Canadian Rockies in June
Discussion
Hi guys and girls,
Looking at going to the Rockies for our honeymoon next year, will be the first 2 weeks in June.
Have any of you been there at that time of the year?
If so, how cold is it likely to be?
We're looking at flying into Vancouver then having at driving over to Jasper/Banff area, stopping enroute at different places. Are there any recommendations on places to visit?
Cheers
Adam
Looking at going to the Rockies for our honeymoon next year, will be the first 2 weeks in June.
Have any of you been there at that time of the year?
If so, how cold is it likely to be?
We're looking at flying into Vancouver then having at driving over to Jasper/Banff area, stopping enroute at different places. Are there any recommendations on places to visit?
Cheers
Adam
Adam
Sorry cant help with the June bit, we have only been in July/August.
Have a look at the Jasper Park Lodge for somewhere to stay, reasonably upmarket and not silly money, they used to have a piper walk around the lake at the end of the day and finish at the front of the main lodge where he piped the flag down.
There used to be a pretty good pizza place in town, think it was called with L & W or A & W, also have a look at the local rodeo if its on
Banff springs hotel is really nice
Sorry cant help with the June bit, we have only been in July/August.
Have a look at the Jasper Park Lodge for somewhere to stay, reasonably upmarket and not silly money, they used to have a piper walk around the lake at the end of the day and finish at the front of the main lodge where he piped the flag down.
There used to be a pretty good pizza place in town, think it was called with L & W or A & W, also have a look at the local rodeo if its on
Banff springs hotel is really nice
Did something similar but in October.
Flew to Vancouver (look at Air Canada's first class equivilant, was good value) Spent a couple of days in Vancouver, then flew to Calgry and picked up a car and drove to Banff. Stayed at Banff springs for a couple of days, I can recomment the spa. then drove up to Lake Louise and stayed at the big hotel there, which was ok, but be sure to like your outdoors stuff as there aint a lot else to do there. Then drove up to Jasper and stayed at the lodge before driving back to Calgry and flying home.
Very friendly places but it is all outdoors based (apart from Vancouver and very expensive shopping in Banff. Expect to see a lot of Japanese wondering WTF they are doing there.
Flew to Vancouver (look at Air Canada's first class equivilant, was good value) Spent a couple of days in Vancouver, then flew to Calgry and picked up a car and drove to Banff. Stayed at Banff springs for a couple of days, I can recomment the spa. then drove up to Lake Louise and stayed at the big hotel there, which was ok, but be sure to like your outdoors stuff as there aint a lot else to do there. Then drove up to Jasper and stayed at the lodge before driving back to Calgry and flying home.
Very friendly places but it is all outdoors based (apart from Vancouver and very expensive shopping in Banff. Expect to see a lot of Japanese wondering WTF they are doing there.
AWRacing said:
Hi guys and girls,
Looking at going to the Rockies for our honeymoon next year, will be the first 2 weeks in June.
Have any of you been there at that time of the year?
If so, how cold is it likely to be?
We're looking at flying into Vancouver then having at driving over to Jasper/Banff area, stopping enroute at different places. Are there any recommendations on places to visit?
Cheers
Adam
We did exactly this (but not for a honeymoon). First two weeks of June. Flew into Vancouver - did Jasper, Banff and more.Looking at going to the Rockies for our honeymoon next year, will be the first 2 weeks in June.
Have any of you been there at that time of the year?
If so, how cold is it likely to be?
We're looking at flying into Vancouver then having at driving over to Jasper/Banff area, stopping enroute at different places. Are there any recommendations on places to visit?
Cheers
Adam
OK. It will still be early spring. We saw snow on the ground on shaded areas in the woods and it all felt a bit crisp - but nicely crisp. Largely it was sunny. The vast majority of the park's roads were open - but one or two of the high passes would not open until July.
The drive over from Vancouver is about 12 hours. Rather than kill ourselves we decided to break the journey for a night in both directions. The traditional stopping point is Kamloops which by all accounts is a dump. We avoided this by staying in Kelowna: which is in the Okanagen wine region. Book a wine region tour and have someone drive you about whilst you get pished at the wineries!
On the way back we stopped at the Sun Peaks ski resort - which was absolutely dead, of course. But a 5* room for 2* money was too good to resist. Recommended.
We spent a lot of time in and around Banff and Jasper - the Icefields Parkway road between them is one of the finest scenic drives in the world. Do cable cars, glacier walks, glacier TRUCKS
etc Visit the hot springs and swim in a spa. Take a boat tour on Lake Maligne.Book your accomodation early - anything actually in the National Park fills up months in advance. Be prepared to pay for it too! Ouch! I can recommend the Lake Moraine Lodge - fantastic.
