AUgust trip to Rockies/VAncouver Help
Jan 28th, 2005 | 09:55 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 114
Likes: 0
AUgust trip to Rockies/VAncouver Help
Hello,
I am new to this particular forum. My husband and I are trying to plan a 9-10 day trip in either August or September. We would like to Fly into Calgary and travel throught the Canadian Rockies Spending lets say for now 2 nights in each area Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and then taking the train to Vancouver and flying home(The States,DC) from there.
First off is this a Do-able trip in the timeframe we would like? Any preference as which month? Anyone take the train and how long did it take??Anyone ever CAMP in the Canadian ROckies National Forest campgrounds?Thanks for any info. I've been looking through the posts but its my first time posting.
I am new to this particular forum. My husband and I are trying to plan a 9-10 day trip in either August or September. We would like to Fly into Calgary and travel throught the Canadian Rockies Spending lets say for now 2 nights in each area Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and then taking the train to Vancouver and flying home(The States,DC) from there.
First off is this a Do-able trip in the timeframe we would like? Any preference as which month? Anyone take the train and how long did it take??Anyone ever CAMP in the Canadian ROckies National Forest campgrounds?Thanks for any info. I've been looking through the posts but its my first time posting.
Jan 28th, 2005 | 10:12 AM
#2
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,399
Likes: 0
Hi joolleeb -
Your itinerary is doable.
There is some very good camping in the National Parks, and also some provincial park and private camping, depending on where you end up. Are you planning to rent an RV or bring camping gear along with you?
If you are camping you probably should go in late June, July, August or early September. August will probably be the warmest.
Lake Louise and Banff are close to one another - you really do not need to stay in the two separately, unless you want to move. It is easy to explore that whole area while staying in one location.
You do not get the nicest trip through the Rockies when you take the train from Jasper to Vancouver, as the northern route is not nearly as scenic. Far better to go from Banff IMO.
A search on this forum will turn up many, many previous posts with itineraries and camping info.
Here is a link to one post:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34493656
Try typing Rockies and/or Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise into the search box and you'll get more info than you thought imagineable.
Your itinerary is doable.
There is some very good camping in the National Parks, and also some provincial park and private camping, depending on where you end up. Are you planning to rent an RV or bring camping gear along with you?
If you are camping you probably should go in late June, July, August or early September. August will probably be the warmest.
Lake Louise and Banff are close to one another - you really do not need to stay in the two separately, unless you want to move. It is easy to explore that whole area while staying in one location.
You do not get the nicest trip through the Rockies when you take the train from Jasper to Vancouver, as the northern route is not nearly as scenic. Far better to go from Banff IMO.
A search on this forum will turn up many, many previous posts with itineraries and camping info.
Here is a link to one post:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34493656
Try typing Rockies and/or Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise into the search box and you'll get more info than you thought imagineable.
Jan 28th, 2005 | 11:36 AM
#3
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,501
Likes: 0
Hello joolleeb,
First of all to bring other readers up to speed, I'll add here what you said in your other thread:
>>>We may pack our tent and gear. We have compact gear and we can be very light travelers when we pack. So are you saying to take the train from Banff to Vancouver and that is a more scenic route?<<<
As I mentioned in the other thread, I do NOT recommend the train. But one thing at a time. Let me begin from the beginning.
>>>My husband and I are trying to plan a 9-10 day trip in either August or September.<<<
The advantage of August is that it's warmer than September. We went tenting in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (on the eastern slopes of the Rockies) one September. We found that the ground was frozen, and we had to use a hammer and chisel to create holes for our tent pegs. Also, when we woke up in the morning, our boxed apple juice was frozen, and we had to set it in a pan of warm water on our camp stove to thaw it.
The disadvantage of August is that in July and August the mountain national park campgrounds are at their busiest. I understand it's necessary to secure a campsite by 12 noon. In September the crowds have thinned out, and timing is not such an issue.
>>>Spending lets say for now 2 nights in each area Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper<<<
As taggie has indicated, it is not necessary to move between Banff and Lake Louise. They are 50 minutes apart, and one of them can be used as a base for seeing the sights / sites that are close to the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1) in Banff and Yoho National Parks.
