Calgary plus Canada Rockies- Advice
 

Hey guys,

So my husband has a conference Mon-Friday at Kananaskis Lodge. We were talking about both of us flying in on Friday and then me leaving on Monday when his conference started just to expand the trip some (especially since his air and hotel are paid for work). So here are my questions....

-If we fly into Calgary, is it worth staying there that night? We would probs get in around mid-day. We are 28 years old and love good food, music, but also love outdoors too and hiking. Jack of all trades is what we call it. Hate museums. Loathe is probs the word. If so, any hotel in good walking distance to bars and restaurants.
-Most likely we will stay at the conference lodge Sat and Sun, unless someone has an amazing recommendation for Sat that is in that area. Sunday night will definitely be at the lodge as my hubbys work is paying for it.
-We were thinking of hitting some areas around Lake Louise. I think its an hour drive from Kananaskis.....any other areas that are must see.
-Are there any restaurants around Kananaskis Lodge?
-Anything that is a must see in route from Calgary to Kananaskis? I read something about Ghost Lake that looks pretty. Anyone been there.

I recognize this is a hodge podge of quetsions so any suggestions would be lovely!

If you only have a weekend in the area, I would skip Calgary. It's a nice city, but nothing unique from other similar sized cities. The Rockies, however, are fantastic.

When is your trip? Timing makes a huge difference in terms of weather, and where you'll be able to go (seasonal roads shut as of October 10 this year).

I assume you are referring to the Delta Kananaskis. The Delta is just off of Highway 40 in K-Country. Beautiful location, but it is quite a drive from the main tourist attractions. Assuming no traffic or construction, I'd allow a good 1.5 hrs to Lake Louise. Longer in the winter. There are also no other dining options in the area - the closet other option would be the Stoney Nakoda casino, otherwise, a good 30-35 minutes to Canmore.

I would probably opt to spend Friday & Saturday nights in Canmore, Banff or Lake Louise. You'll be a lot closer to the attractions, have choices for food and cut down the driving. Hard to give exact advice without knowing timing - will make a difference in terms of what you can find and at what price. Things will be fairly expensive and availability limited until October 10. After that, things get much cheaper and easier to book.

Again, hard to give advice without knowing dates, but if you are arriving Friday, I'd drive to Banff. See a bit of the townsite. Then use Saturday for Lake Louise/Moraine Lake/Johnston Canyon. On Sunday, you can head back through to K-Country, perhaps see a bit of that area.

I would go directly to the mountains from Calgary. Ghost Lake is a reservoir - more a place for weekenders from Calgary. Not a tourist hotspot. Pretty wilderness in that area, but it's off road - not a place you will be going with a rental vehicle.

Thank you so much! This was exactly the type of info I was looking for! We are actually going next weekend. Short notice, I know. It was just a last second decision to extend his conference. Is mid Sept gonna be a problem in terms of things being open?

And yup, Delta Lodge is the name!

Other than some campgrounds, everything is open in September. Thanksgiving marks the cut-off for closing of seasonal roads and attractions here. So you'll be fine.

You need to get your accommodations sorted ASAP. Things are very busy right through the end of September. I'd look in Canmore and Banff. All accommodations in Banff are listed at www.banfflakelouise.com

I would definitely try to stay at least a night out in Canmore/Banff/Lake Louise. Things will be very, very busy on the weekends, so you'll want to get to the main tourist sites quite early. Or be prepared to take the shuttles.

Not sure how the next few weekends will be, but over Labour Day weekend, the parking at Moraine Lake was full before 7:30am and they probably blocked the road off by 8am. As of September 11, they will be running regular shuttles to Moraine Lake - and continuing the ones to Lake Louise - from the overflow lot on the TransCanada. That's often the most hassle free way to visit both locations. Think you can transfer from shuttle to shuttle at the "village".

The area around the Delta is pretty, though I know there have been bear warnings/closures off and on. It's also very, very dry -- a new, though thankfully contained, wildfire started not too far from the TransCanada-Hwy 40 intersection yesterday. Air quality has varied widely, with some days very smokey and others quite clear. Usually better the farther west you get, but be prepared for some degree of haze.