Kathy

My husband and I are thinking of visiting the canadian rockies in the last week of june. I was thinking of splitting time between Banff area and Jasper and spend around 3 days at each place. <BR><BR>I am having trouble deciding on whether to stay at Banff or Canmore or maybe even Lake Louise. I am essentially looking for reasonably low priced accomodation (basic, nice and clean) since we will be spending most of the day outside. Since Banff is known to be very touristy and expensive, would Canmore be better? Would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Bob Brown

I think Canmore would be less expensive than Banff. Canmore has many Bed and Breakfast establishments in addition to regular commercial motels.<BR><BR>If you look at the Travel Alberta web site you might find some information to help you. In the past, I have acquired a copy of the Alberta Accommodations Guide. It lists hundreds of places to stay overnight in Alberta. <BR><BR>Lake Louise is an expensive place. Even 2 star motels are more thawn $100 US a night. <BR><BR>The problem with staying in Canmore is the distance to the major attractions.<BR><BR>In Jasper, look for &quot;Parks Approved&quot; accommodations. These vary in quality because they are rooms in people's homes, but they are normally cheaper than the commercial establishments.<BR><BR>I have used both &quot;Parks Approved&quot; accommodations and commercial estabishments in Jasper. I prefer the normal commercial estabishments, but the price definitely favors the home stays.<BR>

Kathy

Thanks for the feedback. I was wondering how far the main attractions (in the Banff national park are) would be from Canmore (in terms of driving time). Also, if we stay in Canmore instead of Banff, would we have to pay the park entrance fee everyday? Thanks in advance.

Terry

As a Calgarian, I can vouch for the fact that it is much cheaper to stay in Canmore than it is in Banff, although you won't find high-end accommodations in Canmore such as the Rimrock Resort or the Banff Springs. There are nice middle-of-the-road accommodations in Canmore such as the Radisson, the Sheraton Four Points and a couple of decent Best Westerns (the Green Gables and the Pocaterra). I would think that in June, you are probably looking at about $90-100 per night at any of the above.<BR><BR>The downside to staying in Canmore is that you will have to pay park admission to go into Banff, which I believe is now $6 or $7 dollars per person per day (not sure, as I buy a yearly pass).<BR><BR>Finally, I wouldn't worry about the distance from Canmore to Banff. Canmore to the Banff Park entrance is about a five minute drive, and to Main Street Banff is another fifteen minutes on top of that.<BR><BR>

Kathy

I came across this B&amp;B in Canmore, and was wondering if any of you have stayed there. The place is called Rocky Mountain Grotto. I could not find any reviews on the net.

rita

Terry, your posting is misleading. You make it sound like visitors have to pay the Park fee because they are staying in Canmore -- and that they wouldn't have to pay this fee if they were to stay in the National Park.<BR><BR>Not so, every visitor to the National Park has to pay the fee . . . regardless of where they are staying. You can purchase a pass at the Park gate as you enter the park. There are a variety of different passes for numerous needs. <BR><BR>I just wanted to clarify the &quot;fee&quot; for Kathy and any others who may missunderstand your post.

rita

Kathy, Canmore is about a 15 minute drive from the Banff townsite. It is about a 45 minute drive from Canmore to Lake Louise (all times are dependant on traffic).<BR><BR>You purchase a Park Pass the first time you enter the National Park. In your case you will buy it at the Park Gate located on the Trans Canada Highway. The gate is about 1 km west of Canmore on your way into Banff. Parks Canada have a multitude of passes to choose from; everything from single day, to a family rate, to a multi day, through to a year pass. In your case you would purchase a multi-day pass that will cover the duration of your stay.<BR><BR>Subsequent trips through the park gate will be quick . . . as you will take the through lane for visitors who have a pass.<BR><BR>I hope this helps.

Kathy

Thanks for all your replies. They were very helpful. I am thinking of making reservations at the drake inn in Canmore. I saw someone had mentioned that place in another mail. Please let me know if any of you have stayed there. Thanks!

James

Try this website for all your areas requested.<BR>http://www.discovercanmore.com/

Bob Brown

I was in Jasper, Banff, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Kootney, Yoho, and Waterton Parks last year. <BR><BR>Where you stay at night really does not matter because there is a charge for each daily use of park facilities. If you are within the park boundaries on 3 separate days AND you use the facilities, you owe for 3 days regardless of where you sleep. So if you spent 3 nights as Lake Louise Village and took a walk on park property each day, you need a 3 day pass. If you stay in Canmore and walk on park property 3 separate days, you need the same 3 day pass. <BR><BR>We figured out at the first park gate that we planned to visit the parks long enough that the annual pass was a breakeven deal. That way we did not have to worry about expired daily passes. <BR><BR>At some parks, we even had a special gate to enter that was reserved for annual pass holders. The pass itself was like a parking gate key card. Drive up to the gate, insert the key in the control mechanism, let the gate open, and drive on in. Non key card holders had to sit in line and be processed in, and sometimes the line was non trivial.<BR><BR>

Kathy

Thanks for the feedback about the parks and the passes, I really appreciate it. I just made tentative reservations in Drake inn in Canmore and Patricia Lake bungalows in jasper.

Maurice

You DO have to buy a part pass. When you get to the gate (just before Banff on the Highway) they will ask whether you are driving straight through or visiting the park,<BR><BR>Even if you stay in Banff, you have to have a pass valid for every day you meander through the park. I think it was $10Can ($6.66 US) per vehicle per day. AT a certain point a long-term pass would be cheaper.<BR><BR>I do recall one day they had rangers posted on the road off the highway to Sunshine ski resort. They were probably handing out tickets to those without passes... The do check from time to time.<BR>

Jonathan Wolk

the best place to stay in canmore is a bed and breakfast called a bear and bison inn. they have a website. the owners lonny and fiona middletown are great. the food is to die for lonny is a world class chef and there b&amp; b is brand new. go to their website www.bearandbisoninn.com i think that is it. you won't be dissapppointed. good luck. jon

every999

Thanks for your suggestion Jonathan. The place looks really pretty. The only problem is, their lowest rate in June is 170 USD, and I don't think I can ever convince my husband to spend that much Thanks though... maybe we can go there the next time.<BR><BR>Kathy