Topic Wiki

List of TR's:

Kosher Food/ Restaurants:
The local supermarkets (e.g. Nesters or IGA in Banff) have many kosher shelf products.

There's frozen chicken and some meat products here, also a kosher aisle of dry foods: Safeway Glenmore Landing - 1600 90 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2V 5A8, Canada

Synagogue:
None, though check GoDaven for temporary minyanim

Things to Do:

Download the GuideAlong app (formerly known as GyPSy Guide) and purchase the package for the Canadian Rockies Tours for $24.99. This self-paced guided audio tour covers Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Yoho National Park, Jasper National Park and more. It's an incredibly useful and informative app.

Banff
Johnston Canyon hike, Upper Falls recommended, 2 hr round trip.
Banff Gondola, take boardwalk (15 min, spread out stairs) to peak for amazing views
Mountain Biking - e.g. Tunnel Bench Loop (moderate, lots of fun with great views)
Bow Falls and Bow River
Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake loop drive - boat cruise tour and speedboat rentals available

Lake Louise (45 min drive from Banff)
Shoreline trail walk
Canoe rentals
Lake Agnes teahouse hike (moderate, 2.5 hrs round-trip, can continue to Little Beehive or Big Beehive)
Plain of 6 Glaciers hike (moderate, 5-6 hrs round trip, Tea House along the way)
Lake Louise gondola


Moraine Lake (30 min drive south from LL)
2023 Update: Access by personal vehicle to Morraine Lake is no longer allowed. The only options to get to Morraine Lake are by Canada Parks Shuttle, private Lake Morraine bussing companies, and maybe a private tour bus. Local Banff bus service (Roam) may also have a shuttle to Morraine in addition to their service to Lake Louise. Reservations for busses get booked up early, so plan at least 3-4 days ahead. [Parking is extremely limited, arrive very early or later in the day, road is closed when parking is full.]
Walk along lake
Canoe rentals sometimes available
Rockpile climb to great viewpoint

Athabasca Glacier Adventure (90 min drive from Lake Louise or Jasper)
Early arrival recommended (first tour is at 10:30am, book online in advance)
2 hour duration, bring bottle to drink glacier water
Wear layers, temperature is unpredictable
Skywalk is a tourist trap, you can skip it and stay on bus to return to parking lot

Icefields Parkway drive from Athabasca Glacier to Banff with scenic stops:
Parker Ridge trail 2-hour round-trip hike (medium difficulty, uphill climb)
Peyto Lake viewed from Bow Summit (cars must park in lower lot and walk 10 min, but later in the day the upper lot can be used)
Mistaya Canyon (beautiful pull-off hike along Icefields Pkwy. Hike is about 10 minutes down to a powerful river rushing through a canyon with waterfalls)
Bow Lake (quick pullout stop)

Jasper

Yoho National Park
Takakkaw Falls
Emerald Lake
Natural Bridge


Hotels:

Getting Around:
A car is basically a must, though there are shuttles from Banff to the major attractions.
The nearest commercial airport is Calgary (YYC), a 90 min drive from Banff.

Notes:


Author Topic: Banff and Jasper Master Thread  (Read 155067 times)

Offline Friars500

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #620 on: August 20, 2018, 04:37:57 PM »
we had the same issue last year in vancouver ,whistler and banff..

Did you post about it?

Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #621 on: August 20, 2018, 05:20:39 PM »
I'm sure it's extremely disappointing, but these things are bound to happen. When I was in New Zealand  (in high season which is "dry") there was a huge cyclone that impeded visibility for most of our time there. Just means that you have a reason to go back!

Offline Specialized

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #622 on: August 20, 2018, 07:55:46 PM »
Family came to visit, so we went to the mountains today. Lots of visitors, it was beautiful. I personally like it when it is a bit misty, and the smoke was quite reduced today. Even so, we went to Johnston Canyon to make sure nothing was ruined by smoke. The parking lots were full and there were many people parked on the road.

Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #623 on: September 16, 2018, 12:33:26 PM »
Ended up moving up our Banff trip to October due to smokey conditions.

Anyone been that time of year? I know the weather can be variable, but what was your experience?

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #624 on: September 16, 2018, 01:25:53 PM »
Ended up moving up our Banff trip to October due to smokey conditions.

Anyone been that time of year? I know the weather can be variable, but what was your experience?

Well at the moment it's snowing like crazy. So who knows.
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Offline Specialized

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #625 on: September 16, 2018, 11:52:19 PM »
Ended up moving up our Banff trip to October due to smokey conditions.

Anyone been that time of year? I know the weather can be variable, but what was your experience?
It might warm up a bit, but will most likely be cold, not as bad as typical Banff winters. You will still be able to visit all of the attractions, and a little bit of snow makes the mountains more beautiful. Much smaller chance of smoke, you probably will get some snow. If it does snow enough, you might be able to ski.