For this purpose I consider Lake Louise to be more centrally located with respect to the prime scenery. However, Lake Louise has the disadvantage of being a small village and having a limited grocery store. Opportunities for purchasing food are much better in Banff townsite.
>>>and then taking the train to Vancouver and flying home(The States,DC) from there<<<
There are two trains that ply the route between Jasper and Vancouver. The Rocky Mountaineer takes 2 days, only travels in daylight, and overnights in Kamloops, where it accommodates its passengers in a local hotel. Its disadvantage is that it is humungously expensive.
The affordable VIA Rail train unfortunately covers much of the trip in darkness.
In any case, that route would deny you a view of beautiful Rogers Pass, which you could see if you went to Vancouver on the TransCanada Highway, travelling westwards from Lake Louise.
Sorry, I see that taggie already has covered the above-mentioned points too. Still, there's no harm in repeating what she said, in case you don't believe her on the first go round.
>>>First off is this a Do-able trip in the timeframe we would like?<<<
I'll reinforce taggie's affirmative answer.
>>>Any preference as which month?<<<
I think that already has been covered.
>>>Anyone take the train and how long did it take??<<<
No, I haven't taken it. I saw a recent post here in which someone said they were dissatisfied with their trip in VIA Rail. Other posters in the past have reported satisfaction with VIA Rail.
The journey takes 17 hours 20 minutes. It departs Jasper at 15:30 and arrives in Vancouver at 07:50.
Anyway, regardless of people's perception of the quality of the train itself, it does not go by the most scenic route, and much of the journey takes place at night. That said, the first part of the journey would be in daylight. Sunset is at about 9.30 p.m. at the beginning of August, and at about 8.30 p.m. at the end of August.
>>>Anyone ever CAMP in the Canadian ROckies National Forest campgrounds?<<<
No. I have backpacked and camped on backcountry trails in Banff National Parks, and I have camped at 3 different "frontcountry" campgrounds in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. However, I think the frontcountry campgrounds (i.e., the ones to which one can drive one's car) are somewhat similar in the national parks and the provincial parks.
Here are links to websites about campgrounds in the mountain national parks:
Banff
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/v..._e.asp#camping
Yoho
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/visit/visit8_e.asp
Jasper
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/..._e.asp#Camping
I found the Jasper National Park website less clear than the others when it came to campground information. Here is a thread in which I provided JNP campground information to another poster:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34558223
I assume you have Ensolite pads on which to rest your sleeping bags. I forget the exact rating of our sleeping bags, but they're supposed to be good down to -20 deg C or -25 deg C (-4 deg F or -13 deg F). I know I'm a wimp, but I do need that kind of sleeping bag in the Rockies, even in summer.
Run your desired travel dates through the Trip Planner feature of the Weather Underground website:
http://www.weatherunderground.com/hi...erFrontPage=1#
You'll find that some summer nights do get down to freezing in the Rockies.
You can get driving distances, times, directions and maps from
www.mapquest.com
You can get free maps and travel guides on Alberta from
http://www1.travelalberta.com/cfforms/freestuff/
and on British Columbia from
http://www.hellobc.com/bcescapes/req....asp?ct=y&
Well, that should give you something to sink your teeth into.
First of all to bring other readers up to speed, I'll add here what you said in your other thread:
>>>We may pack our tent and gear. We have compact gear and we can be very light travelers when we pack. So are you saying to take the train from Banff to Vancouver and that is a more scenic route?<<<
As I mentioned in the other thread, I do NOT recommend the train. But one thing at a time. Let me begin from the beginning.
>>>My husband and I are trying to plan a 9-10 day trip in either August or September.<<<
The advantage of August is that it's warmer than September. We went tenting in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (on the eastern slopes of the Rockies) one September. We found that the ground was frozen, and we had to use a hammer and chisel to create holes for our tent pegs. Also, when we woke up in the morning, our boxed apple juice was frozen, and we had to set it in a pan of warm water on our camp stove to thaw it.
The disadvantage of August is that in July and August the mountain national park campgrounds are at their busiest. I understand it's necessary to secure a campsite by 12 noon. In September the crowds have thinned out, and timing is not such an issue.
