rail lines across canada cp and cr i believe. i couldn't recall which i had been on. one went through banff, the other through jaspar @ that time. a few years ago after i immigrated to canada a friend and i drove x country from victoria to toronto, passing through banff and jaspar ( june lots of critters). as we pulled into banff , i was sure i had never been in this place w/ so much commercial development. when we got to jaspar , i realized i had not been at that train station. it is quite eccentric architecturally

so i had actually been to banff but found it unrecognizable in it's recent iteration , a daytrip shopping venue for calgarians. why one needs to have the opportunity to buy louis vuitton luggage in a national park is beyond me and disappointingly shocking imo.

while we do alot of things very well here in canada national parks are not our forte and do not seem to get the absolute protection these places should have. argentina, despite it's economic crises, seems to do a better a better job.

i ask you louis vuitton in a national park. yikes

cheers
AndrewDavid

Myer

I too have mixed feelings regarding the differences between national parks in Canada vs those in the US.

I really don't like the idea of tourist towns with main street souvenir shopping in the middle of a national park. Conversely, I like the idea of lots of lodging and dining choices.

So a negative on one side is a positive on the other.

kgsneds

Myer

You can do the loop either way - you would hike along the lake out to the Plain of Six Glaciers. Then as you go back, go the Highline and connector, which takes you higher above the lake and to Lake Agnes. Then down from Lake Agnes. You can do the whole thing in 3-4 hours if you book it, but with side trips and taking your time, it can be up to a full day hike. It's no more difficult either way, but I guess that depends on your fitness and footwear.

As to Banff - one has to remember that Banff and Jasper townsites existed long before the national parks. They were built as railway towns for the tracks that still pass through the parks (There were other townsites that did not survive.) So when the parks were formed, the residential and commercial areas were already quite established. Now certainly there has been a lot (too much?) expansion in Banff, but neither place was created out of thin air in a park. And there are very strict regulations now about who is allowed to live in Jasper & Banff - you find almost no vacation rentals because of the regulations.

Myer

I wear hiking boots and both of us are fit.

I'm hoping we can start the hike by 10AM. We'll have some breakfast and drive from Banff. Maybe a quick drive down Lake Minnewanka Road looking for bighorn sheep and a quick pit stop at Moraine Lake. That may turn out to be a bit later than 10AM if we don't start early enough. 5 hours should take us to no later than 4PM.

Maybe go to Johnston Canyon after or Bow Summit for the view of Peyto Lake. Then do the other the next day on the way to Yoho.

We could even do Bow Summit the day later on the way up to the town of Jasper. I've allowed a day going up and a day going down and back to Calgary. But I've got a few hike penciled in along the way.

kgsneds

I would try to start the hike no later than 9am, otherwise you will be sharing the lakeside trail (or any trail) with tons of other tourists from the buses. When that trail is crowded, it can take a lot longer to hike along the lake, and on the narrower sections of the trail out to the Plains of Six Glaciers.

Plus, if you are going to do Moraine Lake in August, especially on a weekend, I would be up there bright and early or do it after your day at Lake Louise. Otherwise you could get delayed by traffic and parking jams. You might be better off getting out of Banff quite early to Lake Louise, and having a picnic (or teahouse) breakfast, then heading to Moraine Lake after your hiking.

If you finish the Lake Louise hike at 4pm, you won't really have time for any other activities other than possibly a short jaunt at Johnston Canyon. Bow Summit is a good hour or more from Lake Louise, and not a hike to do without sufficient time or sunlight. (The sun drops behind the mountains earlier than actual sunset). I would leave it for the day you are driving to Jasper. But I wouldn't give it much priority - things like Wilcox Pass and Parker's Ridge are more interesting hikes.

LindainOhio

I looked up the Lake Agnes/Plain of Six Glaciers Circuit and it is 14km as opposed to Plain of Six Glaciers which is 11km rt or Lake Agnes that is 7 km rt. When we did the circuit, we did the Lake Agnes Trail, went over the Big Beehive and then down to the Plain of Six Glaciers. It would think it would really be a climb to do it the other direction. I thought it was pretty strenuous. It took us most of the day. I think we took about 3 hours to just do Plain of Six Glaciers.

I agree with kgs. I would start this hike first thing and then head to Moraine Lake. There is a short hike to Lower Consolation Lake that starts at Moraine Lake. It is a beautiful spot and a great place for a picnic or snack there on the rocks.

I too love Parker Ridge on your way to Jasper. It is a switchback trail at the bottom but it is such a surprise to get to the ridge and see the fabulous view of the Saskatchewan Glacier. We took Bow Summit just to the Peyto Lake overlook and then did the Parker Ridge hike on our drive to Jasper.

Johnston Canyon is a nice canyon hike. It is paved so we only do it if it is raining. I much prefer Mailgne Canyon in Jasper.

There are just a ton of hikes in this area. The Brian Patton Canadian Rockies Trail Guide is a very good hiking book.

Myer

We'll be in Lake Louise during the week. So that helps.

I've been to Bow Summit before but my daughter hasn't. It looks like we'll do that one of the next two days. Probably on the way to Jasper.

Parker's Ridge, Wilcox Pass and Toe of the Glacier are all on my list. But we've got the day going up to Jasper and the day coming back. We'll do Maligne Canyon and Trail of the Glaciers the middle day when we're in the town of Jasper.

We should have time to do Johnston Canyon either after Plain of Six Glaciers or on the way to Yoho the following day.