Lake Louise - Banff National Park, Alberta Canada » Icefields Parkway

Banff GPS Tours

Lake Louise — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:31:31 +0000

Mountains, Elevation Can Wreak Havoc on GPS Tour Systems in the Canadian Rockies

By Blake Baily

More and more GPS tours on handhelds and in rental cars are being offered all throughout the world.

Many vacationers are finding GPS tours and GPS systems to be highly problematic, however. Many Canadian Rockies visitors discover that GPS tours and GPS systems can go in and out because of the mountainous geography and elevation. This is especially true when touring British Columbia (BC), Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore, Jasper and other alpine areas in the Rockies. Keeping and maintaining reception can be a huge issue.

Often GPS tours will require additional hardware hacking to make them usable in this terrain; this is also the case with satellite radio as well.

Your best bet: simply enjoy the grand scenery of the Canadian Rockies and then curl up with a good book!

Blake Baily is a tourism and travel editor who has written for Frommers, Trip Advisor and Moon Guides.

For further information on guided tours in the Canadian Rockies, fill out the blue form on the right side of this page.

Banff Motorcoach Tours

Lake Louise — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:24:41 +0000

Leave the Driving to the Tour Guide While You Relax and Enjoy Banff National Park and Canadian Rockies

Looking for an easy an relaxing way to see the natural wonder of Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies from the road? Then a motorcoach sightseeing tour is an excellent idea. This is a great way to explore in and around Lake Louise, Banff and other areas of the Albertan province nearby, such as Jasper.

Not only do you get to witness the scenic beauty, but the driver-guides will add to your experience with mountain lore, history and story telling. Furthermore, you can pay attention to the scenery outside the window and leave the driving to them.

There are many tour operators who provide motorcoach tours tailored to specific needs and interests, such as waterfalls, historic sites, wildlife viewing and others. A few of the more popular motorcoach tours include:

• Banff town: covering the local historic sites and viewpoints.
• Lake Minnewanka: a 15-minute scenic ride from downtown Banff to nearby Lake Minnewanka, where boat tours are available.
• Moraine Lake and Lake Louise: a 45-minute drive northwest of Banff along the TransCanada Highway to destinations including Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
• Columbia Icefield: a stunning drive up the Icefields Parkway north of Banff town and Lake Louise, on the border of Banff and Jasper National Parks. It is about 2 hours from the town of Banff or about an hour from Lake Louise to the Columbia Icefield, the largest body of ice in North America below the arctic circle. Here visitors can also embark on tours of the glacier itself, as well as an interpretive center.

Click here for more information on Banff activities, boutique hotels, resorts and other accommodations.

Sightseeing in Banff

Lake Louise — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:43:07 +0000

Sightseeing: View Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies From Your Car

First and foremost, the sightseeing opportunities around Banff, Canada and elsewhere in the surrounding province of Alberta are literally endless – even if you prefer high-heels to hiking boots. The town of Banff, for example, is surrounded by the mountains of Banff National Park. To enjoy breathtaking scenery of snow-capped peaks and forested valleys, all you have to do is open the curtains of your hotel room and look out.

Bow Valley Parkway, Banff National Park

If you take to the road, then those snow-covered peaks of the Canadian Rockies, with their glaciers, lakes, forests and wildlife, are yours for the viewing. That’s what makes Western Canada so special; this natural beauty is accessible to everyone; all you have to do is go look. So don’t forget your camera; picturesque postcard views are around every bend.

Lookouts and parking areas are located along park roads, and they provide excellent opportunities for your vacation sightseeing or holiday getaway. Starting from here in the Village of Lake Louise, you could take the Trans Canada Highway south toward Banff town for 60 kilometers, and it is a lovely drive. But an even better option is to take the Bow Valley Parkway, which lies east of the Bow River (the highway lies to the west of it) – this will provide you with a scenic alternative.

Or you could head north from Lake Louise, taking the Icefields Parkway, so named because it offers access to the ancient glaciers found in the northern part of the park. In fact the Icefields Parkway takes you past scenic lakes and rivers all the way until it reaches Jasper, at the center of Jasper National Park

Despite the remote wilderness locations and rugged natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies, there are actually several commercial operations in Banff National Park that make sightseeing that much easier for visitors.

• Lake Minnewanka: commercial tour boats provide access to Devil’s Gap, where vertical stone walls rise out of this still, 142-meter deep lake which lies northeast of Banff (the western end of the lake is just a few kilometers away from downtown Banff.

• Banff Gondola transports visitors from downtown Banff to the summit of Sulphur Mountain, where the 360-degree panorama includes all of Banff, the Bow River, and Mount Rundle. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can hike to the top and take the gondola down – or take the gondola up and hike down.

• Lake Louise Gondola takes visitors up above the lake, where they can enjoy panoramic views of the nearby mountains and valleys, or walk through flower-filled meadows. Keep your camera handy – grizzly and black bear sightings are not uncommon!

