lovetotravel27

I wonder if one week is enough to see the highlights of the area. We are planning to fly to Calgary and back in the miffle of July. I hope it's a good time. Can it get very rainy? Is there a better time to avoid many rains?

What would be the itenerary?

Thanks!

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>I wonder if one week is enough to see the highlights of the area.<<<<<<

Although you would need to move at a fairly steady pace, you could see the main highlights of the area in a week.

>>>>>>We are planning to fly to Calgary and back in the miffle of July. I hope it's a good time.<<<<<<

It’s a good time from a weather point of view. However, July and August are the busiest months from a tourism point of view. You can avoid the worst of the crowds, but still see the mountain lakes at their turquoise best, if you visit the area during the latter half of June or any time in September.

The western-themed festival known as the Calgary Stampede will last from July 7th to 16th, 2007. It draws people not only to Calgary itself but also to the Canadian Rockies, since many visitors combine the two things.

But don’t let talk of the tourist crowds put you off if you are forced to travel in July. Most visitors only stop at the most popular scenic lookout points in the mountains. All you have to do to separate yourselves from them is walk a few yards. I’m not kidding. It’s amazing how many people you get rid of if you walk 20 or 50 or 100 yards.

>>>>>>Can it get very rainy?<<<<<<

It depends what you mean by "very rainy." The mountains do not get torrential downpours like the southern states of the USA get. We lived in Houston for 18 months, and my goodness we experienced some downpours there. Another time we were driving from Florida to South Carolina when we encountered such a strong downpour that the windshield wipers couldn’t keep up, and my husband had to pull off to the side of the road till the rain had subsided a little.

The rains in the Canadian Rockies are very gentle compared with that. But it can rain and turn surprisingly cool at ANY TIME. Although the average daytime high is 70 deg F in July, the temperature CAN get as high as 90 deg F, and it also CAN dip down to the freezing mark in July. For that reason, you should read the WHAT TO PACK page of my website:

http://tinyurl.com/npoh2

>>>>>>Is there a better time to avoid many rains?<<<<<<

June is the rainiest month. Even it usually is not very rainy compared with most other places. June 2005 was much rainier than normal, and there were 1-in-200 year floods downstream from the mountains (in Calgary and the surrounding towns). But there were no floods in the mountains themselves.

>>>>>>What would be the itenerary?<<<<<<

My website has a 7-day itinerary that starts in Edmonton and ends in Calgary. It easily could be adapted to start and end in Calgary if you preferred:

http://tinyurl.com/yy9kw5

There is loads more information on my website. Also, the Destinations section of the Fodor’s website has excellent information. The link to the Destinations section is near the top left hand corner of the Fodor’s screen.

brookwood

Yes, you can do it,but you need to plan carefully. Not much slack time.
By a week, do you mean 7 days in total, or 9 days by sandwiching in two weekends?

As for rain, who knows? July probably has the best weather, but will it rain where you are on July 12?

I think you need to do some more study about the attractions of the area and pick out what you like to see.

Do you hike? Do you want to see the best sights? If yes, then you need to walk some to see them.

I don't have confidence in my own ability to tell other people what to go and see, but the Rockies feature snow on the peaks, water falls, lakes, and wild animals. Outside of Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway, the Angel Glacier, and a few other places you need to know what you would like.

I can recommend a lot of places, but I would rather know your priorities. After 7 trips out there of better than a week each, I know what I like. But, do others share my values?

lovetotravel27

Thanks for your input!

We will have 7.5 days there. If we start and end in Calgary where shall we book 8 nights? The first has to be in Calgary as we fly in very late. Hotels can be very simple, but have to be not too noisy and decent location, not too far from main highlights.

Shall we stay around Louise lake or in Banff as a base? How many days in Jasper? Are there more highlights around Banff, lake or Jasper?

Which NP we will have time to visit? It doesn't have to be all of them.

We love nature (wild life is a plus) and can hike up to 2hr at a time, if it's not steep.

Thanks again! We need to book very soon...

TAW

Try to get at least 3 nights in Jasper. From Banff you can drive to Lake Louise - about an hour away if no road construction or traffic.
Read everything you can that 'Judy in Calgary' has on this website - she has a wealth of info that she shares. It's a spectacular area to visit. Have a great trip!

Judy_in_Calgary

>>>>>>We will have 7.5 days there. If we start and end in Calgary where shall we book 8 nights?<<<<<<

I am confused. If Day 1 is your arrival day, on which day will you fly out? At approximately what time will you be taking off on the day on which you fly home?

>>>>>>The first has to be in Calgary as we fly in very late.<<<<<<

Okay.

>>>>>>Hotels can be very simple, but have to be not too noisy and decent location, not too far from main highlights.<<<<<<

I don't understand what you mean by "main highlights." Do you mean that you want to be near a main road that will take you out to Banff the next morning and near restaurants at which you can have breakfast? Or do you mean that you want to be in the downtown core, near places like the Calgary Tower, the Devonian Gardens and the Glenbow Museum?

