azzure

Hello - I was hoping someone could have a look at my planned itinerary for Banff/Jasper NP. This would be around the 1st of October. We've decided to bring our Labrador retriever with us; he is old so we don't want to leave him, and he does love to travel with us.

Day 1 - Drive from Spokane, WA. (My mother lives there.) Overnight Radium Hot Springs.

Day 2 - Drive to Banff (Canmore actually). Overnight Banff.

Day 3 - Sightseeing Banff area. Overnight Banff.

Day 4 - Icefields Parkway drive. Overnight Jasper.

Day 5 - Sightseeing Jasper area. Overnight Jasper.

Day 6 - Jasper-Kamloops.

Day 7 - Kamloops-home (we live near Seattle).

I was originally wanting to break up the Parkway drive by staying somewhere en route, but I don't seen any lodgings along the way other than in Lake Louise (no pet-friendly accommodations there that I can find, and it is quite close to Banff anyway.) I looked at the Sunwapta Falls Resort, but its reviews on TripAdvisor are pretty dicey.

Should I spend three nights in Banff (Canmore) instead of two, and plan on doing a day trip from there to Lake Louise in order to have a more leisurely trip the day we drive the Parkway? Are three nights in Banff (we would actually have 2 and 1/2 days there) too many for this time of year, what with certain places being closed etc.? I do realize that some hiking opportunities will be compromised by having a dog with us; however he is very good and can sleep in the car for up to an hour while we take short hikes.

Thanks so much for any assistance.

lunabug

The only other places to stay on the Icefields Parkway are the Num Ti Jah Lodge, Saskatchewan Crossing and at the Icefields Centre.
I haven't stayed at any of these personally.
Num Ti Jah always gets good reviews but it is only about a half hour out of Lake Louise.
The motel at Saskatchewan Crossing is just that - a motel.
There are some rooms right at the Icefields Centre but I don't believe they get good reviews.

I would recommend you leave early from Banff and make a day of the parkway trip, staying in Jasper that night.

Hope this helps.

bob_brown

With respect to accommodations along the Icefields Parkway, the 3 places listed above are the only ones other than campgrounds and hostels that I know of.

The Crossing is a small complex with a gas station, store, place to eat and a motel. I don't think it is far enough up the parkway to help that much, possibly an hour or so relative to Lake Louise.

We stayed in the motel at The Crossing a few years ago. I don't think it has changed much since then. The bed was fine, but the room was a little small.

It was as described above: A place to sleep.

My son stayed at the motel at the Icefields Center. The rooms either overlook the glacier or the hill behind. They are actually located directly above the visitor area of the Icefields Center.

He said the rooms were fine but the food in the cafeteria associated with the visitor center was poor.

The price is also on the high side, but with the sick dollar just about anything in Canada is higher than it was when $1.00 US = $1.35 CDN

If you guarantee your room in Jasper for late arrival, you can take a long day and drive the whole way.

I think you can get more motel room for your dollar in Jasper.

azzure

Thanks for writing. I have now booked 3 nights in Banff (Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge) and 2 nights in Jasper (Patricia Lake Bungalows) -- both had pet-friendly accommodation. It seems that lodging in Jasper, in particular, fills up very quickly (and it's hard to find a place without rotten TripAdvisor reviews), so I'm glad I went ahead and booked early.

So the trip is now as follows: one night Radium Hot Springs, three nights Banff, two nights Jasper, one night Kamloops, then home. Hope the weather is fine (iffy I know).

bob_brown

I think Patricia Lake Bungalows is a good choice. My son, wife, and their two boys stayed there a couple of years ago and really liked it.

It is a little ways out of Jasper, but not totally remote.

Based on his experience, I think you will like it.