Confusion regarding Jasper
 

Wow...I thought I had our trip all planned out then I read the notice from Natalie saying that its better to skip Jasper??? I planned 3 nights in Banff July 7-9 and the next 3 nights in Jasper 10-12 and one night at Lake Louise 13th and the last night in Calgary 14th. We are a family of 6, that includes two teenage grandsons. Do you think they will get bored in Jasper? Someone please let me know if we should try to get accommodations elsewhere? <BR> Thanks for your help.

I live in Alberta and when I visit the Rockies I always choose Jasper over Banff. If you want shopping, go to Banff. If you want UNSPOILED beauty, hiking, and less in the way of commercialization, go to Jasper. I take it you are driving between Jasper and Banff? The icefields parkway is the most beautiful drive in the world (I have traveled extensively and have yet to find anything that compares) Visit the Columbia icefields (on the road between Jasper and Lake Louise)From Jasper you can visit Angel Glacier, Maligne Canyon, go white water rafting, go up the tram, have lunch on at one of the town's great resturants. Visit Jasper Park Lodge and go canoeing on the lake. Also assume that the first night in Jasper you will arrive quite late in the day (if you do the icefields drive properly and stop at various look outs and go to the icefields). That only leaves two move nights and days as you will need to leave Jasper on the morning of the 13th in order to get to Lake Lousie at a decent hour.

Thanks Stephanie for your response. No...I'm not interested in shopping. Is that all there is to Banff? I thought we were going to be able to hike there too? Should I change my dates to be 2 days in the Banff area and push up the entire trip in order to leave 2 days for the Lake Louise area? Its really difficult when you have never seen this area of the world before and you want it to be a great experience for the family. Thanks for your help. I wanted to post my orginial question under the "Alberta" catagory, but it came out under the Generic "Canada" region. I think there is someplace to stay between Jasper and Banff that Bob Brown mentioned. Perhaps we should leave Banff after 2 nights and start up that beautiful drive. Thanks again for your help.

Banff is also very beautiful with lots of great hiking, etc. I just personnally think it is over commercialized. With two teenagers though, three nights in Banff will be great. Although there are hotels along the icefields parkway, they are kind of remote. I have always done the drive in a day starting early, taking my time, and get to Jasper early evening. The sun doesn't set until around 10:00 in the mountains at that time of year so you will have lots of day to see everything.

How much do the kids love the outdoors? To some, a mountain is a mountain, and the shopping and overall "action" in Banff is much better than the boring, dull, non-commercial Jasper. <BR> <BR>I used to have to go to Jasper, and I always found it boring. And, contrary to what people mightthink, the souvenirs in Jasper were awful things, imported fromt he orient for the most part, while Banff had a log of really good crafts, etc., among the tee-shirts and plastic Mountie statues. I actually had the Alberta government send inspectors to jasper to look into this abundance of crap. <BR> <BR>But that was a decade ago. <BR> <BR>There is lots of hiking near Banff and Lake Louise; make sure you do get as far north as the icefields. <BR> <BR>I'd leave Jasper off your route and spend more time in Calgary, and I'd try to track down a rodeo somewhere in the towns east of the rockies, near Calgary. <BR> <BR>BAK <BR> <BR>

Thanks Stephanie and Brian for your help. I think we will cut one day off of the Jasper area and check out what there is to do in Calgary. I appreciated your help. Happy Trails to both of you.

It's all a matter of taste, I guess. I would much rather spend more time in Jasper than in Calgary.

Hi Sheri, <BR>Just an additional note to the other replys you have. Are you aware that the Calgary Stampede starts on the 6th of July ? so you might find difficulty getting accomodation there.

Julie: Thank you for your concern about our getting accommodations in Calgary because of the Stampede. I have had two rooms reserved in Calgary since last year for our last night in this area, at the Country Inn Suites on 39th St. We could go to the Stampede on that last day. <BR> Regarding changing my reservations from 3 nights in Jasper, I finally made the decision to do so, and added another night in the Lake Louise area. I didn't want to give up Jasper altogether from Brian's advice, but I shortened the stay there. Thanks to everyone for their kind regards for our trip. We are really looking forward to our visit in this part of Canada. I'm sure we will go back after we retire so we can spend many more days in the area.

