I am just mind-boggled. Can you help with this schedule?

We have late check-in at all the Lodges - at least 4:00 and sometimes later, so are hoping to stop on the way at Must-Sees to use our time wisely

Background: September 5 - September 18
Bragg Creek - 1 night
(Time in Cochrane, Lunch at Pa-Su Sheep Farm, Rocky MT. Historic Site on the way to....)

Aurum Lodge - 4 night
(Glacier Walking, Athabasca Falls, Mistaya Canyon, Day Hikes)

( Mt. Edith Cavell on the way to.....)
Jasper (Home Accomodation) - 3 Nights
(Rafting, Maligne Lake/Canyon, Valley of the 5 Lakes Hike)

(Lake Peyto and Yoho NP on the way to......
Lake Louise - Deer Lodge - 3 Nights

(Moraine Lake on the way to......)
Canmore - Georgetown Inn - 2 nights

What have I left out? What would be better done on a different day? We want to canoe somewhere sometime!

Of course, we will plan each day according to the weather and how we feel. But I wanted to have a list so we don't have to back-track (too much)

And there are way too many things to see. I noticed most people go for just 3 to 7 days. We have 2 weeks and can't begin to scratch the surface.

Carol

Hi Carol,

You have a good list.

To the Jasper list you could add Miette Hot Springs and the tram up Whistlers Mountain. I'm not saying you <b>must</b> do them. However, they would be nice ideas to have in your back pocket in case you run out of things to do.

If you are spending 2 full days in the Lake Louise area, I don't think it makes sense to see Moraine Lake on the day you transfer to Canmore. Moraine Lake is only 9 miles from Lake Louise. You may as well see it while you're in Lake Louise.

There are canoes for rent at both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake (and also at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park, at Johnson Lake just outside of Banff townsite, and at Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park). In looking at your schedule, I would say your Lake Louise-based days would be a good time to go for a canoe ride.

Another activity you could add to the Lake Louise list is one of the many half day hikes that are available in the area. I recommend Plain of Six Glaciers, but there are several others. For example, there's the Lake Agnes hike that departs from Lake Louise, the Larch Valley hike that departs from Moraine Lake and the Consolation Lakes hikes that also departs from Moraine Lake.

A visit to Johnston Canyon would be an excellent activity to do on the day that you transfer from Lake Louise to Canmore. To do that you would need to drive the Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy #1A) instead of the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1). If your starting point is Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon is about two thirds of the way to Banff. Walk at least to the Lower Falls, although you have the option of walking further to the Upper Falls and indeed of hiking all the way to the Ink Pots.

I don't know if you will have seen the beautiful Highwood Pass in Kananaskis Country on the day that you drove from Bragg Creek to Aurum Lodge. I would not recommend your taking the detour that would be necessary to see the Highwood Pass on that day. I think that you have enough on your plate on that day. So it would be nice to drive to the Highwood Pass on one of your Canmore-based days.

In the mountains just to the south of Canmore you can visit Grassi Lakes and Spray Lakes.

In Canmore you'll be 12 - 15 minutes from Banff townsite, so it also would be easy to drive the Lake Minnewanka Loop, ride the Sulphur Mountain Gondola and stroll through the Town of Banff.

From Lake Minnewanka outside of Banff townsite you also could do the very manageable walk to Stewart Canyon.

Again, I'm just giving you ideas that you can keep in your back pocket in case you need them.

Hope that helps.

Ah, Judy to the rescue! And it was just exactly what I needed, thank you again.

Carol

Judy,
I have added and deleted and am happy with my tentative schedule now. (I did add the Gondola at the Hot Springs (after a hike in that area)

Except that since we have to delete the Johnston Cayon on the way to Canmore (and we can't check-in until 4:00) I need to have some ideas about where we could visit that day. I don't think I had anything about Mistaya Canyon, would that work?

Thanks,

Carol

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Except that since we have to delete the Johnston Cayon on the way to Canmore (and we can't check-in until 4:00) I need to have some ideas about where we could visit that day. I don't think I had anything about Mistaya Canyon, would that work?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

No, Mistaya Canyon is almost an hour north of Lake Louise, off the Icefields Parkway. So it would not really be the most ideal thing to do on the day that you transferred from Lake Louise to Banff.

Something you could consider doing on that day is visiting Kootenay National Park.

You could drive from Lake Louise to Castle Junction, about half way between LL and Banff on the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1). Then you could turn southwest on Hwy #93 and drive through Kootenay National Park to Radium Hot Springs. There are places in Kootenay NP, like the Paint Pots, where you can get out and do a short walk to a scenic lookout point. The drive through Kootenay NP is gorgeous.

When you get to Radium Hot Springs you might be interested in driving further south on Hwy #93 to Invermere and so on.

You might even be interested in going as far as Lussier Hot Springs, which are totally natural, non-commercial hot springs in White Swan Provincial Park, just east of Canal Flats on the road that leads from Radium to Invermere and on to Kimberley and Cranbrook.

If you did what I've just suggested, you would have to go there and back on the same roads. That is, you would have to return north on Hwy #93 to Radium Hot springs, then follow Hwy #93 northeast to Castle Jnction. Only then could you turn east onto the TransCanada Highway and drive the rest of the way to Banff / Canmore.

There is nothing wrong with driving a route twice. Mountain scenery looks different when it's viewed from different directions.

However, there is another option. You could drive west through Yoho NP to Golden, BC. At Golden you could turn south on Hwy #95 to Radium Hot Springs. That drive would give you views of the Columbia River Valley. When you reached Radium, you could see how you were doing for time and decide if you would drive further south. At some point, whether you had driven further south or not, you would have to turn northeast onto Hwy #93 at Radium and drive through Kootenay NP to Castle Junction. Then onto Banff and Canmore.

We don't know what will happen between now and the day you do that drive. Some OTHER factor could arise. If you find that Plan B also won't work for some reason, and you have to come up with Plan C or Plan D, the folks in the Visitor Information Centre in Lake Louise are really good at making suggestions. They know where the latest bear sightings (if any) have taken place, they can take your hiking ability into consideration, etc., and come up with suggestions.

Good luck.

We got out the map and loved both Plan A and Plan B.
We are leaving Tuesday so I'm hoping there won't be anymore unforseen things - but hey, we're flexible in the nth degree!
What springs to mind now is food! Do have have a suggestion on this route for a good place? We probably will have our big meal at lunch and picnic at night on this day. (Saturday)
And (hate to ask this) is there a problem with taking a Rental car to Golden since it's in BC?

Have you thought of publishing a Guide to the Rockies? (I'm really serious.)

Carol

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;What springs to mind now is food! Do have have a suggestion on this route for a good place?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

Hmmm, I guess it depends where you happen to be when lunch time arrives. If you're in Radium, there are a number of places, such as Back Country Jack's (barbecue ribs, chicken steaks). If you're in the mood for continental cuisine, Helna's Stube and Old Salzburg Restaurant serve Austrian cuisine, while Citadella serves Hungarian.

If you get as far as Windermere, Strand's is considered to be <b>the</b> restaurant in the region. It's in a converted old house. It serves a traditional menu (rack of lamb, etc.).

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;is there a problem with taking a Rental car to Golden since it's in BC?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

No problem at all.

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Have you thought of publishing a Guide to the Rockies? (I'm really serious.)&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

Thanks for the compliment.