Myer

We'll be arriving around 9PM and looking for a motel recommendation. Nothing fancy.

We'll be going to Banff the next day so it might be an idea to drive about 30 minutes in that direction to reduce the drive the next day.

A place where we could have a quick dinner would be a bonus.

Recommendations?

Thanks.

ShelliDawn

There's a number of motels just off the 16th Ave NW (part of the Trans Canada) in an area known as "motel vilage" which would be convenient for carrying on to Banff the next day. Just do a search on "calgary motel village" and they'll come up. It is probably about 1/2 hour drive from the airport but you'll still have another 20 minutes or so to get out of the city.

There's also a few motels farther down 16th Ave closer to the edge of the city and across from Canada Olympic Park. I can't think of their names right now, but an internet search should find them easily enough.

Aramis

16th Avenue is also known as the Trans Canada Highway (the Trans Canada), which runs directly to Banff. Canada Olympic Park is on the western edge of town, just off the Trans Canada/16th Avenue, and if you stay in the area you will be seconds from hitting the highway in the morning with no city traffic to deal with as you head to Banff. The best bet in the area is the Four Points by Sheraton Calgary West. Another is the Sandman Hotels and Suites Calgary West.

There are plenty of eating spots in the area or just a little east on 16th Avenue.

Myer

Aramis,

The Centro Motel is only a couple of minutes east of those two, gets excellent reviews and is less expensive.

Anybody stay there?

Aramis

Myer;

Never heard of it, but that is not surprising - the Google Street View picture shows a vacant tired old motel from the 50's that seems to have been on the decline for decades. However, further research seems to reveal that the Centro is very new (months old) - it must be a renovation/remodeling of the former place.

Tripadvisor's reviews are good. I think you will probably have to trust the available research on this one since it is so new.

sludick

Myer - we "talked" on another of your posts. You might also consider Canmore, which is on the way to Banff but just outside the park. You'll be surprised at how quickly you leave the city environs and approach the mountains. Canmore has restaurants as well, and you'll be set for the morning to go on into the park - will be in Banff townsite about 20 minutes from Canmore.

Myer

What's the road like between Calgary and Canmore?

Is it 2 lanes each way? Is it a "Steep Hills - Sharp Curves" road?

I want an easy drive in the dark. But you make a good point. It would be great to be in Banff early and start.

I'll check into lodging there.

Thanks.

sludick

Easy easy drive, straight shot pretty much. I'm thinking less than 90 minutes from the airport, 60 minutes from Calgary. At the time you are arriving (and season), you should have some daylight left but avoid the rush hour traffic.

Aramis

Myer;

2 lane highway, excellent condition, no switchbacks, and very wide shoulders/cleared areas all the way through. It is really not much of what you would think of as a "mountain road". There are a few gentle curves once you are about 40 minutes from Calgary, but no real hills other than one big, but gentle downhill into the Morley Flats. It's a major highway.

Calgary's elevation is 3500 feet so it's not that much of a "climb" into Banff's 4500 feet.

Canmore is about 90 minutes from the airport, and Banff another 20 from there.

It would not seem to make sense to stop in Canmore for the first night if you intend on staying in Banff - what's 20 more minutes?

So, it would be about 1:45 to Banff from the airport and about 1:25 from the motel you mentioned in this thread.

The sun sets just before 10:00 p.m. in early July and dusk lasts well past 10:30. You would be driving west so there is a slim chance you might get to see a sunset/dusk over the mountains if you can clear the airport and pick up the car by about 9:45.

If you left the airport at 10:00 p.m. you should reach Banff just before midnight. If you left at 9:00 a.m.,from the Calgary motel, you would be in Banff by about 10:30 a.m..

Myer

The problem is that we probably wouldn't leave before 10:00 AM wherever we slept over.

The idea would be to minimize night driving by stopping enroute but get to Banff as early in the day as possible since we only have 4 days.

Canmore might be a good compromise. We should be able to get there well before midnight.

Aramis

You would actually stop and spend the night 20 minutes short of your ultimate destination?

laverendrye

<<You would actually stop and spend the night 20 minutes short of your ultimate destination?>>

I agree. I would only stop in Canmore if I were going to stay there for several nights.

When aramis described the highway as "2 lanes" I'm sure it was meant as 2 lanes in each direction. It's a four-lane divided limited access highway--i.e. similar to a US Interstate.

sludick

Aramis and laverendrye, I do see your point. My thought in suggesting Canmore as a compromise:

Once you pass Canmore, you then need to pass through the park gates (deduct some time for the admission, although not much). Then, they will need to take either the first or second entrance into Banff and find their hotel. Depending on where it is, I figured it would eat up some more time -- let's say that from the park gates to their hotel could be 30-45 minutes (by now it's dark and they may be getting lost).

By stopping in Canmore, they will probably do so before complete dark or close to it. The hotels tend to be very close to if not right alongside the main road (Myer, be sure to map them out) where there are also restaurants and 2 grocery stores that I know of. This means that they can get dinner and breakfast conveniently.

And most importantly, they can enter the park in the light of day. I think this is a key point. The drawback here is that they would also leave that hotel the next morning to go into the park. Myer - we have stayed in Canmore for our entire stay previously, as have friends - but that is for a week, and only because it was a timeshare. For you, the best choice is to stay in Banff or Lake Louise during your stay.

But for the first night, and especially given that you would like a leisurely morning before leaving, I think Canmore is a reasonably good compromise.

jent103

Being admitted to the park took us about 2.5 minutes. Maybe our experience wasn't typical, but if it was, that wouldn't be a consideration at all for me in deciding where to stay. (However, does the admission booth close at a certain time at night? I couldn't find that information - the information centre does close in the early evening, but I think that's different than the booths where you pay admission fees.)

If the admission time is not an issue, and you want to drive as far as Canmore anyway, I'd just head to Banff. The road is very very easy between Calgary and Banff, and the distance between Canmore and Banff is so little (15-20 minutes?). Why move hotels unnecessarily?

kayd

I'd probably stay in Calgary, but west of downtown so as to make an early departure without getting caught in commuter traffic. Arrival formalities if you are coming from outside Canada, getting the rental car, etc., will take some time and I would not want to make the trip in the dark, though the road is fine -- I want to see the mountain scenery as I approach.
You could be in the park in 90 minutes, by noon if you leave western Calgary at 10:00, but I'd make every effort to start earlier and enjoy the view of the morning light on the Rockies.