Hello, <BR> <BR>I'm from The Netherlands and did Calgary-Banff-Lake Louise-Jasper-Kamloops-Vancouver in March. In March it was VERY COLD in Jasper and for me Jasper was disappointing as well. It's very boring and not much is going on (I didn't like the souvenirs either). However, the Icefields Parkway was so stunning, that it was definitely worth it to drive up to Jasper, just for the Parkway. We drove it in icy conditions. We left Lake Louise (which was gorgeous as well) at 1PM and arrived in Jasper around 7PM. We stopped several times and didn't drive fast. If you don't go to Jasper, you will miss the Icefield Parkway, which would absolutely be a shame. <BR>Banff is great for hiking and the people are all very friendly. Go to the information center first before you do anything else. They have useful advice. <BR> <BR>Greetings from Holland, Coletta

Coletta: Thank you for your greeting from Holland. We have revised our plans to spending 3 days in Banff, the next night at the Columbia Icefields Chalet, then on to Jasper, spending 1 night there and back to Lake Louise for 2 nights and the final night in Calgary before we fly home to Ohio. Thank you for your genuine interest in our adventure. I was checking other postings and took Bob Brown's advice to stay at the Icefields Chalet for the night which is an hour and a half out of Jasper. That way we can spend more time admiring the scenery from Banff to Jasper and take advantage of two tours at the Icefields region. <BR> <BR>Many thanks from America

Clearly everyone has their own tastes but Brian's advice to leave out Jasper altogether in favor of CALGARY (of all places a big city with traffic problems that is always dusty,dirty, and dry at least when ever I've been there--too many times unfortunately) is something I just had to respond to(I know the original poster already booked the trip... and by the way your new itinereary looks great) But in regards to Brian's comment re:Jasper is boring... The Canmore/Banff corridor has become so over developed and commercialized over the past 10-15 years that the natural integrity and beauty of the area has been comprimised. Environmentalists and Parks Canada are fighting developers who want to continue to encroach on the natural habitat of the wildlife. Do a search on the Web and I am sure you will find a lot of news articles on this topic. There has been an increase in bear and cougar attacks (these animals are later trapped and put down) and many believe this has to do with the fact that developments (along with come more pollution and increased traffic) in the Banff/Canmore areas have affected the natural movement and feeding patterns of the wildlife. It is quite sad, really. This is not to say that Banff is a BAD place (and I certainly don't wish to scare anyone off)...it is truly beautiful. It is just that I personally think that commercialization and over-development of an area that boasts such natural intrigue is something of a paradox as this only further perpetuates the problem and could eventually lead (if it hasn't already) to a comprimised eco-system. Jasper, on the other hand has taken great pains to severly restrict new development and really prides itself on being small, laid back, and pristine. You will not find any Tommy Hilfiger or Gap stores in Jasper because a mountain vacation, unlike a trip to New York, shouldn't be about shopping for designer clothes. You will, however find a some great mountain outfitter shops that offer rafting/horseback tours, great resturants and pubs and yes, some tacky souvineer shops....but in order to appreciate Jasper (or any mountain town for that matter) you really have to be willing to venture out, away from the townsite and the shopping etc. Otherwise you will be bored.

Stephanie: Thank you for your advice. I totally agree with you regarding not spending your time shopping on a mountain vacation. I sincerely hope there is more to do around Banff than shop. We are not shoppers...we love nature. I have changed our itenerary to keep one night in Jasper at the Pyramid Lake Resort. We have the executive loft reserved and it sounds lovely. It will sleep 8 and we are 6. I decided on only one night there and to add another to Lake Louise Inn in case the family wants to be closer to other things to do. Someone said one day in Jasper is enough. I'm thinking of suggesting to them the trip to Malign Lake and Spirit Lake near Jasper. Or the train up to Mt. Robson depending on the weather conditions. No sense going up there if its terribly cloudy. Oh well...now I'm wondering about Banff? I know the Chalet is there with Hot Springs. Maybe we should stay in Yoho National Park? After all..we didn't leave yet? <BR>

If the teenage grandsons like cycling and are at all adventurous, rent mountain bikes in town. Then take them out towards the Jasper park lodge. Just across the river is a mountain bike trail head. I can't remember the distance, but it my nephew and I abou 4.5 hours to do the loop. To save timeyou can drop them off at the river and pick them up on the parkway about 3.5 hours later. There are some nice easy kikes around Banff, but the trails around Jasper are a lot less crowded. A nice trail for hiking is the trail from the old pool at Miette hot springs. There is also a nice easy mountain climb that starts near the new pool. A bit of advice, dtour from the Trans-Canada just west of Banff and take the old Highway to Castle mountain junction. <BR>In summer the highway from Banff to Louise is jam packed. <BR>First time drivers in the area also tend to stop on the highway at every animal sighting and cause dangerous traffic problems. Remember That the highway through Banff to Lake Louise is a major transportation corridor to B.C., and as such will have lots of trucks on it. The big advantage to Jasper, is you don't have that commercial traffic problem. The best advice, is to visit, and make up your own mind as to what kind of place you like, then come back!

