Family RV trip to Glacier (US), Banff and Jasper National Parks. Recommendations?

Hello everyone,

As the title says, wife, 2 yr old son and myself are planning on going to northern Montana and Alberta to see the parks and area.

We are renting a pick up with a slide in camper for two weeks beginning the end of July.

Flying into Calgary and going south first is our plan, other than doing the Going to the Sun road and staying at St Mary's we have not done more planning.

What are some recommendations, maybe some hiding gems we can visit in or near the parks? Considering we are traveling with a 2 year old so hiking will be kept to distances he can walk and I can carry him on my shoulders (1-2 miles between breaks)

Thank you

Jv

We did Glacier three years ago. Go hiking and river rafting. Put a chair in front of the mountains at night and just stare. Question yourself why you aren't moving to Kalispel.

Montana 200 is a couple of weekends from now, in Kalispel. Just in case you need a motorsports refresh.

Road to the sun is supposed to be cool.

Lots of hiking trails in the Banff area, Jasper is similar, but farther north. If you are from way south, its worth going to Edmonton to experience their high latitudes and daylight saving time causing sunset at 11:00 pm.

Edit- I didn't notice the end of July thing...200 will be long over. Chump race in Edmonton July 30-31...

I've lived in Missoula twice now and would love to move back if I could get a job nearly as good as what I have now.

For rafting, hiking, or any guided outdoor stuff: http://glacierguides.com. The guy that owns it (Denny) is my ex-girlfriend's brother, who has been doing this for a long time there and knows Glacier inside and out and runs a really nice operation. I'm sure they can also recommend other things in the area. My favorite was sailing on Flathead lake while eating jerky from this place: https://secure35.securewebsession.com/msmeats.com/

Streetwiseguy wrote: Road to the sun is supposed to be cool.

The Going to the Sun road is amazing, but it's scary when the road is full of RVs...I went through there on a motorcycle years ago, and nearly got run off the side of the mountain more than once.

Thanks for all the ideas, will look into them.

I guess we'll be one of those rv's on going to the Sun road, but I have a serious dislike of crossing the yellow line if I don't have clear sight lines.

Hopefully I'm the only one for whom my original thread post is badly formated, nor sure why it is.

Have fun.

Lake Louise is a stunningly beautiful place.

chuckles wrote: Lake Louise is a stunningly beautiful place.

That's what I understand and why we are staying there a couple nights.

Thanks

If you are coming through from Montana stop at Waterton lakes National Park, and then drive up Highway 22 which parallels the Rockies and is a spectacular drive.

Kalispell is a wonderful town. Plan on spending a night there. I planned on just an overnight nap on my way through and ended up staying for almost a month. Wheat Montana Bakery is nice, and there is a tavern just off the main square that used to be a genuine old west Inn. When I was there they had live Karaoke with a steel guitar, banjo, keyboard, and violin. On the road from Kalispell to Glacier is a restaurant called Jagz with fabulous food.

If you get some time, the drive down around Flathead lake is delicious to view. There is also a Buffalo ranch down that way that you can drive around. Its a worthy $20 or so. That part of the Rockies is my favorite part. Reminds me of Bavarian Germany.

On the way north or south, stop at Radium Hot Springs. Natural hot springs pop out of the mountainside and you can swim in them.

There is also a Glacier National Park on the Canadian side just west of Banff/Jasper. Its much smaller than the US park, but in my opinion much more scenic.

Crowsnest pass is breathtaking. Might use that as one of your paths north or south. Two other passes that are pretty far south of your target are Dead Indian Pass and Beartooth Pass. Both of those take you basically from Yellowstone down out of the Rockies into Cody WY. Beartooth pass can be closed as late as July. When I crossed it one June they had just opened it and the snow was a 13' wall on either side of the road. Somewhere I have a picture of the family standing beside our pickup camper showing the snow taller than the rig.

Again, doubt you'll be this far south, but the other town that really holds my heart is Cook City MT. As with most towns in MT, you'll find it to be not really what you expect. You might expect old, backward, conservatives, but you'll likely find young, moderate, jazz-listening, artist-types. Cook City is no exception. Its a one-horse town. Population is 140. But there is a General Store which also houses the post office, mayor's office (a roll-top desk in the back), and a coffee shop with a real copper/brass ristretto machine operated by a lumberjack named Stephan. They even have a nice restaurant. Get the Buffalo Filet with peppercorn cream sauce.

Banff is great, Lake Louise is great, Icefields parkway is great but I probably wouldn't do it in an RV.

Upper BC and the Yukon is really my favorite parts of what I have seen of Canada. If you really feel adventurous, head up to the Yukon as it only gets more beautiful. Toad River and Teslin were spectacular little towns.

Going to the Sun Road is fantastic. Kalispell is nice as well. Whitefish is close by and even nicer.

On the Canadian side Waterton town side is really nice. There is a short but dramatic hike called Bear's Hump with a view of the town. There is also a paddle boat that goes to the US side and back.

Between Calgary and Waterton is Heads Smashed in Buffalo jump - great area where the native tribes drove buffalo off a natural cliff.

Crowsnest is nice but might be off your route a bit. Frank's slide is a sight to see - whole side of mountain collapsed and covered a mining town.

If you happen to be in Calgary on the 23rd check out the European Vintage Sports Car Club's annual show - always some interesting motors. http://vsccc.ca/europe/eccm.htm

Went up that way two years ago...still have fond memories (and oodles of digital images, which I am too stupid to figure out how to post on here).

Lake Louise is nice, but a bit touristy for our liking. However, Laggan's does have a health cookie that was dang tasty.

Johnston Canyon (between Banff and Lake Louise) was a favorite of the crew; a great series of rapids and waterfalls. The walkways are narrow and might be a challenge with a two-year old. On the way out, head for Castle Mountain Bridge; an occupied osprey nest has existed there for years (and nearly dropped a load on my nephew who was taking a picture).

Icefields Parkway - Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls are great stops. Saskatchewan Crossing - major ripoff area (as it's the only gas station/store between Lake Louise and Jasper); make sure to fill up and stock up in Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper. For your perusal (if you haven't already): http://icefieldsparkway.com/

Miette Hot Springs and Lake Maligne (east of Jasper) are pretty spectacular.

Wildlife was not in short supply, either, so keep your eyes peeled.

We rented cabins or a room in a house during our stay, so we did a lot of our own cooking. Grocery prices were not cheap, but there are some unique items not available in the U.S. Also, for a treat, Bear's Paw Bakery in Jasper has delicious cinnamon rolls and soups.

Hope this helps; we wish you and your family a fun and safe trip!