>>>Spending lets say for now 2 nights in each area Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper<<<
As taggie has indicated, it is not necessary to move between Banff and Lake Louise. They are 50 minutes apart, and one of them can be used as a base for seeing the sights / sites that are close to the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1) in Banff and Yoho National Parks.
For this purpose I consider Lake Louise to be more centrally located with respect to the prime scenery. However, Lake Louise has the disadvantage of being a small village and having a limited grocery store. Opportunities for purchasing food are much better in Banff townsite.
>>>and then taking the train to Vancouver and flying home(The States,DC) from there<<<
There are two trains that ply the route between Jasper and Vancouver. The Rocky Mountaineer takes 2 days, only travels in daylight, and overnights in Kamloops, where it accommodates its passengers in a local hotel. Its disadvantage is that it is humungously expensive.
The affordable VIA Rail train unfortunately covers much of the trip in darkness.
In any case, that route would deny you a view of beautiful Rogers Pass, which you could see if you went to Vancouver on the TransCanada Highway, travelling westwards from Lake Louise.
Sorry, I see that taggie already has covered the above-mentioned points too. Still, there's no harm in repeating what she said, in case you don't believe her on the first go round.
>>>First off is this a Do-able trip in the timeframe we would like?<<<
I'll reinforce taggie's affirmative answer.
>>>Any preference as which month?<<<
I think that already has been covered.
>>>Anyone take the train and how long did it take??<<<
No, I haven't taken it. I saw a recent post here in which someone said they were dissatisfied with their trip in VIA Rail. Other posters in the past have reported satisfaction with VIA Rail.
The journey takes 17 hours 20 minutes. It departs Jasper at 15:30 and arrives in Vancouver at 07:50.
Anyway, regardless of people's perception of the quality of the train itself, it does not go by the most scenic route, and much of the journey takes place at night. That said, the first part of the journey would be in daylight. Sunset is at about 9.30 p.m. at the beginning of August, and at about 8.30 p.m. at the end of August.
>>>Anyone ever CAMP in the Canadian ROckies National Forest campgrounds?<<<
No. I have backpacked and camped on backcountry trails in Banff National Parks, and I have camped at 3 different "frontcountry" campgrounds in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. However, I think the frontcountry campgrounds (i.e., the ones to which one can drive one's car) are somewhat similar in the national parks and the provincial parks.
Here are links to websites about campgrounds in the mountain national parks:
Banff
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/v..._e.asp#camping
Yoho
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/visit/visit8_e.asp
Jasper
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/..._e.asp#Camping
I found the Jasper National Park website less clear than the others when it came to campground information. Here is a thread in which I provided JNP campground information to another poster:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34558223
I assume you have Ensolite pads on which to rest your sleeping bags. I forget the exact rating of our sleeping bags, but they're supposed to be good down to -20 deg C or -25 deg C (-4 deg F or -13 deg F). I know I'm a wimp, but I do need that kind of sleeping bag in the Rockies, even in summer.
Run your desired travel dates through the Trip Planner feature of the Weather Underground website:
http://www.weatherunderground.com/hi...erFrontPage=1#
You'll find that some summer nights do get down to freezing in the Rockies.
You can get driving distances, times, directions and maps from
www.mapquest.com
You can get free maps and travel guides on Alberta from
http://www1.travelalberta.com/cfforms/freestuff/
and on British Columbia from
http://www.hellobc.com/bcescapes/req....asp?ct=y&
Well, that should give you something to sink your teeth into.
Jan 28th, 2005 | 11:46 AM
#4
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,501
Likes: 0
Postscript. Since you're thinking of flying open jaws and renting a car in one place and dropping it off in another, you might save yourself some money if you run through 2 hypothetical scenarios: (1) travelling from east to west, and (2) travelling from west to east. I've seen instances in which the airfares and car rental rates have differed.
Jan 28th, 2005 | 06:55 PM
#5
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,501
Likes: 0
Hello joolleeb,
Sorry to go on and on and on. I find it hard to express myself concisely, but in this thread I've surely surpassed my previous record.
Anyway, while I was preparing dinner, I was thinking about the advice I'd given you earlier, and I feel some of it was mistaken. The reason is that I failed to take into account your special needs as a camper.
