rockies itinery
Feb 25th, 2007, 11:58 PM
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rockies itinery
Hi, this is my first message as a new member, and would like some advise re our vacation to canada in mid May.
Our plans are roughly;
1 arrive calgary May 8th - one night, car collection
2 3 nights b&b Banff
3 1 night in Fairmont Lake Louise (we hope to get married on this day at Lake Moraine, but have been advised that this maybe snowed in by wedding commissioner)
4 1 night Jasper Fairmont Lodge
5 Skeena return train trip to Prince George (overnight)
6 1 night Jasper
7 Drive back down Icefield Parkway then take highway 1 and over night in Revelstoke/Sicamous or Salmon Arm ??
8 To Vancouver via Cache Creek/ Lillooet/ Hope
9 Last 4 nights based in Vancouver at B&b or a Waterfront hotel before flight out of Van.
How does this sound, can anyone advise on any alternatives or changes or mistakes, also alternative wedding venue,
thanks, Mike and Sue from UK
Our plans are roughly;
1 arrive calgary May 8th - one night, car collection
2 3 nights b&b Banff
3 1 night in Fairmont Lake Louise (we hope to get married on this day at Lake Moraine, but have been advised that this maybe snowed in by wedding commissioner)
4 1 night Jasper Fairmont Lodge
5 Skeena return train trip to Prince George (overnight)
6 1 night Jasper
7 Drive back down Icefield Parkway then take highway 1 and over night in Revelstoke/Sicamous or Salmon Arm ??
8 To Vancouver via Cache Creek/ Lillooet/ Hope
9 Last 4 nights based in Vancouver at B&b or a Waterfront hotel before flight out of Van.
How does this sound, can anyone advise on any alternatives or changes or mistakes, also alternative wedding venue,
thanks, Mike and Sue from UK
Feb 26th, 2007, 09:43 AM
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Having been to Prince George, I cannot help but ask why you would go there?
There is much else to be seen around Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff.
Don't think of Banff as a town; think of Banff as a huge national park with this tourist burg known as Banff townsite embedded in it.
You are not allowing any time for the wonders of Yoho National Park or the Canadian Glacier park. Mid May may find snowed in conditions as you say.
There is much else to be seen around Jasper, Lake Louise, and Banff.
Don't think of Banff as a town; think of Banff as a huge national park with this tourist burg known as Banff townsite embedded in it.
You are not allowing any time for the wonders of Yoho National Park or the Canadian Glacier park. Mid May may find snowed in conditions as you say.
Feb 26th, 2007, 09:56 AM
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You could experience a wide range of temperatures in the Rockies, all the way from sunny, spring-like conditions to freezing conditions and blizzards. Depending on your luck, or lack of it, you could run into white-knuckle driving conditions between the Rockies and Vancouver. There is even a finite chance of experiencing a closure of the TransCanada Highway and being forced to cool your heels in Revelstoke or thereabouts for a day or two. This could happen because of a blizzard, a rock slide that crews need to clear away, or some such eventuality.
The TransCanada Highway tends to get closed only a couple of times a year. The problem is that you don’t know WHEN that will happen. Because things are starting to warm up a bit in May, that is a month in which avalanches are more common. It seems that, if there’s going to be a glitch with the TransCanada Highway, May is the prime month in which it’ll happen. At least that has been my observation after living in Calgary for thirty years.
So you would be wise to build a spare day into your itinerary. Make sure your reservation at your next destination is one that you can cancel without penalty as long as you phone by 6.00 p.m. on the relevant day.
You don't necessarily need to switch accommodation between Banff and Lake Louise. The two places are about 50 minutes' drive from each other, and one can be used as a base for visiting the other. If you're going to bother to switch, then I would be more inclined to do 2 nights in Banff and 2 nights in Lake Louise.
Have you got your Skeena dates right? When I made an enquiry at the VIA Rail website ( www.viarail.ca ), I got the impression that you were banking on riding the train on dates on which it did not go to and return from Prince George (if I understood your allocation of dates correctly).
Are you going to pay for your rental car to be parked in Jasper for 2 days while you ride the Skeena? An interesting concept. But that will be cheaper than returning your car, being dinged for the steep one-way drop off fee that you would incur in Jasper, and picking up another car after your trip on the Skeena.
