Calgary/Banff/Lake Louise in Summer
 

I'm just starting to plan a trip for next June (second half of the month) with my kids, ages 12 and 16. Dinosaur dig through Tyrrell Museum sounds good to us. Is there anything else to do in or around Calgary? Then off to Banff and Lake Louise, taking in either a canoe trip or river rafting and hiking.

Driving isn't a thrill for the kids, so I like to minimize that as much as possible, and we also avoid drives solely for the sake of scenery for the same reason. Generally, we like to stay some place where we can get around without the car, but also are budget minded.

I know this is very open-ended, but at this point am just looking for "must-do" things to explore more fully. Any help?

In addition to visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Anthropology in Drumheller, perhaps spending a couple of days in Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks, and going on a guided hike to the Burgess Shale near Field, BC, you may be interested in this review of Beaverfoot Lodge near Golden, BC that hibiscushouse wrote:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519462

You're also welcome to look at my personal web site in case it gives you ideas:

http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...kiesTravelTips

Hope that helps.

>>>>>>In addition to visiting the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Anthropology in Drumheller<<<<<<

Oops. That would be the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology.

Small town rodeos near Calgary.

Calgary zoo.

Heritage Park in Calgary.

Check into hot air balloon trips from Calgary.

Buy cowboy hats.

BAK

olympic park in calgary

The Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller is a fabulous place. The educational program is aimed at children, mostly. We attended one on the Creatures of the Burgess Shale that was done in skit form with oversized models that stood out under special lighting.

Heritage Park in southwest Calgary is well worth the effort. We went last summer and enjoyed it very much. It has something for all ages.

I am not sure the Devonian Gardens in downtown Calgary would interest children, but I thought it was a beautiful botanical garden up on the 4th level of the complex. Downtown Calgary is well connected with walkways between the buildings. One can wander around a large area without ever going outside.

When I moved to Calgary with a six year old, the Glenbow Museum had just opened, and he loved it.

Any current comments on the Glenbow, for kids?

BAK

>>>>>>Any current comments on the Glenbow, for kids?<<<<<<

The Glenbow is fine in my opinion, for kids or anyone else. In fact I'm very much looking forward to seeing the visiting exhibition on Petra during my time off between Christmas and New Year.

However, TravelinMom asked about "must do" things. To my taste there is not a single thing in Calgary that is a "must do."

If a family has some time to spend in this area, I think Calgary is a pleasant enough place to spend a day or two. If the trip is relatively leisurely and if most of it is spent in the mountains, having a little urban time can provide some balance. In addition to that, some people deliberately time their trips to coincide with the Stampede.

Other than that, if a family used Calgary only as a gateway for flying into and out of the area, I believe that would be a valid choice.

In my book, Moraine Lake, Emerald Lake, Peyto Lake, the Icefields Parkway and Maligne Canyon are "must do" places (albeit they all fall into the scenery category).

I also consider the Tyrrell Museum to be a "must do."

Something that you might enjoy is doing a horse riding trip in Banff, I know that they do take kids on these trips and they are wonderful. There is a half day tour which leaves from the Banff Springs Hotel and goes up to the mountains which is beautiful. The only thing that might not be good is the price but it is a wonderful experience that I know I took many friends on while I was there. There is a whole day tour which is almost the same, goes the same area, except it is more expensive and includes lunch. If you want any information about Banff I'm more than happy to help.

I have to second Judy in Calgary when she said "To my taste there is not a single thing in Calgary that is a "must do."
Other than the stampede and shopping I didn't really overly enjoy calgary, I would spend more time out of it if I was you.

Thanks - this is great. I guess I'll just stay there going to and from the airport and spend the rest of the time in the Parks.

My time is pretty set -- end of June -- because of the kids' other plans. Is Jasper cold at this time of year?

I was there two years ago in June/July, it wasn't overly warm, but then again it wasn't cold. I would take a coat just in case, or pack clothes that you can layer, because the rockies in my opinion are unpredictable, it can be really hot one day and then cold then next.

>>>>>>the rockies in my opinion are unpredictable, it can be really hot one day and then cold then next<<<<<<

Too true.

TravelinMom, the Weather Underground web site has a Trip Planner feature that allows you to look up historical temperature data for a specific place and a specific date range. I looked up Banff's temperatures from June 15th to June 30th. During the last 6 years the temperatures have been as follows:

Average daily high : 65 deg F

Average nightly low : 40 deg F

Highest high : 84 deg F

Lowest low : 28 deg F

Jasper is at a lower elevation than Banff, and on a typical day it's a couple of degrees warmer than Banff. Weather Underground bears that out. The equivalent numbers for Jasper are:

Average daily high : 68 deg F

Average nightly low : 42 deg F

Highest high : 86 deg F

Lowest low : 29 deg F

As Tams said, layers are the answer.

Our family drove west from Ontario in 2003 with a 15 year old. Never did we hear "I'm bored". We stayed in Calgary for two nights and only to see the stampede. The Olympic Park on the way out of Calgary was a great hit especially going down the ski lift from the ski jumping hill. Another must do is horseback riding. We did a two hour ride out of Kananaskas (spelling?) that wasn't overly expensive and we all ejoyed it. (except for the guy on the cellphone!)That was on the way to Banff. We stayed in Canmore at a B&B that was less expensive than Banff. We all enjoyed the Icefields Parkway on the way to Jasper and going out to the glacier. Whitewater rafting is a must for your group. We did the run on the Sunwapta River where you had to be at least 12 years old. Six in a raft and you really had to work. Grade III rapids which isn't really alot but enough if you are not experienced. They will have a ball. Enjoy your trip. We still talk about it even though it was over two years ago. Hiking up the trail at Lake Louise to the Agnes Tea House almost did our daughter in but she was glad she finished it.

Thanks for all the advice and help! Turns out that there doesn't seem to be a dino dig at this time, and the weather is a little cool for our tastes, so we're postponing this trip until we can go later in the season (yeah, more crowds, but less cranky kids!)

From Banff, its really not that far to the glacier along Ice Fields Parkway where specially equipped vehicles take you right out onto the glacier. In fact, you can see the glacier from the highway. That seems like something 12- and 16-year olds would like telling their friends they have done.