we'll be there next week. 3 nights banff, 2 jasper. we like great scenery, short walks (2 hour max),water,mountain views, etc. from info on this sight, we will try to "do"ulphur mt gondola,johnston canyon,walk to lake agnes tea house,athabasca glacier ride, mt. edith cavell, and maligne canyon. are there any suggestions for addittions or deletions?

In the Lake Louise areea, Moraine Lake is a must. I think (and hope) it'll be fully thawed by the time you get there. I understand the lakes thawed quite early this year. That's a necessary condition for seeing it at its turquoise best. In the peak summer months of July and August the Moraine Lake parking lot is a zoo. I don't think it'll be too bad yet in the middle of June, so I think you'll be okay. Nonetheless, there's no harm in making Moraine Lake your first activity of the day in that area, as it will help you to beat the tour buses.

(For those who are forced to visit Moraine Lake later in the day in July or August, it might be best to use the free shuttle bus that departs from the hostel in Lake Louise village.)

On your way to Jasper it also would be worth taking a bit of time out to see Takakkaw Falls and Peyto Lake.

I believe that, in addition to Mt Edith Cavell and Maligne Canyon, you'd also have time to go to Maligne Lake and take the cruise to Spirit Island. There are some people who consider that to be quite a hokey activity, but I've done it a few times with different first time visitors and always have enjoyed it.

thank you, judy...... both added!!!

You mentioned liking water and if you are the adventurous type, you will love the white water rafting in Jasper. We had a blast when we were there a couple of years ago. We also went white water rafting in Banff which was also good, but Jasper was better. Jasper was probably the best white water rafting experience we had.

You might also consider taking the Jasper Tramway gondola to the top of The Whistlers Mountain. The view is spectacular on a clear day; you can even see the summit of Mt. Robson (highest peak in the Canadian Rockies) 80 km away.
If you had to choose only one (of Sulphur Mountain in Banff or Jasper Tramway), I would choose Jasper Tramway. However, let the weather be your guide. If it is sunny and fairly clear in either location - go for it.

In Jasper, for a quiet pursuit after the whitewater rafting on the Athabasca River, drive to Pyramid Lake and rent a canoe - it's a pleasant and picturesque spot to spend a few hours peacefully paddling.

I am also very interested in this subjuect. We will be int the rockies 3 weeks from today.

Originally, we planned on making extensive use of the long days and doing some hiking and exploring ..starting early in the am. I'm trying to get some decent photos.

Unfortunately, I know find that shorter hikes and days will probaly be necessary. (I got out of the hospital yesterday after some emregency surgery...I'm fine now)

If anyone else has some special places to visit that won't require "serious" hiking...please share them.

Thanks

Hi Dick,

Sorry to hear you had to have emergency surgery, but glad to hear you're recovering.

Fortunately most of the places in the Canadian Rockies that are mentioned repeatedly in these threads do not require any serious hiking.

Some of the pleasant things to do in Banff are walking around the town, riding the gondola up Sulphur Mountain, and visiting Lake Minnewanka a little way out of town.

Between Banff and Lake Louise is Johnston Canyon. The walk from the parking lot to the Lower Falls is 0.7 miles. The path does go up and down some, but there are handrails in many spots, and it's not what I would call "hiking." To access Johnston Canyon you have to drive on the Bow Valley Parkway (Route #1A) rather than the TransCanada Highway (Hwy#1).

Moraine Lake is beautiful. It's a popular spot for regular motorists as well as tour buses to visit so, to get a place in the parking lot, plan to arrive there relatively early (no later than 11.00 a.m.).

The short walk to the top of the pile of rocks at the end of the lake will reward you with a very photogenic view. The lakeshore walk, which has a few undulations but is mostly flat, also is pleasant.

Because of the crowded parking lot at Moraine Lake, in the last couple of years they've instituted a free shuttle bus that departs from the hostel in Lake Louise village. All you have to do to ride it is show your national parks entry pass. I've never used this bus myself, but I would suggest giving it a try if you're forced to visit Moraine Lake in the busy part of the day (say noon to 3 pm).

The lakeshore walk at Lake Louise also is pretty.

At Lake Louise ski resort, you can ride a gondola about two thirds of the way up Mount Whitehorn, and that will give you magnificent views.

In Yoho National Park, Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls also don't require hiking.

Along the Icefields Parkway, lookout points such as those at Peyto Lake, Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls also don't call on you to hike. There is a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the Peyto Lake Lookout, but it's by no means a "hike."

When it comes to the Angel Glacier hike at Mount Edith Cavell, I think it would be worth setting out on the walk and seeing how far you can go without feeling uncomfortable. The place that is considered to be the main viewpoint is 2 miles from the parking lot, with an elevation gain of 1,000 feet. HOWEVER, you'll find even a few yards of this walk to be rewarding, so I would give part of it a try if at all possible.

