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Advice on Canadian Rockies [Jul 2005] pls.
hi
i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 1) what is the temperature? rainfall? 2) is it the most crowded period for the whole year? 3) is it only the Icefields Parkway charged? i plan to stay for 5 days... i know it is charged to enter the national park, but where exactly are the toll gates? 4) i plan to stay in motel. do anyone has cheap but reasonable quality motel recommend? 'Travelocity' has quite some 'expensive' options (CAD140-200 /night). 5) easy to find gas stationa along Hwy 1 & Icefields Parkway? Thank you. |
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Hunter wrote:
hi i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 1) what is the temperature? rainfall? Depends...I've seen snow in July in Banff...mostly depends on where you are and at what elevation... It can get in the high 20's or go down to freezing... 2) is it the most crowded period for the whole year? I beleive so... |
#3
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"Hunter" wrote in message ... hi i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 1) what is the temperature? rainfall? Daily highs should reach at least the low 20's, but you may see 15-20 if it gets nasty. Overnight it could drop to around the 5 degree mark. Not much rain shold fall. Try www.weather.com and select "records and averages" link for the city you want the forecast for. 2) is it the most crowded period for the whole year? Yes, Canadians don't wait until August to take vacation. School is out in July and August and since the weather is also the best in July it should be a little more crowded than August. 3) is it only the Icefields Parkway charged? i plan to stay for 5 days... i know it is charged to enter the national park, but where exactly are the toll gates? You will enter Banff national park first, about an hour from Calgary, and you will buy a National Park pass that will be good for yout entire trip. You just slow down, drive up to the nice man/woman in the booth and pay for a pass before driving on. 4) i plan to stay in motel. do anyone has cheap but reasonable quality motel recommend? 'Travelocity' has quite some 'expensive' options (CAD140-200 /night). There is not a lot of developed accomodation in the National Parks - that's why they are parks - and you are going in the peak season, so you won't do much better than what you quoted. I don't have any specific recommendations below that range. 5) easy to find gas stationa along Hwy 1 & Icefields Parkway? You won't find a gas station, I don't think, outside of the towns in the park - Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, etcc. When you are in a town, but gas. Since you can drive from Calgary to Jasper and most of the way back on one tank in most North American cars it is not an issue. Thank you. You're welcome Now you should ask what you should see while there. There is a lot more than the Icefields Parkway. |
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On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 12:13:18 +0800, Hunter wrote:
hi i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 1) what is the temperature? rainfall? 2) is it the most crowded period for the whole year? 3) is it only the Icefields Parkway charged? i plan to stay for 5 days... i know it is charged to enter the national park, but where exactly are the toll gates? 4) i plan to stay in motel. do anyone has cheap but reasonable quality motel recommend? 'Travelocity' has quite some 'expensive' options (CAD140-200 /night). 5) easy to find gas stationa along Hwy 1 & Icefields Parkway? Thank you. I drove the Canadian Rockies starting at Jasper (Entrance)didn't pay a fee(Park personnel were on strike). Suggest you find a nice set of accomendation and just travel back and forth to the park, ( Pick various sites you want to see and proceed from there.) Since we entered the Park from the North East side-we stayed at the Folding Mountain Resort ( East of Jasper), rates were very reasonable,this gave us a jumping point to travel into the Park ( Muncho Lake) .etc. The resort has cabins,motel, RV Park Campsite, and a excellent Restaurant.( I believe we paid 85+ Can $ a night) We also used the resturant facilities in the Town of Hinton a short drive away. The drive from Jasper to Banff ( Icefields Parkway) is Excellent, seen a lot of wildlife and visited other sites along the way.We departed the park. We got off the parkway at Radium Hot springs, since we were traveling on to Glacier NP in Montana. If I remember correctly the Entrance cost was $10 CDN and was good for 48 hours. We traveled the last week of AUGUST, weather was super,really enjoyed the Park. Since it was the next to the last leg of a 2 month Journey through Alaska, Yukon,BC, Alberta and US, we only spent 3 days at the park, however I would highly reccomend it to anyone-I definetly could spend a week there. You can view the Folding Mountain Rates (High/Low) season at: www. foldingmountain.com Ted Elston |
