Icefields Parkway...Banff to Jasper?

Hi all,

We are planning a vacation in Alberta for next summer. We'll be staying a week in Canmore and also plan to visit Calgary and Edmonton. I'd like to drive the Icefields Parkway and visit Jasper. How is this road? I have a family member who is afraid of heights. Roads with a lot of drop offs are particularly a problem (even if she isn't the one driving). Does this road have sections like this? If so, are there guardrails? How long are the precipitous stretches?

We're trying to plan our trip, and I want everyone to have a good time. Another option to visit Jasper is to drive over from Edmonton...then back to Edmonton and down to Canmore via Calgary. I know it's much farther around...but it might make for a happier trip. Thanks for any info. and help you can provide!

Steve

the most beautiful drive in the world...

The Icefields Parkway is a good two-lane road with gorgeous scenery from Lake Louise to Jasper. There is one slow spot where you climb Sunwapta Pass but it is not treacherous or scary, and it has guardrails all the way.

It is a must-do drive if you have the time.

Here is a web page with a description of the drive:
http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~jphb/canada/Jasper.html

It was one of my very fav days on my vacation. I did not try to attempt it in one day. I spent one night in Jasper , then drove back to Banff. I think I stopped at every overlook and did everything there was to do. Esp enjoyed the Sno Coach, the waterfalls and in Jasper loved doing the canyon and did the boat trip to Spirit Island. If you would like to see my pics let me know and I'll send you an invite to snapfish. I also did a extensive trip report over yonder if you want to read it. shaggy

Thanks for the great info and the link. That was very helpful. The road looks pretty tame...and the area looks gorgeous.

I'd love to see your pictures, Shaggy.

Steve

Steve,

When are you going ~ what time of year? The reason I ask, Canmore is on our list of places we'd like to go. We're trying to lock in weather now, (yea ~ like that's possible!! ) Shaggy's pictures are amazing.... So much to see...so little time! Have a great one!

Sue

Thanks eal for that great link !!

Steve,
We drove the highway in late summer (mid Sept) 2005. We drove into Jasper directly from Seattle and spent the night. The next day we visited Lake Maligne (sp?) and then drove south to Banff Rocky Mountain Resort. Next time we do it, we'll spend at least two nights in Jasper and one night at one of the lodges along the way between Jasper and Banff. We did the bus tour onto the glacier. We skipped so many beautiful pull outs. I figure that about 10 mph actual progress is not too slow. A fantastic place. Enjoy
Jack

We're going next July...so it's still a ways off. But we're trying to plan in advance. We have a confirmed exchange...so the hard part is done.

Steve

jacknsara's post made me laugh - my DH and I drove the Icefields Parkway on our honeymoon in late September (I won't give you the year - it was while the earth's crust was still cooling!) and it took us 7 hours to drive 140 miles - that averages 20 mph. We did not miss a single pullout, of that I am sure.

Icefields - interesting fact

A must see.

The non-oriental proprietor of the local store has taught himself Japanese to handle the tourists. :

We basically did the same trip except that we flew home from Edmonton.

I concur, the Icefields Parkway is not treacherous, certainly not like some of the hillside roads I encountered on the Borgo di Vagli exchange in Tuscany

Except for the Mama and Baby black bears that ran across my path, lol...

Do not miss Emerald Lake near Banff. Canoe and boat rentals are very reasonable and it's fun to actually get out on that beautiful green colour. There are also some beautiful falls nearby.... The Bow Valley Parkway from Banff to Lake Louise is home to wildlife... we had some sightings first thing in the morning or just before dusk.

On the highway from Jasper to Edmonton, we saw a heard of elk walking just off the highway... caused quite a traffic jam. So always have your camera ready.

Have a great trip!

The Icefields Parkway is a good two-lane road with gorgeous scenery from Lake Louise to Jasper

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I rode Jasper to Calgary on a bicycle. Has to be some of the best scenery in North America. The road is as good as it gets that far north - very nice. A really wonderful place. Glaciers and mountains every place and your neck gets sore from looking in every direction. We were there early through late September. Mid September is getting pretty late in the season. The first week we had spectacular weather in Jasper. The last night in Banff we had snow and a 110 mile ride to Calgary the next morning. I was much younger then.

Any place that has a turn off - just do it. A trip to the Columbia Icefields would be a worthwhile expense. We did a whole week at the lodge there. It rained the whole time we were at Lake Louise but we did get a trip to Larch Valley when the larch trees were turned and that was a true highlight.

