Thinking about Banff / Lake Louise
Oct 13th, 2004, 10:55 AM
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Thinking about Banff / Lake Louise
I've never been to Canada and have seen many beautiful images of Lake Louise in Banff. I would like to go when it's not covered in snow (at the lake altitude) but in the mountains is ok. I;m just not sure what time of year would get me spring-like temps for beautiful, cool weather walks with wildflowers etc... or should I just go elsewhere. (I'm not a skier)
Oct 13th, 2004, 11:44 AM
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Hi sandi_travelnut
No, don't go elsewhere, believe it or not, pictures don't even begin to do it justice. It is absolutely breathtaking.
In my opinion, to get some nice spring time weather (of course nothing is guaranteed) your best shot in the mountains would be late May or anytime in June.
You will not regret visiting the Canadian Rockies, so please come!
Oct 13th, 2004, 12:02 PM
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Yes, go in June, especially towards mid-month & later, or September, those are the best times to be in the Canadian Rockies.
Mind you, I love it there so much that I've been there every single month of the year, each season and each type of weather has its own scenic grandeur.
Unfortunately, wildflowers appear in July, at about the same time the mountains get crowded with tourists. There may be a few (flowers
) in the valleys by the last ten days of June, but because of the elevation and frosts at night that continue well into spring, mid-summer is the most colourful.
Mind you, I love it there so much that I've been there every single month of the year, each season and each type of weather has its own scenic grandeur.
Unfortunately, wildflowers appear in July, at about the same time the mountains get crowded with tourists. There may be a few (flowers
) in the valleys by the last ten days of June, but because of the elevation and frosts at night that continue well into spring, mid-summer is the most colourful.
Oct 13th, 2004, 12:12 PM
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Hello Sandi_travelnut,
I second Borealis's advice about the best timing In the Canadian Rockies (i.e., the latter part of June or else September).
As Borealis said, wildflowers arrive at the end of June / beginning of July. Some of them are finished by the end of July, but some species -- like paintbrush -- persist even into September.
The Canadian Rockies are heavily touristed in July and August. Although June and September also are popular months, the demand on accommodations, restaurants, parking spots at famous sights, etc., is not quite so heavy in June and September.
The weather in the mountains is extremely variable. While it can get hot on a given summer's day (even up to the high 80s on occasion), people rarely complain that the mountains are too hot, even in July or August. Usually the challenge is the other way round. The visitor has to be prepared for cool, rainy weather that can happen at any time (and that may blow in and blow out again in short order).
Also, the evenings in the mountains are cool, no matter how hot it has been during the day time.
Average temperatures for Banff townsite, but please let me emphasize these are only averages, with considerable fluctuations possible, are:
June - av. high 65 deg F, av. low 42 deg F
July - 71 F and 45 F
August - 70 F and 44 F
September - 61 F and 37 F
The layered approach to packing is best. Bring sturdy, lace-up walking shoes or light hiking boots. If you come in summer, also bring sturdy sandals (e.g., Teva). The pants with zip-on / zip-off legs that can convert from pants to shorts are popular with many travellers. Also bring short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, a sweater or fleece jacket, and a hooded, waterproof jacket or poncho that you can wear as an outer layer.
There are two areas in the Canadian Rockies that are most popular with tourists. One is the stretch from Banff townsite, through Lake Louise to Yoho National Park. The other is the portion around Jasper townsite. The north-south corridor that connects Lake Louise and Jasper, which is known as the Icefields Parkway, also is very popular for its scenery. If you do word searches on the names I've just mentioned, you'll find numerous discussion threads.
Calgary is a popular airport for accessing the Canadian Rockies. Some people do a circular drive starting and finishing in Calgary.
A better way to do it IMO is into Edmonton and out of Calgary, or the other way round (but check the air fares, as it can make a difference which order you do things in).
