Possibly Banff
 

My wife and I may be in the area with a few other people during the last half of July and the suggestion of spending 2-3 days in Banff has come up.

Some are not hikers and have little interest in doing so but for some reason are interested in the scenery. Sounds almost contradictory to me.

Is it possible to enjoy the famous scenery without doing more than several half hour walks?

You can see a lot just driving and making half hour hikes.When visiting Lake Louise dont forget to drive a bit further to lake Moraine.Much nicer.A lake surrounded by 10 mountain peaks.Paul

Goodness gracious - YES!

Sulphur Mountain Gondola is a short walk to the edge of town. Bow Falls are a nice short walk from the centre of town. You can either see them from the east side of the river from a road, or from the west side via the Banff Springs Hotel.

You won't have to do much hiking for the scenery. You will be IN the scenery!!! Many of the viewpoints are a short walk indeed.

i'm in banff now and as has been noted, the amount of gorgeous scenery you can see with little to no effort is truly astonishing.

there are also a number of short walks (1 km or so each way) to even better scenery, such as the lakeshore path at moraine lake.

We're trying to decide between three or four days and whether we can stay in Banff and drive around or spend two night in Banfff and one or two in Lake Louise.

Obviously staying in one place is easier but how much of a disadvantage?

How long a drive to Lake Louise area?

Thanks. A big help.

Banff is not in the mountains. It is south of the park, and you would have to go driving into it daily. Lake Louise is right there in the middle of things. I would definitely suggest you stay at Lake Louise. It is gorgeous and a very good base for other outings.

Orcas - Banff is most definitely "in the mountains" and, not surprisingly, it is also "in" Banff National Park. "in". I don't know where you are getting your information - are you thinking of Canmore? Even that is "in the mountains" but it is a few miles south of the park gates.

You are really off base on that response. Try an image search or Google maps and switch to satellite view.

We have just returned from spending two nights in Banff and two nights in Jasper. The setting of the Banff Springs Hotel is spectacular and is a 15 minute walk from town of Banff. We are not hikers but found enough sightseeing to keep us busy for two days. Lake Louise is about a 40 minute drive away but we are glad we did not stay there. The Lake is stunning but we didn't think there was enough for us to do. From there we drove to Jasper about 3 hours away on the Icefield Parkway. As NWWanderer said, the gorgeous scenery is astonishing. One thing that surprised us was there is a Park fee of $9.00 per person per day, less if you are a senior, even if you are staying at a hotel and not doing any hiking or camping. You have to drive through the Park gates to get to the hotels or Icefield Parkway. Small price to pay to enjoy the beauty of the Rockies.

Sorry Myer - I got so thrown off by Orcas response I didn't answer your question.

Lake Louise is about 45-40 minutes of easy driving - all highway except for a little bit of approach to Lake Louise.

Banff is a "town".with much more to do than Lake Louise - shopping, etc.., but that means it is more developed. You will find many more accommodation options in Banff, but Lake Louise

Orcas, have a look at this Banff webcam - it's right in the town of Banff and there are definitely mountains visible.
http://www.bestofbanff.com/webcam/

I have stayed at both Lake Louise and Banff and much preferred Lake Louise. (We stayed at Deer Lodge at L. Louise.) Lake Louise is more central in the park and right in the mountains. The lake is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides with a glacier right in your face, reflected on the lake. Look for images of Lake Louise on the internet and compare them with images of the town of Banff, and the difference will be obvious.

Also, look at a map of the park. Lake Louise is in the middle and much closer to other sites (beautiful lakes and steep mountains, plus the glaciers along the icefields parkway). Banff is on the southern end. I didn't realize it was in the park because it is just a town, a tourist town. You will be driving by Lake Louise nearly every day, if you stay in Banff and want to see the park.

It is really a matter of choice. If you want to be in a town with lots of shops and restaurants, then Banff would be a good choice. If you want to see the sites and be in the mountains, then Lake Louise is a better choice.

The OP can see for herself by googling the word "Banff" and clicking on "Images" -- on the second page, there's a picture of downtown Banff that clarifies Banff's relationship to the mountains. Likewise Lake Louise.

