aggiegirl

I adore Banff and been twice. It seems like it gets more popular each year and more expensive. Is there an alternative that has equally beautiful sights and chill vibe without the crowds and expense? I知 looking at September or early October in hopes of going before the snow arrives. I知 looking for beautiful mountains and lakes and charming town within two hours of Calgary or Vancouver. I love wildlife sightings and would love to see bears and mountain goats. I had the good fortune of seeing a grizzly and a black bear from the safety of my car the first time I was in Banff area.

I was thinking of Vancouver island for June this year but ended up in Scotland instead. That area seems to be sold out of budget accommodations in September and it sounds like October is very rainy so I知 going to put off that area until next year.

I知 just starting my research and thought I壇 check in with the experienced travelers of the Fodors forum.

BC_Robyn

Yes and no.

There are places that are gorgeous and chill with small charming mountain towns without the crowds and expense, but you're going to need to venture beyond 2 hours of Vancouver and Calgary to find what you're seeking. I'm thinking of places like Fernie and Island Lake Lodge, or the gorgeous historic quirky mountain towns of Nelson and Kaslo on Kootenay Lake, or the tiny communities along the mountain wilderness in the Slocan Valley (New Denver, Silverton, etc.) and the Arrow Lakes (i.e. Nakusp) areas in the Kootenays. The Kootenays are full of hot springs, by the way. I'm thinking of places like the Yukon (the entire Canadian northern territory next Alaska) or the Chilcotin Mountains and Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, or Monkman Provincial Park near Tumbler Ridge in the Northern Rockies, or the Muskwa Kechika Wilderness Area in the Rockies, or the Spatzizi Wilderness Plateau in an extremely remote part of Northern BC. I'm thinking of the beauty around the Bulkley Valley in Smithers and around Hazelton and the Kispiox Valley in Northern BC. I'm also thinking of Cathedral Lakes Provincial Park near Keremeos in the Similkameen Valley or the Cascades mountain wilderness of Manning Park east of Vancouver. I suppose even Coast Mountains north of Vancouver will give you mountain wilderness in Garibaldi Provincial Park, Joffre Lakes, the Callaghan Valley, etc. but it's not an area you passive drive around to appreciate - you have to spend time outside of the car and hike some rather lengthy technical alpine hikes to appreciate the gorgeousness of that area. Look up photos of Black Tusk or Elfin Lakes or Garibaldi Lake or Joffre Lakes to see what I mean. You need to have endurance and fitness to get the scenery out of the Coast Mountains.

With exception to Whistler, none of these places I'm suggesting have the mass tourism development that Banff has - the tour buses dropping off passengers at lookouts, the parking lots developed along turquoise lakes that in other parts of Canada are only accessible by going on alpine hikes, but because they're slightly further away from major cities, and they don't have the mass tourism development, they're generally off the radar of international tourists and are typically only visited by locals or those in the know. So it has a totally different vibe. The towns (where they exist) generally serve the local communities and have authentic restaurants, shops, breweries, etc. that cater to locals. Tourists are always welcome, but it's the completely opposite picture of Banff, that predominantly serves international tourists, where everyone on the street is from somewhere else, where even the people working there are often students working on a holiday visa from somewhere else.

Each place I mentioned above has its own tourism website, though, so you can get a lot of info by looking up their individual websites.

Hope this gives you some inspiration!

Finally, even right in the Rockies, have you explored beyond Banff to Jasper National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, Yoho National Park, Kootenay National Park, Glacier National Park, or the nearby provincial parks like Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park or Mount Robson Provincial Park? Banff National Park is just one of the many wilderness parks in that corner of Canada.

Edit: One more thought! There are a lot of small regional airports in BC and Alberta. You can easily fly, for example, from Vancouver to Smithers, or from Vancouver to Cranbrook and then drive to Fernie, which is about an hour drive away from Cranbrook (or a 3 hour drive from Calgary), or drive to Nelson from Cranbrook (which is 2.5 hour drive). So if you're willing to fly from Vancouver or Calgary to a smaller regional airport and then rent your car from that regional airport, you open up a ton more options.

Gardyloo

Happened upon this thread in passing. As usual, BC_Robyn's advice is gold.

