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We have our hotels booked for two nights in Banff this summer, and are asking for the must see things to do in Banff, Lake Louise and possibly Jasper on a brief day-and a-half to two-day?
All of us are in very good physical shape, so we can certainly on our feet doing physical activity the entire day however none of us are expert rock climbers or skilled whitwater rafters. We are from Minneapolis, Minnesota after all?
Which things are a must do, which are places to go to only if you have time and attractions to avoid? Feel free to rank them in order if you wish!
Afterwards, we will proceed to Red Deer for a mix of busines, recreation and family. What can anyone tell me about Red Deer? From everything I see, the city looks nice!
We will be driving and are curious to know if we should enter Canada near Winnipeg and connect with the Trans-Canada Highway there? Should we cross at North Portal, Saskatchewan, near Regina? Another possibility to avoid the higher gas prices in Canada, would it be advantages to stay in the US for a longer portion of our trip, driving through Montana and crossing into Alberta north of Havre, MT or Shelby, MT on I-15?
We have our passports ready, and are wondering anything we should be aware of about crossing the border? We know that some crossings are not open 24-hours a day; not sure which ones are therefore we better plan on arriving during the business day.
Separate day trips to both Calgary and Edmonton are being planned as well.
I'm out to Drumheller Wed. for the coal mine, hoodoo, and Dinosaur Museum tour. My buddy wants to run the Elbow River from just outside of Banff all the way to Medicine Hat. Now THAT is on my bucket list. Mid summer i.e. now you can do it in an inner tube setup: beer, more beer, and don't for get the beer. (how did I ever live this long??)
Very dry this year everywhere from Banff on east into Sask. If you're from Minn. you'll probably think mosquitos have gone extinct.
Pack warm gear as the prairies can turn on a dime, especially neat the Rockies. Sunscreen and wind protection.
Banfffffff has already been really busy for two months. Moraine Lake and the Ice fields are a must.
We will be driving and are curious to know if we should enter Canada near Winnipeg and connect with the Trans-Canada Highway there? Should we cross at North Portal, Saskatchewan, near Regina? Another possibility to avoid the higher gas prices in Canada, would it be advantages to stay in the US for a longer portion of our trip, driving through Montana and crossing into Alberta north of Havre, MT or Shelby, MT on I-15?
We have our passports ready, and are wondering anything we should be aware of about crossing the border? We know that some crossings are not open 24-hours a day; not sure which ones are therefore we better plan on arriving during the business day.
If you want to avoid higher gas prices in Canada, then your best bet is to head for I-15, and north to the Coutts/Sweetgrass crossing. It is open 24 hours (the crossings west of there to Alberta are not).
From there, it is simple: Alberta highway 4 to Lethbridge (about an hour), turn right on 43rd Street and go north to Highway 3, turn left onto Highway 3 westbound and head for Fort Macleod (about 30 minutes), then take Highway 2 north to Calgary. Ignore the signs that say "Highway 23 North--Calgary," as you will likely get lost on a bunch of back roads. Go through Fort Macleod; the exit for Highway 2 north is just west of the town.
You don't need to go into Calgary itself, and I wouldn't recommend it if your destination is Banff--I seem to recall a route around the city, but cannot remember the highways. Use Google Maps to help plan a route that bypasses Calgary.
I've done the drive from Shelby to Banff many times. I've always driven through Fort Macleod rather than taking the short cut due to the reason explained by ChevySpoons above. You can totally bypass Calgary by going through Bragg Creek, but it adds distance. There are a number of ways to get through Calgary -- simplest is probably to take the Deerfoot to the Trans Canada. What route you take is up to you as well as the time of day (avoid Calgary and especially the Deerfoot at rush hour obviously).
You've got two days, so I'd scratch Jasper, but you've got time to see the biggest and most awe-inspiring sites further south. I live about four hours south of Banff, so I go up there for overnight and 2 day trips often and always have a great time. Some can't miss spots include:
1. Lake Louise (duh )
2. Moraine Lake
3. Peyto Lake
4. Johnston Canyon
5. Banff and/or Lake Louise gondolas
You can drive the southern portion of the Icefields parkway up to Hwy 11 and take that to Red Deer. I don't think you'd have the time to appreciate the northern portion of the Parkway north of Hwy 11 up to Jasper, but IMO the southern half has the best scenery anyway. Tons of lakes and scenic vistas on that road, so I suggest stopping basically at every turnoff. It's worth it to do some walking around Lake Louise as well -- I think it's about 1.5 miles to the end of the lake and another 1.5 miles back. And, speaking of Lake Louise, I definitely recommend getting there really early in the morning if possible. It's spectacular at any time of day, but there's something extra goosebump-inducing having the lake all to yourself at 7am.