I can see where banff and Lake Louise are situated. They both seem to have their good points.

This trip is getting more complicated as time goes on. Actually, maybe it's getting less complicated.

It appears I'll be going with my wife (two of us alone). We do a lot of walking on our trips but she doesn't view herself as a hiker. I guess the difference is changes in elevation and distance/time between other things.

I imagine in banff when she's had enough of the walking I could leave her to explore the town while I do something longer.

Lake Louise might be an issue as we can stop to view sights and do relatively short walks. But I get the feeling Lake Louise isn't much of a town.

The remainder of the trip is also causing issues. This started as a Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle trip. Then Banff got dropped in.

I'm trying to do most of the flying on air miles. American Airlines is doing their best to get my miles back as cheaply as possible and I'll trying to use them efficiently.

I see no reason to use double the miles and fly first class on a domestic flight of only a few hours.

My original plan was to fly from Calgary to vancouver and make our way to Victoria and Seattle and fly home to Ft Lauderdale.

The best I can do on American is to fly back from Vancouver to Miami (actually a better arrival time of 8PM vs 11:10PM).

We could fly from Calgary to Seattle but that's almost double the price as to Vancouver.

I'm tempted to drop Seattle and see if we can use the extra days we have in or around Vancouver/Victoria.

Maybe we'll get adventurous (not like us) and drive from Banff to Vancouver.

Anybody know what the drive is like. I don't like hanging over cliffs. Is the drive worth the effort. Good stops along the way. Scenic, etc.

Thanks. This info is very helpful.

<<<But I get the feeling Lake Louise isn't much of a town>>>.

Lake Louise doesn't have a town so to speak. It has some commercial venues, but they're scattered about ---- there's no main street or concentrated commercial area like there is in Banff.

I know the problem getting decent ff mileage. We use United miles a lot and it becoming a bigger and bigger challenge - different miles, different phone calls, different days. Very difficult. My plans flex with available routing, to a point. I've even supplemented wtih paying for legs of trips to make things work (like I could NOT spend 9 hrs in LAX, as my ff miles scheduled me. I sprung for a couple hundred bucks to escape as quickly as possible).

There are lots of "walks" in Banff that I would not call hikes -lots of paths, incluing to the Tea House at L. Louise - a fabulous walk.

We drove between Vancouver and Banff and it was an interesting drive. We went through the Frasier River valley. While you drive along the canyon, I don't recall it being scary - only scenic. It is a long day drive, if I recall.

Vancouver is great and is worth the time, so you might save Seattle for another trip. There are easily accessible islands, as well as Victoria. You can't go wrong with making it an all Canadian vacation.

I definitely wouldn't do the drive in a day.

If it's a matter of getting the drive out of the way, then we'd fly.

If we can make it part of the trip with scenery and a few interesting stops, then maybe.

Orcas - that is a pretty weak attempt at defending a gross misdirection of the reality.

For your information, the "Lake Louise" you are describing is the physical "lake", not the town. There are 3 or 4 hotels/lodges up there and nothing else. It is not the town, which is 2-3 miles away. There is nothing to do at the actual lake but sit, hike, or canoe and the OP wasn't looking for that.

The Lake Louise town site isn't much of a town as sf7307 points out. It's not much more than some chalets and lodges a few stores.

Aramis, Wow! What is your problem? What are you talking about? Did you even read my post? With your attitude, you should be posting in the lounge where people enjoy taking pot shots at each other and being rude, not on the actual travel area of the website where we try to help each other make choices.

I was never referring to a town called "Lake Louise." I was talking about the lake. I said we stayed at Deer Lodge. It is right behind the Chateau Lake Louise, which is right on Lake Louise. It is right near the lake. It is not in a town. I said I did not like staying in the town of Banff - that I preferred staying at Lake Louise. I said I was not interested in shopping or restaurants, but in seeing the sites. Now expain to me what your problem is and why you think I was referring to the town of Lake Louise. We didn't even go to a town called "Lake Louise" while we were there, or if we did, we did not notice it and just passed through. We stayed at LAKE LOUISE, which is the lake close to which Deer Lodge is located. Gross misdirection of reality indeed. Go have a drink. I think I will. This is why I left the lounge.