We're very fond of Nelson and the Kootenays. If it was me, I'd fly into Spokane then drive north through the beautiful Pend Orielle country (and fascinating Metaline Falls) to Nelson, around 3 hours wheels turning. From Nelson you could loop up to Slocan Lake to New Denver (don't miss the moving Japanese internment memorial park) maybe with a side trip to the interesting Sandon ghost town, over to Kootenay Lake and Kaslo, then back to Nelson (and eventually back to Spokane.)

One thing to note is that there can be excellent autumn colo(u)r in this region, so later in the season might not be a bad plan.

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/3Goi6HEEnwvZ2Dun7

Some snaps from a previous trip (in the summer) -

Along the road someplace



New Denver



Nikkei Internment Memorial park, New Denver



Vancouver bus graveyard, Sandon ghost town

aggiegirl

I appreciate the detailed responses. I definitely want to just take a nonstop flight so that leaves me with Calgary or Vancouver. Fernie and Waterton are intriguing. How is the the drive to these places? Am I likely to run into snow September through mid October?

aggiegirl

Ps. Beautiful pics, Gardyloo.

BC_Robyn

The drive's easy and a non-issue. The one thing though is that the Rockies do experience snow earlier than other places. I remember flying into Calgary in mid-September back in 2017 and it was all summery, but as we drove down the Icefields Parkway in Banff to Jasper, there was a fresh dusting of snow on the mountain tops. The later in September you go, there more likely there is to be overnight freezing temperatures and snowfall in higher elevations. October especially so. But chances are the roads will be fine. But even in the height of summer, the Rockies can experience freak snow storms that cover the place in snow for a few hours, until it melts away. The snow that falls in September and October shouldn't stick to the roads. But in such seasonal places, seasonal roads and trails often close by mid-September.

You'll want to spend some quality time reviewing the Tourism Fernie website and the Waterton Lakes National Park website to ensure what you want to see and do is available.

aggiegirl

Thank you, BC Robyn.

BC_Robyn

You池e welcome!

p.s. Here are some photos from Fernie from last year in August when I was there for one night for work. I had only driven through previously a decade before, but I was charmed by the town.

aggiegirl

I知 feeling depressed about Waterton. Lodging is very limited and expensive! Even rundown places are 200/night. 😟

shelemm

One of the great travel secrets is going east from Calgary to Dinosaur Provincial Park. The Badlands of Canada, even better than in the US. One of the most stunning landscapes anywhere. Not just limited to the park, also places like Horsethief Canyon make for exceptional hiking.

pgtraveler

Sorry to hear that. If it's any consolation, it's cheaper than Banff. Look on Air BnB at Mountain View, AB. It is just outside the park gates and there are some cute cabins and house that will be a bit cheaper.

If it is later in October, some of the businesses may be closed for the season, so keep that in mind.

aggiegirl

I ended up in Fernie and Waterton and had a great time.
I’m working on a trip report. I highly recommend these areas.

sludick

So good to hear you enjoyed your trip! We just got back from a trip across B.C. that started in the Kootenays, also a wonderful trip. We seem to have caught the very end of summerlike weather, it has been snowing in Kaslo the past week or so. Wore shorts our first 2 days, then it became chillier but still nice. Timewise, that was the last few days in August and first of September, if youi area contemplating that area next.

There is an inland ferry that goes across Kootenay Lake between Balfour to Crawford Bay, 35 minutes and completely free. We took that trip 5 times during our stay, it was quite a ride. Anyway, I will try to work up a trip report as well. But I'll say it is definitely worth a visit.

aggiegirl

I’ll look forward to your report! It’s not too soon for me to get new ideas for another Canada trip!

BrianE78

I know, Banff becoming more pricey and congested. It's a jewel, but occasionally you just need a calmer getaway. Consider visiting the area around Calgary known as Kananaskis Country for your trip in September or October. It lacks the throng of Banff and has beautiful lakes and mountains. If you're still interested in staying in Vancouver, early October is a beautiful time to visit Whistler, where you can also see bears and mountain goats. If you have some flexibility, consider looking into some of the best suites in Vancouver for a seaside city feel. And yes, September gets booked up very quickly in Vancouver Island.