rje

This is my first time posting on the Canada board, so first let me say hello!

We're going to also be first-time visitors to the Canadian Rockies, arriving in early October, and will be driving to stay in Banff. After that, we'll be staying at Emerald Lake.

And then we drive west to Whistler (and after that, the relatively short drive to Vancouver). it is a long drive, and I'd like to break it into several days. I've done some research, but I'm finding it hard to discover where the best/most beautiful places to stay will be after we leave Emerald Lake/Yoho National Park, as we drive west toward Whistler. Ideally, the drive each day wouldn't be more than about 3 hours.

Our interests during this drive are scenery, wildlife and photography. Unfortunately, we can't hike, as my wife has knee problems, so what we see will have to be from the car or on short walks with no steep hills, or from gondolas, vistas from hotels, etc.

Any suggestions as to how we might best break the drive into manageable pieces will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

kgsneds

Welcome!

I suspect you'll probably need to do one day that includes more than 3 hrs of driving because of the geography. Unlike what you may be used to at home, there are a lot of geographic barriers to highways here - mountains, lakes, national parks.

BC has a number of mountain ranges running N-S, as well as long lakes, so there are relatively few roads that run anywhere near straight E-W. Plus, especially in the east, there are fairly long stretches in parks without cities/towns. People generally go across in two days with one longer day, but even with more days, it's usually quite difficult to break it down into even driving chunks. Almost always, there's going to be one 4-5 hr driving day.

You could go from Emerald Lake to Salmon Arm - the latter is in lake country with hills rather than mountains. South of there is the Okanagan which is worth a visit, but is likely going to involve a day or two of longer driving because the roads twist and turn around mountains & lakes. Salmon Arm is only 5 hrs from Whistler - you could break up the trip in a place like Hope or Lilloet, though those aren't necessarily going to be the most scenic or wildlife hotspots.

Alternatively Emerald Lake to Revelstoke is a short hop and there's a gondola there (though by mid October it might not be running for summer tourism - our Thanksgiving (Oct 10) often marks the end of the summer tourist season. After that summer attractions often shut and others may close until late Nov/early Dec). to prep/wait for the winter season. Then to Kelowna.

I suspect you will have a longer driving day on your last day, simply because Whistler is a bit up in the mountains, so there are no fast approaches.

rje

Thanks, kgsneds. I've also read other good advice from you in this forum, and your help is appreciated.

Sounds like its going to be Salmon Arm for us! And I'll just have to re-adjust my expectations for the drive lengths. But it will be well worth it to finally be able to experience the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.

rje

I do have one more question.

Do you know whether it is likely during the first week in October that there will be any snow to be seen on the high peaks around Banff and Yoho National Park? I'm hoping there will be because it I think should make for more interesting photographs than just bare peaks.

sludick

In the times we have been there late September/early October, there is quite often some snow on the high peaks. It's more rare to get anything down in the township, but that's happened as well.

sundriedtopepo

rje, It seems you are an experienced traveller, but just a heads up, as you drive the road from Lillooet to Whistler, Duffey Lake Road, it is somewhat windy with some steep hills. It's known as the back road, even though the road has been improved a great deal over the last years. The gorgeous scenery makes it worthwhile though!

Here's a link so you will have an idea of what to expect:

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractio..._Columbia.html

DaveS

You mentioned Gondolas; there is one at Kicking Horse Ski resort outside of Golden that runs during the summer. Not sure about October though. There is a restaurant at top open for lunch and the views are wonderful. We went there several years ago to mountain bike (you take the gondola up with your bike), but there were plenty of others taking it for the views/restaurant.

rje

sludick ,
I'll keep my fingers crossed! And pack more cold weather clothes than we'd planned, just in case.

sundriedtopepo,
Thanks for the heads up and the link. It does sound like an enjoyable drive, so I'll just keep a firm grip on the wheel in case of gusts.

DaveS,
It seems there are a number of gondolas - I didn't know bout the one you mention at Golden, but I do see there are others in Jasper, Lake Louise, Banff and Whistler, as well as a new one near Squamish. I guess it will depend on weather, mood, and as you point out, when they are open as to which we end up on. I did read that the one at Lake Louise claims to have a lot of grizzly sightings from their gondola, but I don't think they are likely to offer a guarantee of that!

sundriedtopepo

Rje perhaps I should have used the word winding not windy

kgsneds

There's also a gondola in Revelstoke.


I would check schedules later in the summer - not all gondolas/trams run year round. Those that do may have have closures in the off-season (i.e. Canadian Thanksgiving to start of ski season and end of ski season to May long weekend) for repairs/staff breaks.

The one at Lake Louise is a good place to spot bears, though it depends on the season. Bears are more likely to be in the higher elevations during the summer when there's lots of tasty treats. Later in the season, they may be lower down where they can still find food and/or starting to head into their dens.

jane1144

I too think that the Duffy Lake Road is beautiful, but I would not take it in poor weather. There is little traffic, except logging trucks and even less cell phone coverage. Whenever we go on it we make sure to have extra water and snacks. If you get a rainy/foggy/ snowy day, detour down through Vancouver.