thcr

Looking for recommendations for lodging and actvities for 2 retired adults and 2 teenagers. Our summer 2009 vacation itinery in Alberta is: Edmonton (visit the mall of course)1 night, Calgary 1 night, Banff 1 night, Lake Louise 2 nights, Jasper 1 night.

This is our first time in the area and would like to sample its best. We are interested in sightseeing, wildlife and not-too-streneous activities. Since this is part of a longer drive, we also want to do some resting.

We would like to keep our lodging costs at a minimum but are willing to splurge for something special.

A few specific questions:

Is it worth spending a night in Calgary or should we add a night in the parks?

What is the best boat tour?

Whats the best lodge for all around and value?

Thanks much,

thcr

BAK

Some of us do not think it necxessary to stay in both Banff and Lake Lousie. They are close enough to each other that one hotel will suffice, and just go visit the other place.

My preference is to stay in Banff, which is a real town with more things to do and see.

I used to live in Calagary, and think it certainly is worth an overnight visit, but then again, you could drive in from Banff and go out to Banff again in the evening.

(When I used to fly to Calgary for business from Toronto, I'd often go to Banff for dinner and then return to Calgary later the same night)

MAPS -- check your maps carefully. It's a long way from Jasper to Edmonton and you may prefer to skip Jasper entirely, or go to Jasper and return to Banff in the same day, and then drive to Edmonton on another day.

Pay attention to the back roads between the maion Calgary Edmonton highway and the mountains. There's lots to see in the foothills, but it slows down the travel.

BAK

NorthwestMale

I responded to another of your posts... and you are going to be stir-crazy along with everyone else in your vehicle if you progress at the mentioned pace.

If you're taking a driiiiiiiving vacation from (somewhere in the eastern U.S.) to Alaska... you have to go BOTH WAYS.

With that in mind, a great move would be to haul a** on the way there... so you can be as fresh as humanly possible for the desolate, over-run-with-mosquitoes areas on the Alaska highway each way.

I strongly suggest that you make your path on the way THERE more direct than it is... and then, upon arrival in Alaska, you consider the new stuff you have learned along the path, for further consideration with regard to making a path toward home.

If I were you I would enter from Saskatchewan, spend TWO NIGHTS in Edmonton (mostly for the girls, and the mall) and then the next night in Grande Prairie or Dawson Creek.

Do the Canadian Rockies on the way HOME... (and after you've seen the constant mountains enroute to, and all over Alaska, the Cdn Rockies won't entice you THAT much)

Having seen Edmonton on the way UP, you could reach Dawson Creek again on the way home, and then duck down into BC or go to Grande Prairie to Grande Cache... and then onto Jasper before driving the Icefields Parkway... Banff... and east via Calgary.

You really don't want to 'lose the enthusiasm' of everyone so early in the trip, and then grant yourself the opportunity to learn a great deal from your first trek through the area. As you'll be driving, you can collect pamphlets until you're blue in the face... and then digest them during the hours and hours and HOURS when you're driving in northern BC and the Yukon without so much as a radio signal from anywhere!

IT sure sounds like you're willing to give it the old college try for planning in advance. I have to give you credit for effort!

Bencito

Calgary is worth a visit if you like city and cultural activities. Calgary has a very good zoo, an interesting historical street (Stephen Avenue) in downtown with shopping, Calgary tower, and the Glenbow museum, which offers native artefacts of Canada. Or if you have more time, Drumheller is pretty interesting with badlands and the Royal Tyrell Museum If you are interested in dinosaurs. You may need an overnight stay to see all these things.

Edmonton has more than just the West Edmonton Mall as well, like the Alberta Legislature, Old Strathcona historic district, Fort Edmonton. It depends on your interests.

I personally found more wildlife from my drive to Jasper from Edmonton after entering the mountain area. As discussed before, this is quite a long drive (around 4.5 hours to get to Jasper town site from Edmonton).


I do think that your itinerary involves a lot of driving. I am personally a “fast” traveller and would be fine with this itinerary however, I saw your other threads driving all the way from Ontario to Alaska, and that is a long drive...

ShelliDawn

All 4 places you mentioned are worth stopping in for multiple nights. Considering your very limited time, I would say that it's not worth trying to fit them all in.

Where are you planning on entering Alberta from? It's a 1 1/2 hour drive from Calgary to Banff. It's 3 hours from Banff to Jasper, 4 hours from Jasper to Edmonton and 3 hours from Edmonton to Calgary (that's a full circle which you're not likely to do, but it gives you the all the timings). So, if you only plan on spending 1 night in each of Calgary, Edmonton and Jasper and 2 in Banff, you're really not going to be seeing those places at all but the roads between them.

Where are you hoping to do a boat tour? Alberta doesn't have any large bodies of water. The first idea that comes to mind is a Maligne Lake boat tour in Jasper Park, but with only 1 day budgeted, it'll probably be the only thing you do there.

I would suggest you pick 1 or maybe 2 places. If the mall in Edmonton is a must-see for the teenagers, then plan on spending time in that city. As mentioned above, there's lots to do there.

