Banff in April
 

We are interested in a hiking trip through the Canadian Rockies. We'll be staying at the Destinations Resort at Panorama, in the Kootenay Region of British Columbia. We will be driving to the resort from Calgary, spending a week there, and then driving to Victoria. Does anyone know if the roads will be passable or if hiking will even be possible? We will be there from the end of April through the middle of May. Thanks!

Hmmm ....... I was hoping someone else would pick up the ball. But no one has, so I'll give this a try.

It's a pity you aren't doing the trip the other way round. Victoria has a milder climate and warms up sooner than the Canadian Rockies.

You may be able to do some hiking at lower elevations in the Panorama area, but at higher elevations the hiking trails still will be snow shoeing trails.

When you drive to Victoria, you could encounter almost any conditions under the sun. You could have warm, spring-like weather and clear roads. You also could encounter blizzards. There is just no telling this far ahead of a given date. You should allow an extra day in case you get held up somewhere.

A couple of years ago, a young man from Asia e-mailed me and asked my advice for a June 1st drive from Victoria to Calgary. Because he was going to be driving alone, I put the fear of God into him, and gave him a list of safety equipment that he had to have in his car in case he encountered a blizzard. He e-mailed me afterwards and said he would be eternally grateful because he did in fact have to drive through falling snow in the vicinity of Lake Louise and Banff (and keep in mind that was on June 1st). He did not run into any problems. But he said that the peace of mind he had from the spare blanket and other stuff he had in his car was comforting.

I agree with Judy, hiking in April is really not recommended. I alway consider April/May to be transition months, usually not enough snow for cross-country skiing, too much for hiking.

With this year's record snowfalls in the mountains, you might be able to do some snow-shoeing or cross country skiing in April if that appeals.

Thanks to both of you for your prompt replies!

Do either of you know how cold it usually gets in that area at the end of April?

I don't know Panorama's temperature statistics.

Statistics for Golden, BC from April 21 through April 30 over the last 10 years are as follows:

Average daily high : 61 deg F

Daily highs ranged from 44 deg F to 77 deg F

Average night time low : 34 deg F

Daily lows ranged from 24 deg F to 48 deg F

Oh yes, those figures came from the Trip Planner feature of the Weather Underground website.

But Golden is at a lower elevation than Panorama, so I expect that Golden is warmer than Panorma.

Golden's elevation is 790 metres (2,592 feet). The base of Panorama Mountain (basically where the village is located) is 1,200 metres (3,937 feet). The top of Panorama Mountain is 2,400 metres (7,874 feet).

The Panorama Ski Resort's website states that its current downhill ski season will last till April 15, 2007.

Perhaps if you e-mail Destinations Resort, they'll be able to provide you with temperature statistics.

Hope that helps.