Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper

Old May 16th, 2004, 07:57 AM
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Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper

This is my first time to the fodors website. very excited about our trip. Will be traveling with my husband - we are in our early 50's We'll be arriving in Calgary on July 5 at 2:30pm(from U.S.)and leaving Calgary on July13 at 8am
Am very overwhelmed as there's so much to see and do. Where should we sleep first night - i.e. start out trip? Do we have enought time to drive to Jasper as has been suggested to other 8 night travelers? We like walking and hiking and being a little pampered. If we were to splurge on one of the Fairmont Hotels for 1-2 nights, which one do you suggest? Also, with our time schedule, should we consider Drumheller and the Museum?
Looking forward to all your suggestions
lynrak is offline  
Old May 16th, 2004, 08:38 AM
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Hello Lynrak,

The drive from Calgary to Jasper is 5 hours, so it would be a bit of a stretch, but it could be done, especially because it gets dark so late at that time of the year.

This is what you might do.

July 5 - Drive to Jasper.

July 6 - Jasper.

July 7 - Drive the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise, slowly this time, stopping at the scenic lookout points and riding the Snocoach on the Athabasca Glacier. Overnight in Lake Louise.

July 8 - Moraine Lake, Lake Louise.

July 9 - Yoho National Park (Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake, etc.)

July 10 - Johnston Canyon, Banff. Overnight in Banff or Canmore, or perhaps even drive all the way through to Calgary, which is a 1.5 hour drive beyond Banff.

July 11 - Take in the rodeo, chuckwagon races and whatever else you might want to see of the Calgary Stampede. (A word search for Stampede will bring up other information about the Stampede that has been posted here at Fodors.)

July 12 - Day trip to the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.

July 13 - Fly home.

If you want to stay at one of the Fairmont Hotels in the Rockies, perhaps Jasper Park Lodge is the one to consider. I haven't stayed there myself, but have heard good things about it.

As Fairmont hotels in this region go, I personally think the Palliser Hotel in Calgary is the best value for money. Also, if my husband and I are going to give ourselves a splurge when we travel, we like the splurge to happen at the end of our trip. It's not so nice to be pampered on the first night or two and then move down to a more ordinary hotel or motel after that!

Another thing for which you may not be prepared is the high price of every type of accommodation in the Rockies. Each category in the Rockies is more expensive than its counterpart outside of the Rockies, so get a feel for the price ranges before you make a decision.

You'd be well advised to book your accommodations soon, and if you want to stay in Calgary during Stampede (July 9 -18, 2004) you should make your reservations immediately.

Word searches for Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff, Rockies, and Calgary will bring up heaps of previous discussion threads about activities, accommodations, and restaurants in those destinations.

Hope you have a good trip.
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Old May 16th, 2004, 09:31 AM
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>>>>>>As Fairmont hotels in this region go, I personally think the Palliser Hotel in Calgary is the best value for money.<<<<<<

I just realised that statement about the Fairmont properties in "this region" might have short changed Edmonton's Fairmont property, which is the Hotel Macdonald. I really know nothing about the Hotel Macdonald, other than the fact that I've driven by it and it has a nice view overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

What I meant to say was that the Palliser Hotel in Calgary was better value for money, in my opinion, than its Fairmont counterparts in the Canadian Rockies.

Lynrak, I also realised that one small change could make your trip more efficient. If you spent 2 days based in Calgary, and depending on where you were staying in Calgary, it might be more efficient to visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum first and take in the Stampede second.

It would be very easy to access Stampede Park by train from several locations in Calgary. In that case you could drop off your rental car after visiting the Tyrrell. Then you could use the train to visit Stampede Park and you could use a hotel shuttle bus or a taxi to get to the airport on the morning of your departure. A taxi from downtown to the airport would cost in the neighbourhood of C$20.

But the feasibility of this would depend on where in Calgary you were staying.

There's nothing to say you HAVE to take in the Calgary Stampede. But, if you're going to be here at that time anyway, I do believe you would find it fun. Regardless of whether or not you saw the rodeo and the chuck wagon races, you would be immersed in a very festive atmosphere.
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Old May 17th, 2004, 10:03 AM
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Judy, thanks for your response. Have taken note of some of your tips to others as well. A few questions. Seeing that we will only get to Jasper late on the the first night, should we spend 2 full days up there and therefore 3 nights?
We have decided not to do the Museum in Drumheller and probably neither the Stampede. Would rather spend the time in the Rockies. So we'll only get back to overnight in Calgary as we leave early in the morning. I can get accommodation at Becker's Chalets and a good rate for the Rimrock. Can't decide if we should split our time between L.L. and Banff?? If we do stay over in L.L. for a couple of nights, which of these is better situated? - The Post, Emerald Lake Lodge or Baker's Creek Chalets?(Not sure about availability for the last) or any other suggestion??? Thanks so much
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Old May 17th, 2004, 10:48 AM
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Hello Lynrak,

Given your preferences, I would split the time as follows:

July 5 - Drive to Jasper

July 6 - Jasper

July 7 - Jasper

July 7 - See Icefield Parkway sights en route to Lake Louise / Emerald Lake

July 8 - Lake Louise / Emerald Lake

July 9 - Lake Louise / Emerald Lake

July 10 - Banff

July 11 - Banff

July 12 - Calgary

July 13 - Fly home

Your question about The Post Hotel, Emerald Lake Lodge and Baker Creek Chalets is a tough one to answer. They're all nice. I don't think you would go wrong staying at any one of them.

How about trying to vary your experiences a bit? Since you'll be staying in a chalet at Becker's and in a lovely but large hotel when you're at the Rimrock, how about trying a property that's different from both of them when you're in the Lake Louise area? Although this is a very close call, I might lean towards Emerald Lake Lodge, partly because of the beauty of the lake. But if you stay at Emerald Lake Lodge, I do recommend that you have dinner at the Post Hotel one night.

Much as I admire the Fairmont Palliser Hotel in downtown Calgary, I do admit that the Greenwood Inn is very conveniently located for anyone catching an early morning flight. The Greenwood Inn's commercial surroundings will be a let down after the mountains, but then almost everything is a let down after the mountains. The Greenwood Inn is clean, comfortable, pleasant and friendly.

If the Greenwood Inn is fully booked when you try to make a reservation, any hotel whose street address ends in NE will be in the same quadrant of the city as the airport.

I do recommend you make your hotel reservations, especially the one in Calgary, ASAP. Even if you don't want to see the Stampede, you're competing for accommodation with people who do.

Good luck with all that.
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