A typical itinerary that I would recommend to someone driving all the way and staying in hotels would look something like this:
1 - Land in Calgary. Drive to Canmore or Banff.
2 - Explore Banff townsite and its environs.
3 - Drive to Jasper. The drive along the Icefields Parkway, which nominally takes 3 hours, could take nearly all day, because there are so many scenic lookout points at which to stop.
4 - Explore Jasper's environs.
5 - Drive back down the Icefields Parkway (not boring because it looks different when it's viewed from the opposite direction). Visit Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls.
6 - Visit Moraine Lake 1st thing in the morning so as to get a spot in the busy parking lot, then visit Lake Louise. Do a hike from Moraine Lake or Lake Louise.
7 - Drive to Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley.
8 - Visit a winery in the morning. Drive to Vancouver in the afternoon.
9 - Vancouver (I think it's worth 3 days, but the highlights, like Stanley Park, can be done in 1 day in a pinch).
10 - Fly home.
However, you don't have the luxury of that leisurely drive up the Icefields Parkway. If you fly into Calgary and then initially camp around Banff or Lake Louise, you'll have to pack up your tent and make a dash to secure a campsite in Jasper by noon (supposing you choose the warmer but busier month of August). Also, if you're camping, I imagine you'll want to uproot yourself as little as possible once you're settled. In that case you could consider the following 2 itineraries:
ITINERARY #1
1 - Land in Calgary. Drive to Canmore. Stay in lodgings for the 1st night.
2 - Buy groceries, drive to a campground near Banff or Lake Louise, secure a camping spot, set up tent. Spend afternoon looking around area.
3 - Explore something in Banff / Lake Louise / Yoho corridor.
4 - Drive 1/2 way up Icefields Parkway. Go to Peyto Lake Lookout and consider riding in a Snocoach on the Athabasca Glacier. Return to your campsite near Lake Louise.
5 - Get up early, pack up tent, drive to Jasper without stopping, and set up camp there. In the afternoon look around the Jasper area.
6 - Explore Jasper's environs, including perhaps the more northerly parts of the Icefields Parkway that you missed on the way up (Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca Falls).
7 - Explore Jasper's environs.
8 - Pack up tent. You have to check out by 11 am. Look around town a bit. Drop off car. Board VIA Rail train in time for 15:30 departure. Even if it's not a good train, as someone here recently said, how bad will it be? I don't know, but I don't imagine you'll have chickens and goats travelling with you or anything like that. Also, while it's true that much of the journey will take place at night, you'll have about 5 hours of sunlight in which to view scenery. Another thing, which I'm sure you've considered, is that the train acts as your transportation and your hotel room simultaneously.
9 - Arrive in Vancouver early in the morning. Park your luggage at your lodgings. Look around Vancouver.
10 - Fly home.
Disadvantage of Itinerary #1 is that you will miss Rogers Pass. Nonetheless the entire region that the mountains cover is beautiful.
ITINERARY #2
1 -Fly into Edmonton. Drive 4 hours to Jasper. Stay at lodgings in Jasper.
2 - Buy groceries, get set up at a camp site. In the afternoon drive to Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls.
3 - Explore Jasper's environs.
4 - Explore Jasper's environs.
5 - Dash down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise, and secure a camping spot there. Go to Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls in the afternoon.
6 - Look at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise in the morning, visit Banff townsite in the afternoon.
7 - Return to the southern half of the Icefields Parkway, and see the things you missed on the firs go round (Peyto Lake Lookout and Columbia Icefields).
8 - Drive to Vancouver. This will be a long day.
9 - Look around Vancouver.
10 - Fly home.
The advantage of Itinerary #2 is that it does allow you to see Rogers Pass.
Hope that helps.
Sorry to go on and on and on. I find it hard to express myself concisely, but in this thread I've surely surpassed my previous record.
Anyway, while I was preparing dinner, I was thinking about the advice I'd given you earlier, and I feel some of it was mistaken. The reason is that I failed to take into account your special needs as a camper.
A typical itinerary that I would recommend to someone driving all the way and staying in hotels would look something like this:
1 - Land in Calgary. Drive to Canmore or Banff.
2 - Explore Banff townsite and its environs.