Icefields Parkway, connecting Lake Louise and Jasper

Speaking of bears, wildlife viewing is of course a major pastime for Banff National Park visitors and locals alike. We’ve seen deer wandering down the street, and even the occasional black bear. It’s more common to see bears in more remote locations, but sometimes you can spot them nibbling dandelions from your car as you drive the Bow Valley Parkway, for example. Another spot right in town to see wildlife is Sulphur Mountain; hike up to the top or take the gondola and you are likely to see bighorn sheep.

Of course, please respect all park rules and regulations when it comes to the wildlife. Please stay safe and keep your distance, and do not feed the animals. Like the saying says, take only pictures and leave only memories.

Looking for a guided sightseeing tour? Look no further than the adventure and guided tour specialists at Banff Travel.

Click here for more information on Banff activities, boutique hotels, resorts and other accommodations.

click here for Banff Travel

call toll free: 888-659-3394

211 Bear Street
Bison Courtyard
Banff, Alberta

Round Out Your Icefields Parkway Tour

Lake Louise — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:16:30 +0000

Peyto Lake © Just one of the side trips recommended by the editors along the Icefields Parkway.

Stop at the interpretive signs. Many of the viewpoints have displays that explain more about the area.

Stretch your legs at one of the short trails along the way. Not only does Bow Summit offer one of the most famous views in the Rockies (Peyto Lake), but also a short interpretive trail that meanders through high elevation meadows. In early summer, this is the only way to see alpine wildflowers without a serious hike. Mistaya Canyon is a 10-minute walk through forest to a stretch of deeply eroded canyon that features potholes worn into the rock. The beginning of the Glacier Lake trail allows you to poke around on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.

Have an ice cream and stare in amazement at the postcard selection at The Crossing Resort’s gift shop.

Look for wildlife along the way. On a good day in May and June (while there is still a lot of snow high on the mountains), you can often spot every large mammal that the Rockies has to offer — right next to the road. During the rest of the summer, your chances are still good to see animals, especially early and late in the day. Drive carefully. A number of good, pocket-sized books are available about the mammals of the Canadian Rockies.

In winter, be sure to have a full tank of gas, food and water when you take this trip. All services are closed.

THE Picnic

Pack a delicious lunch to eat outdoors.
The parkway is the wildest part of banff National Park and features nature at its most intense and beautiful. You’ll be in a car for much of the trip and what better way to experience this place than to eat while fully immersed in it.

There are picnic areas at Herbert Lake, Bow Lake, Saskatchewan River Crossing, and below Mt. Coleman. Or, bring a blanket and find a quiet and secluded spot by driving into a campground or stopping at a trailhead where you can walk a short distance away.

STUFF TO DO FOR THOSE THAT DON’T HIKE OR SKI

Icefields Parkway

Lake Louise — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:55:38 +0000

In winter on a crystal clear day, or in summer when the sun is high in the sky, there is no sight more breathtaking than the mountains and glaciers of the Icefields Parkway (#93 North). From Lake Louise, it is only a five minute drive west on the Trans-Canada Highway (#1) to the turnoff for jasper via this scenic route.

If you have any option at all, try to make this trip on a clear day, but sometimes cloudy days will still provide views of the tops of the mountains. Hanging glaciers adorn many of the peaks and, every once in a while, glaciers that spill from the icefields beyond come into view. Anytime you see thick white or blue, you are looking at a glacial ice.

In the course of a day trip from Lake Louise, you should be able to make it to the Columbia Icefield area and back again, which is the most scenic part of the parkway. Allow for 1½ hours of driving time each way, and add on for stops and winter driving conditions. For a trip all the way to jasper, budget three hours of driving time under good conditions.

The Lake Louise Visitor Centre (next to the Samson Mall) has an invaluable free pamphlet called “The Icefields Parkway” that outlines in detail the viewpoints and trailheads along the way. For even more information, with notes about history and nature included, pick up a copy of Brian Patton’s “Parkways of the Canadian Rockies: and Interpretive Guide to the Roads in the Mountain Parks.”

A River of Ice

The highlight of the parkway is, of course, the Athabasca Glacier which comes tumbling off the Columbia Icefield directly towards the road. Nowhere else in the Rockies is it possible to get a view that encompasses more ice.

The Icefield Visitor Centre has excellent exhibits that help you explore the exotic world of perpetual cold.

For a first-hand experience, you have the option of driving out to the parking lot at the glacier’s toe (we do not recommend walking on the ice for safety reasons), of taking a Brewster Snocoach ride (many departures daily), or, of participating in an Icewalk with a licensed mountain guide (one departure daily). Bring extra clothes as it is often cooler near the icefield (hmmm… no surprise, eh!!)

Click the logo for short side trips and stops on this tour

THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY
FULL TOUR SECTION

STUFF TO DO FOR THOSE THAT DON’T HIKE OR SKI