The marriage commissioner’s telling you that Moraine Lake MIGHT be snowed in is a joke. The earliest I’ve ever known Moraine Lake Road to open has been the Victoria Day Long Weekend (the weekend before May 25th which, in the case of this year, will be May 19th – May 21st). I also have known Moraine Lake Road to open as late as mid-June. However, in recent years it seems to have been opening in late May / beginning of June. Still, I cannot imagine it being open by May 12th (if my calculation is correct, that is the date you have booked for your wedding).
A wedding spot that I can think of is Fairview Lookout, overlooking Lake Louise. But at that time the half-mile trail to the lookout point is still pretty snowy. The two of you and the marriage commissioner would have to be willing to walk up there in hiking boots.
Probably your best bet is to work with the marriage commissioner in choosing a spot for your wedding ceremony.
You may find my website useful, not only because of the information I have provided in it but also because of the links to other websites that I have posted there.
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...kiesTravelTips
More in next post .......
The TransCanada Highway tends to get closed only a couple of times a year. The problem is that you don’t know WHEN that will happen. Because things are starting to warm up a bit in May, that is a month in which avalanches are more common. It seems that, if there’s going to be a glitch with the TransCanada Highway, May is the prime month in which it’ll happen. At least that has been my observation after living in Calgary for thirty years.
So you would be wise to build a spare day into your itinerary. Make sure your reservation at your next destination is one that you can cancel without penalty as long as you phone by 6.00 p.m. on the relevant day.
You don't necessarily need to switch accommodation between Banff and Lake Louise. The two places are about 50 minutes' drive from each other, and one can be used as a base for visiting the other. If you're going to bother to switch, then I would be more inclined to do 2 nights in Banff and 2 nights in Lake Louise.
Have you got your Skeena dates right? When I made an enquiry at the VIA Rail website ( www.viarail.ca ), I got the impression that you were banking on riding the train on dates on which it did not go to and return from Prince George (if I understood your allocation of dates correctly).
Are you going to pay for your rental car to be parked in Jasper for 2 days while you ride the Skeena? An interesting concept. But that will be cheaper than returning your car, being dinged for the steep one-way drop off fee that you would incur in Jasper, and picking up another car after your trip on the Skeena.
The marriage commissioner’s telling you that Moraine Lake MIGHT be snowed in is a joke. The earliest I’ve ever known Moraine Lake Road to open has been the Victoria Day Long Weekend (the weekend before May 25th which, in the case of this year, will be May 19th – May 21st). I also have known Moraine Lake Road to open as late as mid-June. However, in recent years it seems to have been opening in late May / beginning of June. Still, I cannot imagine it being open by May 12th (if my calculation is correct, that is the date you have booked for your wedding).
A wedding spot that I can think of is Fairview Lookout, overlooking Lake Louise. But at that time the half-mile trail to the lookout point is still pretty snowy. The two of you and the marriage commissioner would have to be willing to walk up there in hiking boots.
Probably your best bet is to work with the marriage commissioner in choosing a spot for your wedding ceremony.
You may find my website useful, not only because of the information I have provided in it but also because of the links to other websites that I have posted there.
http://groups.msn.com/CalgaryandCana...kiesTravelTips
More in next post .......
Feb 26th, 2007, 09:59 AM
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It really would have been more ideal if you’d booked flights into Vancouver and out of Calgary. The reason is that the climate at the coast is milder than in the interior. Spring arrives in Vancouver way, way earlier than it does in the Rockies. Although there’s no telling with the mountains, and you can even get snow there in summer, ON AVERAGE conditions in the mountains will get milder and milder the further into May you get.
Between May 8th and May 14th, the average day time temperature in Banff is 11 deg C, but it varies all the way from 2 deg C to 21 deg C. The average night time temperature in Banff during that date range is -1 deg C. However, the night time temperature varies from -11 deg C to 6 deg C. Those figures come from the Trip Planner feature of the Weather Underground website, which allows you to find out historical temperatures during specific date ranges.
But I imagine you’re committed to your flights, and probably would not be able to change your plane reservations without penalty, so I’ll work within those parameters.
Here is an alternative itinerary you might consider.
May 8th – Land and overnight in Calgary.
May 9th – Drive to Banff, Lake Louise, and on to Jasper.
May 10th – From your Jasper base, look around Jasper National Park.
May 11th – Drive back to Lake Louise. Stay in either Lake Louise or Banff.
May 12th – Wedding.
