GNP to Banff & Jasper--Any thoughts on our proposed itinerary??
 

I am attaching a thread I posted on the US forum and wondered if any of you have any thoughts on this itinerary. Any help or advice would be much appreciated!!

After reading all of your posts on my previous thread, I know now that the Canadian Rockies is definitely the place I want to be next year!! It sounds like it is sheer "heaven on earth".

I've gone back and forth many times on the itinerary and I still can't quite let go of the idea of seeing Glacier National Park while we are out there. The Going to the Sun road sounds like a ride we just wouldn't want to miss!

I have come up with a proposed itinerary (though I know it will change several times before it's definite). Please let me know what you think. Keep in mind that my family and I are not hikers and do not plan on doing any long hikes. We do enjoy kayaking, horseback riding and want to do a raft trip while we are there.

Day 1 - Fly into Kalispell and stay at the Hampton Inn for three nights.

Day 4 - Drive on to Banff (6 hours drive) where we plan on renting a condo unit for the duration of that stay. Spend four nights in Banff area.

Day 8 - Drive up to Jasper via Icefields Parkway and stay at the Patricia Lake Bungalows for three nights.

Day 11 - Drive back to Kalispell (9 hour drive) to spend the night. Fly out the next day.

I realize that there will be some driving days in there, but we may or not be able to avoid doing a "loop". The cost of airfare to fly into one airport and out of the other may be prohibitive, as well as the "one way" car rental. I am not even sure you can rent a car in the US and return to Canada (or vice versa).

Thanking you in advance for any input you can offer, either on the itinerary or places we plan to stay.

Thanks!!

I suggest you allow a long day for the Icefields Parkway.

That is about my only suggestion.

From Banff you can visit Lake Louise and the area around it, which includes Moraine Lake. Over the Great Divide in Yoho NP I recommend Takkakaw Falls. It is quite a sight.

In Kooteney NP, I have heard that the Marble Canyon trail is open again after a long period of closure. If my information is accurate, Marble is a good place to stop for a break and a hike.

My DH and I stayed at both the Hampton Inn, Kalispell and Patricia Lake Bungalows several weeks ago. Both very nice but different - one urban, one woodsy. The GTTS rd thru Glacier is not to be missed, IMO. Try to fit it in. You won't be sorry. We're not hikers either but the scenery is spectacular. While Kalispell is a good stopping off point, there isn't much there so 3 nts might be too much. We stayed 2 nts and felt it was 1 nt too many but we didn't fly in. I would suggest 2 nts Kalispell or Whitefish (which is more "atmospheric" than Kalispell), do the GTTS rd out of Kalispell/Whitefish and stay in St. Mary's on the east edge of the park that nt, then on to Banff. If I recall correctly, we left Kalispell about 9AM and were in St. Mary's by 4:00 after making numerous stops along the way.

The Icefields Pkwy will take most of the day if you stop to see things. You'll want to do all that on the way up bcs it sounds like you won't have time to stop anywhere on the way back. Be aware that it is mostly a 2 lane rd and you do get behind lots of campers which really slows you down. We did the glacier tour at Columbia Icefields and enjoyed it even though some might think it's a bit over-the-top touristy. How often do you get a chance to walk on a glacier??

Have a great time,
isy