going to Glacier park
 

We are thinking of going with a baby to Glacier park around September 24 after travlling the Canadian Rockys. Is it a good time to travel the park? How can we transport from Canada to glacier since it is impossible to drive a rental car across the border?

I don't know if September 24 would be a good time to travel in Glacier National Park. I thought the Going to the Sun Road got iffy after the middle of September or so. If you don't get a good answer to this question here, you might repeat it on the United States forum (if you haven't already done so).

Several car rental companies allow you to take their cars across the border provided you will be returning them to the country of origin.

(If you do that, be sure that you rental agreement has a notation on it to the effect that the company authorizes you to take the car across the border. This is something that border officials may ask to see.)

If you want to travel in one direction and if your trip will have you going through a larger city, like Salt Lake City or some such place, it often is possible to do a one-way drop off of a rental car.

However, if you are travelling in one direction and are ending your trip in a small town or relatively small city, very few rental companies will allow you to do a cross-border one-way drop off. Even if a company does allow it, the one-way drop off fee is so steep that you have to sell a kidney to raise the money.

Here's the good news. On another travel discussion forum I recently read of a reliable company that provides a shuttle service between Montana and Canada. In this particular instance, I think the traveller who posted the report was travelling from Kalispell, Montana to Cranbrook, British Columbia. They recommended <b>Flathead Glacier Transportation</b> at 406-892-3390. They said service was excellent, and the price was reasonable.

Unfortunately the same traveller had a very negative experience with a Canadian shuttle company called Mountain Perks. Not only was service abysmal, according to that traveller, but the price was considerably higher than Flathead Glacier Transportation's price.

Hope that helps.

To Judy in Calgary
Thank for the detailed answer. It seems we won't get to Glacier Park after all due to the construction that will take place at the park. instead, Do you have any recomendations as to places of intrest between Banff and Vancouver?

&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;Do you have any recomendations as to places of intrest between Banff and Vancouver?&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;

It depends how much time you have, sharonsh.

If time permits, you could go south to Waterton Lakes National Park. That park is in the southwestern corner of Alberta (the province in which Banff also is located). Although the park is on the Canadian side of the border, it borders on Montana's Glacier National Park. Waterton sees fewer tourists than Banff, and you have a much better chance of viewing wildlife there.

The drive from Banff to Waterton is pretty. In fact it would be absolutely glorious if you were lucky enough to get a sunny, crisp fall day around September 24th. The yellows and golds in Kananaskis Country would take your breath away.

The most attractive route is south on Hwy #40, through Kananaskis Country. In the vicinity of the beautiful Highwood Pass, the road veers east and goes to the small town of Longview. There you turn south on Hwy #22 (a.k.a. the Cowboy Trail). It goes through the eastern foothills of the Rockies. Then you go through the small town of Pincher Creek and on to Waterton.

After you're done with Waterton, you could travel the Crowsnest Highway (Hwy #3) to Vancouver. This is a winding highway that goes uphill and downhill till it gets to the coast. It is a cute route to travel, in that it is less busy than the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1).

A town that may be of interest, albeit it would involve a slight detour from Hwy #3, is Nelson. It's a cute, artsy little town on a lake.

Further along you'll reach Osoyoos, which is the most southerly town of the Okanagan Valley. That is a long, narrow valley that has a lake running down the middle of it. It is a fruit growing and wine producing region. Some time in September they have a wine festival, which is fun.

If you travel from Waterton to Vancouver via Hwy #3, you should take <b>at least</b> three days to do that journey. Nelson and Osoyoos (or somewhere else in the Okanagan Valley) would be suitable overnight stops. What I mean is that those stops would break the journey into roughly equal thirds in terms of driving time and distance. Anything quicker would feel rushed.

Although Waterton is really pretty, and I highly recommend it, you could cut it out of your itinerary if you lack the time for it. In that case you could drive down the west side of the Canadian Rockies to pick up Hwy #3. If you chose that option, you could drive south through Radium and Invermere to meet Hwy #3 at Cranbrook, and then go west from there.

Thank you so much Judy. You left us with a lot to think about...Sharon