May 13th – From your Banff / Lake Louise base, do further exploration of the area.
May 14th – Drive to Salmon Arm and overnight there. The drive should take about half a day, leaving the afternoon for you to relax by the Shuswap Lake. Spring should be more advanced at Salmon Arm that it is in the Rockies.
May 15th – Drive to Penticton or some such place in the Okanagan Valley.
The Okanagan Valley is a fruit growing and wine producing region. I’ve never been to Italy, but people say the terrain, vegetation, etc., remind them of some parts of Italy. I’ve never been to Australia’s Barossa Valley, which is inland from Adelaide, but some people say it reminds them of that. What the Okanagan Valley reminds me of is the wine producing region in hinterland of Cape Town, South Africa.
Anyway, spring will be slightly more advanced in the Southern Okanagan than it is in Salmon Arm and noticeably more advanced than in the Rockies. That is one of the reasons I’m suggesting you spend a couple of days around here.
May 16th – From your chosen base, do more exploration of the Okanagan Valley.
May 17th – Drive to Vancouver. I recommend the more southerly route, along Hwy #3, via Princeton and Manning Provincial Park.
May 18th – Visit Vancouver’s centrally located attractions (Stanley Park, Granville Island Market, Yaletown, and Robson Street).
May 19th – Visit the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Queen Elizabeth Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden, and finish up the day with a drive along English Bay.
May 20th – Day trip to Whistler. Yes, even if you’ve been to the Rockies, it’s worth visiting the mountain range in which Whistler is located.
May 21st – Most UK-bound flights depart in the late afternoon. This will give you the morning to do some last minute sight seeing in downtown Vancouver before flying home.
Hope that helps.
Between May 8th and May 14th, the average day time temperature in Banff is 11 deg C, but it varies all the way from 2 deg C to 21 deg C. The average night time temperature in Banff during that date range is -1 deg C. However, the night time temperature varies from -11 deg C to 6 deg C. Those figures come from the Trip Planner feature of the Weather Underground website, which allows you to find out historical temperatures during specific date ranges.
But I imagine you’re committed to your flights, and probably would not be able to change your plane reservations without penalty, so I’ll work within those parameters.
Here is an alternative itinerary you might consider.
May 8th – Land and overnight in Calgary.
May 9th – Drive to Banff, Lake Louise, and on to Jasper.
May 10th – From your Jasper base, look around Jasper National Park.
May 11th – Drive back to Lake Louise. Stay in either Lake Louise or Banff.
May 12th – Wedding.
May 13th – From your Banff / Lake Louise base, do further exploration of the area.
May 14th – Drive to Salmon Arm and overnight there. The drive should take about half a day, leaving the afternoon for you to relax by the Shuswap Lake. Spring should be more advanced at Salmon Arm that it is in the Rockies.
May 15th – Drive to Penticton or some such place in the Okanagan Valley.
The Okanagan Valley is a fruit growing and wine producing region. I’ve never been to Italy, but people say the terrain, vegetation, etc., remind them of some parts of Italy. I’ve never been to Australia’s Barossa Valley, which is inland from Adelaide, but some people say it reminds them of that. What the Okanagan Valley reminds me of is the wine producing region in hinterland of Cape Town, South Africa.
Anyway, spring will be slightly more advanced in the Southern Okanagan than it is in Salmon Arm and noticeably more advanced than in the Rockies. That is one of the reasons I’m suggesting you spend a couple of days around here.
May 16th – From your chosen base, do more exploration of the Okanagan Valley.
May 17th – Drive to Vancouver. I recommend the more southerly route, along Hwy #3, via Princeton and Manning Provincial Park.
May 18th – Visit Vancouver’s centrally located attractions (Stanley Park, Granville Island Market, Yaletown, and Robson Street).
May 19th – Visit the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, Queen Elizabeth Park, VanDusen Botanical Garden, and finish up the day with a drive along English Bay.
May 20th – Day trip to Whistler. Yes, even if you’ve been to the Rockies, it’s worth visiting the mountain range in which Whistler is located.
May 21st – Most UK-bound flights depart in the late afternoon. This will give you the morning to do some last minute sight seeing in downtown Vancouver before flying home.
Hope that helps.
