tuatara

I am going to visit Banff next weekends for 3 and half days totally. is the itinerary below all right? pls help me to check it out

Day 1: arrive at Calgary late night and stay
Day 2: Morning- Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise- Lake Moraine; Afternoon- Yoho-Takakkaw Falls-Emerald Lake; Night- Stay at Lake Louise
Day 3: Morning- take Icefield Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper and visit Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake; Afternoon- (Athabaska Falls,Icefield Center,Bow Summit,Bow Lake, Pyeto Lake if possible) Maligne Lake definitely and take a cruise to Spirit Island
Night- stay at Japser again
Day 4: Morning- from Jasper through banff to Kananaskis, finally Waterton ; Afternoon- Red Rock Canyon -Miette Hotsprings ;Night: stay at Waterton
Day 5: Morning- Waterton to Calgary Airport (flight scheduled at noon)

Did I miss something important? or should I take something out of my itinerary?

tuatara

How about this one?

Day 1: Night- arrived and stay at Calgary
Day 2: Morning- Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise- Lake Moraine- Sulphur Mout ; Afternoon- Yoho-Takakkaw Falls-Emerald Lake- Jasper; Night- Stay at Jasper
Day 3: Morning- Maligne Canyon - Maligne Lake; Afternoon- Athabaska Falls- Icefield Center-Bow Summit-Bow Lake- Pyeto Lake ; Night- stay at Banff
Day 4: Morning- Banff-Kananaskis-Waterton ; Afternoon- Red Rock Canyon; Night: drive back to Calgary
Day 5: morning- visit Drumheller and Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology Noon- take off at 1200

Molly2

I think that both itineraries are WAY too ambitious, but Option #2 is closer to doable.Are you planning on lingering and hiking, or will you be satisfied with quick glimpses of most spots? Question:When you say "take off" on Day #5, do you mean by plane?

Judy_in_Calgary

I prepared a response before I saw your second itinerary. Even your second itinerary is not feasible. The Tyrrell Museum is a full day's outing from Calgary. It takes 2 hours to drive there, AT LEAST 2 hours to do any kind of justice to the museum, and 2 hours to drive back. You also need to have lunch somewhere in there. Anyway here is the response that I typed in MS Word before I saw your second post.

>>>>>>Day 1: arrive at Calgary late night and stay<<<<<<

Okay

>>>>>>Day 2: Morning- Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise- Lake Moraine; Afternoon- Yoho-Takakkaw Falls-Emerald Lake; Night- Stay at Lake Louise<<<<<<

Okay

>>>>>>Day 3: Morning- take Icefield Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper and visit Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake; Afternoon- (Athabaska Falls,Icefield Center,Bow Summit,Bow Lake, Pyeto Lake if possible) Maligne Lake definitely and take a cruise to Spirit Island<<<<<<

There is no way you will be able to do justice to the drive from Lake Louise to Jasper AND drive to Maligne Lake AND do the cruise across Maligne Lake to Spirit Island.

You have noted that you will see Athabasca Falls, the Icefields Centre, Bow Summit, Bow Lake and Peyto Lake in the afternoon. That does not make sense, because these are landmarks that you pass ON THE WAY from Lake Louise to Jasper, as you’re driving along the Icefields Parkway (Hwy #93). If you do justice to these attractions along the Icefields Parkway, it can take the better part of a day to drive from Lake Louise to Jasper.

Once you get to Jasper townsite, Maligne Lake is another hour’s drive. Then the cruise is 90 minutes. Then it’s an hour’s drive to get back to Jasper townsite. That is an absolute minimum of 3.5 hours for the Maligne Lake leg of your journey, not counting the time it takes to buy your ticket for the cruise, wait for the next boat, etc.

>>>>>>Night- stay at Japser again<<<<<<

I don’t know what you mean by staying in Jasper AGAIN. As far as I understand, this is your first night in Jasper.

>>>>>>Day 4: Morning- from Jasper through banff to Kananaskis, finally Waterton ; Afternoon- Red Rock Canyon -Miette Hotsprings ;Night: stay at Waterton<<<<<<

Miette Hot Springs is in Jasper National Park, not Waterton Lakes National Park.

