I am planning to visit Canada for the first time in July. I will spend one week in Montreal and then I will fly to the Rocky Mountains for one week. The question is where to go for such a short time (I know one can stay a month there and ask for more!). I heard people advising me to go to Banff, other told me to go to Japers. As I will be with my wife and daughter (who do not like to sleep outside!) I will need a place with a hotel or something like that. Therefore: Banff or Jasper, Lake Louise or Lake Moraine, Glaciers or ??. (for instance: where can I better see bears and mooses?). Any advice will be greatly welcome! Thanks in advance!
Agustin
Posted by Mel Ladewig on April 22, 2008 at 5:44 PM
I rarely ever see a bear or moose in Banff or Jasper NP. I've come across them much more often in less touristy spots, like Kananaskis or Waterton. For sheep and goats, the Icefields Parkway has a reliable group or two. For elk, they tend to hang around the townsites. Other animals are less predictable. You can slightly increase your chances by taking the 1a instead of the Trans-Canada highway.
For roadside scenery, Yoho's my favourite national park, although the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper is magnificent as well. Lake Louise and Lake Moraine are gorgeous lakes, but I avoid them like the plague in July due to the crowds that they attract (they're tolerable very early in the morning or after dinner).
For places to stay, I always camp, so I can't help much there. However, at least in terms of the townsites, Jasper's much more unique and interesting than Banff. I don't hate Banff, but it's lost much of its character to chain stores and such that you can find in any city. Something like 2 nights in Banff, then 2 nights in Lake Louise, and then 2 nights at Jasper will give you lots of variety and is a reasonable pace.
Posted by Kent Staubus on April 22, 2008 at 11:11 PM
I've been in all those areas. I most want to return to Icefield Parkway, Athabasca Glacier. I don't care for the more touristy area like Banff, although Emerald Lake is a true jewel.
Stay one night in Banff to get stuff around there, then stay two nights in Lake Louise to grab great stuff there, then head up the Icefields Parkway, stay one night at The Crossing Resort (halfway up the Parkway), then 2 nights in Jasper. Return to Banff if you are then flying out of Calgary. Jasper kicks butt over Banff IMO. Darwin
1. Don't overlook Kootenay and Yoho. Some stunning scenery in both, and Kootenay is the best place of all the parks for wildlife, IMHO. Take a drive through in the evening and see. Kootenay is easily accessible from either Banff or Lake Louise, and Yoho is easily accessible from Lake Louise. If you like walking, Wapta falls in Yoho is an easy walk and a spectacular waterfall (Niagara of the west, it's sometimes called). Takakkaw (also in Yoho) has road access and is one of the tallest in Canada (though with much less flow than Wapta). From the parking lot at Takakkaw, there is a reasonably short and easy walk to Laughing Falls (if you leave the parking lot at sunrise, you might get a rainbow there) or a 8km (each way) hike to Twin Falls (for a rainbow there, I think you'd need to spend the night). Marble Canyon (in Kootenay) should be nice--I've only ever been in winter, but it should be very nice in summer (now that it has reopened, since being closed by the fires in 2004).
2. When staying at Lake Louise, I'd be tempted to stay at the small hotel at Moraine Lake (only a 12 km drive from Lake Louise).
3. Don't worry about the crowds. You definitely need to have all your hotel reservations well in advance, though. But once that's in place, just plan on being at the busy places (the lake shores at Louise/Moraine and Johnston Canyon, in Particular) first thing in the morning or after dinner. (As already stated.) I was in the Louise area on the absolute busiest weekend of the year last summer (the weekend containing the first Monday in August--a holiday in Canada). The road from the Louise townsite to the lake was ridiculously busy all afternoon long. At 7:00pm or so, when I went up it, there was a two kilometre long line of cars at the stop sign at the bottom of the road (at the town). But the parking lots at the top, at both lakes, were actually fairly empty. (And by the time I went down, around 9:00, the line at the bottom of the road was gone.)
4. Jasper is good for animals--but you do need to drive around to find them. There are a couple of 70 km/h zones on the highway to Edmonton which are by far the most reliable places to find sheep. Elk hang out along that whole road. Note that last summer there was a lot of pipeline work going on along that road which definitely impacted the wildlife viewing along Hwy 16. I thought it was supposed to be done before this summer, but I was there a couple of weeks ago, and it was still ongoing then. There are certainly other places to find animals in the park, though.
