Dear All - I have searched but haven't been able to quite find what I am asking - Am a little confused about all the different lodges, etc and need to book some ressies...
We are planning a trip in mid-July, prob flying into Kalispell. We will hike (3-6 miles, not full day hikes) and take lots of pics (husband's hobby). I was thinking we'd probably want 4-5 nights around Glacier, Waterton area but not sure the best way to split it up between the lodges and then drive up to Banff, Lake Louise and possibly up to Jasper - not sure about staying up there....Can you help get me started? Thanks much!

Glacier is big, Waterton quite a bit smaller, while Banff and Jasper are HUGE! Definitely, you have to get all the way up to Jasper, following the Icefields Parkway. A lot to cover in 10 days, so 5 nights in Waterton/Glacier might shortchange the other 2 places, where, in my view, the photographic possibilities are somewhat endless. Going to the Sun Road in Glacier is spectacular, lots of photo-ops there. Waterton has several places with spectacular views, and take the boat trip on Waterton Lake. As for Banff area, definitely go to Moraine Lake (my favorite!), and you could do the Larch Valley hike. Also, do the Johnston Canyon hike (along a deeply eroded river, rather than having mountain views), and Lake Louise has several hiking trails around it. There is an outlook of Peyto Lake that shouldn't be missed, the walk is only 1/4 mile from the parking lot. The Parker Ridge Trail near Columbia Icefields is a great little hike. There are lots of other varied hiking trails in all the parks. There are also many beautiful viewpoints, all along the way, plus we always see wildlife (mostly early and late in the day), e.g. elk, deer, bighorns, the odd mountain goat, moose, and occasionally a bear or wolf. Near Jasper, drive to Maligne Lake, and take the boat tour. Also, drive right up to the base of Mt. Edith Cavell, a very popular photo spot. While you are near Lake Louise, head over into Yoho Park, and see Emerald Lake, and even hike around it. Also see Takakkaw Falls, a short hike from the parking lot. Maybe bypass Kootenay Park, this trip, given your time constraints. As for places to stay, there are many, perhaps you could stay 2-3 nights in Banff, 2 around Jasper, and 1 somewhere in between. This hopefully, will help you figure out some of the basics. Enjoy your trip to the spectacular Rockies!

If the 10 days includes your flights, meaning you really only have 8 days, I would concentrate on the Canadian Rockies. Fly into and out of Calgary. Besides Banff and Jasper, don't skip Yoho National Park (it's adjacent to Banff). Make a reservation (exactly 3 months in advance--look on the park's website) for the Lake O'Hara bus--the lake is an easy hike, and it's right on the other side of Lake Louise. So at Louise you have huge parking lots, tour buses spewing exhaust, mobs of people, etc, but right on the other side at Lake O'Hara you have equally beautiful, pristine scenery, few people, and wildlife.

If you have 10 whole days, I'd do 3 nights/2 days in Glacier and the rest split equally between Banff, Jasper and Yoho. Skip Waterton. I love Glacier, I think it's one of the prettiest national parks in the US, but it's the southern tip of the Northern Rockies. So it's a little big of the scenery that you find goes on for hundreds more miles in Canada.

There's a GREAT hiking book called Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies. There are plenty of hikes in your range in the book. I'd think it would be really valuable for a photographer--it helped steer us away from the overcrowded hikes, and sent us on drop dead gorgeous hikes where we saw lots of wildlife and few people.

That should be "little BIT of the scenery..."

christy1, Lake O'Hara was supposed to be a "secret", known only to the fortunate few .... now EVERYONE will find out about it, and ruin it!!!!

Since you only have 10 days, I would also fly into Calgary and visit the Canadian Rockies. I have a 7 day trip report listed on this forum from Sept. 2008. That was our third trip to the area and we could have easily spent 2 weeks there.

It is a shame to miss Glacier but you will be more than happy visiting Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. It is a day hikers' paradise.

The Brian Patton Canadian Rockies Trail Guide is another good hiking book.

Thanks so much for all the help -we are looking at putting most of our time into the Canadian side based upon the input we have been getting....where would you recommend staying in Jasper and/or the west side between Jasper and Kalispell?

Mid-July is high season in the Rockies - hotels tend to be expensive ($200+, although there are a few of the cabin resorts with more basic accommodations at a bit less than that). For a more economical alternative, you might consider private home accommodations or B&B - rooms or suites in residents' homes; these are listed at www.stayinjasper.com . All accommodation options for Jasper can be found listed at Jasper Tourism's website: www.jaspercanadianrockies.com , and for Banff and Lake Louise, they are at www.banfflakelouise.com .

Ooops, should have edited before I posted - what I meant was that hotels IN JASPER tend to start at about $200 - Banff is a bit bigger and has more accommodation choices, and more at the budget end of the spectrum.

With your routing I would consider flying into Kalispel and taking the Going To The Sun road to Waterton. Plan on that being a long day... you won't be moving quickly on the GTS road because of a) traffic and b) photo ops. Stay one or two nights in Wateton and then drive north via "Pincher Creek" and highway #22 to the Trans Canada (#1) into Banff. Split the balance of your time between Banff and Jasper with maybe a side-trip to Yoho.

Thanks for all the info - right now we have ressies in Glacier at Lake McDonald, Many Glacier Hotel and Prince of Wales - are looking at 1 night in Banff, 3 in Lake Louise (how is the Paradise Lodge), 2 in Jasper (your comments do explain the $200+ rooms at the Best Western) and a night on the western side between Jasper and Kalispell - any suggestions on where to split that drive?

We had the cheapest cottage at Paradise Lodge--the 3 nt hiker special and loved it there. Very nice continental breakfast included. If you want to spend extra the cottages with the decks that look out to the mountains look wonderful. Banff and Lake Louise are very close to each other so you could spend the whole time at one location and visit the other. The hikes we like are closer to Lake Louise so we usually choose to stay there.
Also love Emerald Lake Lodge in Yoho--stayed there when we couldn't get last minute reservations in LL.

In Jasper, we have stayed at Patricia Lake in the cheaper 1 br cottages. They were very clean. We enjoyed the location outside of town. We have also stayed at Beckers--nice location on the river right before you reach Jasper. My first choice would be Alpine village but they require a 3 nt stay.
There are many very nice homes with room available to rent in Jasper. I wouldn't hesitate to stay at one of those.