I am all ready to leave for my Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper Trip this Saturday. The weather prediction of 3 days of shower next week is damping my spirits. Question to locals: does it rain all day typically in June or is it one of those alternate rain and sunshine thing??

Posting my itinerary, if it helps anybody to plan(ps: i am a budget traveller and not a rimrock/chateau lake louise staying traveller). will post experience on my return.

Day 1: (Sat, June, 19th)
1. Arrive Calgary at 2:30pm(AA2081
from Dallas)
- Check out, immigration and car
rental
- Drive to Banff (drive time: 1.5
hours) Approx arrival 5:30pm.
- Hotel Bow View Motor Lodge
- Look around Banff town
- Gondola ride ($17/person)

Day 2: (Sun, June, 20th)
2. Leave Banff, early AM,
- Lake Minnewanka and boat ride
(? at this point) ($28/person)
(15 min drive from Banff)
- Take highway 1A to Lake Louise.
(travel time: 1 hour)
- Stop at Johnston's Canyon on
the way
3. Check in at hotel in Lake
Louise around mid-day.
- Lake Louise Inn (confirmed
booking)
- Visit Lake Louise, Emerald
Lake, Moraine Lake and Takakkaw
Falls

Day 3: (Mon, June 21st)
4. Leave Lake Louise, early AM,
- Columbia Icefield parkway drive
to Jasper (drive time: 5 hours+
stoppage at Peyto Lake, etc)
- Ice bus tour to the glacier.
5. Check in at hotel in Jasper in
the evening.
- Patricia Lake Bungalows
(confirmed booking)
- Look around Jasper town

Day 4: (Tue, June, 22nd)
6. Leave early AM
- Maligne Lake and Pyramid Lake
(Pyramid Lake Rd drive).
7. Stay the night at Jasper

Day 5: (Wed, June, 23rd)
8. Leave Jasper, early AM to
Calgary.Drive time: 5 hours
(Trans Canadian Highway)
- Visit Calgary downtown (time
permit)
9. Evening flight to Vancouver
(West Jet)

Day 6&7 (Thu, June 24th & Fri, June 25th)
10. Vancouver and Victoria
- Tropicana Suite Hotel
- Stanley Park, Robson St, Gastown
- Butchart Gardens
Day 8: (Sat, June, 26th)
11. Fly back to Dallas from
Vancouver

Actually it has been a lot cooler than normal, and a lot cloudier than normal, so far this June. We are waiting impatiently for nice sunny days!!

Checking the Environment Canada five day forecast, I see that they are predicting sunshine for this coming weekend for both Banff and Jasper, and some cloud (in Banff) and maybe showers (in Jasper) for Monday. Cool temperatures though.

The typical rainfall is light, with breaks, occasionally the sun does peek through "waves" of cloud. There are days when the clouds are grey and "heavy", and hang low covering all the mountains, but it doesn't usually last too long.

Your itinerary is fine, but it helps when making plans to play it by ear and make final decision for activities once you are here. For example, taking the gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain won't be very interesting if it happens to be overcast. You may then want to consider taking the Jasper Tramway to the top of The Whistler's when in Jasper (instead). I guess what I'm trying to say is that it helps to have alternative plans, just in case your first choice doesn't pan out.

By the way, when in Jasper be sure to drive to Mount Edith Cavell and Angel Glacier (a little south of Jasper townsite).

Are you going to visit Victoria as a day trip from Vancouver? If so, I would recommend getting reservations for the ferry ahead of time.

Hello Bornfree!
I live in Edmonton and was surprised to read in your post that it was forecasting rain. Our local forecast has been saying that on Thursday, the rain is going to subside and it is supposed to turn sunny and warm out.

So, I just looked up the 10 day forecast at weather.com and I think the weather won't be a problem for you. June is our heaviest rainfall month typically, but there is often sunny periods mixed with the rain. Check out the forecast, looks good to me! Hope you have a great time, you are going to some amazingly beautiful places. Here is a link:

http://www.weather.com/outlook/trave...m=search_10day

Hi Bornfree,

You have worked out a good itinerary for the amount of time you have available.

I agree with what Borealis and Atilla have said.

In addition to that, I would skip the Lake Minnewanka boat ride. You could have a look at Lake Minnewanka (without the boat ride) on your way into Banff on Saturday.

You'll have quite enough to do on Sunday without Lake Minnewanka. In fact, if you were able to see Johnston Canyon and Moraine Lake before lunch on Sunday, it would make your afternoon schedule more reasonable.

I don't think you'll be able to check into Lake Louise Inn at lunch time. I called their toll free number and asked them what their check in time was. They said 4 pm. Perhaps they'd be willing to store your luggage in or near their reception area if you asked them for a special favour. However, I don't see any problem in keeping your luggage in the locked trunk of your car while you sight see.

You'd be able to fit in the visits to Angel Glacier (which Borealis suggested) and Maligne Lake during the day. Since you in any case will be staying at Patricia Lake Bungalows, Pyramid Lake will be right nextdoor, and you'll be able to do the Pyramid Lake Drive as a relaxing evening activity. Sunset will occur at around 10 pm.

Hope this helps.

Hello bornfree -

Here's another weather website for you:

http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/canada/ab_e.html

Keep your eye on the forecasts; they change frequently and are often wrong. Here in Edmonton the weather for yesterday evening was originally predicted to be sunny and warm, but it turned out to be windy and cloudy and cool. It wasn't even nice enough to sit on the deck with a glass of wine (boo! hoo!!).

Good luck with your plans!!

You'll be happy to know that today is clear and sunny, very beautiful out and it is now forecasted to stay nice for the next 5-6 days!! Yay!

Borealis, atilla: great suggestions. yes, you are right, some plans, like gondola rides,etc will have to altered last minute, based on weather.

judy, thank u for that information. did not know that Lake Luouise Inn had 4pm check-in. so if we reach there mid-day, will probably keep the luggage there and head st to the lakes, as u suggested.

Thanks, guys, once again. will post my experience once i am back on 26th.
-bornfree

Just pull on the rain gear and keep on slogging. Nothing like a sleet storm above timberline on the Ice Line trail.

A little sleet in the face is fun, if you have a cap with a bill and a hood on your rain jacket. (Good old Goretex, never leave home without it.) And if you have the right sense of humor you can get a kick out of the other hikers complaining.
(There some other words to describe it that are stronger and more vigorous.)

Once at O'Hara we stomped around in 4 to 6 inches of fluffy snow. 'Bout fell in Lake Oesa before I saw it. Of course you need good foot gear for that sort of thing. I would not do it in loafers!!

So if it rains, you can moan and groan, or you can go out and enjoy what you can. But as the Boy Scouts say, Be Prepared.

In a more serious vein, on the day of the sleet we parted company with a tour group of ill prepared hikers headed over to Emerald Lake from Takkakaw Falls. They had little in the way of equipment and rather poor footgear, like jogging shoes. One guy had a huge knife strapped to his leg. Lord knows what he had that for. One or two of the females were hiking in long skirts and kept stepping on them going up steep little inclines. Nobody seemed to have any rain gear or sweaters.
When the sleet came, I hope they were all right. By that time I had gone north while they turned south, so I never knew. So if you don't have the gear to protect you in bad weather, it is best to stay at lower elevations.

Let's hope it gets sunny. It is better in clear weather!!!!!!!!!!