Chitra

Hi,<BR><BR>My husband and I are planning a trip to the area in August (10th or so) for 10 days. Will be flying into Calgary. I'd like to stay at Lake Louise rather than Banff. Can someone tell me what the cost will be and if it is difficult to get accomodations at that time? How many days would you recommend at LL? Is there a website I can visit to find accomodations.<BR><BR>We would also like to visit Jasper Natl park. We will be driving. Are cars allowed in the park. I've also seen posings about Maligne Lake, Emerald Lake, Morraine Lake. Are all these a part of Jasper? How many days would you recommend in Jasper? (I assume we'll spend a day driving through Icefields Parkway. Would you recommend booking accomodations ahead? <BR><BR>What other areas would you recommend. I read about Kooteney. Of course everything gets rave reviews so I'm not sure if one natl park is same as another or is it worth visiting each of them?<BR><BR>Look forward to your replies.<BR><BR>Chitra

Bob Brown

I think many of your questions could be answered by a 20 minute review of a good road map. <BR> <BR>Emerald Lake is over the line in British Columbia, about 20 miles from Lake Louise, but it is within the boundaries of Yoho National Park.<BR>Moraine Lake is relatively close to Lake Louise, and can be reached by driving south from the Lake Louise area.<BR>Both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are in Banff National Park.<BR><BR>All told there are four separate parks in the mountain area between Alberta and British Columbia: Kootney, Jasper, Banff, and Yoho. There is also Mount Assiniboine, but it is reached only by trail or helicopter from either Banff on the east or Kootney on the west.<BR><BR>Motels and hotels in Lake Louise command a premium price. I doubt if you can find a motel room for under $100 US in the immediate area.<BR><BR>I would not advise that you turn up in Jasper in August without an advanced reservation. There quite a few places to stay, but there is also high demand. <BR><BR>My choice in the past has been Jasper House Bungalows or Beckers Roaring River Cabins. Both are popular and both may be well booked solid by now for August.<BR><BR>Delay no longer in finding a place to stay.<BR><BR>In terms of time, how long does it take to look at a lake? Hard to say because Lake Louise is special. I walked from the end of the lake by the hotel all the way to the end of the trail, so I needed almost all day for that one trip.<BR>By the time you visit several other places in the area, you could well use up 3 full days of sightseeing. <BR><BR>For Jasper, I think 2 days of sightseeing will take in the main attractions, so that probably means 3 nights there. <BR><BR>The Icefields Parkway is a long drive.<BR>It is 233K between Lake Louise and Jasper, which is about 145 miles.<BR>There are numerous places to stop and look. The Icefields Center is the place where there are ice coach rides onto the glacier. <BR><BR>In all, you can easily spend 10 days visiting the various attractions in the area. <BR><BR>Yes there are websites for accommodations. Sites for both Banff and Jasper national parks have links that lead you to lists of commercial accommodations.<BR>The Alberta Hotel Association has a complete list.

Chitra

Thanks Bob for your detailed reply. Yes I did get some books from the library after I posted the message and now have a better idea of what is where. I read that Yoho is very beautiful too. It is so hard to decide. We live in Michigan and see more ice than we care too. I prefer mountains and meadows and lakes. I'm not sure the Icefields will be very attractive to us. Any comments in the above?<BR><BR>Chitra

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as mentioned above, jasper, banff, lake louise are very popular in the summer. so make your reservations now. check out the national park's website for more information.

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check out the &quot;post&quot; hotel in lake louise. have a lunch at the &quot;station&quot; restaurant. it was very good.