Feedback on itinerary - Mid October Banff/Lake Louise/jasper
Sep 14th, 2016, 05:22 AM
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Feedback on itinerary - Mid October Banff/Lake Louise/jasper
We are a group of 6 including myself and hubby, 2 kids (10&13) and parents (60s) travelling from Australia to Banff, lake Louise and jasper in mid October ... Would appreciate thoughts and additional ideas on activities for our itinerary. We realise the weather can be quite varied. Even "warm days" will be quite chilly for us, so we have lots of layers in case it gets really cold. How likely is snow???
In terms of wildlife ... Are we still a chance of seeing any bears (please say yes!) ? Marmots/pikas/moose? Any special spots to look? Assuming we need to carry bear spray ... can we carry bring it over the border?
We have never been to the area before and are interested in general site seeing with a few short hikes (easy to moderate, less that 2-3 hours). We are quite happy to drive long distances.
Planned itinerary:
14/10 - travel by car from Whitefish, MT (USA) to Banff via Kootenay NP ...5-6 hr drive. Possible quick stops at Marble Canyon and radium hot springs. Arrive Banff early/mid arvo and just relax around town
15/10 - BANFF: bow valley parkway to Johnston canyon with hike. Banff gondola in afternoon (depending on weather) with short walk at top & Banff hot springs.
16/10 - BANFF: drive and short walks at local Banff attractions ... Surprise corner, Bow river falls, lake minnewanka, vermillion lakes, drive up mount norquay. Possibly tunnel mountain trail hike.
17/10 LAKE LOUISE: drive full way along bow valley parkway to yoho national park - natural bridge and emerald lake. ( I have read yoho valley road to takkakaw falls will likely be closed? And road to Moraine Lake?) Head back to Lake Louise, wander lakeshore trail.
18/10 LAKE LOUISE: Hike to Lake Agnes tea house. LAke Louise gondola.
19/10 ICEFIELDS PARKWAY TO JASPER: highlights- bow lake, peyto lake, mistaya canyon, walk up to edge of Columbia ice fields glacier (sno-coaches and skywalk closed
. ), tangle falls, athabasca falls. * ANY OTHER MUST SEES?
20/10 JASPER (staying at Pyramid lake) : maligne canyon and maligne lake. Pyramid lake trails.
21/10JASPER: valley of five lakes , horseshoe lake, sunwapta falls (want quiet day without too much driving)
22/10 head to Kamloops and next day to Seattle.
Accomodation is all booked so dates are locked in. Would greatly appreciate any feedback or ideas. Thanks
In terms of wildlife ... Are we still a chance of seeing any bears (please say yes!) ? Marmots/pikas/moose? Any special spots to look? Assuming we need to carry bear spray ... can we carry bring it over the border?
We have never been to the area before and are interested in general site seeing with a few short hikes (easy to moderate, less that 2-3 hours). We are quite happy to drive long distances.
Planned itinerary:
14/10 - travel by car from Whitefish, MT (USA) to Banff via Kootenay NP ...5-6 hr drive. Possible quick stops at Marble Canyon and radium hot springs. Arrive Banff early/mid arvo and just relax around town
15/10 - BANFF: bow valley parkway to Johnston canyon with hike. Banff gondola in afternoon (depending on weather) with short walk at top & Banff hot springs.
16/10 - BANFF: drive and short walks at local Banff attractions ... Surprise corner, Bow river falls, lake minnewanka, vermillion lakes, drive up mount norquay. Possibly tunnel mountain trail hike.
17/10 LAKE LOUISE: drive full way along bow valley parkway to yoho national park - natural bridge and emerald lake. ( I have read yoho valley road to takkakaw falls will likely be closed? And road to Moraine Lake?) Head back to Lake Louise, wander lakeshore trail.
18/10 LAKE LOUISE: Hike to Lake Agnes tea house. LAke Louise gondola.
19/10 ICEFIELDS PARKWAY TO JASPER: highlights- bow lake, peyto lake, mistaya canyon, walk up to edge of Columbia ice fields glacier (sno-coaches and skywalk closed
. ), tangle falls, athabasca falls. * ANY OTHER MUST SEES?20/10 JASPER (staying at Pyramid lake) : maligne canyon and maligne lake. Pyramid lake trails.
21/10JASPER: valley of five lakes , horseshoe lake, sunwapta falls (want quiet day without too much driving)
22/10 head to Kamloops and next day to Seattle.
Accomodation is all booked so dates are locked in. Would greatly appreciate any feedback or ideas. Thanks
Sep 15th, 2016, 03:59 PM
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Welcome Scootyburger.
I must say, your itinerary is superb. Whosoever prepared this itinerary for you, I must say hats off to that person.
After reading your itinerary, a few things come to my mind.
1. Montana to Banff can be icy roads. I hope the vehicle you are driving is prepared for icy roads? If not, please ensure having a conversation with your car rental company.