Another possibility, depending on the amount of time you have, is into Vancouver and out of Calgary, or the other way round. Again, the order in which you do it can make a difference to your air fare. The pick up - drop off direction of your rental car also can make a BIG difference to the rental rate, so that too is worth checking out.
I do not recommend coming before mid June if you want to see the lakes at their turquoise best. Some of the lakes that are at slightly lower elevations already have thawed by the end of May / beginning of June, but the ones at higher elevations may not be at their best until mid June, depending on the timing of spring in any given year.
There have been times when Moraine Lake, one of my favourites, has not been fully thawed till the middle of June, and indeed the access road to it, which is closed during the winter, hasn't been opened till the middle of June.
Spring 2004 arrived quite early. Lake Louise was thawed by the end of May, and the access road to Moraine Lake also was opened towards the end of May. (But Moraine Lake still wasn't looking its best till at least the end of the first week of June.) If what they say about global warming is true, it's possible that this trend of spring arriving early will continue.
Hope that helps.
I second Borealis's advice about the best timing In the Canadian Rockies (i.e., the latter part of June or else September).
As Borealis said, wildflowers arrive at the end of June / beginning of July. Some of them are finished by the end of July, but some species -- like paintbrush -- persist even into September.
The Canadian Rockies are heavily touristed in July and August. Although June and September also are popular months, the demand on accommodations, restaurants, parking spots at famous sights, etc., is not quite so heavy in June and September.
The weather in the mountains is extremely variable. While it can get hot on a given summer's day (even up to the high 80s on occasion), people rarely complain that the mountains are too hot, even in July or August. Usually the challenge is the other way round. The visitor has to be prepared for cool, rainy weather that can happen at any time (and that may blow in and blow out again in short order).
Also, the evenings in the mountains are cool, no matter how hot it has been during the day time.
Average temperatures for Banff townsite, but please let me emphasize these are only averages, with considerable fluctuations possible, are:
June - av. high 65 deg F, av. low 42 deg F
July - 71 F and 45 F
August - 70 F and 44 F
September - 61 F and 37 F
The layered approach to packing is best. Bring sturdy, lace-up walking shoes or light hiking boots. If you come in summer, also bring sturdy sandals (e.g., Teva). The pants with zip-on / zip-off legs that can convert from pants to shorts are popular with many travellers. Also bring short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts, a sweater or fleece jacket, and a hooded, waterproof jacket or poncho that you can wear as an outer layer.
There are two areas in the Canadian Rockies that are most popular with tourists. One is the stretch from Banff townsite, through Lake Louise to Yoho National Park. The other is the portion around Jasper townsite. The north-south corridor that connects Lake Louise and Jasper, which is known as the Icefields Parkway, also is very popular for its scenery. If you do word searches on the names I've just mentioned, you'll find numerous discussion threads.
Calgary is a popular airport for accessing the Canadian Rockies. Some people do a circular drive starting and finishing in Calgary.
A better way to do it IMO is into Edmonton and out of Calgary, or the other way round (but check the air fares, as it can make a difference which order you do things in).
Another possibility, depending on the amount of time you have, is into Vancouver and out of Calgary, or the other way round. Again, the order in which you do it can make a difference to your air fare. The pick up - drop off direction of your rental car also can make a BIG difference to the rental rate, so that too is worth checking out.
I do not recommend coming before mid June if you want to see the lakes at their turquoise best. Some of the lakes that are at slightly lower elevations already have thawed by the end of May / beginning of June, but the ones at higher elevations may not be at their best until mid June, depending on the timing of spring in any given year.
There have been times when Moraine Lake, one of my favourites, has not been fully thawed till the middle of June, and indeed the access road to it, which is closed during the winter, hasn't been opened till the middle of June.
Spring 2004 arrived quite early. Lake Louise was thawed by the end of May, and the access road to Moraine Lake also was opened towards the end of May. (But Moraine Lake still wasn't looking its best till at least the end of the first week of June.) If what they say about global warming is true, it's possible that this trend of spring arriving early will continue.
Hope that helps.
