dianetas

We want to see Glacier National Park and Banff and Jasper. Prob fly in and out of Calgary. However, we are hearing that you cant take rental cars over the country border. Any suggestions? We thought about trying to find a tour from Calgary to Glacier National Park but have googled and found nothing! We heard about Brewster but they stay in Canada.

sludick

I'll assume you are referring to the U.S. Glacier National Park, not the Canadian one?

Most car rental agencies will allow it. However, you will need to check with them, as this can vary by company and by your rental agreement. Also, you will need to advise them at the time you do pick up the car so that they can give you the necessary insurance binder document.

As long as you are returning the car in Calgary - a one-way rental with a drop-off in the states is not likely possible.

kgsneds

Welcome!

It's generally possible to take a rental car out of the country as long as you return the car back in the same country. What is virtually impossible is renting a car in one country and returning it another.

Any of the major companies should be able to offer a rental that can cross the border. Just make sure to specify you will be crossing the border so it's permitted in the contract. Also make sure you are very clearly on how the mileage works - often it will be unlimited in the original country, but pay per km once you cross the border. That can be expensive. So check the details and see if you can get unlimited for both countries.

To provide more advice it would help to know when you are planning to travel and how long you have for your holiday. To do Jasper/Banff and Glacier (and I'd add in Waterton), you really want at least 10 days, possibly two weeks. The minimum to enjoy Jasper/Banff/Yoho is usually 6-7 nights, then allow a full day to drive to Glacier/Waterton NPs. You can probably do Glacier in three days, depending on your interests and whether you've had your fill of mountains/glaciers/waterfalls by then.

It is important to note that if you are planning to travel between June and mid October of 2017 that you book your accommodation in the parks ASAP. Some hotels are already booked solid for the summer and with free admission to the parks (in Canada), it's expected to be an extremely busy summer. Best to avoid long weekends (Victoria Day, July 1 long weekend and weekend including first Monday in August and Labour Day) if possible.

FYI, to avoid confusion, be aware that there is a Glacier NP in Canada - it's in BC about 3 hrs west of Banff NP.

mlm59

We flew to Calgary last year, went to Banff, and then to Glacier NP. We rented from Hertz and had no problems taking the car into the US and back to Canada. Double check the rental car company's policy before booking. I originally booked with Dollar or Budget (can't remember which one) and luckily read something that said not all rental car companies in Canada will allow the vehicle to cross into the U.S. Thankfully I checked with the company before our vacation and learned I could not cross the border.

We had no problems renting the car or crossing the border in either direction. We had our car insurance policy with us, but nobody asked to see it.

patsfancanada

If you have a Costco membership, go to the travel tab on the website and rent the car through Costco. I have done it in Calgary and Toronto numerous times and cars are insanely cheap and you can take it to the States. While in Banff my favourite restaurant is Melissas Steakhouse, great steak and amazing breakfast with cheap prices for Banff.

DaveS

We did similar as mlm59 this past September using Hertz, but in the opposite direction (Calgary, Waterton, GNP, Banff, Lake Louise, Calgary) no problem with car at the borders. Word of warning. We left the airport then traveled south on Route 2 towards Waterton. We got a robo speeding ticket via Hertz (over $100.00 US) for going 12 km over the speed limit only 15 minutes after leaving the airport so not far. Ticket in the mail didn’t say where on Route 2, only the time. We were driving in the middle lane with cars passing on our left, no idea if they all also got tickets as it was with some sort of camera. Great trip though, if you have time cut over to Route 22 and stop at the Bar-U Ranch for an interesting historical place.

sludick

DaveS - we discovered the Bar-U on our trip this past fall. It is really worth a visit!

kgsneds

Any photo-radar ticket should have a photo of your car and the location. The location may be buried in the text, but I'm pretty sure it has to be there legally - or at least you can request to know the location.

Photo radar has to be manned, I believe, so it's one car at a time. You were probably just the unlucky one - I've gone years without one, and then gotten multiple ones within a month.

DaveS

We didn't get the actual ticket, only bill from Hertz with time, date, road, kilometers over the speed limit, and of course dollar amount.