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"Claim Guy" ) writes: "Hunter" wrote i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 4) i plan to stay in motel. do anyone has cheap but reasonable quality motel recommend? 'Travelocity' has quite some 'expensive' options (CAD140-200 /night). There is not a lot of developed accomodation in the National Parks - that's why they are parks - and you are going in the peak season, so you won't do much better than what you quoted. I don't have any specific recommendations below that range. Many private homes in Jasper rent out rooms. Most of these are not bed & breakfasts, though some do offer breakfast. They're generally cheaper than hotels. Some people are turned off by the idea of staying in somebody's home, so it's not for everybody, but I've stayed in homes on two visits to Jasper, and would do so again. Listings are at URL:http://www.stayinjasper.com/. One place I can particularly recommend is URL:http://www.visit-jasper.com/cabincreekcorner.html. A nice place with very helpful and friendly (but non-intrusive) hosts. Tom Box or Toronto, ON, Canada |
#6
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Hunter wrote:
hi i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 1) what is the temperature? rainfall? Varies quite a bit, but in general daytime highs will run between 20 and 25 Celsius in July. Might rain 1 day in 5 on average. 2) is it the most crowded period for the whole year? Very much so. Banff is wall-to-wall tourists from early June to early September, which is peak season. BTW, most summer visitors are not Canadians, as one other poster has suggested. The preponderance of overnight visitors to Banff are Americans, Brits, Germans, and Asians (Japan has traditionally dominated this field, but increasingly affluent tourists from Korea and China are now becoming major constituents.) 3) is it only the Icefields Parkway charged? i plan to stay for 5 days... i know it is charged to enter the national park, but where exactly are the toll gates? You can actually enter the national parks without being forced to buy a pass. This is because traffic driving non-stop through the parks on their way to other places do not have to pay park fees. The exception, as you noted, is the Icefields Parkway -- everyone who drives on that road must have a valid pass. In any case, it makes no sense to visit any part of the national parks without a pass, as without one you cannot legally stop anywhere in the park -- even for a bathroom break or to ogle the scenery. The only 24-hour toll gates are at the eastern entrances to Jasper NP and Banff NP, respectively. You can also buy passes at any Parks Canada visitor's centre in the parks, such as the one in downtown Banff, but their open hours are limited. You can buy single-day or annual passes. 4) i plan to stay in motel. do anyone has cheap but reasonable quality motel recommend? 'Travelocity' has quite some 'expensive' options (CAD140-200 /night). $140 - $200 a night is not at all expensive in Banff and Jasper NPs, at least not in peak season (they drop to about half that the rest of the year.) Consider that at the five-star resorts such as the Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise a very modest room with no view starts at around $475 a night in summer. You will find prices slightly lower immediately outside Banff National Park at Canmore, and it's a bit nicer place than Banff to relax at the end of a busy day as it is not quite so busy and crowded. For about the only economy lodgings anywhere near Banff, your best bet is the little cluster of motels at a tiny village called Dead Man's Flats, which is just a few KM east of Canmore, and about 1/2 hour drive to downtown Banff. (Don't let the name of the village concern you, as there have not been any cattle-rustlers lynched there for a very long time now -- probably twenty years at least.) Bighorn Motel is the largest; the others are the Green Acres Motel and the Pigeon Mountain Motel. Rates run around $80 a night at these places. I've stayed at the Bighorn and it's perfectly clean and comfortable. You definitely want to go to www.travelalberta.com and order up a printed copy of the Alberta Tourist Accommodation Guide. It's free, and it will prove invaluable. Order a 2004 copy now; you can pick up a 2005 copy once you're actually in Alberta, although very little will change between now and then except for a slight increase in prices, perhaps. 5) easy to find gas stationa along Hwy 1 & Icefields Parkway? There are a couple of stations along the route, but you do not want to buy gas on the Parkway as it's priced at a premium (it's expensive to truck gas out to remote service stations on the parkway, and there's virtually no competition around to encourage low prices.) Gas is generally competitively priced in both Banff and Jasper townsites, and even more so out in Canmore, so gas up there before you start out. Finally, visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca, as this is your ultimate source of reliable information on your visit to our national parks. Thank you. |
#7
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Thanks everyone for the advice.