What's more, even if you don't do a single yard of the Angel Glacier hike, the Mount Edith Cavell Road provides you with lovely views of the Astoria River Valley. For that reason alone it's worth doing the drive and stopping and getting out to look at the view in a couple of places.

As Borealis mentioned, the tramway up Whistlers Mountain in Jasper would give you great views on a clear day.

The cruise across Maligne Lake to Spirit Island doesn't require any hiking, and barely any walking, other than stepping on and off the boat.

When it comes to Maligne Canyon, just outside of Jasper townsite, you can see as much or as little of it as you want. It would be nice if you were able to go quite far into the canyon. However, the path is quite uneven, and involves clambering over large rocks. Here again, I think it would be worth starting out on the path and seeing how far you get. Even if you were able to see just a bit of the canyon, it would be better than nothing.

Just outside of Jasper townsite, Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake are relaxing places to spend time.

When it comes to the three gondola rides in Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff, I like the advice that Borealis gives, which is to take the opportunity of good weather and go on whichever gondola ride is closest. The weather in the mountains is fickle and, even if it's sunny now, you don't know if you'll get sunshine the next day or the day after or even a couple of hours from now.

I noticed from a previous post that you were going to Edmonton. If time permits while you're in this part of the world, I recommend the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller. It's 4 hours' drive from Edmonton, and 2 hours' drive from Calgary. It takes at least 2 hours to go through the museum properly. People who have children who want to do the optional outdoor activities easily could stretch that to 4 hours. So it makes for a long day's outing, but the dinosaur skeletons really are fascinating.

Anyway, Dick, even if you cannot hike, there sttill is a lot for you to see in the Rockies.

Hello Dick,

While in Edmonton, I would suggest visiting Fort Edmonton Park. It is a historical village depicting the development of the city of Edmonton, starting with the original fort(I believe that parts of it are original, other parts reconstructed). You can get around by streetcar if mobility is a problem. There is a full service hotel with a restaurant in the park, and the whole park is prettily situated in our picturesque river valley.

Drumheller is only about a 3 hour drive from Edmonton if you take the highway to Camrose (#21) and then south through Stettler (#56) and on to Drumheller (instead of the main highway #2). These secondary highways are paved two-lane undivided (speed limit 100 kph) but with wide paved shoulders and in excellent shape and are not crowded - makes a pleasant drive through the rolling countryside.

Enjoy!!

Judy & Borealis,

Thanks very much...you have provided some great info.

I expect to be able to do some hiking ..even if its only a few miles at time. Originally, we had expected to do some longer hikes to get us a little deeper into the park. According to the doc, it may be a question of having to take a break due to getting tired.

We will probably try to get some early starts each day to avoid crowds and better lighting for photos.

I was thinking of "doing" Lake Louise while staying in Banff. The idea being that it will allow us more time than seeing Lake Louise on the same day we drive to Jasper. Because of all the good things I've heard, I want to allow plenty of timefor the ride to Jasper (including the icefields) .
Does this make sense?

Yes Dick, it sounds like the best plan. You can easily spend several hours in Lake Louise, and that would leave you with less time for the Icefield Parkway drive. Better to have the whole day for the drive.
Keep in mind though that at the beginning of July, the days are very long, about 17 hours of daylight, so you will have a lot of time each day to do outdoor types of activities such as hiking and sightseeing.

>>>>>>I was thinking of "doing" Lake Louise while staying in Banff.<<<<<<

I think that's a good call.

Sorry, Borealis, didn't see your post before mine.

We were at Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper last week. I heartily agree with all of Judy's suggestions and encourage you to drive up Mount Edith Cavell to view Angel Glacier and Ghost Glacier.

We have been to this part of Canada five times before but had never ventured up Mount Edith Cavell. We were absolutely amazed at the incredible views. We left our cabin near Jasper fairly early in the morning and beat the crowds. The drive up the mountain was easy with just some bumps in the road and few hair pin curves.

We drove to Maligne Lake and were enchanted with Medicine Lake and its story. We saw lots of big horn sheep along this road. We also saw a female moose and a black bear.

We saw another black bear along the TransCanada highway between Lake Louise and Field (just before the Spiral Tunnels). Emerald Lake and Natural Bridge in Yoho are not to be missed. The road to the falls was still closed on June 15 when we were there.

The hoodoos just outside of Banff are another favorite; the view of the Banff Springs Hotel is great. We also like Bow Falls.

Judy and Borealis..

Thanks for your suggestions. We got back yesterday.

Some of the highlights included...

1. The hike at Lake Louise up to the tea house.

2. Maligne Canyon (we walked from the parking lot to bridge No. 5).

3. Moraine Lake.

4. Icefield and Snocoach.

5. Peyto Lake

6.The shore walk around LAke Louise that ends where the glacier feeds into the lake.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip, Dick. Thanks for adding your feedback regarding what worked for you.