2. Make sure to stop at Radium Hot Springs and have a swim. You and kids would love it. Since it will be winter, the drive will be very snowy (in terms of scenery). So make sure to take a lot of photos.
3. Johnston Canyon is an excellent hike. There are 2 different places you can go to. Depending upon weather and ground, I would strongly recommend that you go to the top to see the real scenery. Even in mid-October this will be very beaufiful.
4. 16 & 17 Oct looks ok. Takkakaw falls will be closed. But try and see if weather permits, you may be able to go there. A few KM away is Field BC. Field has a visitor information center. Make sure to visit them and see what is around there at that time of the year.
5. 19 October, before you leave make sure to check how the weather is? If the weather is bad, sometimes they close the highway for traffic. Last thing you want is stuck next to a closed gate and can't go anywhere. Make sure you have enough gas and things to eat just in case. What you have planned already is more than enough for you to see on your way to Jasper. Just add Sunwapta Falls on the list.
6. 20 Oct - Make sure to go to the extreme end of Pyramid lake. This is very beautiful. You will love the views.
7. 21 Oct - See if you can go to Mount Edith Cavell? This would be a beautiful place to visit too while you are there. See if you can move Sunwapta Falls to 20th? If not that's fine also.
I have couple of articles on Jasper check them out here
http://www.travelfolio.net/read-this...ff-jasper-fun/
Drop a line here if you have any questions?
Happy holidays
I must say, your itinerary is superb. Whosoever prepared this itinerary for you, I must say hats off to that person.
After reading your itinerary, a few things come to my mind.
1. Montana to Banff can be icy roads. I hope the vehicle you are driving is prepared for icy roads? If not, please ensure having a conversation with your car rental company.
2. Make sure to stop at Radium Hot Springs and have a swim. You and kids would love it. Since it will be winter, the drive will be very snowy (in terms of scenery). So make sure to take a lot of photos.
3. Johnston Canyon is an excellent hike. There are 2 different places you can go to. Depending upon weather and ground, I would strongly recommend that you go to the top to see the real scenery. Even in mid-October this will be very beaufiful.
4. 16 & 17 Oct looks ok. Takkakaw falls will be closed. But try and see if weather permits, you may be able to go there. A few KM away is Field BC. Field has a visitor information center. Make sure to visit them and see what is around there at that time of the year.
5. 19 October, before you leave make sure to check how the weather is? If the weather is bad, sometimes they close the highway for traffic. Last thing you want is stuck next to a closed gate and can't go anywhere. Make sure you have enough gas and things to eat just in case. What you have planned already is more than enough for you to see on your way to Jasper. Just add Sunwapta Falls on the list.
6. 20 Oct - Make sure to go to the extreme end of Pyramid lake. This is very beautiful. You will love the views.
7. 21 Oct - See if you can go to Mount Edith Cavell? This would be a beautiful place to visit too while you are there. See if you can move Sunwapta Falls to 20th? If not that's fine also.
I have couple of articles on Jasper check them out here
http://www.travelfolio.net/read-this...ff-jasper-fun/
Drop a line here if you have any questions?
Happy holidays
Sep 16th, 2016, 12:04 PM
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I've responded on another forum, but a few comments
The road to Edith Cavell and the road to Takkakaw Falls are closed as of October 11. Same every year. So there will be no access to either area, other than on foot (long, long hikes) or by ski after that date. So Edith Cavell is not an option on the 21st nor will you be seeing Takkakaw Falls.
The teahouses also close in early October, so you can hike to Lake Agnes if conditions permit, but there will be no facilities there. At that elevation, it could easily be snowy, so be dressed (and have footwear) that will work in cold/wet/snow. I would also check trail conditions before you head out just in case.
In mid October, you might have some snow, but the drive to Radium is hardly going to be very snowy. Maybe a skiff of snow near the road with lots of snow capped mountains. But not winter yet by any means. Probably just bare ground by the highway.
Again, a lot of this trip will be weather dependent. Usually there is little snow at lower elevations until November, but the higher elevations are likely to be snowy by then. We've actually already had a big dump of snow at higher elevations this year, though much has melted off in the last week.
So you will need to prepare for anything from +10 down to -10c. Make sure to have good solid boots and warm layers, plus hat and mitts for hiking.
The road to Edith Cavell and the road to Takkakaw Falls are closed as of October 11. Same every year. So there will be no access to either area, other than on foot (long, long hikes) or by ski after that date. So Edith Cavell is not an option on the 21st nor will you be seeing Takkakaw Falls.
The teahouses also close in early October, so you can hike to Lake Agnes if conditions permit, but there will be no facilities there. At that elevation, it could easily be snowy, so be dressed (and have footwear) that will work in cold/wet/snow. I would also check trail conditions before you head out just in case.
In mid October, you might have some snow, but the drive to Radium is hardly going to be very snowy. Maybe a skiff of snow near the road with lots of snow capped mountains. But not winter yet by any means. Probably just bare ground by the highway.
