Tansy

Possible Xmas trip --
leave Seattle 11/24, overnight in Kamloops, arrive Chateau LL 11/25. Stay three nights, depart LL 11/28, overnight in Kamloops again (?) arrive home (Seattle) 11/29.
Any advice, warnings? My husband will ski in LL, I will ice skate, snowshoe, hot tub, read, go to spa.

Borealis

Watch the weather forecasts for your travelling days, and check out the road conditions for each day before leaving so that you have an idea of driving times (slower in winter).
If you are travelling the Coquihalla toll highway (Hope to Kamloops) watch for fog at the higher elevations.
Have a safe trip!!

bob_brown

If you take the Trans Canada, your route goes through Glacier National Park. The Purcells and the Selkirks gather lots of snow and avalanche conditions are common. There are elaborate precautions including using artillery to blast down the threatening snow packs under controlled conditions.

I frankly would not anticipate a routine trip. Besides it is a long darn ways and will take you about 11 to 12 hours and a lot of it will be in the dark.

Borealis

Good point Bob - at Kamloops' (and Lake Louise) latitude the day (sunrise to sunset) is only about 8 hours long at this time of the year, and if it is cloudy , it can seem even shorter because, as you can imagine, clouds make it generally darker.
During good summer conditions, Hope to Kamloops takes about 2 hours to drive and Kamloops to Lake Louise takes approximately 4.5 to 5 hours.
Of course in the winter it's better to be cautious and it'll be much slower.

Also be prepared that some of the higher mountain passes may require chains on your tires. (we've never had to drive with chains, so perhaps someone else can advise you on that).

Good luck!! (maybe it will be sunny and dry and the drive will be a breeze - you just never know!!)

dixon

Again, on the Trans Canada route, one must ascend Kicking Horse Pass after leaving Golden, BC. The route up canyon out of the Rocky Mountain trench is steep until you reach the flat area of Yoho Nat. Park. Then at Field you begin the ascent of the Big Hill which flattens out at the border with Alberta.
Lake Louise is about 17 miles from Field and most of the route is uphill until you get to the West Louise Lodge.

From there to Banff the route is fairly flat.

I have not been there in true winter conditions, but I can well imagine that the ascent from Golden to the crest of Kicking Horse Pass could be formidable if snow was falling.

It is a spectacular drive all along the route. Rogers Pass through Glacier NP is really spectacular, if you can see anything. I have been there 5 times and could see something besides a few trees only twice.

Once you cross the Columbia at Revelstoke, the route ascends rather steeply in places to the crest of Rogers Pass. Then it is downhill almost all the way to Golden, BC.

Tansy

Hmmm. I'm definitely going to print this for my husband! We have a Toyota Tundra ext cab with snow tires and chains. The weather in Seattle at the moment is absolutely sunny and glorious. Forecasts for LL and Banff are for weather in the low 30's and high 20's (daytime), some snow.

Is this drive simply not recommended and/or unsafe?

April

The point about losing light is a good one. I drove that route once at Christmastime and wouldn't care to do it again. As darkness set in, the snow was falling so fast that it covered my headlights and I couldn't see a thing. Doesn't make for a very safe situation with big trucks on the road. I pulled into Golden and stayed there until morning. Highways can be shut down at any time, so just be prepared for delays.

Borealis

Tansy - usually an advisory is issued whenever travel is not recommended, and the highways are "closed" when the conditions become dangerous.

Unfortunately you can never tell ahead of time what the conditions are going to be.
We live in Edmonton and have driven from Edmonton to Vancouver in the winter, and found that the worst road conditions were actually in our city!!

So - hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst (take along blankets, flashlights, extra munchies i.e. food etc.).
Have a good trip!!

Tansy

Thanks all. I also spoke to the staff at Chateau LL about driving from Seattle, and their recommendations.

We plan to leave at 2pm on 12/24 and drive as far as we can, then get up early on 12/25 to finish the trip. Seems the toughest part of the drive will be on 12/25 but we'll also have the most daylight.

I really appreciate your help. Can't wait! We'll certainly have plenty of supplies with us, as well as a cell phone.

dixon

If the road is dry and snow free, I think it is like anyother route that traverses mountain passes.

If it is snowing, and it does snow in the Selkirks and Purcells of BC, then the ball game changes dramatically.

You have the same set of potential conditions as you might have going east from Seattle to Spokane. The Snowqualamie pass can be beautiful or it can be tricky.

In the summer the roads are fine. But Rogers Pass and Kicking Horse Pass are mountain passes and subject to the weather conditions of winter. No one knows exactly when it will snow although long range forecasts are often very helpful.

The trans Canada plus the Coquahalla Freeway (toll road) is about your best bet. Canada route 3 is winding and also traverses mountains. If you take I 90 from Seattle, you go well south of your destination, and you will be driving a longer distance.
At some point, you must turn north to Lake Louise if you do take 90 east.
I have done it by going through Spokane and turning north toward Trail Bc and coming to Lake Louise by way of Kootenay National Park. I am not sure that way is a bargain either.
Alternatively, you could take US 2 to Couer d'Alene Idaho and turn north on US 95 to the border and join Canada route 3 and 95. Follow 95 until it junctions with 93 and follow 93 through Kootney all the way to Castle Junction in the Trans canada south of Lake Louise.

I am not sure that route is any less risky. The advantage would be that you are following I 90 which is faster driving all the way to Spokane.

Any way you attack it, the drive is a long one.

Borealis

Tansy - there may be some cell phone "dead" zones between Revelstoke and Lake Louise. But the Trans Canada (highway 1) is a major route and carries a lot of commercial traffic (buses, semi-trailers etc,), so it is unlikely that you would be the only ones on the road (if you needed help).

Tansy

Just had to post an update to this -- checked the Alaska Airlines website yesterday on a whim, airfares to Calgary had dropped by $140. Talked to my husband last night and we thought "hmmm, maybe we'll fly after all . . . " Checked this morning, fares were down by $160, under $200 per person RT (which is pretty amazing). Alaska has also changed their ski policy -- ski bags are now FREE on flights, as long as you count them as one of your two checked bags. So, we booked the flights, which means we can leave tomorrow and fly home on Monday, giving us an extra night in LL but saving us two nights of hotel rooms in Kamloops and a lot of driving. Should be fun.

dixon

I think you chose wisely. You are right, the cost of motel rooms enroute will offset the price of your ticket, to say nothing of the savings in wear and tear on your vehicle and on you!
I think your fun will be enhanced and you should return ready to go after a change of pace rather than stressed after a long and quite possibly tension-filled drive. Ski well!