3 - Drive to Jasper. The drive along the Icefields Parkway, which nominally takes 3 hours, could take nearly all day, because there are so many scenic lookout points at which to stop.
4 - Explore Jasper's environs.
5 - Drive back down the Icefields Parkway (not boring because it looks different when it's viewed from the opposite direction). Visit Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls.
6 - Visit Moraine Lake 1st thing in the morning so as to get a spot in the busy parking lot, then visit Lake Louise. Do a hike from Moraine Lake or Lake Louise.
7 - Drive to Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley.
8 - Visit a winery in the morning. Drive to Vancouver in the afternoon.
9 - Vancouver (I think it's worth 3 days, but the highlights, like Stanley Park, can be done in 1 day in a pinch).
10 - Fly home.
However, you don't have the luxury of that leisurely drive up the Icefields Parkway. If you fly into Calgary and then initially camp around Banff or Lake Louise, you'll have to pack up your tent and make a dash to secure a campsite in Jasper by noon (supposing you choose the warmer but busier month of August). Also, if you're camping, I imagine you'll want to uproot yourself as little as possible once you're settled. In that case you could consider the following 2 itineraries:
ITINERARY #1
1 - Land in Calgary. Drive to Canmore. Stay in lodgings for the 1st night.
2 - Buy groceries, drive to a campground near Banff or Lake Louise, secure a camping spot, set up tent. Spend afternoon looking around area.
3 - Explore something in Banff / Lake Louise / Yoho corridor.
4 - Drive 1/2 way up Icefields Parkway. Go to Peyto Lake Lookout and consider riding in a Snocoach on the Athabasca Glacier. Return to your campsite near Lake Louise.
5 - Get up early, pack up tent, drive to Jasper without stopping, and set up camp there. In the afternoon look around the Jasper area.
6 - Explore Jasper's environs, including perhaps the more northerly parts of the Icefields Parkway that you missed on the way up (Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca Falls).
7 - Explore Jasper's environs.
8 - Pack up tent. You have to check out by 11 am. Look around town a bit. Drop off car. Board VIA Rail train in time for 15:30 departure. Even if it's not a good train, as someone here recently said, how bad will it be? I don't know, but I don't imagine you'll have chickens and goats travelling with you or anything like that. Also, while it's true that much of the journey will take place at night, you'll have about 5 hours of sunlight in which to view scenery. Another thing, which I'm sure you've considered, is that the train acts as your transportation and your hotel room simultaneously.
9 - Arrive in Vancouver early in the morning. Park your luggage at your lodgings. Look around Vancouver.
10 - Fly home.
Disadvantage of Itinerary #1 is that you will miss Rogers Pass. Nonetheless the entire region that the mountains cover is beautiful.
ITINERARY #2
1 -Fly into Edmonton. Drive 4 hours to Jasper. Stay at lodgings in Jasper.
2 - Buy groceries, get set up at a camp site. In the afternoon drive to Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls.
3 - Explore Jasper's environs.
4 - Explore Jasper's environs.
5 - Dash down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise, and secure a camping spot there. Go to Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls in the afternoon.
6 - Look at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise in the morning, visit Banff townsite in the afternoon.
7 - Return to the southern half of the Icefields Parkway, and see the things you missed on the firs go round (Peyto Lake Lookout and Columbia Icefields).
8 - Drive to Vancouver. This will be a long day.
9 - Look around Vancouver.
10 - Fly home.
The advantage of Itinerary #2 is that it does allow you to see Rogers Pass.
Hope that helps.
Jan 29th, 2005 | 08:54 AM
#7
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,027
Likes: 0
We're planning a somewhat similar trip in September. Only, we have a little more time (2 weeks). So we decided to go round-trip starting from Vancouver (3 nites in Victoria), then to Kelowna for a nite (visiting a winery), to Nelson for a nite (one of DH's favorite movies was Roxanne), then on to Banff for a week (timeshare, so no moving around). Returning in one day, going over Rogers Pass, then final nite in Vancouver. We found that the drop charges for the rental car were astronomical and so was the price for the train. For the same price, we felt we could extend our vacation and do a circle.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Kay_Smith1
Canada
10
Jul 18th, 2012 05:36 AM
