Gilawi02

Planning my second trip to the Canadian Rockies (firs time was with a Globus tour for 8 days, 15 years ago). This time will be a self drive travelling with three family members all around 80 years old, but in good shape. My wife and I are on the 50's. My plan is to start and end in Calgary to minimize road travel. For sure want to visit Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Mt. Robson (if we have time or if worthy) Yoho, Kootenay. Were are not hikers, but will do some walks (not too strenous) to get to some of the Falls. Need avise of how to allocate my time in the parks (three of the 13 days in Calgary). I know It will be difficult in this area but, If possible, will like to organize my trip in ascending Wow factor. Also will need recommendations for two or three rooms lodging ( 200-250 USD). Later will come with a lot of other questions.

Thanks in advance

Gilawi

tomfuller

Depending on where you are coming from, I would consider riding the Canadian (ViaRail) in the Silver & Blue Class (sleeper).
Find lodging in Jasper and plan on at least 1 Brewster bus tour.
Rent a car in Jasper to see what you did not see enough of on the bus tour. I consider Jasper and the Maligne Valley just as beautiful as the Banff area.
The Brewster bus ticket office is in the eastern half of the ViaRail station in Jasper.

Gilawi02

I'll be flying from Puerto Rico (arriving around 9pm), but as stated in my post, the journey will start and end in Calgary. Still not clear where to go first: Banff or Jasper. Does the weather factor will make any difference of where to go first? What about the disponibility of attractions (e.g. Lake Cruises, Gondolas, etc.)?

out_and_about

Sounds like if you are arriving in Calgary at 9pm, one of your 3 nights will be that first night. You'll want to make contingency plans for weather, chances are very good that you won't run into snow, but... it is the mountains!

If you enjoy road trips, I would suggest 3-4 nights in Banff. Leisurely interesting walks there includes Bow Falls and Vermillion Lakes among others.

From Banff continue on the #1 Highway and depending on your interests and the weather, you could take Hwy 93 south at Castle Junction and thus take in Kootenay National Park. That would provide you with a chance to visit Radium Hot Springs, especially if you didn't take in the hot springs in Banff. Both are beautiful locations and do not depend on good weather to enjoy the experience. There is lots of accommodation at Radium.

From there, you can go via Golden up to Yoho. Takakkaw Falls is worth seeing although the water flow is lower in the autumn; many people enjoy Emerald Lake and the Lodge there. That is a nice alternative to an overnight in Radium.

Back onto the #1, you will have missed Lake Louise and area, but you can easily catch that on your return trip should you opt for the Radium/Golden side trip. When you do get to Lake Louise, you'll want to go up to the Lake itself where Chateau Lake Louise is located. Take the walk down to the end of the lake for a different view, and if it's a nice day you may discover a few rock climbers as it's a favourite spot for them. I think a 1 or 2 nights in that area (not necessarily at the Chateau as it is quite pricey) is well worth while.

Another 3 or 4 nights in Jasper will allow you to take in that area. Athabasca Falls and Edith Cavell are very walkable, weather permitting for the latter as the road in will be closed if there is much snow. Again, there are lots of great places to stay and other activities to enjoy.

Other stops you could and likely should take in at some point, heading to Jasper or on your way back: Johnston's Canyon; Peyto Lake; Columbia Icefields are my top 3 picks.

I hope you find this helpful in planning out a timeline, with a few other suggestions thrown in. Also note that Monday October. Accommodations may offer special perks... although perhaps higher rates as well, and special menus. Booking well in advance will mean you won't be without a place to stay. =)

Gilawi02

Thanks in_and_out. That layout of how to allocate the trip days was very helpful. Will look in detail and mapped it in Google. Some questions regarding lodging and attractions later.

hellen

I did a similar trip last August, but had 2 full weeks and got down to Waterton NP, too.

Your first night will be in Calgary, I suppose. It's only about 2 hrs to Banff. Canmore, just outside the park entry, is a cute town and a good stop for lunch or supplies. (For best prices on outdoor supplies, to the MEC - Mountain Equipment Co-op - in Calgary first.)

Whether you do Jasper or Banff first depends on how you want to tour -- do you want to do an 8-hour drive the first day up to Jasper and work your way down, or the 2-hour drive to Banff, chill for a few days and then mosey up to Jasper?