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 02:23:05 GMT, Hinky wrote: Hunter wrote: hi i am planning to visit the Canadian Rockies (start from Calgary to Banff up to Jasper then to Vancouver) on July (2005), can anyone tell me: 1) what is the temperature? rainfall? Varies quite a bit, but in general daytime highs will run between 20 and 25 Celsius in July. Might rain 1 day in 5 on average. 2) is it the most crowded period for the whole year? Very much so. Banff is wall-to-wall tourists from early June to early September, which is peak season. BTW, most summer visitors are not Canadians, as one other poster has suggested. The preponderance of overnight visitors to Banff are Americans, Brits, Germans, and Asians (Japan has traditionally dominated this field, but increasingly affluent tourists from Korea and China are now becoming major constituents.) 3) is it only the Icefields Parkway charged? i plan to stay for 5 days... i know it is charged to enter the national park, but where exactly are the toll gates? You can actually enter the national parks without being forced to buy a pass. This is because traffic driving non-stop through the parks on their way to other places do not have to pay park fees. The exception, as you noted, is the Icefields Parkway -- everyone who drives on that road must have a valid pass. In any case, it makes no sense to visit any part of the national parks without a pass, as without one you cannot legally stop anywhere in the park -- even for a bathroom break or to ogle the scenery. The only 24-hour toll gates are at the eastern entrances to Jasper NP and Banff NP, respectively. You can also buy passes at any Parks Canada visitor's centre in the parks, such as the one in downtown Banff, but their open hours are limited. You can buy single-day or annual passes. 4) i plan to stay in motel. do anyone has cheap but reasonable quality motel recommend? 'Travelocity' has quite some 'expensive' options (CAD140-200 /night). $140 - $200 a night is not at all expensive in Banff and Jasper NPs, at least not in peak season (they drop to about half that the rest of the year.) Consider that at the five-star resorts such as the Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise a very modest room with no view starts at around $475 a night in summer. You will find prices slightly lower immediately outside Banff National Park at Canmore, and it's a bit nicer place than Banff to relax at the end of a busy day as it is not quite so busy and crowded. For about the only economy lodgings anywhere near Banff, your best bet is the little cluster of motels at a tiny village called Dead Man's Flats, which is just a few KM east of Canmore, and about 1/2 hour drive to downtown Banff. (Don't let the name of the village concern you, as there have not been any cattle-rustlers lynched there for a very long time now -- probably twenty years at least.) Bighorn Motel is the largest; the others are the Green Acres Motel and the Pigeon Mountain Motel. Rates run around $80 a night at these places. I've stayed at the Bighorn and it's perfectly clean and comfortable. You definitely want to go to www.travelalberta.com and order up a printed copy of the Alberta Tourist Accommodation Guide. It's free, and it will prove invaluable. Order a 2004 copy now; you can pick up a 2005 copy once you're actually in Alberta, although very little will change between now and then except for a slight increase in prices, perhaps. 5) easy to find gas stationa along Hwy 1 & Icefields Parkway? There are a couple of stations along the route, but you do not want to buy gas on the Parkway as it's priced at a premium (it's expensive to truck gas out to remote service stations on the parkway, and there's virtually no competition around to encourage low prices.) Gas is generally competitively priced in both Banff and Jasper townsites, and even more so out in Canmore, so gas up there before you start out. Finally, visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca, as this is your ultimate source of reliable information on your visit to our national parks. Thank you. |
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