Offline Specialized

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #626 on: September 16, 2018, 11:53:54 PM »
Well at the moment it's snowing like crazy. So who knows.

It happens in September here sometimes, but not very seasonal. We rarely get snow on Sukkos and it melts.

Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #627 on: September 17, 2018, 03:12:06 PM »
It happens in September here sometimes, but not very seasonal. We rarely get snow on Sukkos and it melts.
Thanks! From what I read, it's common to get snow this time of year but then it stops for a bit? Would really like to drive the icefields parkway, but don't think I want to risk it if there's snow

Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #628 on: September 17, 2018, 03:14:05 PM »
It might warm up a bit, but will most likely be cold, not as bad as typical Banff winters. You will still be able to visit all of the attractions, and a little bit of snow makes the mountains more beautiful. Much smaller chance of smoke, you probably will get some snow. If it does snow enough, you might be able to ski.
Didn't see this before, thank you for the resident perspective! I don't mind if it's cold, but would like to be able to hike...

Offline whYME

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #629 on: September 17, 2018, 03:19:33 PM »
Would really like to drive the icefields parkway, but don't think I want to risk it if there's snow
I wouldn't worry about that too much. It's not NYC, they keep the roads clear.

I was there in the dead of winter and loved it. Although admittedly that's not for everyone.

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #630 on: September 17, 2018, 03:33:23 PM »
I wouldn't worry about that too much. It's not NYC, they keep the roads clear.

I was there in the dead of winter and loved it. Although admittedly that's not for everyone.

Absolutely, fully agree.

The roads were often covered with snow, but perfectly derivable. It was off the roads when the fun started ;D ;D ;D.
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Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #631 on: September 20, 2018, 02:26:24 PM »
Thanks for the reassurances :D although I have experience with winter driving, I don't want to get into that kinda fun while away from home...

Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #632 on: September 20, 2018, 02:26:55 PM »
I wouldn't worry about that too much. It's not NYC, they keep the roads clear.

I was there in the dead of winter and loved it. Although admittedly that's not for everyone.

Any chance of a trip report?

Offline whYME

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #633 on: September 20, 2018, 02:46:56 PM »
Any chance of a trip report?
yes, it's on @Something Fishy's list. give it about 3 years. :))



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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #634 on: October 03, 2018, 01:33:48 PM »
We just had about 15 to 20 inches of snow on Simchas Torah. They say October snow always melts. Friday should bring some warmer, clearer weather.

Offline eandd

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #635 on: October 03, 2018, 05:50:26 PM »
We just had about 15 to 20 inches of snow on Simchas Torah. They say October snow always melts. Friday should bring some warmer, clearer weather.

Thanks for the update!
Sure hope so, I have a trip booked for this sunday, and forecast shows cloudy and snow every day

Offline YesThatsMe

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #636 on: January 13, 2019, 11:24:12 AM »
Is there any shul/kosher in Banff 1/24-1/29?

Offline Specialized

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #637 on: April 23, 2019, 11:35:42 PM »
We live in Calgary, so a trip to the mountains is a day trip. My kids have a hard time driving more than 2 hours, so we try to stay local to the Banff area, sometimes Lake Louise and Yoho. This was our first time going to Kootenay. We went for a Chol Hamoed trip, and packed enough Matza, etc. to make it work. The views from the East side of the highway are majestic the whole way, and we loved the Marble Canyon. If we had more time, we would have hiked to the ink pots and worked harder to find hot springs. April is a perfect time to go, because it is not yet wildfire season, but the weather is good.

Offline ar

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #638 on: May 20, 2019, 11:31:25 PM »
Hello - we are going to Banff (Fairmont) & I've got some questions!

Based on reading everyone's reports and highlights, this is what I came up with (I have 3 full days there):

Day 1
-Banff area
-Johnson Canyon hike

Day 2
-Lake Louise
-Moraine Lake

Day 3
-Colombia Icefield Glacier

Questions are:
1) Is it worth it to treck to the Glaciers and kill a day? Can I combine day 2 & 3?
2) On google maps, it shows that from Lake Louise to Moraine is a 80 min drive (15 KM!), does this make sense?
3) From Banff to Johnson Canyon, we can either drive with hwy 1A or with Trans Canada hwy, which one is nicer, more scenic?
4) Which lake is to nicest to boat? Moraine looks the best to me..
5) Finally, did I miss anything here?

Thanks in advance for your input!

Offline ar

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Re: Banff and Jasper Master Thread
« Reply #639 on: May 21, 2019, 04:30:44 PM »
Bump, any thoughts?