Canadians, your input!

[sardineone]

Hi Canadians and Canada travelers. I'm planning a non-motorcycle trip the 3rd week of June to Glacier Natl. Park in Montana. Also thinking of checking out Lake Louise and Waterton in Canada. Any advise on must see stuff or what to watch out for would be of interest. BTW the Mrs. & I both have our passports. I've been up to Canada on many occasions in Ontario Province but, never out West.

[SANTA]

from glacier take the cowboy trail (hwy 22) to black diamond and then meander your way through kananaskis to the transcanda hwy, head west, take hwy 93 from lake Louise to jasper (toll road)

 

if you have the time drive the transcanada hwy to revelstroke, turn sound onto hwy 23 to gelena bay, take the ferry over and then catch hwy 31a to kaslo and then to creston from kootenay bay to creston is one of the top 2 destination hwys in BC.

 

that should keep you busy for 3 days or so...

[keithb]

George

We did almost the same trip 8 yrs. ago. Stayed in the small cabins at the Rising Sun Motor Inn on the east side of the park. That afternoon we visited Prince of Wales hotel in Waterton and had drinks. The following night we stayed at Lake McDonald Lodge. You are going to love it.

[RSR]

Never had any problems at the Chief mountain border crossing and Waterton lake is a great little tourist town. +1 on the Hwy 22. One of my favorite rides is from Pincher creek to Cochrane. Hwy 1 and the Banff Jasper hwy get pretty touristed up in the summer but June should still be OK. Everything in the national parks is under federal control so it's over regulated and expensive. There is a 40 mph speed limit through most of the park but the scenery is beyond belief and worth slowing down for. There are lots of Towns and services east and west of the Banff - Lake Louise area heading north on the Icefield parkway it's just you and the Mountains.

You will see a lot of wild animals on the road and it will suddenly turn into a parking lot but this is not a petting zoo these are WILD animals.

There are enough hiking trails and points of interest to keep you busy for weeks but if you only see one it should be Lake Louise.

Heres the travel Alberta web site I hope you injoy my backyard. http://www1.travelalberta.com/en-ca/index.cfm?pageid=5&CFID=25011448&CFTOKEN=34419514

[hexairheadbeemerguy]

I lived in the area around Waterton for many years; the advice for Hwy 22 is spot on, take the Highwood Pass from Longview to the Trans Canada. Banff in June will remind you of Estes Park in Colorado...Lake Louise is not to be missed and if time allows do ride the Banff/Jasper Parkway. Europeans riders wonder why we want to ride the Alps after you see it. Don't be surprised to see snow in the passes altho late June is usually nice weather. Should time allow and you do get to Jasper, take Hwy 16 west to B.C. and then Hwy 5 south to Kamploops and back east on Hwy 1 through the Rockies to Banff. Unless you get real silly the Mounties will leave you alone speed wise too. Any more questions feel free to post.

[Whip]

Prince of Wales Hotel

 

The little town of Waterton is very nice.

 

The deer are like pets.

 

[keithb]

Whip

I love that shot of the hotel and mountains. Brings back good memories.BTW, we saw a bear right down the road from the hotel. He was drawing quite a crowd at the time.

[sardineone]

Whip

I love that shot of the hotel and mountains.

 

Big +1

 

Thanks for the info and comments all.

[Urban Surfer]

If you go through that area at first light, you will miss all the traffic. The road is all yours before the tourists get up, you can just howl through there.

[MikeRC]

All good suggestions, but make sure you look at the distances involved. Also allow for weather. Although Logan Pass is usually open Memorial Day weekend, it wasn't open until July 3rd last year, and it was also very late June the year before. If it is closed, the drive on Hwy 2 to the west side isn't too shabby either, and there is lots to see and do on the west side of the park (Apgar & Lake McDonald), Kalispell, Big Fork, Whitefish and Flathead Lake.

 

I really like Glacier Park (worked in Waterton Park one summer as a young man) but all the high country hikes don't open until July. I can highly recommend the Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake at the upper end of Lake McDonald and they are open from about April on. Even if you stay outside the park (some good suggestions on Trip Advisor) go and have brunch at East Glacier Lake McDonald Lodge. Make sure you take the short trip into Many Glacier Lodge.

 

Reservations not usually needed except over July 1 to 4. Don't arrive in Jasper late, though, or you may be SOL getting a place to stay. Canmore is a bit less expensive then Banff, but there may be specials on this early if you want to look. When you take Hwy 541/40 from Longview over the Highwood Pass past Kananaskis take the little side trip to Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes.

 

And don't believe anybody about Lake Loiuse - unless you can see it really early in the morning before thousands of tourists show up then Emerald Lake, Moraine Lake and Peyto Lake are much nicer.

 

Mike Cassidy

[gottabmw]

SANTA and Mike -

 

This thread seems like a Ride Planning topic, but oh well...

 

A couple of questions: 1) What about Hwy 93/95 north, through Windermere, from Hwy 3 to the Transcanada in place of Hwy 22 and 40? It looks worthy on the map. Or both if time? 2) My AAA map shows Hwy 31 from Galena Bay through Trout Lake to Meadow Creek as not paved. True? Is Galena Bay through Nakusp the preferred route?

[sardineone]

I'm planning a non-motorcycle trip the 3rd week of June to Glacier Natl. Park

 

Not a ride planning topic for you nit pickers. See the non-motorcycle in my 1st sentence above.

 

Many, many thanks for the productive responses.

[MikeRC]

Steve:

 

I've answered your question over in the Ride Planning Thread: "Thinking ahead - BC in August"

 

Most of my comments in this thread were directed at a non-motorcycle oriented trip.

 

Mike Cassidy