5. When in Jasper, take a side trip over to Mount Robson Provincial Park in BC. Lots of opportunities for moose on that road (and I've seen a couple wolves on the road over the years, too). And the scenery at Mount Robson is great. Check out Overlander and Rearguard Falls. A hike to Berg Lake is probably not in the cards (normally an overnight trip), but the trail as far as Kinney Lake and back is easy to do in a 3-4 hours.
-Paul
Posted by Mel Ladewig on April 23, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Agustin,
You might consider renting an RV and doing the Cassiar. Northern B.C. and the Yukon are also quite beautiful. And nicer than Colorado!
Check out Darwin Wiggett's guide on How to photograph the Canadian Rockies (check out his website (http://darwinwiggett.com I believe). It's a fantastic source of info with details on how to access places, what's the best time of year or day to go...for 15 bucks you really can't go wrong!
Discussion
8 repliesAgustin
Except we don't have many moose.
For roadside scenery, Yoho's my favourite national park, although the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper is magnificent as well. Lake Louise and Lake Moraine are gorgeous lakes, but I avoid them like the plague in July due to the crowds that they attract (they're tolerable very early in the morning or after dinner).
For places to stay, I always camp, so I can't help much there. However, at least in terms of the townsites, Jasper's much more unique and interesting than Banff. I don't hate Banff, but it's lost much of its character to chain stores and such that you can find in any city. Something like 2 nights in Banff, then 2 nights in Lake Louise, and then 2 nights at Jasper will give you lots of variety and is a reasonable pace.
You might consider renting an RV and doing the Cassiar. Northern B.C. and the Yukon are also quite beautiful. And nicer than Colorado!
http://www.nbctourism.com/itineraries/great_northern
Dave
Kent in SD
1. Don't overlook Kootenay and Yoho. Some stunning scenery in both, and Kootenay is the best place of all the parks for wildlife, IMHO. Take a drive through in the evening and see. Kootenay is easily accessible from either Banff or Lake Louise, and Yoho is easily accessible from Lake Louise. If you like walking, Wapta falls in Yoho is an easy walk and a spectacular waterfall (Niagara of the west, it's sometimes called). Takakkaw (also in Yoho) has road access and is one of the tallest in Canada (though with much less flow than Wapta). From the parking lot at Takakkaw, there is a reasonably short and easy walk to Laughing Falls (if you leave the parking lot at sunrise, you might get a rainbow there) or a 8km (each way) hike to Twin Falls (for a rainbow there, I think you'd need to spend the night). Marble Canyon (in Kootenay) should be nice--I've only ever been in winter, but it should be very nice in summer (now that it has reopened, since being closed by the fires in 2004).
2. When staying at Lake Louise, I'd be tempted to stay at the small hotel at Moraine Lake (only a 12 km drive from Lake Louise).
3. Don't worry about the crowds. You definitely need to have all your hotel reservations well in advance, though. But once that's in place, just plan on being at the busy places (the lake shores at Louise/Moraine and Johnston Canyon, in Particular) first thing in the morning or after dinner. (As already stated.) I was in the Louise area on the absolute busiest weekend of the year last summer (the weekend containing the first Monday in August--a holiday in Canada). The road from the Louise townsite to the lake was ridiculously busy all afternoon long. At 7:00pm or so, when I went up it, there was a two kilometre long line of cars at the stop sign at the bottom of the road (at the town). But the parking lots at the top, at both lakes, were actually fairly empty. (And by the time I went down, around 9:00, the line at the bottom of the road was gone.)
4. Jasper is good for animals--but you do need to drive around to find them. There are a couple of 70 km/h zones on the highway to Edmonton which are by far the most reliable places to find sheep. Elk hang out along that whole road. Note that last summer there was a lot of pipeline work going on along that road which definitely impacted the wildlife viewing along Hwy 16. I thought it was supposed to be done before this summer, but I was there a couple of weeks ago, and it was still ongoing then. There are certainly other places to find animals in the park, though.
5. When in Jasper, take a side trip over to Mount Robson Provincial Park in BC. Lots of opportunities for moose on that road (and I've seen a couple wolves on the road over the years, too). And the scenery at Mount Robson is great. Check out Overlander and Rearguard Falls. A hike to Berg Lake is probably not in the cards (normally an overnight trip), but the trail as far as Kinney Lake and back is easy to do in a 3-4 hours.
-Paul
Just doing my part to boost Colorado tourism. Our elected officials decided to stop funding it a decade or so back.