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Canadian Rockies Road Trip: A Self-Guided Adventure

I remember the feeling of seeing the Canadian Rockies for the first time and the profound impact it had on me. Seeing these giant mountain peaks rising above us, breathtaking, and unlike anything I had ever seen before! Having grown up on the much flatter east coast, the small mountains in the Laurentians I had seen previously were minuscule in comparison. The sensation was intensified as we approached the Rockies from the flat lands around Calgary where one could see the distant horizon across the flat plains. As we got closer, this majestic wall of mountains grew larger and taller until we could see the snow-capped rocky peaks. It took our breath away…

Canadian Badlands

Starting our self-guided tour through the Rockies from Calgary to Vancouver, we first took a day to backtrack and see the Canadian Badlands, a rugged dry area where many dinosaur bones have been (and still are) discovered —a paleontologist dream!

Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park and Paleontology Museum

Located about 3 hours’ drive east of Calgary is the Dinosaur Provincial Park where some of the biggest dinosaur fossils have been uncovered. You can explore this park on your own or take a guided tour.

Complete your visit by stopping at the famous Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology, which is located half way in-between the Dinosaur Park and Calgary. The museum has one of the world’s largest collections of dinosaur skeletons and is well worth visiting!

Banff National Park

As you get into the Canadian Rockies, one of our first stops was the picturesque town of Banff. Furthermore, Canada’s first national park was established in 1885 and covers more than 6,000 km2 of unspoiled land. Pristine glacier lakes with spectacular mountain backdrops offer awe-inspiring vistas. No wonder that it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and included in the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.

Banff National Park

It’s a year-round destination with numerous hiking and biking trails, fishing holes, boating (mostly non-motorized) opportunities and sky resorts. Numerous hot springs and spas can also be found everywhere in the area. These natural sulfur springs are known for their therapeutic value.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is a charming little town known for its turquoise glacier lake nestled in the valley of some of the highest peaks we had ever seen. The luxurious hotel (Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise) bordering the lake makes the whole area look like if came straight out of a fairytale!

During the summertime it’s possible to explore the lake by canoe and in wintertime the frozen lake is transformed into a huge skating ring.

Valley of the Ten Peaks and Moraine Lake

Lake Moraine is located only 14 km from Lake Louise and it’s perhaps even more spectacular. The ten mountain peaks reflect off the crystal-clear mirror-like water of the lake, which in turn takes on the hues of the rocky lakebed creating a breathtaking picture-perfect scenery! This was the famous backdrop of the Canadian $20 bill from 1969 to 1979.

Valley of the Ten Peaks & Moraine Lake
Cave and Basin National Historic Site

This underground National Park dates back to 1883 when three railway workers came across hot water exiting a cave. They though they could make some money by selling tickets for people to come and enjoy the hot mineral spring water. Their plan was averted when the Government of Canada decided to declare the area a National Park.The area was developed and people came in hordes to Banff to be cured with the healing properties of these mineral rich springs. Visitors can take a self-guided tour or a guided tour. Exhibits, videos and trails are on site.

Hoodoos

At the top of Tunnel Mountain road there’s a short trail that leads to a viewpoint from which we could see these strange pillars rock formations. From here we could see the Bow River winding its way through the valley below.

Hoodoos & Bow River
Banff Upper Hot Springs

This outdoor thermal (37-40°C/ 98-104°F) pool is the perfect place to relax and unwind after a day of exploring. The panoramic view of the valley down below and the mountain peaks is spectacular!

Banff Gondola

Located only a few minutes walk from Banff Upper Hot Springs, there’s the cableway to get to the summit of Sulfur Mountain. Unforgettable scenic views of the majestic mountains and valley can be seen from the viewing platforms.

At the time staying at the prestigious Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was out of reach, now we would probably splurge and stay at this beautiful resort that overlooks Lake Louise. We had to go back to Canmore for the night, as we didn’t have any reservations in Banff.

Johnston Canyon

Located only a half-hour from Banff, interpretive trails (including a paved one) and catwalks lead to a couple of waterfalls. The park is open year-round and during winter the falls actually freeze over.

Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park is Canada’s largest national park with a vast area of almost 11,000 km2. It’s a mountainous area with endemic wildlife and numerous ski resorts. The park was established in 1907 and has been a choice destination for many outdoor enthusiasts. Pressed for time, we skipped going up to Jasper and it worked out well for us since there was a mudslide that blocked the road for days. However, this is certainly an area we would love to visit. Maybe one day…

On the road: Banff to Vancouver

Driving through the Canadian Rockies was the main event and we enjoyed spotting wildlife along the way (bears, bighorn sheep, moose, birds…). These sightings were the highlights of our road trip. Along the way we stopped at various attractions, trails, waterfalls and simply admired our surrounding. We were amazed by the shear size of the Rockies!

Awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur everywhere!
Yoho National Park

Inside this park there is the Kicking Horse Pass, which is an important mountain pass. As the story goes: “The pass was discovered by the explorer James Hector when his horse knocked him off into the river.”

Another natural marvel is the Great Divide is where the stream’s water starts to flow in two directions, west and east, to end its journey in either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans.

While in the area we stopped at one of Canada’s highest waterfalls, Takakkaw Falls, which means “magnificent” in Cree.

On our way to Emerald Lake we stopped at the Natural Bridge, which has been carved by time and water into the rock creating a bridge over the Kicking Horse River.

Takakkaw Falls
Glacier National Park

I remember approaching a small deserted parking lot in a dense wooded area—the sign said Bear Creek Falls Trail. We looked down the winding narrow path through the woods, looked at the empty lot, and at each other and shook our heads. Not worth wrestling with any bears today! Hence this was probably a wise decision since we were totally unprepared and opted to continue our road trip instead. No one should venture out in the wilderness without the proper equipment and survival kit!

However, we did wander around through some shorter and well-maintained trails and on wooden pathways like the Hemlock Grove Trail. This short 400-meter boardwalk winds through the forest and is accessible to all. Huge Western Hemlock trees populated the forest.

Located in the heart of Glacier Park there’s the Rogers Pass Center with exhibits and a short film about the discovery of Rogers Pass and the completion of the railway as well as a variety of natural history displays.

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Driving up to the summit of Mount Revelstoke and admired the panorama. We could get a bird’s-eye view of the town of Revelstoke. Bring a jacket; it gets cold up there. Even in August, there was snow on the ground!

While in the area we visited the Revelstoke Dam Visitor Centre. This hydroelectric dam has been generating power since 1984 and is the second largest on the Columbia River. The center has seasonal hours. To avoid disappointment, check on their website before going.

Bedtime story…

This was one of our first self-guided trip and we headed out without planning ahead where we would sleep as a result this incident happened:

We were driving along a cliff-side winding road and it was getting late, darkness was upon us as we arrived in Vernon, B.C. Since we didn’t have any reservations, it was a race—literally—to find a place to sleep that night. Others were looking too. There were three motels lined up and as we saw a car drive away and make its way to the second motel. Realizing that the first one was full, we took a chance and got ahead of the other cars by bypassing the second motel. Our strategy paid off and we were lucky to snatch the last room at the third motel, a ‘ratty’ one at that!

It was far from luxurious or clean, but we had no choice. We opted to leave our bags in the car, instead of bringing them inside the room, which turned out to be a great idea since some sort of bug bit me during the night… I’m not sure what it was since I crushed it, but glad our bags stayed in the car! Otherwise, we might have had some clandestine stowaway passengers with us for the rest of the trip!

The final stretch

Kelowna

Located along the shores of Okanagan Lake, Kelowna has a vibrant and even ‘hippy-ish’ feel to it, especially around its waterfront City Park. We stopped for a while and walked around the waterfront and mostly people-watched! On the way we stopped at Coral Beach for a refreshing dip in the lake. There are many vineyards offering tours and wine tasting, these are located in the Okanagan Valley. While we didn’t partake we did enjoy the pretty scenery all around!

On the way to Vancouver we made a quick detour to Peachland and found a pebble beach, and later on we stopped in the small village of Harrison Hot Springs on the banks of Harrison Lake in the Fraser Valley. This was our last stop on our Canadian Rockies Adventure before reaching Vancouver.

Vancouver

After crossing the Rockies we spent a few days in Vancouver to explore this beautiful diverse buzzing city. We went up Grouse Mountain, crossed the Capilano Suspension Bridge, visited Stanley Park, explored the Gastown district, ate in Chinatown, and even took the ferry over to Victoria.

We stayed with a friend in the downtown core and we even crossed the border and spent a day exploring Seattle.

The end of an epic journey!

Overall, we had a fantastic trip and would love to do this again or maybe even take the famous train that goes through the Canadian Rockies—we heard that it was an amazing ride…

This has been already more than 20 years ago and consequently, I would definitely make prior reservations to ensure that we had a decent place to sleep. Also, I would map-out all the interesting places ahead of time.  Back then we didn’t have Google maps to calculate the distance between sights and we had to solely rely on paper maps. With today’s tools, the itinerary would be easy to plan and booking accommodations beforehand would be advisable.


Related post: Preloading Maps to Use Google Maps Offline

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By Nathalie

Avid Traveler and Master Scuba Diver
Sharing stories, photos and insights about the places I’ve visited. Simply sharing my experience and giving travel tips to help others plan their own dream trip and travel independently.

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