We are hoping to take this long delayed trip finally! I have read a number of posts here and now have a question or two.
We are a total of 4 people and we will be driving from Southern Oregon to Canada. I think the most direct route for us would be to go to Portland, then Spokane, cut across the top of Idaho and into Alberta.
1. Should we aim for Jasper first then work our way down? Is one night in Jasper enough since we have limited days? If so, where to stay that is budget friendly? (under $200) Would love it if there were breakfast included, just need decent clean, no frills place to stay.
2. Noticed many said to stay in Lake Louise area instead of Banff for the other nights. I am thinking 2 nights or 3? Is Golden too far or what about Canmore?
So far, main things we want to do, look at scenery, take many pictures, hike to Lake Agnes teahouse. Is tram in Jasper worthwhile? I noticed you can go in the evening in summer. Other suggestions? Look at Banff hotel and Fairmount too. We are in our early 50's and very active. Have a 19 and an 11 year old girl in tow.
Then we want to go through Waterton and down through Glacier. (probably just driving through for the day and head toward Yellowstone on the way back to Oregon. Have done Yellowstone and Tetons before. Probably just a quick jaunt.
Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Glacier July 17-28
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How limited, exactly?
From Spokane, Jasper will be a hike; you'd want to break it up into a 2-day trip (no open freeways). If your time is short, you should probably cut that out and concentrate on Banff/Lake Louise.
I like Canmore; it's only about 20 minutes from the entrance to Banff. Prices are lower there also. It would be reasonable to stay in Canmore and explore both Banff and Lake Louise, although you will spend more drive time overall. Don't think Golden would be a consideration.
Cannot comment on the Waterton/Glacier part without knowing how much time you have.
If we are able to leave on July 17 (a wednesday) we know it will be two days of driving to get to Jasper. So maybe could get to Golden or somewhere on the west side. Then could start up to Jasper on Friday. Spend Friday night and Saturday. Where to stay then? Want at least three days for Banff/Lake Louise. We could move down to that area on Sunday? Leave Wednesday toward Waterton/Glacier? We are still debating whether to just forgo Yellowstone or if we need more days.
Yellowstone is a bit out of your way isn't it?..You might want to consider the fact that the highways going north are 2 lane, speed limited and in some areas very twisting, consuming your travel time.Glacier N.P. with "going to the sun" road is well worth the trip turning north at East Glacier..but the road up through So Alberta after Waterton is not very scenic..It's a long haul..however lovely to Banff, Lk.L and Jasper (if you make it that far)
amer_can, that's what I've been thinking about also - the much lower speed limit particularly up in the Banff/Lake Louise and surrounding areas.
oregonmom, please factor into your travel times the fact that you will be limited to about 45 mph at most in those areas. And given the summer traffic, it's highly likely you will average less than that. The roads area largely 2-lane (1 each way), with no passing for semis and other slower vehicles.
I haven't really calculated southern Oregon to Jasper; I know that's a long drive, but will slow down once you get over the Washington border.
Since you didn't say where in southern Oregon you will be starting from, it's hard to say just where you might stop the first night. In general and depending on your route, Cranbrook or Kelowna would be about as far as you might make. Just speculation, of course. At any rate, I'm thinking 2 very long days. I wouldn't like to plan on that, if I had time.
Is there any chance of flying to Spokane and renting a car, or even better, flying to Calgary? That's supposing you wouldn't do Glacier, though (Calgary).
Finding accommodation under $200 per night for four people in Jasper and Lake Louise will take a bit of doing, especially Lake Louise. Some of the out-of-town cabin accommodations near the town of Jasper are slightly less than $200, and there are a couple of cheaper hotels in town with rooms less than $200 (for two people... I think you might need two rooms) - the Astoria, and the Athabasca. Check Bear Hill Lodge (in town, I think they include breakfast), Patricia Lake Bungalows, Pine Bungalows (both near town) and Pocahontas Bungalows (about 30 minutes' drive east of town). All Jasper hotels should be listed at www.jasper.travel .
Private home accommodation is a less expensive option for Jasper - these are rooms or suites within residents' homes... similar to B&B except that most are not licensed to offer breakfast so it's accommodation only. You could get a 2-bedroom basement suite, with sitting room and kitchenette for less than $200, probably less than $175. There are a few that offer breakfast - you can use the search page to narrow down your choices, since there are so many and the choices can be a bit overwhelming. www.stayinjasper.com
The cheapest places to stay in LL are the HI Alpine Centre hostel, which has private rooms in the $110 range, and the Mountaineer Lodge. Both are in the village, which is adjacent to the Trans-Canada highway (#1); the lake itself is 4 km uphill. Accommodations up there are the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (several hundred dollars per night in summer), Deer Lodge, and Paradise Bungalows.
Golden is an hour or more from Lake Louise, and is not a really appealing town. It's ok, but most of the hotels are up on the highway bypass, which, with the chain hotels and chain restaurants, look much like any other edge-of-town "strip".
Plan to spend the whole day on the drive from Jasper to Lake Louise - there are a lot of stops, things to do and see. If you pack a picnic lunch, then you don't have to stop at the few expensive, crowded with bus tours, and not-so-great places to eat en route. You might want to stop for a hike - both Wilcox Pass and Parker Ridge are stunning hikes, both trail heads are just a few kilometres south of the Columbia Icefields.
My DW and I have stayed several nights in the Jasper HI Hostel.
I like their kitchen and common area which has a fireplace.
http://www.hihostels.ca/westerncanada/1478/HI-Jasper.hostel
I or we arrive on the ViaRail Canadian. All of the Canadian Rockies and Glacier NP (Montana) are beautiful. You might get a scenery overload trying to see all the places in a short period of time.
My favored place to see when visiting Glacier is Meadow Lake Resort near Columbia Falls MT.
We too live in southern Oregon. The last trip I took east on the Empire Builder I drove to Spokane and took the EB out at 1:30AM.
We are in Roseburg. So it is freeway up to Portland, then out the Columbia Gorge to the Tri-cities area then up to Spokane. I realize it gets slow after that. Also am realizing that we may need to cut the Montana part of the trip. The drive to Spokane is about 8 hours. I think Mapquest said about 7 to Lake Louise. Just wondered if we should push on into the park on that second day, or if that is too far. Would we be able to get to Jasper if we pressed on that day? After viewing the map, I think it would be good for us to start at Jasper and work our way back down to Banff.
Forgot to say thanks for the replies. I will check out the Jasper HI Hostel
Are you thinking a circle trip from Vanc. to Jasper on the Yellowhead Route then down to Banff? Back to Vanc. on Trans Canada or maybe south through Kananaskis to #3 and go on into Glacier. Could do that without any back tracking and go home on US#2..glorious scenery all along except maybe the rangeland south of mountains in So. Alberta and interior Wash. but that's your baillywick..Great trip however!!!
amer_can, I hadn't looked at that route but I have now. Mapquest says if we go straight up I-5 to Vancouver and then to Jasper it is 17 hours. So where should we spend a night in route if we go that way? We could do a long day on the first day so that we get up into BC. Then would go straight to Jasper the next day for 2 or 3 nights. Then down to Banff or Lake Louise for the rest. I think we are giving up the Montana portion of the trip because we have been there before and would really like to see this area for the first time properly. I looked up the stayinjasper website and it looks like any number of those private accomodations would work for us in our price range if I can find one open. Then what about staying in the Lake Louise area? If we only come down from Jasper, will we miss anything on the Parkway? We are really flexible and don't have any planned activities yet so I think just driving and looking and walking will be fine for us.