All of those places in the Rockies are too blamed expensive. I see little reason to go to any of them. The scenery is mediocre at best, particularly Jasper. <BR>Find a good B and B in Canmore and spend the time in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Most of the sophisticates, i.e. rich folks, never heard of it so they don't go there. <BR>Then visit Waterton Park south of there. <BR>It borders the US Glacier Nat Park. <BR>A drive on the Icefields Parkway might be nice, but Banff is like Gatlinburg, Tn, only more expensive, and Jasper is a one horse town with 6 horse prices. <BR>

Canmore is quite a bit cheaper, Al Gordon is right about that. I also believe Field is cheaper than Jasper. But the national parks are expensive and there is an entry fee at each of them unless you buy an annual pass which you can do for a group of up to 7 people for $70. Waterton is a lovely little town and is quite close to the US border and the Going to the Sun Highway. I believe entrance into Glacier on the Montana side is at least $10, maybe more this year. But it is a spectacular (although scary, if you are not used to extremely narrow, high and winding mountain roads). Some things to remember about Waterton, book your rooms in advance, it does fill up. They have a really good web page. The other thing is Waterton (and So. Alberta in general) get really high winds as we are in the Chinook zone and this year has been exceptionally bad. The wind has blown for what seems like a month and at rates of 35 - 50/km. per hour. It is very dry and the wind raises dust levels to an unbelievable degree. So you may want to watch the weather regarding that.

Just an added note regarding wind, today in Lethbridge (about 1 1/2 hrs from Waterton) the winds are blowing at 65/km. per hour and it is expected to continue like this for another week at least. You may want to stay closer to Banff and Jasper just because of this. But if you keep an eye on the weather net, you should be able to make a decision a little closer to your time of departure. Good luck.

Hello Friends: <BR> Thanks for all your suggestions. It's really hard to select, but I have decided to remain with Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise and Calgary for this trip. <BR> Randy said a nice walk if at Miette Hot Springs but he didn't say if this was in Banff or Jasper? Also the mountain climb at the new pool? I'm assuming this is at the same area but what location were you referring to Randy? Regarding your advice of staying off the Trans-Canadian highway and taking the old highway...I'm assuming it is a very narrow and winding road. We are not use to mountain driving. How bad is the road? Thanks again for your help.

I am not sure what road Randy is referring to but most of the roads in Alberta are very good. Some are more narrow than others but because we are an oil rich province, there is enough money to maitain the roads quite well. Even if it is narrow, it shouldn't be too bad for driving. <BR> <BR>If you are a AAA member, you can stop at any AAA and pick up excellent maps and accomodation guides when you arrive in Canada (or if you are from Canada, before you leave). They are the best maps and should be helpful.

Thanks D Norrie: My husband has been telling me to stop at AAA (we are members) for road maps for that area, but I kept hesitating thinking we didn't need any. Since you are from Canada, I'm sure you know the area and we will take your advice. I'll stop by and get maps before we leave. Thanks for your help. <BR> Happy Traveling to you!

Hi Sheri - glad I could be of help - I recently sent off a bunch of maps and accomodation guides to a friend in Melbourne. Whenever I travel now, I stop at AAA and get their maps and trip ticks as they show every road and also have other tips for travellers. <BR> <BR>Again, feel free to email me with any other questions. <BR> <BR>Cheers - Denise

Sheri: <BR>Miette is about 30 miles east of Jasper townsite on Highway 16 (the Yellowhead). <BR>Then about ten miles up a pretty good ,but narrow and winding, road to the hot springs. There is an outdoor pool complex there. You can park here, then walk down the hill to the old pool. From there you can hike back in along the miette river canyon. It is not one of the better known trails and isn't as spectacular as some, but its charmong and less crowded. The road I was refering to out of Banff is just the old highway. It runs on the other side of the river from th trans-Canada. The road has narrow shoulders but is extremely driveable, although the speed limit is only 80k(50mph). It's not the way to go if you want to make time, but it is easier on the nerves and much more scenic.(Also it is closed to semi's) The only reason I mentioned it is that is the recommended route for cyclists and is usually free of tourists stopping every 50 feet to see the elk or bears. There are some pullouts along the way. Also a good place to stop on the drive north to Jasper, is the Bow summit. It is north of Lake Louise on the Jasper Banff Parkway. There is a short self guided tour showing the difference in the vegetation at the tree line on a mountain. For first timers this can be an easy and pleasant little hike to break up the drive.

