Edmonton/Calgary loop

Old Mar 28th, 2001, 09:03 PM
  #1  
grace
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Edmonton/Calgary loop

I want to do the Edmonton/Calgary loop in late August/early September. Will this be a good time for the trip? I want to see Jasper, the icefields, Banff, Lake Louise. Any other must see spots missing in my list? Will 10 days be enough for this trip?
 
Old Mar 29th, 2001, 12:16 PM
  #2  
Bob Brown
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Having driven extensively in that area, I am not sure what you mean by an Edmonton - Calgary loop.
Which roads do you intend on taking?
If you plan to drive from Jasper to Edmonton, I see no reason to do it.
The route is not particularly scenic once you get a few miles east of Hinton.
And it is something like 200 miles from Jasper to Edmonton.
Go over to Mount Robson and see it and then retrace your steps and go back to Calgary by driving south on the Icefields Parkway. It is not the same view going south. I have gone both ways on it and never tire of it.
 
Old Mar 29th, 2001, 02:07 PM
  #3  
Island Girl
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Hi Grace, I totally agree with Bob as to the route. If you don't need to do the Jasper to Edmonton route, don't do it. Yes, late Aug/early Sept will be great...fewer tourists but still no bad weather (I hope!). 10 days is enough, but I'm sure you'll wish for more time. What types of things do you like to do, I'm sure with more info we can provide suggestions.
 
Old Mar 29th, 2001, 06:15 PM
  #4  
grace
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I'll be coming from Toronto and I was planning to fly to Edmonton and from there go to Jasper, the icefields, Banff, Lake Louise, Calgary and back to Edmonton. I've checked a map and I have an idea of the distances between these stops and intend to take the major hwys. I know the drive from Calgary to Edmonton is long and I'm not sure if there's anything to see there. I guess it would be better to fly in to Edmonton and out of Calgary. I'd like to do short hikes, the gondolas (where are they again?) and sightseeing. Any other suggestions?
 
Old Mar 29th, 2001, 06:20 PM
  #5  
Bob Brown
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There is a lot to see, and many short walks to beautiful places. I wish I could take more trips out there because I am yet to tire of those mountains.
Get a copy of The Canadians Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson. Even if you are not much of a hiker, they suggest many places just off of the Icefields Parkway and other roads that are known to only a very few people.
Yes late August and early September are good times. That is when I usually go.
But once I was in snow on August 24 at an elevation of 6,000 feet. And one of our funny stories involves being in a sleet storm on the Iceline Trail in Yoho.
 
Old Mar 29th, 2001, 06:22 PM
  #6  
grace
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How many days should I allot for each stop?
 
Old Mar 30th, 2001, 06:13 AM
  #7  
Bob Brown
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That is a good set of questions that you ask. Let me give it my best shot, but remember you are reading a personal opinion.

I can understand now what you are saying about the "loop". It makes sense.
Assuming that you fly into Edmonton, I suggest that you can see the highlights of Edmonton in 1 day.
from there it will take half a day to reach Jasper. In the past I have stayed at Jasper House Bungalows, south of town. One year we took advantage of a room in a private home, which was a bargain. There is a list of "parks approved" accommodations which you can find on the web, or at least a partial list. These rooms vary in cost. Some of them are actually small apartments and are quite nice.
In the Jasper area, I think you could see it well in 3 full days -- 4 nights.
The list of attractions include:
Mount Robson (over the line in British Columbia)
Maligne Lake
Mount Edith Cavell and the Angel Glacier
The Whistlers (cable ride to the top in what is known in Switzerland as a Luftseilbahn)
Athabasca Falls
In addition I have seen people taking float trips on the river. They were singing, smiling, waving, etc. Must be fun, but I never took one.
A trip along the Icefields Parkway can easily take two days. The problem here is that there are not a lot of places to stay between Jasper and Lake Louise.
I know of 3 places: a lodge at the 1. Icefields Center (where you take the ice cat onto the glacier)
2. the Num Ti Jah Lodge, which is near the Bow Glacier and falls.
3. the Crossing, which is a motel along with a gas station and restaurant/gift shop at the place where the David Thompson Highway goes east to Red Deer.

So now we are up to 4 days.

The Lake Louise/Yoho National Park area is good for at least 2 days and probably 3 depending on how much hiking you want to do. There are several beautiful walks in that area. In Yoho, I recommend Takkakaw Falls and Emerald Lake at a minimum. The beauty of Yoho requires an excursion on one of the trails, which entails a little uphill work.
Around Lake Louise, there is the Plain of Six Glaciers trail that leads to the mountain wall that forms the backdrop for the lake. Moraine Lake is near Lake Louise, and it is one of the most beautiful views you will take in your lifetime.

So we are now at 7 days.

Just over the Great Divide is Kootenay National Park. It is not quite as scenic as the other parks, but Marble Canyon is a geological curiosity. the canyon is 3 feet wide and 300 feet deep in places.

Around Banff there are things to see and do. I think 1 full day in the Banff area should be sufficient, unless you take off on one of the trails.

And that brings us to 8.

Calgary would be good for 1 full day and possibly 2. The museum downtown is intersting, and so is Heritage Park south of town.

If you find that this schedule is too slow, then there is time to drive over to Drumheller and tour the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. It is a World Heritage site, and houses many of the premier palentologists of the world, including Phil Curry who is virtually a legend in his own time.

Your idea of flying into Edmonton and out of Calgary makes sense to me.
But the drive between the two cities is not that bad. It is about 200 miles between the two, perhaps a little less. At any rate you have much beautiful scenery in store for you. So enjoy it.
 
Old Mar 30th, 2001, 08:11 AM
  #8  
Brian Kilgore
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Ifyou are determined to fly into Edmonton, spend a couple of days there, and the head south, not west. Once you getclose to Red Deer, haeds west towards the mountains, and work your way, south and west, through the foothils and cowboy country. These are back roads, but take them anyway. Target yourself so you end up in Cochrane, and then turn back east for the short drive to Calgary.

From Calgary, head south to nanton, then west again toward the foothills, north on highway 40 toward Highway 1, and then west toward Banff.

From there, north past lake Louise, etc to jasper, and then just turn around and head south again. As someone else said earleir, it's a different drive coming south, and besides, this part of the country is worth seeing twice.

Edmonton to Jasper is too long, too dull, too much of a waste of time.

BAK
 

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