Also, if you can squeeze it in, I recommend heading over to Yoho and seeing Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls. They're only about 30-40 minutes from Lake Louise and pretty spectacular. Yoho is less commercialized than Banff but just as beautiful -- great hiking and camping in the area.
I don't know anything about Red Deer, but most towns in Alberta are very clean, well kept, and fairly prosperous compared to their equivalents down here in Montana.
Thank you for the great suggestions, so far. Keep them coming! If I do choose to drive through Montana instead of entering Canada in North Dakota, would it be better to take I-94 to Glendive, MT then drive Montana Highway 200 across to I-15 in Great Falls, or should I make my way to US Highway 2 and go west to Shelby then north across to Lethbridge? I am more familiar with Us hwy 2 since I have seen it all the way into Whitefish, MT on my previous trip to Montana's Glacier National Park.
Lake Louise has been mentioned, but I want to add Lake Agnes. That's a decent hike uphill from Lake Louise (the trail starts near the hotel); and once you get to Lake Agnes, there are nice views of Lake Louise way down below. Lake Agnes itself is rather pretty, and there is a teahouse where you can refresh yourself.
Close to Banff Townsite, is the Cave and Basin. These are hot springs, which have created a microclimate--if you were to visit in winter, you'd see that some plants grow year-round in spite of the snow. See if you can spot some Banff Snails in the water. They are very rare, and an endangered species, but they are unique, and the only place on Earth where they live, is in the hot springs at Banff.
Also close to Banff Townsite is the long-ago town of Bankhead. This was a coal mining town (it was shut down because that industry really doesn't belong in a national park). There is a nice trail through the old mineworks though; and just up the hill is the town where the mineworkers lived. It is now a picnic area, where you can walk the old streets, now overgrown. The buildings were removed, but the foundations remain, so if you go for a walk there, watch your step, and don't fall in.
As for Banff Townsite, I'd suggest not driving on Banff Avenue if you can possibly avoid it. The hordes of pedestrians mean it is just about impossible to make a turn, which backs up traffic. Much more efficient to use alternates--I seem to recall Bear Street being a good alternate to Banff Avenue. Note that I only seem to recall; you should use a good map of the town. Google undoubtedly will help here.
Now you've got me thinking. Maybe I need a Banff break.
We have our hotels booked for two nights in Banff this summer, and are asking for the must see things to do in Banff, Lake Louise and possibly Jasper on a brief day-and a-half to two-day?
All of us are in very good physical shape, so we can certainly on our feet doing physical activity the entire day however none of us are expert rock climbers or skilled whitwater rafters. We are from Minneapolis, Minnesota after all?
Which things are a must do, which are places to go to only if you have time and attractions to avoid? Feel free to rank them in order if you wish!
Afterwards, we will proceed to Red Deer for a mix of busines, recreation and family. What can anyone tell me about Red Deer? From everything I see, the city looks nice!
We will be driving and are curious to know if we should enter Canada near Winnipeg and connect with the Trans-Canada Highway there? Should we cross at North Portal, Saskatchewan, near Regina? Another possibility to avoid the higher gas prices in Canada, would it be advantages to stay in the US for a longer portion of our trip, driving through Montana and crossing into Alberta north of Havre, MT or Shelby, MT on I-15?
We have our passports ready, and are wondering anything we should be aware of about crossing the border? We know that some crossings are not open 24-hours a day; not sure which ones are therefore we better plan on arriving during the business day.
Separate day trips to both Calgary and Edmonton are being planned as well.
I saw something on NatGeo channel last night and am now DYING to get to Banff!!!!
Wish Canada's summers weren't so short or else I'd fly up in September to see it.. Is september a decent time to see it? Ideally, I'd like it to be sunny.... and at least mild. ?
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