There are tons of hikes in all the parks that range from easy to difficult. Get yourself a good guidebook that describes the hikes in detail. It's worth it.

What we loved (in geographical order starting north):
In/around Jasper: the Miette Hot Springs (do not drive there or back after dark!), Maligne Lake, Jasper Tramway, fewer crowds than Banff

On the Icefields Parkway: Athabasca Falls, Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefield, just the drive itself!

Yoho: we basically just drove through - would have liked to have seen Takakkaw Falls and Lake O'Hara.

Kootenay: Marble Canyon Trail

Banff: paddling on Moraine Lake (near Lake Louise), Johnston Canyon (easy hikes), Ink Pots hike, horseback riding near Banff townsite

What we could have skipped:
Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay - it's right by the road and nowhere near as nice as the Miette Hot Springs in Jasper

Kootenay: we didn't see anything there that we didn't see more and better of in Banff and Jasper; a lot of driving for little reward, IMO

---
We camped most of the time, but I highly recommend the Johnston Canyon Resort cabins, where we stayed one fabulous night. Beautiful setting and nicely kept cabins at good prices. Was pure luxury after tent camping!

You only have 13 days, so I wouldn't recommend this, but for anyone else reading, Waterton Lakes National Park (and a quick trip over the border to Glacier NP) was the highlight of our trip. We saw 10x the number of wild animals there than in Jasper or Banff, 10x fewer people, and two of the best hikes of my life (Crypt Lake in Waterton and Highline Trail in Glacier).

Gilawi02

Thanks for your input hellen. You comments regarding Waterton get me curious. Hom many days you spend in the area? Maybe I could ad two or three days and extend my trip to include Waterton travelling from Calgary or any other nearby place. Thanks too for your description of your best experiences.

Gilawi

LindainOhio

You are going at a good time to get hotel discounts. We visited twice in September and rates drop about the middle of the month. I booked lodging ahead of time for our group and then changed at the last minute when discounts became available. If we would have been travelling alone, I would have booked the Banff Springs Hotel, which had great rates. The rooms vary greatly and I worried about our friends getting one of the old maids quarters. For a quick check on lodging, check availability on www.kayak.com. See my trip report here from 2008 for other hotel and itinerary suggestions. We have never spent any time in Calgary so I can't help you there. Would love to visit Waterton, but we didn't have time for that either.

For a start:
If arriving late, first night by the airport or on the outskirts of Calgary

Day 2 Drive to Banff, walk around town, pick up snacks, beer, pop, wine, have lunch Stay in Banff or Lake Louise for 3 nights--visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake one day, Yoho one day with lunch at Emerald Lake Lodge--if you get a deal, stay there. I love that place but it has gotten expensive. We have stayed at Baker Creek, Paradise Lodge, the Rimrock---you will probably get the best lodging deals in Banff.

Drive the Icefields Parkway--pack or pick up a lunch--it takes all day.

Stay 2-3 nights in Jasper--see Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake, Angel Glacier, cute town of Jasper. We have stayed at Patricia Lake and Beckers, Alpine Village is great and there are many homes that rent out rooms in town.

Drive back down the Icefields Parkway stopping at places you missed before.

Spend a night in Lake Louise or Banff and then head to Calgary--or start your visit in Calgary. You can drive to the airport from Lake Louise or Jasper. Personally I would skip Calgary and spend those nights in the mountains.

I do recommend that you drive the Icefields Parkway both to Jasper and when you return to the Lake Louise/Banff area. It is a fabulous drive.

There are many senior bus tours that visit the area because there is so much beauty that you can see without much effort. We love hiking and the area is a hikers paradise.

Gilawi02

Thanks for your input LindainOhio. I'm still working out my itinerary and your look good. Will check your trip report and comment later. How can I accesso your trip report?

LindainOhio

There is a way for me to link my report to this thread but I a not sure how to do that. Click on my name and scroll back to 2008 and it will come up.

I'll see if I can figure out how to link it here

LindainOhio

http://www.fodors.com/community/cana...-report.cfm?21

LindainOhio

Well that was easy--you just right click on the trip report and then paste it here. Can't believe I never tried that before.

Gilawi02

LindainOHio, just read your trip report and it was wonderful. Like the many details regarding the places to visit, the hotels reviews and the restaurants where you ate. Will print it to analyze it in detail.

Thanks