Orcas, in aramis' defense, you have to admit that saying that Banff is not in the mountains was at least a stretch :-)

I did not think your post was too helpful because it was not accurate.

This makes you need to take a drink to calm down?

When it's everyone else - it's you.

The village/hamlet of Lake Louise is located at about 5000 feet elevation (Banff is at about 4500ft, further down the Bow River valley) at the confluence of the Bow River and the Pipestone River. From the village, you drive about 2 or 3 km, and up about 600 feet, to the lake (which is in a "hanging valley" above the Bow River valley), where the Fairmont Chateau LL and Deer Lodge are. The village itself is clustered around the Samson Mall and the Post Hotel. There are a few shops, a bakery, a couple of restaurants, a gas station, the Parks Canada information centre, a couple of hotels and a hostel. Accommodation in/near LL is limited and in high demand, therefore more expensive than Banff. Whether you stay in both, or just in one, is a matter of preference - they are only a 45 minute drive apart, so you can visit one from a base in the other. The Bow Valley Parkway is the older, windier highway between the two and I recommend driving it - it's not much slower than the TransCanada highway, especially with construction going on, and there is a better chance of seeing wildlife.

All the accommodation options in Banff National Park are listed at www.banfflakelouise.com .

Staying in Canmore, outside the park to the east, or Field, BC, a small village in neighbouring Yoho National Park, are also options. Canmore has a lot of B&Bs and vacation rentals/timeshares. Field has some guest houses.

Hope this helps.

When we were there, the Deer Lodge was substantially less expensive to stay at than the Chateau Lake Louise or the Banff Springs Hotel. We enjoyed our time at Deer Lodge far more than our time at Banff (the town, lest someone confuse the town with the park itself). We spent our time visiting the beautiful lakes and mountains in the park. We would return fairly late every night and sit in the hot tub that was on the roof of the lodge (don't know if it is there anymore). We would talk with other visitors in the hot tub, share our news of the day, watch the steam rise, look at the stars, and one night we watched as snow fell (and it was in August, so watch out). We loved staying at Deer Lodge at Lake Louise. I count that vacation as one of the highlights of my life, truly, with very warm memories.

And that is all I have to say about that. Aramis, it is not everyone else. Others may disagree with my perceptions of what it means to be "in the mountains" but they did not get rude and offensive like you did. I just wonder if you have even been to Banff AND to Lake Louise (the lake itself).

hmm hmm. From a website:

"Experience The Beauty And Wonder Of Banff Lake Louise
Banff Lake Louise two communities in one of the most beautiful and pristine national parks in the world.

Banff is the busier of the two -- known for its shopping, variety of restaurants, and abundant accommodations.

Lake Louise is an authentic alpine experience located in the heart of Banff National Park. Lake Louise offers glaciers, grizzlies, tea-houses and a world class ski area. No other mountain destination has all of these experiences within close proximity to the world's finest accommodations..."

http://www.banfflakelouise.com/place...ff-lake-louise

Hmm. Remember 45 minutes one way to get between Banff, to the south, and L. Louise. That's 1 1/2 hrs round trip....Hmmm. Must sees in the park besides Lake Louise, include Morraine Lake, which is right near L. Louise, Emerald Lake, to the north, and the Columbia Icefield to the north. If your wife is willing to walk on a series of switchback (good path, not too long, but a lot of elevation), the view from Parker Ridge is to die for.

Like I said, Banff to shop and go to restaurants. Plus you can drive and see the park. Or Lake Louise (near the lake) for alpine beauty right outside your door and nearer other sites that you will be driving to. Depends on what you want to do.

Haha! Have looked at the internet photos of Banff. It is NOT what we experienced when we were there! So what happened? I had not thought of this, but it was overcast the entire time we were actually in Banff. We would leave in the morning and drive to the sights in the park and return near nightfall and we never saw the mountains while in Banff itself. So, my imporession was that it was not in the mountains!