We did not get lunch at the Banff Springs Hotel and I regret that. We camped out the whole trip except at the Columbia glacier so I can't suggest any timeshares.

The Loop

The locals call the drive Calgary, Banff, Jasper, Edmonton and back to Calgary as the loop. I have done it many times, but could never figure out the time needed, since there are too many stops on the way.

From Calgary to Canmore is about two and a half hours. Canmore has become the capital of wild habits, ever since an 8 year old boy released his pet habit to the wilderness. They are found everywhere and have become some what a nuisance. There is not much in Canmore, except cheaper services and accommodation than in Banff.

From Canmore to Banff is about half an hour. Banff is the tourist area with shops, restaurants and services. You can ride the cable car up the sulphur mountain for an outdoor spa (swimming pool actually).

From Canmore to Lake Louis is 2 to 3 hours, depending on your stops. You will see the smaller bow glacier by the highway or canoe on Lake Louis. Chateau Lake Louis is ok, but too pricy for anything reasonable.

Keep going you will see Glaciercoach, the big wheel coach bus to take you to the foot of the Columbia Icefield, the biggest ice mass onland. What an experience, but not cheap though. The visitor centre has a reasonable fast food centre for last fill up at a good price.

Thus far, you are driving on 2 to 4 lanes straight easy going highway, better than the condition of Highway 17 in New York State. Beyond the Snowcoach, you will be going up and down, overall, you going downhill toward Jasper. This is for sure not Mt. Washington, or even not Highway 15 (?) behind the Hoover Dam. Stop at the Athabasca Glacier (sorry I never never spell this word right) and the waterfall (very beautiful). This section is less civilized, so you will see lots of wild animals, including black bear. Don't feed them, though lots of people do. It can be very dangerous.

Jasper is a quite town (about 6 to 7 hours from Banff). Somebody likes it but some don't. The highway to Edmonton is flat but nothing spectular.

If your base is in Canmore, it is difficult to reach Jasper and reach as a day trip. Some return after seeing the Athabasca Glacier.

Overall, the drive is never exciting, but the scenary is.

Enjoy your trip.

Overnight Accommodations in Jasper

Can anyone recommend a nice (and, hopefully, fairly reasonable) place to stay in Jasper for one night...perhaps a small hotel or bed and breakfast?

We'll be in the Canmore/Banff area in July, and we plan to drive to Jasper. Since it is a long drive, we want to spend one night there before heading back south. We've never been to BC and are looking forward to experiencing the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.

Can we expect the days to be warm and the evenings cool?

Thanks,
Betty

We made this drive last September from Canmore. It was absolutely magnificent. We did make the drive up & back in one day. It was a long day - about eleven hours but it was tolerable. We had already done some sightseeing such as Lake Louise, so we pretty much stuck to the direct route with only a few stops, including a late lunch in Jasper. If you google bed & breakfasts in Jasper, you'll find many listed. We originally thought we would stay overnight so I had done some research before we left for our trip. This is one drive we intend to make again it was so outstanding.

If you have time, go east of Calgary to Drumheller. It has the best dinosaur museum I have ever seen. If I remember correctly, most of the specimen were dug here. We did this first, then went to Glacier National Park and up to Lake Louise and Jasper. We loved the icefields. Don't miss going out onto the glacier. We loved every minute of it and would gladly redo our three week tour again.

Just letting you know that it is not that far from Calgary to Canmore. Probably about an hour and a half from the airport at the most. It is only 10 miles from Canmore to Banff and another 40 miles from Banff to Lake Louise.

Lynn

I stayed in a place called Kelly's Accomadations. (Guess why I chose it) It cost $60. A room accomadation is basically a B&B w/o the breakfast. It definitly was not plush, but it served the purpose. shaggy

Betty said:

Can anyone recommend a nice (and, hopefully, fairly reasonable) place to stay in Jasper for one night...perhaps a small hotel or bed and breakfast?

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Here's a list of the home accommodations in Jasper. We almost always camp but will treat ourselves occasionally during the tail end of shoulder season when snow is on the ground at the lower elevations. We've stayed at the Pyramid Guest House, Alpenglow and the Homestead. We like'd Homestead the best due to it's size and full kitchen where we could cook and relax.

There's lots of good places for reasonable costs. Remember these are all in Cdn dollars.

http://www.stayinjasper.com/html/members/index.html?search=0#searchresults