We also took a three day tour south of Calgary to visit the Dinosaur Park/Museum and the Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. Interesting if Museums are your bag.
I have lots of details and a Streets and Trips (North American Autoroute) itinery that you are welcome to if you can use it...
We had our honeymoon there in March so I can't help a great deal as we spent most of it in Whistler
But:
O Canada House is a lovely hotel in Vancouver and Victoria on Victoria Island is spectacular and well worth the trip, preferably by float plane.
ETA and the Rockies train is meant to be spectacular if sodding expensive.
But:
O Canada House is a lovely hotel in Vancouver and Victoria on Victoria Island is spectacular and well worth the trip, preferably by float plane.
ETA and the Rockies train is meant to be spectacular if sodding expensive.
Edited by Bill on Thursday 3rd June 12:26
Bill said:
ETA and the Rockies train is meant to be spectacular if sodding expensive.
We looked into this. We concluded that renting a Mustang Convertible was a better bet. The train ride features less "exclusive" views than you think. i.e. it runs near the road.Roof down, the Icefields Parkway is sublime...
A friend of mine's going in July, and while he's prepared to fly business with his two kids even he baulked at the cost
We spent 3 weeks in Calgary with friends and motorhomed round the Rockies for a fortnight in June in the mid 90's.
Weather was mostly dull and chilly but very warm when the sun appeared. We experienced mist and heavy rain up in the mountains then had blazing sunshine half an hour later. Take waterproofs, good walking shoes and several thin layers of clothing and a rucksack to put it all in when the sun comes out.
The Icefield Parkway road from Banff through Lake Louise and on to Jasper is a stunning drive with lots of scenic stops and walks. Campsites are few and far between - get in early or you won't get in at all. Camping by the road is a big nono inside the national parks. Don't under estimate driving times or distances or fuel use and risk running low on fuel either (we were using around 100 ltrs a day, somtimes more) Fill up whenever you can - it really is a wilderness out of the towns.
Bitterly cold at night with heavy frosts up in the mountains and all of us got bitten by midges in lakeside campsites. The snowcoach trip onto the Colombia glacier and icefield is a must see.
The Alberta badlands to the east of Calgary worth a visit too. Calgary is a bright squeaky clean modern city with some good museums.
Weather was mostly dull and chilly but very warm when the sun appeared. We experienced mist and heavy rain up in the mountains then had blazing sunshine half an hour later. Take waterproofs, good walking shoes and several thin layers of clothing and a rucksack to put it all in when the sun comes out.
The Icefield Parkway road from Banff through Lake Louise and on to Jasper is a stunning drive with lots of scenic stops and walks. Campsites are few and far between - get in early or you won't get in at all. Camping by the road is a big nono inside the national parks. Don't under estimate driving times or distances or fuel use and risk running low on fuel either (we were using around 100 ltrs a day, somtimes more) Fill up whenever you can - it really is a wilderness out of the towns.
Bitterly cold at night with heavy frosts up in the mountains and all of us got bitten by midges in lakeside campsites. The snowcoach trip onto the Colombia glacier and icefield is a must see.
The Alberta badlands to the east of Calgary worth a visit too. Calgary is a bright squeaky clean modern city with some good museums.
AWRacing said:
Thanks guys for the replies, a lot to thin about.
Don, i might take you up on the itinery offer just to get an idea.
Thanks again
Mate - very glad to send you the ".est" file if you want it. It loads into Microsoft Streets and Trips (Autoroute for the US and Canada). Let me know how and I'll mail it. My profile doesn't accept email but you can get me at don dot hughes at p r o j x web .com Don, i might take you up on the itinery offer just to get an idea.
Thanks again
You can guess I hate the evil spammers!
Adam: We live 30 miles east of Calgary and when you ask about the weather for the first part of June it normally is nice the closer you are to Vancouver and expect the unexpected around Calgary. Banff at that time of the year can be nippy at night so be prepared. The train is a nice trip and a bit pricey but well worth a one way trip and using a rental car for the other way. At that time of the year you would great some great scenery both ways but watch out for driving in the rockies at night as there can still be "black ice" in the mountains. We have been driving our 3 TVRs lots already this year but every once in awhile we have to put them back in the garage for short periods due to snow on the ground.
Reguarding sites of interest, the internet and google are your friends as only you know what will tickle your fancy. We can give lots of suggests if we know your interests as we know the Vancouver to Calgary area.