Again, a lot of this trip will be weather dependent. Usually there is little snow at lower elevations until November, but the higher elevations are likely to be snowy by then. We've actually already had a big dump of snow at higher elevations this year, though much has melted off in the last week.
So you will need to prepare for anything from +10 down to -10c. Make sure to have good solid boots and warm layers, plus hat and mitts for hiking.
Sep 17th, 2016, 08:07 PM
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Thanks for your advice on both forums, much appreciated. A couple of other questions if you don't mind... Depending on weather of course, is the road and trail around emerald lake in Yoho NP likely to be accessible in mid October? And do Sunwapta falls and Athabasca falls areas have much of a walk to get to them? Are they both just a short stop to look at the falls, or other views there?
Sep 29th, 2016, 02:23 PM
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Just a note about your plans for a hike in Johnson Canyon - it closed yesterday morning (9/28) for renovations, so that won't be an option. I believe you can still get to the ink pots via Moose Meadows, but you'll miss the canyon section (which is gloriously beautiful).
We also found that the trail to Mount Edith Cavell was already closed off when we tried to go on Monday (9/26).
Seems like a lot of places may be closed down early. The locals say it looks like an early winter. There are lots of wolf and bear warnings out, which might be part of it, and lots of construction. Parks Canada is investing in a lot of sprucing up and infrastructure renovation in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the park system next year.
We also found that the trail to Mount Edith Cavell was already closed off when we tried to go on Monday (9/26).
Seems like a lot of places may be closed down early. The locals say it looks like an early winter. There are lots of wolf and bear warnings out, which might be part of it, and lots of construction. Parks Canada is investing in a lot of sprucing up and infrastructure renovation in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the park system next year.
Sep 30th, 2016, 11:29 AM
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Both
The closures at Edith Cavell and Johnston Canyon are both due to renovations/trail improvements. Nothing to do with wolf/bear warnings or winter weather. Normally Edith Cavell would close for the winter at Thanksgiving (mid October) and Johnston Canyon is open year round.
At Edith Cavell, they are doing reconstruction on the parking lot to fix major damage done 3-4 years ago when a chunk of the glacier (serac) broke off and caused, essentially, a tidal wave from the lake/pond. Probably has taken a few years to get the funds secured and prepare the plans.
For Johnston Canyon, I believe they are finishing off a major redo of the parking lot, plus doing work on the trail. Again probably got funding this year due to the 150th, but I suspect the more frequent trail work there is in response to the incident last year(?) when a falling tree seriously injured a young boy. And closures have to be timed between peak summer season and late November, when the ice climbing and ice walk seasons start.
Moose Meadows is also shut for prescribed fires, so there is no easy access to Ink Pots at the moment.
The road to Emerald Lake is open year round, barring a bad snowstorm. But that's very very unlikely in mid October. The trail around the lake is partially paved - the paved section is likely to be just fine in mid-October, albeit there could be some ice/snow on it if at times. (Later on the first part of the paved trail becomes non-passable because of an avalanche run-out - once the lake freezes, the trail detours on to the lake). The unpaved section, at least beyond the end of the lake, tends to be mucky, and depending on snow/rain/ice conditions may require very solid boots.
Athabasca Falls is very easy, short walk - you can do a longer walk around the area. Parts of Sunwapta Falls are a longer walk, but the first bit is easy access from the parking lot.
The closures at Edith Cavell and Johnston Canyon are both due to renovations/trail improvements. Nothing to do with wolf/bear warnings or winter weather. Normally Edith Cavell would close for the winter at Thanksgiving (mid October) and Johnston Canyon is open year round.
At Edith Cavell, they are doing reconstruction on the parking lot to fix major damage done 3-4 years ago when a chunk of the glacier (serac) broke off and caused, essentially, a tidal wave from the lake/pond. Probably has taken a few years to get the funds secured and prepare the plans.
For Johnston Canyon, I believe they are finishing off a major redo of the parking lot, plus doing work on the trail. Again probably got funding this year due to the 150th, but I suspect the more frequent trail work there is in response to the incident last year(?) when a falling tree seriously injured a young boy. And closures have to be timed between peak summer season and late November, when the ice climbing and ice walk seasons start.
Moose Meadows is also shut for prescribed fires, so there is no easy access to Ink Pots at the moment.
The road to Emerald Lake is open year round, barring a bad snowstorm. But that's very very unlikely in mid October. The trail around the lake is partially paved - the paved section is likely to be just fine in mid-October, albeit there could be some ice/snow on it if at times. (Later on the first part of the paved trail becomes non-passable because of an avalanche run-out - once the lake freezes, the trail detours on to the lake). The unpaved section, at least beyond the end of the lake, tends to be mucky, and depending on snow/rain/ice conditions may require very solid boots.
Athabasca Falls is very easy, short walk - you can do a longer walk around the area. Parts of Sunwapta Falls are a longer walk, but the first bit is easy access from the parking lot.