Feb 27th, 2007, 12:12 AM
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Thanks a lot, I wish I had found this forum before booking the flights, however we did it this way hoping for a more Springlike feel in Vancouver, the reason for the train trip was not really to see Prince George but to experience the train ride, originally we were going to leave the car in Jasper and catch the Rocky Moutaineer from Jasper to Vancouver we changed our minds because the car gives more freedom to stop when you like, we tried to stick to the route roughly because the Fraser Canyon appeals.
Your ideas do seem good and as long as we are driving thro lovely mountain scenery we will be happy. As for reservations, all we intend to book is the car, the first night in Calgary and probably 1 or 2 nights at Lake Louise (oh, not forgetting the wedding) to our minds a touring holiday like this needs to be flexible, taking all the wonderful things that come along, moreso perhaps taking your advise re the weather etc.
Is there likely to be any trouble finding places to stay this early in the season?
Thanks again, Mike and Sue
Your ideas do seem good and as long as we are driving thro lovely mountain scenery we will be happy. As for reservations, all we intend to book is the car, the first night in Calgary and probably 1 or 2 nights at Lake Louise (oh, not forgetting the wedding) to our minds a touring holiday like this needs to be flexible, taking all the wonderful things that come along, moreso perhaps taking your advise re the weather etc.
Is there likely to be any trouble finding places to stay this early in the season?
Thanks again, Mike and Sue
Feb 27th, 2007, 06:07 AM
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Hi Mike and Sue,
About accommodation bookings .......
You will be visiting early enough in the season that you'll be able to wing it in most places.
Your stay in Vancouver will overlap with the Victoria Day Long Weekend (May 19th - May 21st). That traditionally is the start of Canada's summer tourist season (albeit the main tourist onslaught happens in July and August). So I expect tourism in Vancouver to kick up a notch during that weekend. Vancouverites would be in a better position to comment than I am, but my guess is that it would not do any harm to have advanced reservations for Vancouver.
I'm not sure why you want to spend a night in Calgary.
I don't know if you actually want to look around Calgary before continuing to the mountains. If so, your best bet would be to stay in the downtown core or in Motel Village, which is in a northwest residential area but has good train access to downtown.
If your flight from the UK will be arriving mid-afternoon, as many do, you easily would be able to drive the 2 hours from Calgary Airport to Banff that same afternoon. (Bank on immigration and customs formalities taking about an hour.)
If you will be arriving in the evening, say after 6.00 p.m., it would be better to spend that night in Calgary. In that scenario I recommend that you spend the night at Calgary Sheraton Four Points West. It is located near Calgary's western city limits. Driving from the airport in the northeast quadrant to Calgary Sheraton Four Points West will be easy at night, during off peak hours. That will save you from driving across Calgary in rush hour traffic the following morning. Also, you will be well placed to start your journey on the good, lightly travelled highway towards Banff in the morning.
About accommodation bookings .......
You will be visiting early enough in the season that you'll be able to wing it in most places.
Your stay in Vancouver will overlap with the Victoria Day Long Weekend (May 19th - May 21st). That traditionally is the start of Canada's summer tourist season (albeit the main tourist onslaught happens in July and August). So I expect tourism in Vancouver to kick up a notch during that weekend. Vancouverites would be in a better position to comment than I am, but my guess is that it would not do any harm to have advanced reservations for Vancouver.
I'm not sure why you want to spend a night in Calgary.
I don't know if you actually want to look around Calgary before continuing to the mountains. If so, your best bet would be to stay in the downtown core or in Motel Village, which is in a northwest residential area but has good train access to downtown.
If your flight from the UK will be arriving mid-afternoon, as many do, you easily would be able to drive the 2 hours from Calgary Airport to Banff that same afternoon. (Bank on immigration and customs formalities taking about an hour.)
If you will be arriving in the evening, say after 6.00 p.m., it would be better to spend that night in Calgary. In that scenario I recommend that you spend the night at Calgary Sheraton Four Points West. It is located near Calgary's western city limits. Driving from the airport in the northeast quadrant to Calgary Sheraton Four Points West will be easy at night, during off peak hours. That will save you from driving across Calgary in rush hour traffic the following morning. Also, you will be well placed to start your journey on the good, lightly travelled highway towards Banff in the morning.
Feb 27th, 2007, 08:57 AM
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Judy, thanks again for that, we will be landing at 4.30pm, so if things go well, could be Banff by say, 8pm. We have no particular reason to stay in calgary so we could pick up the car at the airport instead of wasting time in traffic next morning. Thanks for the advice re Victoria day.
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