If you get close to Calgary drop us aline (PM me if you want e-mail/phone numbers) and we might be able to get you a "TVR fix" like we did for Jeremy Blandford last year. Any questions, don't hesitate to contact us as we would be more than happy to help a fellow PH member while they are on their holidays.
PS: We haven't made a trip up to Banff yet this year in our cars as we have been too busy when the weather has been nice enough for that drive but hopefully we can do a Friday night supper in the next 2 weeks and I can report back to you if you want.
Wayne/Sherry Leppard.
Reguarding sites of interest, the internet and google are your friends as only you know what will tickle your fancy. We can give lots of suggests if we know your interests as we know the Vancouver to Calgary area.
If you get close to Calgary drop us aline (PM me if you want e-mail/phone numbers) and we might be able to get you a "TVR fix" like we did for Jeremy Blandford last year. Any questions, don't hesitate to contact us as we would be more than happy to help a fellow PH member while they are on their holidays.
PS: We haven't made a trip up to Banff yet this year in our cars as we have been too busy when the weather has been nice enough for that drive but hopefully we can do a Friday night supper in the next 2 weeks and I can report back to you if you want.
Wayne/Sherry Leppard.
Edited by V8TVR1978 on Friday 4th June 08:58
Good choice. We did Banff and Jasper for our honeymoon this year. Wayne TVR gave us some great tips too back then!
The scenery is fantastic. We went for the skiing so went in December, so cannot comment on what the weather would be like in June. It was cold cold cold when we were there.
We flew to Calgary so have no experience of Vancouver either, we were advised that driving from Vancouver to Banff is a long trek when we booked so missed out Vancouver, though would love to go back and give that a go.
Banff and Lake Louise are lovely and would return there in a heartbeat. We stayed at Brewsters Mountain Lodge in Jasper which was lovely, right in the middle of town too.
The Icefields Parkway road is an amazing experience, we drove it in near blizzard white out conditions one way, and stunning ice cold crisp bluebird skies in the other and enjoyed both in a different way. If returning to Canada I wouldnt bother going back to Jasper. a lot of people said it was amazing but we just didnt wamr to it in the way we did in Banff. It seemed a bit spread out and tacky compared to Banff/Lake Louise. We stayed at Chateau Jasper which I would not recommend to anyone to be honest. The Fairmont would be my advice and ignore the extra expense, it was so lovely ice skating on their lake and we really did wish we had stayed there!
One thing to advise, when you are in the national parks if you have a hire car you need a parks pass on display. We bought ours before we went from ebay for £7 for a families year long pass to all parks, i think they would be about £50 or more bought when there. This allows you to drive in to all national parks (Banff is in a different one to Jasper so you might need more than one). We then sold it on bay when we got back for £35!!!!! Yey.
Photographs from our Canada trip here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98882529@N00/sets/721...
The Columbia Icefields Parkway photos start at number CAN00341 until the end of the set when we drove straight through from Jasper to Calgary Airport. (Bear in mind in Canada it takes ages to get anywhere as the distances are vast!)
Sights like this are unmissable IMO!
The scenery is fantastic. We went for the skiing so went in December, so cannot comment on what the weather would be like in June. It was cold cold cold when we were there.
We flew to Calgary so have no experience of Vancouver either, we were advised that driving from Vancouver to Banff is a long trek when we booked so missed out Vancouver, though would love to go back and give that a go.
Banff and Lake Louise are lovely and would return there in a heartbeat. We stayed at Brewsters Mountain Lodge in Jasper which was lovely, right in the middle of town too.
The Icefields Parkway road is an amazing experience, we drove it in near blizzard white out conditions one way, and stunning ice cold crisp bluebird skies in the other and enjoyed both in a different way. If returning to Canada I wouldnt bother going back to Jasper. a lot of people said it was amazing but we just didnt wamr to it in the way we did in Banff. It seemed a bit spread out and tacky compared to Banff/Lake Louise. We stayed at Chateau Jasper which I would not recommend to anyone to be honest. The Fairmont would be my advice and ignore the extra expense, it was so lovely ice skating on their lake and we really did wish we had stayed there!
One thing to advise, when you are in the national parks if you have a hire car you need a parks pass on display. We bought ours before we went from ebay for £7 for a families year long pass to all parks, i think they would be about £50 or more bought when there. This allows you to drive in to all national parks (Banff is in a different one to Jasper so you might need more than one). We then sold it on bay when we got back for £35!!!!! Yey.