It will take you about 8.5 hours to drive from Jasper to Waterton, without stops. You should allow an hour for lunch. Also allow for a couple of other half-hour stops. Now you’re up to 10.5 hours. Including Waterton in this trip is not at all feasible, in my opinion.

>>>>>>Day 5: Morning- Waterton to Calgary Airport (flight scheduled at noon)<<<<<<

If you will be flying to a destination outside of Canada, you will need to check in 2 hours before your flight. That means you’ll have to check in at 10.00 a.m. That means you’ll have to leave Waterton at 7.00 a.m. AT THE LATEST.

I believe you would be better off doing the suggested 4-day itinerary on the following page of my website:

http://tinyurl.com/fapqr

While you’re at my website, it would be useful for you to go to the TIPS section and follow the links to the Weather and the What To Pack pages.

Hope that helps.

Judy_in_Calgary

Postscript. In your original post you said you would see Peyto Lake if possible. Peyto Lake is not something you see IF POSSIBLE, at least not in my opinion. If you see only two landmarks in the entire Canadian Rockies, see Moraine Lake and Peyto Lake, again in my opinion.

poss

As previous posters have said, for the time you have, I think you're including way too much (not just a little too much, way too much). As also said, so much depends on whether you want to a quick peek (at a peak or whatever) or whether you want really to experience the spot to some extent. If you have 3 and a half days, I'd limit this visit to the Banff/JOhnston Canyon/Lake Louise/Moraine Lake/Emerald Lake/Tak falls areas-- not try to do Jasper at all. Maybe start up Icefields as far as Bow Lake and Peyto Lake-- that's as far as I'd go.
That's if you want to do any hiking/walking/gazing at all. Otherwise, it'll all be a blur.

bob_brown

Why don't you include Alaska while you are out there?

Seriously, after I looked at that schedule, I felt like asking if you planned on getting out of the car at any of your destinations.

You can drive to those places in the time specified, but you will not do much seeing.

tuatara

Thank you all. I realized that I am too ambitious although there is no much hiking during the trip. According to your suggestion and Judy's 4 days itinerary, I have made compromise and crossed out Waterton from my itinerary. Pls have another look of my new itinerary:

D1: Night- stay at Calgary
D2: Night- stay at Lake Louise
Morning- Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise- Lake Moraine;
Afternoon- Yoho-Takakkaw Falls-Emerald Lake
D3: Drive along the Icefield Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper and do justice to Athabasca Falls, the Icefields Centre, Bow Summit, Bow Lake and Peyto Lake with stops (a bit quick stops, counting 5 hours totally)
Arrive at Jasper then drive further to Maligne Lake (2.5-3 hours counting return)
Drive back Lake Louise (3 hours driving with no stop) Night- stay at Lake Louise Again (quite ambitious day with long-time drive)
D4ake Louise- Johnston Canyon-Lower Falls- Surphur Moutain; Night- stay at Banff
D5:Flight scheduled at noon ( one hour checking-in heading for Montreal?)
Morning Walk around Banff townsite or Calgary townsite before heading for Calgary Airport

bob_brown

I think you can do it. But you may well react like I did after a similar trip in 1987, which was my first one out there.

I knew the 1987 trip was a scouting trip.
Since then we have been back 6 or 7 times to re-visit in depth the wonderful places we saw the first time. Naturally we have added new places to visit that we were ignorant of in 1987.

I think that is where I have a hang-up with your game plan. The real wonders of those parks lie off the road and only grow in fascination with closer inspection.

We discovered Twin Falls Chalet in 1989 and made the mistake of staying only one night. We have been back several times since then. Neither of us will ever forget that day on the Iceline Trail when we got caught in a sleet storm.

Fortunately we had the right equipment for such an event. I was quite happy to finally get to the chalet and take shelter from the elements.

To me what you are doing is like looking at the outside of a big house and taking a peek through the windows to see what is inside. You will see some of it, but much of the detail will remain hidden.