Sheri: <BR>I checked the map rather than relying on my memory. The back road is highway 1A and you pick it up just west of Banff. <BR>For the record, ignore Al's remarks about the parks. He is right about it being pricey, at least by local standards. Many Albertans avoid the parks because of the prices, but by international standards of resort areas in U.S. currency, its about on par. Canmore is an alternative and used extensively by locals, but for a new visitor, the National parks present a lot of simple options and alternatives. I have found that the cost of things in Jasper are less than Al has suggested. There are several nice cafe's in Jasper that offer good fare at reasonable prices. the thing to remember is Jasper has a short tourist season and has to make it up in the time available. Waterton is a beautiful park, as Al suggests, but so is Jasper. I don't get why some people are so negative. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Post again if you have any more questions. <BR>

Forgive me fore sending three postings in a row, but I keep rereading all your postings and have some other comments. Don't worry about the mountain driving. The roads you will be on are not very windy, there are no hairpin turns, there are no cliffs or driving on the edge. Once you have driven here, you will wonder whar you were worried about. <BR>By the way, what did the grandchildren think about the mountain biking on trails.

I think Mr. Godon is full of mud. <BR>The town of Jasper is a residential and business center within Jasper National Park. It provides the services that most of us need to enjoy the national park. Unlike American national parks, where some concessioners have a divine right to gouge the public (spelled AMFACS), the Canadian park system allows private enterprise to exist within the park boundaries. Some of the hotels in Jasper are quite expensive, but accommodations in private homes are available at generally lower prices. <BR> <BR>There are some exceptions to my statement above about accommodations. <BR>Emerald Lake Lodge and Lake O'Hara Lodge in Yoho seem to have hereditary rights. <BR>But the situation is much more competitive in Banff, Jasper, and Yoho parks than is the situation in Yellowstone where AMFACS has a license to profer services with the same divine right basis as the Kings of France -- at least until 1789!! <BR> <BR>I think the route described that runs in concert with the Trans Canada in Banff NP is the Bow Valley Parkway. It extends from a few K west of Banff to Lake Louise village. Obviously, it stretches along the Bow River. <BR>

Sheri, <BR> <BR>There's a website where people post up their travelogues of their vacations. One woman (named Sharrie) put up a travelogue of her vacation spent in the Rockies and the surrounding area. She has tons of photos. This might give you a realistic idea of the area (except for the pictures with snow - there won't be snow in July) ;) <BR> <BR>(Sharrie's website) <BR> <BR>http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.96232/1591/?s=I <BR> <BR>Another travelogue of the Rockies: <BR> <BR>http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/.91190/1591/?s=j <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Dear Friends: I am printing out this page, of course, because of all the great advice all of you congenial, dependable, admirable travelers have given. Just like the ad for American Express says..."I won't leave home without it"! <BR> Randy...I didn't mention the mountain biking to my grandsons yet because where we will be staying in Jasper is the Pyramid Lake Resort. The owner said they have bikes to rent right there. I am very happy with what I have reserved there and the price is extremely adequate for an Executive Lodge that will sleep 8 (for the six of us). It has two bathrooms and a full kitchen..fireplace, etc. for $325CAN a night. Where can you sleep 6 people for that price and get two bathrooms too? I understand they remodeled this establishment and people who live in that area have told me it is really nice. I'm only sorry that we will only be staying for one night in Jasper, but I had to made the trip only 8 days long because of so many people traveling and everyone's commitments. I'm sure we will all wish we could stay there longer. Bob...thank you again for all of your wonderful help. I'm sorry you were so disappointed in Yellowstone. May you always have wonderful journeys to write about in your future. Robyn...I will certainly look up Sharrie's Web site as you suggested. Thanks again everyone...Happy Journeys!

I agree and disagree with so many points in this post that I won't even get started!:-) The only 2 things I will say are: the mountain parks are a privilege, not a right, and Canada needs to continue to take the steps necessary to save the animals and their habitats in those parks. Those are the top priorities, in my mind, not whether or not you can buy Tommy Hilfiger. The second thing I will say is: for that price I hope your room in Jasper is excellent! Oh, to have American dollars to exchange! Sigh! <BR> <BR>Just teasing you Sheri, and have a great trip!

Let me just say one or two sentences in amplification of my comment about AMFACS, the concessioner in Yellowstone. <BR> <BR>My comments about the quality of lodgings provided by AMFACS relative to the dollars charged have nothing to do with my love of Yellowstone. <BR> <BR>Those are two totally different issues. <BR>Yellowstone is a natural wonder that fascinates me every time I go there. <BR> <BR>But I reached a limit with my tolerance of the prices AMFACS charges relative to the value received.