I would still stay at Lake Louise (the lake, not the town) if I were to return, for the location and the things I am interested in doing but I see how you say Banff is in the mountains! It certainly is.

That's pretty funny. I thought you were going to say it wasn't what you experienced, so it must have been photoshopped :-) !!

I got back from Banff last Wednesday. I am glad Orcas posted their last post, because I thought I might have been in the wrong place!

As to what to see without walking too far. In Banff itself I would suggest taking the Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The views are quite incredible. You can drive to the base of the Bow River falls near the Fairmont hotel. The short and gentle walk from Banff along the Bow river to Surprise point is well worth it (although there is a car park there as well). The Tunnel mountain drive is short and gives good views across the Town.

It doesn't really help the OP because to me, the hiking and views found from the walks were the highlight of my trip. In particular Moraine Lake and surroundings which were beyond beautiful. From the Car Park at the lake you can take a short walk up onto the rockpile (10 minutes easy) which gives very good views.

Lake Louise (the lake) is also stunning, but I wish I'd seen it first because it paled next to Moraine lake.

I have posted the link to about 30 photos of Banff and Jasper National parks elsewhere, but here it is again if interested.

http://picasaweb.google.com/williamstj/Banff#

i just stayed 3 nights in banff and hardly spent any time in town at all. there is *lots* to do in and around banff that doesn't involve shopping or restaurants. i stayed at moraine lake and lake louise also and while i loved both, i would have been sorry not to stay in banff also. i'm now up in jasper which i think i might like best of all...but the whole area is amazing.

orcas, the hot tub is still on the roof at deer lodge. it's amazing to me that you got the impression banff wasn't in the mountains, it most definitely is! too bad you didn't have any clear days, the mountains ringing the town are quite incredible.

Willit,
Great photos!!! Thanks for sharing.

While not yet set in stone the trip is starting to look as follows:

4 days in Banff NP. Not sure about the division between Banff and Lake Louise but will spend time in both areas.

Fly to Victoria. Spend one complete day in Victoria (2 nights) and take the bus/ferry/bus to Vancouver the next morning (why does it take 4 hours?).

Spend 3 1/2 days in Vancouver before returning home to South Florida.

At this point in time I can still add another day somewhere if there are any compelling reasons to do so.

Thanks for the comments so far.

Myer - it does take awhile to get from Victoria to Vancouver. You will need to board a ferry to cross the water. That crossing in itself takes close to 2 hours. Then add on time for getting on your bus, travel to the ferry terminal, lining up in the staging area to board, getting off at the destination, travel to Vancouver in traffic, etc. When we travel by car we normally arrive an hour in advance of departure at least; not sure how much time is required for the buses.

However - the ride across is usually gorgeous, and worth the trip in itself. Enjoy. You'll be able to get off the bus to walk the ferry, enjoy the view, eat, shop, relax in a comfortable seat, etc.

I presume your admission that you weren't even really aware of your surroundings and that Banff certainly is in the mountains puts this issue to bed, Orcas.

I am puzzled about your speculation that I may have never even been to Banff and Lake Louse - especially considering my information was all accurate and yours was not. I don't really feel the need to defend my position based on that but since it was an obvious attempt you to take some sort of shot in at me, I will enjoy pointing out that I was born and raised in Calgary and have visited the area dozens of times. I give advice on what I know.

Sometimes it's better to just stop digging.

I-)

If only you had decided to do that earlier.

Just back from Banff a couple of weeks ago. Willit, your photos are fabulous! We had a heat wave, up to 20+C during the day. I am an out of shape 60+, and enjoyed walking along the Bow River in town, the marsh loop, the walk around 2Jack Lake, up Johnston Canyon and to Peyto lake.

Check out this GPS that gives historical, geographical and ecological information based on your location:

http://www.gypsyguide.com/canada/index.php This is especially informative on the route up to the Icefields.

Its an easy drive to Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. We had tea at Chateau Lake Louise, and there is a guided tour of Hotel Banff Springs Tue-Sat at 3pm for the history of this old jewel.

Forgot to tell you, we were told that Banff in July is super crowded with tourists. Add that to your things to consider.