Banff Canada

[JFF&KRN]

Well almost Happy New Year.
So here I go or gonna go!!!
We are planning on visiting grandkids in Couer d' Alene in June of 24. Thinking of Banff National Park since we will be that far north.
Any ideas, suggestions, thoughts, etc. we''ll probably spend about 5 days or so there before we head for home, (Arizona)
Included in info request from those that have been or live in Canada.
Camping, full hook up or not, no biggie, national park, hot springs, site seeing, tours and of course crossing into Canada and back to U.S.
probably 95 north out of Idaho and 4 / I 15 back.
thanks in advance
Jeff & Karen with 1 mini aussie, Dixie

 

[livinthelife]

Well almost Happy New Year.
So here I go or gonna go!!!
We are planning on visiting grandkids in Couer d' Alene in June of 24. Thinking of Banff National Park since we will be that far north.
Any ideas, suggestions, thoughts, etc. we''ll probably spend about 5 days or so there before we head for home, (Arizona)
Included in info request from those that have been or live in Canada.
Camping, full hook up or not, no biggie, national park, hot springs, site seeing, tours and of course crossing into Canada and back to U.S.
probably 95 north out of Idaho and 4 / I 15 back.
thanks in advance
Jeff & Karen with 1 mini aussie, Dixie

We've been to Banff twice. If you opt to stay in the park, there's one campground with full hookups. That said, there's no TV service. Well, maybe, one channel. Over the air. No cable/satellite connections.

I like Banff. The town is a lot more "touristy" than it used to be (duh), but it's worth a day to walk around.

If you want to visit Lake Louise, you'll probably want to book a shuttle there (before you show up). We did the Lake Louse Ski Resort Summer Gondola this past year and it's really nice.

 

[Tom Traveler]

Well almost Happy New Year.
So here I go or gonna go!!!
We are planning on visiting grandkids in Couer d' Alene in June of 24. Thinking of Banff National Park since we will be that far north.
Any ideas, suggestions, thoughts, etc. we''ll probably spend about 5 days or so there before we head for home, (Arizona)
Included in info request from those that have been or live in Canada.
Camping, full hook up or not, no biggie, national park, hot springs, site seeing, tours and of course crossing into Canada and back to U.S.
probably 95 north out of Idaho and 4 / I 15 back.
thanks in advance
Jeff & Karen with 1 mini aussie, Dixie

We’ve made the trip from Coeur d’Alene to Banff many times. There are 4 contiguous national parks - Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, and Jasper. There is a lot to see. Plan several weeks if you can. If you like hiking in spectacular country, that won’t be enough time.

 

[traveldawg]

Bannf - love it. Definitely choose the Provincial Park full hook ups. Lake Louise requires taking a bus now as it is so crowded you can find other, less crowded, glacier lakes. Most everything there is now crowded but it is still a must visit.

Go out in the evening and look for wildlife (big horn sheep & elk) around Lake Minniwanka. Nice coffee shops to sit outside at in town. Find places tour busses can't or won't or dont go to and avoid the crowds.

Consider a stop at Glacier Nat'l Park in the U.S. and at Waterton Lake Provincial Park (Glacier North) which is an outstanding area to tour and enjoy (another 4 days just added to your trip).

Coming back on I-15???? - Visit Calgary, Shelby NC is a nice stop; a must see in Great Falls is the C M Russell Museum (and lots more in GF); Helena and Butte a nice too (good mine tour in Butte as well a a few nice steak restaurants). Salt Lake City is interesting, maybe stay in Cedar City and visit Cedar Breaks while there as well as other great scenic drives.

Gosh - that trip would take us a good 3 months. Been to almost all those places at least twice and would still go back (and probably will).

Enjoy the journey.

 

[MikeRC]

Very good thread from last year here: https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/showthread.php/48429-Driving-to-Banff
Also some info here: https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/showthread.php/46447-Advice-Travel-Through-Canada

All camping within the National Parks is coordinated via one website: https://reservation.pc.gc.ca/ Or you could try the phone numbers. Within Banff National Park there is only one full-service campground: Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court. 2024 Reservation Launch: Friday, January 26 2024 at 8:00 am MT. And you have to log on within SECONDS of that launch time. Even then, you are assigned a random number and have to be pretty flexible on arrival/departure dates. Pro tip: people given early access in the queue block book for friends & family so the entire campground looks sold out. But since they have 10 (or maybe 15) minutes to pay for the reservation, spots can open up miraculously 15-45 minutes later. So stick it out "refreshing" for 15-30 minutes after your number comes up.

Another option is a provincial campground about 25 minutes east of Banff: Bow Valley Provincial Park (https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/k...pp/information-facilities/camping/bow-valley/). The booking window for the Alberta Provincial Park campgrounds is 90 days and you have to be on your computer at 8am sharp 90 days before your expected arrival to book. But you have a better chance of securing a spot. Water and electrical service (I think it is 30Amp). Sewage dump site within the campground. Convenient but can be noisy due to the proximity of railway and the Trans-Canada Highway.

Mike C

 

[Scott'n'Wendy]

If time allows going all the way up to Jasper, take the Icefields parkway from Banff to Jasper. Spectacular drive.