gwendy

Hi!

My fiance and I are planning to get married in Banff and spend our honeymoon (about a week long) in Banff,Lake Louise and Jasper either the first week of April or last week of November 2004. We're trying to avoid the height of the tourist season when things are the most crowded and expensive. Does anyone know what the weather is usually like at those times of the year? We are hoping there will still be a good amount of snow.

Anything you would recommend we definitely try to do? Scenic areas to visit, day trips and outings to take, etc.? How about wildlife we might be able to see at those times of the year?

Any recommendation for really nice, romantic places to stay that might be a little less expensive than the Fairmont hotels?

Thanks for your help!

ltt

beginning of april would be my choice out of the two. however, it is still ski season so it will be busy and hotel costs will be higher then at the end of november. however, i think you have a better chance of warm sunny days in april. november is more likely to be overcast. april will have snow; there probably won't be too much in november. ski hills didn't even have decent snow until the end of december last year. do a search on this site and you will get plenty of hotel/cabin recommendations.

gwendy

Thank you very much!

Cruiseryyc

If you're looking for a really beautiful spot for a wedding check out Emerald Lake Lodge which is about 1.5 hours west of Banff. It should be about the same price as the Fairmont hotels. If you are set on Banff, then I suggest you look at the Rimrock Inn as opposed to the Banff Springs.

gwendy

Hi,

Thank you for the information - I certainly will look into the Emerald Lake Lodge. Have you stayed there before? What did you like about it?

Thanks!

Cruiseryyc

In my mind its the most beautiful spot in the Rockies. There is nothing to do there is except enjoy the scenery - no stores, no traffic, nothing but the lodge.

Branv

I'd like to offer another alternative, and suggest going the days between Christmas and New YEars (we actually flew out Christmas night, after family stuff, and flew home the day before new years eve). Prices were lower then jan-mar, crowds weren't bad at all, and all the decorations were up. It was wonderful! We stayed at the Rimrock, I HIGHLY recommend this resort. Absolutely amazing. My husband is a skier, I am not. He went to Sunshine Village to ski, and LOVED IT. He said the longest lift line took about 10 minutes...as opposed to when he skis in Colorado, where he has waited about 45 minutes for a lift on a regular basis. His mouth dropped when he returned to the hotel and heard that that was Sunshines busiest day ever...according to him if that's their busiest, he's never going skiing in Colorado again We also took a night time sleigh ride (arranged at Concierge at hotel)...we took the cheaper group ride, but you can take a private ride as well. It was amazing, we were in this field surrounded by mountains, with a full moon lighting up everything. Memory you can't forget. We took a day trip to Lake Louise and did some ice skating on the lake (in front of the gorgeous Fairmont), but with the roads being so well maintained, we also did alot of just driving around and finding sites...frozen lakes, gorgeous views.

Also...if you stay at the Rimrock, they have an assorted menu of picnics (varying degrees of price and "fanciness&quot that they will pack for you to take while you're touring. They also have a hot chocolate to die for

gwendy

Thank you Cruiseryyc and Branv - really helpful information.

Branv -Your trip sounds a lot like what my fiance and I have in mind - he skis a lot, I'm completely new at it! I'm sure he'll appreciate the info. about Sunshine.

Originally we had thought of going in January, but we don't think we'll have everything together(including money saved)in time. So I'm hoping it will still be beautiful and snowy in April (and hopefully a little cheaper than in February and March or June to September). Thanks again!

ltt

stick to april - january is our coldest month of the year. often too cold to enjoy outdoor activities.

mikety

For weather monitoring go to weather.com, and search for desired location. For Lake louise, other than Chateau lake louise, try deer lodge, as for Banff, try Mount Royal Hotel along Banff Ave., its 3 star hotel but in the center of everything. For jasper, maybe try Jasper Park Lodge, or try hotels across the train stations.

bob_brown

If you want a really scenic place for a wedding how about Abbotts Pass?
In case you don't know where it is, walk along the north shore of Lake Louise and sight up the Victoria Glacier. If you have binoculars or excellent eyesight, you will see an alpine hut at the top of the ridge.
That is the Abbotts Pass hut, which sits astride Abbotts Pass.

You can come up from the other side, too, where the pass summit can be reached by a 2k scramble up a steep scree slope after a steep hike up to Lake Oesa.

The view from the top is incredible.
Think that what I say is impossible?
Nope, this summer there was a wedding up there. Hikers ferried champagne and tuxedos up the scree slope complete with a wedding cake. Some guy passed us lugging a huge load, came back, got some more and went up again!
I don't know if he was the groom, or if he was a paid pack mule.

gwendy

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! Abbotts pass huh? I'll have to look into that... it might be a little more difficult for a winter wedding in a gown though