Photographs from our Canada trip here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/98882529@N00/sets/721...
The Columbia Icefields Parkway photos start at number CAN00341 until the end of the set when we drove straight through from Jasper to Calgary Airport. (Bear in mind in Canada it takes ages to get anywhere as the distances are vast!)
Sights like this are unmissable IMO!
Ah yes - the National Parks car pass. You need it to get in and out of the parks. You can get day passes but if you will be spending a holiday there it works out cheaper to get the annual one...
...which means they have a second hand value on eBay as it isn't associated with your name or your car: it's just a pass.
I didn't sell mine on (which I bought at a National Park booth when we entered the first one) as I wanted to make a small donation to tha parks' upkeep.
...which means they have a second hand value on eBay as it isn't associated with your name or your car: it's just a pass.
I didn't sell mine on (which I bought at a National Park booth when we entered the first one) as I wanted to make a small donation to tha parks' upkeep.
Slapped wrist accepted Don.....
In our defence we were on a budget, had just paid for the wedding, contributed signifcantly to the Canadian economy and also got a bloomin fine for parking on the wrong side of the road in Jasper which really annoyed me!
In our defence we were on a budget, had just paid for the wedding, contributed signifcantly to the Canadian economy and also got a bloomin fine for parking on the wrong side of the road in Jasper which really annoyed me!
Edited by chrisga on Friday 4th June 09:40
We did similar last year, but tried something unusual and hired an RV for 2 weeks.
Best decision we ever made ! Like driving about with your own beer fridge attached. Buy a $20 BBQ and you also have nice steak or salmon every day. Some of the national parks are spectacular places to camp. I felt like I got under the skin of the rockies a bit more this time than previous car/hotel road trips I'd done on similar trips.
Best decision we ever made ! Like driving about with your own beer fridge attached. Buy a $20 BBQ and you also have nice steak or salmon every day. Some of the national parks are spectacular places to camp. I felt like I got under the skin of the rockies a bit more this time than previous car/hotel road trips I'd done on similar trips.
chrisga said:
Slapped wrist accepted Don.....
Hey - no problem! To be fair that's access for a year and as a tourist you can only use two weeks of it: of course there is a second hand value. Not selling on was just my choice.As an aside: I remember buying the thing from a girl in the National Parks booth who was unbelievably hot.
Utterly unexpected, that. But a pleasant holiday memory!
Chris: Glad you had a good visit and enjoyed your skiing here in Canada. Which e-bay did you get your pass from as I now need another one and I hate paying at the gates. (Honestly I didn't over price any of my construction jobs in the parks.) Normally I drive past the Park toll booths up to the Rimrock or Banff Springs and let the valet park our vehicle on the hotel site while we are inside having a 3 star meal at a 5 star price. (If we use any of our TVRs, they stay at the front doors.)That way I tip the valet and Parks Canada get nothing but there are times that the Spousal Unit wants to spent time shopping with the tourists and pay an extra 30 to 40 % for the Banff purchase. Next time you should try for a summer visit if you enjoyed the winter scenery as it is just as nice mid year and then you could ski Europe in the winter and a "TVR Fix" in the summer. It is not that vast here but travelling can be time consuming and the 90 minutes that we spend driving up to Banff for supper on a Friday is very relaxing. Maybe your next visit we can meet up.
Edited by V8TVR1978 on Friday 4th June 10:14
chrisga said:
Slapped wrist accepted Don.....
In our defence we were on a budget, had just paid for the wedding, contributed signifcantly to the Canadian economy and also got a bloomin fine for parking on the wrong side of the road in Jasper which really annoyed me!
Yes Chris I forgot about you getting nicked for not knowing how to park in Jasper. Lake Louise and Banff are more forgiving on those things. I remembered that you got that non all wheel drive rental car and I was laughing at you about that, well it came back and bite me on the backside as I got the exact same car for 2 weeks in Florida at X-mas.In our defence we were on a budget, had just paid for the wedding, contributed signifcantly to the Canadian economy and also got a bloomin fine for parking on the wrong side of the road in Jasper which really annoyed me!
Edited by chrisga on Friday 4th June 09:40
V8, we bought the pass from ebay here in the uk, but i think it actually came from somebody in europe, switzerland perhaps.
There are some on ebay now but they seem quite expensive compared to ours:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canada-National-Park-Pass-Ba...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canada-National-Park-pass-in...
There are some on ebay now but they seem quite expensive compared to ours:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canada-National-Park-Pass-Ba...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canada-National-Park-pass-in...
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