Since you have such a short time to visit the area, I suggest you devote every available minute to the mountains. If your trip was going to be longer, I would suggest you spend some time in Calgary. As it is, I recommend that you use Calgary only as an exit and entry point. If you arrive late at night, though, you pretty much have to spend that night in Calgary.

>>>>>>Shall we stay around Louise lake or in Banff as a base?<<<<<<

Since you like wildlife, I think you would prefer the Lake Louise area. Lake Louise is a small village, with only a handful of hotels in the area.

Banff is a larger resort town with lots of hotels, restaurants, shops, and a few museums. If you like shopping and want to have a large selection of restaurants, Banff is the place for you.

Budget considerations sometimes force people to stay in Banff or the nearby town of Canmore rather than Lake Louise. If your budget can stand Lake Louise and if, as you say, you like wildlife, it sounds to me as if you'd be the sort of folks who would like Lake Louise.

But either place is beautiful. And, as TAW said, Banff and Lake Louise are close enough to each other that one can serve as a base for seeing the other.

>>>>>>How many days in Jasper?<<<<<<

In my opinion you need an absolute minimum of 2 nights, but 3 nights would be better.

>>>>>>Are there more highlights around Banff, lake or Jasper?<<<<<<

Jasper has some gorgeous scenery, but the Lake Louise area is endowed with more beautiful lakes, IMO. To my taste, the turquoise lakes are the frosting on the cake. I recommend spending 60% of your time in the Banff - Lake Louise area and 40% of your time in Jasper.

>>>>>>Which NP we will have time to visit?<<<<<<

Banff townsite and Lake Louise are located in Banff National Park, so by going to those places you automatically will be seeing Banff National Park. From your Banff - Lake Louise base, you probably will be able to visit nearby Yoho National Park. Jasper is located in Jasper National Park.

There are four mountain national parks that are contiguous with each other : Banff, Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper. At a minimum, you'll be able to see Banff, Yoho and Jasper National Parks. It most probably will not be feasible to include Kootenay National Park, but I'll be able to provide a more definitive answer when I understand exactly how much time you'll have in the area.

>>>>>>We need to book very soon.<<<<<<

If you'll be in Calgary during Stampede, there would be merit in making your reservations in January 2007. As far as your Banff / Lake Louise and Jasper reservations are concerned, you're still okay booking in March. Even April is not too bad, although choices are starting to get a little thinner by then. If you leave it till May or June to make reservations in Jasper and Lake Louise, it'll be a zoo. (Banff and Canmore are more forgiving than Jasper and Lake Louise are.)

bob_brown

I prefer to stay on the northeast side of Calgary at the Greenwood Inn to be exact.
From Calgary the route to Jasper leads through Banff unless you want to make a loop via Edmonton.

One of the problems you have is the absence of overnight accommodations along the Icefields Parkway. I can use up a whole day on the parkway, particularly if I stop at the Icefields Parkway Center and take the ice coach onto the Athabasca Glacier. It is an experience the first time that I think a visitor should experience.

Essentially you have 7 days if you spend the first night in Calgary, and probably you will be back in Calgary for the last night.

Fortunately, the hotels in the northeastern quadrant of the city are most convenient to the aiport.

Banff has the most motels and hotels while Lake Louise and the surrounding area has the most attractive sights.

Right around Lake Louise you will find several attactions other than Lake Louise itself and Moraine Lake. The others include Johnston Canyon (parking often scarce), the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail from the eastern end of the lake, Takkakaw Falls in Yoho just over the line in British Columbia, Kicking Horse Pass, which is the line, Emerald Lake, and perhaps a trip over Vemillion Pass to Kootenay Park for a look at Marble Canyon.

The trip north along the Parkway takes you past many places to visit. These include Bow Lake, Mistaya Canyon, Peyto Lake, the Icefields Center, Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls, numerous viewpoints, and some short off road hikes like Parker Ridge (if open) and the Falls of Beauty Creek.

Jasper for me offers only a few places of note: the Angel Glacier and Mount Edith Cavell, the Whistler (ascended by a Swiss type cable lift), possibly Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon, and Mt.Robson Provincial park in BC.

On a clear day, Robson looms huge over the Kinney Lake view point, some 8,000 vertical feet above you.

My favorite spots take some planning and effort to reach and involve steep trails, which probably puts them out of your range. Farview summit is reached by a scramble and it is a test of leg stength, but the view of the Victoria ridge and the glacier is unmatched.

MarinaGirl

Just a quick fyi - Marble Canyon is still closed from the fires a few years ago (which is too bad, because it is such a lovely spot).

Pookerpug

We are going in the middle of July too. How exciting. I'm glad you posted this message because I was looking for the same information. We arrive in Calgary July 14th -- what about you?