Depending on your route to Alaska, you may be able to visit Jasper on your way north. I honestly don't know how feasible that is since I'm not familiar with routes to Alaska.

LindainOhio

How long do you have for this trip? I see you are coming from Niagara Falls. I love to drive but this trip has way too much driving--and with 2 teenagers. I think you may want to reconsider your plans. Alaska itself is huge and involves lots of driving.

I do not see how you could rest with the schedule you have on this Alberta portion. I would spend the whole time in Banff or Lake Louise--even though I love Jasper. The drive from Lake Louise to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway takes pretty much all day unless you don't stop along the way--and you really wouldn't want to miss the fabulous stops on this drive.

Have you considered flying into Anchorage or Calgary and then doing a driving tour of just the Canadian Rockies or just Alaska? I could spend 2 weeks at either of these places. I haven't been to Alaska but would love to if we could get 2 weeks away. I know airfares are quite pricey.

We found lodging to also be expensive. Lake Louise has limited lodging options--but we prefer to stay there in the summer. The most affordable option is the hostel that gets good reviews in the summer. In the winter, the ski bums take it over and I see it is not recommended then for families. Your other affordable options would be in Banff/Canmore. In Lake Louise, Baker Creek is very nice. We have stayed there and at Paradise Lodge, which is also very nice. Do a search on www.kayak.com to get an idea of pricing.

Rather than a boat tour, I would plan on hiking--the area is a hiker's paradise. There are hikes in the area for every ability. One boat trip visitors do take is on Maligne Lake in Jasper--they go out to Spirit island. We have never done it. There are canoes, kayaks and white water rafting also available.

Sounds like you are planning a wonderful adventure. Alaska is also very expensive, so brace up for an expensive trip.

Have fun planning. Will be interested to see your final itinerary.

mat54

Just a couple of thoughts. I'm not big on malls but I realize teenagers often are. However an alternative if they have any interest enroute to Calgary is the Dinosaur Provincial Park area and the very excellent Royal Tyrell Museum of Paleontology. Another option instead of 1 night each in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper is to spend all 3 in the Banff area and do daytrips. The town of Jasper would be a rather long daytrip, but you can drive part way, and into Jasper National Park, along the Icefields Parkway, which is a "must do" anyway. It was once suggested to me to investigate the community of Canmore just outside Banff NP for accommodation alternatives to Banff, which as noted can be expensive.

almcd

Have you really figured out the distances you will be covering and have you sat down with these teenage girls and told them how many days they will be sitting in the car? Personally, I think you are nuts to attempt it, but I shall look forward to your report of the trip after the event, provided your mental health is up to it.

limazulu

Hello,

What about taking the train to Calgary from Ontario? I would fly from Alberta to Alaska - that is a long, rough, rugged, remote trip and it isn't 75 miles per hour on the interstate. It is a 3 hour flight from Vancouver to Anchorage. You might take the train from Ontario to Vancouver, stopping for a few days in Calgary and Banff/Lake Louise and continuing on to Vancouver to take an Inside Passage cruise. You would be able to visit Alberta, but it still see the amazing beauty without the rigorous trip.

Edmonton and Jasper are wonderful places, and I've spent many fun days playing all over Edmonton - love Ft. Edmonton Park. The West Edmonton Mall is really just like any other mall, except bigger and has a waterpark and ice rink. But, Calgary is great with all of the dinosaur stuff and the Old West history. I'd spend 2 days in Calgary, 3-4 days in Banff and Lake Louise (really only about an hour trip by car) to hike or cycle and look around Banff, have lunch at the Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau Lake Louise.

You have a great idea for this trip, so let us know what you decide to do.

Best Regards,
Julia

ShelliDawn

limazulu

There are no passenger trains that go from Ontaria to Calgary, only to Edmonton (and on to Jasper/Vancouver). The Rocky Mountaineer goes from Calgary to Vancouver, but it is an expensive tourist train.

210

Don't be discouraged by some comments. We traveled from Northeast across the country to Bellingham, WA where took the Alaska ferry. Stopped on the way in few places for 3-4 days, then drove from Haines to Valdez, took the fast ferry to Whittier. Drove to Homer. Spent some time in Camp Denali in Denali NP, then in the Arctic. Drove Alaska Highway and back Northeast. It took us 10 weeks to cover all these places and didn't have any kids with us. We had a fantastic trip. I would do it again in a heartbeat. There are some posts on driving Alaska Highway on tripadvisor forum

Tootsall

If you are driving then I'll make a guess that you are going through from Great Falls to Calgary in at least one of your directions. That being the case, why not check out Waterton National Park which is just on the north edge of Glacier National Park in the US? (In fact they are known as "Peace Parks" being co-joined).

You'll find Waterton a LOT less crowded than Banff, a LOT less expensive, and just as full of wildlife. For a boat tour, the return trip from the Waterton townsite to the Goat Haunt (back into the US!) is quite remarkable.