Planning Banff/Jasper Canada Trip

[CraniumDesigns]

Hey Folks,

I'm planning a 9 night trip from 9/2-9/11 to Banff and Jasper. I have never been there and am wondering what spots to shoot and when, and how many nights to spend in each area. I'll be either staying in hostels or camping. Thoughts? Thanks!

-Steve

 

[Big Mike]

I'm fairly familiar with that area, I'll try to answer any questions you might have.

Will you have a car? Either driving up or renting one here?
There is certainly a lot of great hiking anywhere in the rocky mountains, but if you want to get around and 'see the sights', you'll need transportation. It's usually a matter of setting up a 'base of operations' and then taking day trips out from there. You could try just going from place to place, staying where ever you end up and them moving on from there, but that isn't idea for photography. On that note, will you mainly be focused on photography or is seeing the sights more important? (will you have other people with you, you may not be too patient while you set up your tripod and wait for the perfect light?)

Just as an example, I was there on a 'photo trip' and I think I went to Lake Louise three or even four days in a row...but when I found a an hour when the water looked like glass, with blue sky and fluffy clouds, it was all worth it. Another example, I went to Payto Lake and hike about 30 minutes from the usual look out. It was raining so I hunkered down for a while and then a bit of sun came out and hit the lake, it made it all worth it.
These are things that I can do on a 'photo trip' that I probably couldn't get away with on a family vacation.

There are many good photo spots that I know, and many that I don't. So I can definitely let you know which ones I like.

 

[SunnyHours]

Also don't forget, lots of sport photography as well there...and parties...there are lots of snowboarding/skiing events in the area...I also suggest checking out Lake Louise and Banff!

 

[Big Mike]

I don't know how much snow sports will be going on at the beginning of September. :er:

 

[sunlou]

Lucky you... send us a post card...

 

[Garbz]

+1 for Lake Louise. You will kick yourself if you don't visit that. Its widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.

I wouldn't know it just look like a snow covered flat while I was there

 

[WesternGuy]

Hey Folks,

I'm planning a 9 night trip from 9/2-9/11 to Banff and Jasper. I have never been there and am wondering what spots to shoot and when, and how many nights to spend in each area. I'll be either staying in hostels or camping. Thoughts? Thanks!

-Steve

I would recommend that you camp, where possible, this gives you more degrees of freedom as hostels are not always available everywhere you might like to have one. Lake Louise is a must as has been noted and Castle Mountain between Banff and Lake Louise is also a noticeable feature. A side trip from Lake Louise will take you into the Valley of the Ten Peaks... Banff National Park | Moraine Lake – Valley of the Ten Peaks where the scenery is fantastic...enough said...

The highway that goes from Lake Louise to Jasper passes through what I consider to be some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, the Ice Fields parkway area... Parks Canada - Jasper National Park - Icefields Parkway Travel Guide, but then I am biased, as I live in Alberta...if you are camping, plan to spend a couple of days along this highway and photograph the icefields and the mountains, and maybe even take a tour up onto the glacier. If you have the time when you are in Jasper, take a drive to the Mount Robson area, about an hour west of Jasper where, on a good clear day, you can see Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies... Mount Robson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia While in Jasper, do not miss mount Edith Cavell, it is a short trip south of Jasper at the end of a fairly steep road that ends in a meadow below the peak... Mount Edith Cavell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .Also, a trip to the hot springs pools in either Banff or Jasper Park is quite invigorating...in Jasper, you should also think about the trip to Maligne Lake - excellent view of the mountains and you can visit Maligne Canyon on the way.

Couple of things to consider/remember...you will be travelling in Canada's National Park system and there is an entrance fee - I believe it is about $10.00 (Cdn) per day for adults and an annual fee of about $70.00 per year for adults...these fees are slightly lower for seniors and youths (not sure what their definition of these categories are). These fees are payable once per day (you can pay for more than one day at a time), or once per year and are good in any of Canada's National Parks, i.e. if you pay an annual fee to enter Banff National Park, then that "permit" gives you entrance into Jasper National Park as well. There are plenty of wild animals around and some of them insist on eating the vegetation beside the road and so you do have to be on the watch as you do not want to run into any of them - elk and moose play severe havoc with vehicles (trust me). Bears, both black and grizzly are indigenous to both parks and occassionally wander into camp grounds, so take precautions accordingly - if you plan to trek into the backcountry and stay for a few days, you may need a permit and, depending on where you go, fires may or may not be permitted...check at the Parks Canada offices in either Banff or Jasper if you plan to do this sort of activity, particularly as sometimes trails are closed if there is a bear hazard.

Most of all have fun, enjoy yourself and take lots of pictures...hope this helps.

Cheers,

WesternGuy

P.S. I do not work for Alberta Tourism, I am simply a retired guy who has lived in Alberta most of his life and spends as much time as he can in the mountains...my home away from home. My avatar is Mount Rundle, one of the more photographed mountains around Banff...the picture was taken from the Vermillion Lakes which are just outside Banff.

 

[Big Mike]

Great info from WesternGuy. I'd also recommend any and all of those locations.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

man, i never subscribed to this so i didn't see the responses. to answer some questions and ask some more...

1) i will be renting a car in calgary (where i'm flying in) and driving that for the 9 days
2) this is a photo trip. i will be alone.
3) i don't intend to do any really crazy hiking. maybe a few miles at a time.

question, i have 9 days, how would u split it up in each area? i plan on probably staying in a hostel in banff for 6 days, then camping in jasper for 3 days. thoughts on this?

my spots to hit for sure are lake luoise, moraine lake, and healy pass. still researching. anyone recommend any good travel books for the area with pics?

thanks!

 

[CraniumDesigns]

also, where would i get the best chances of photographing some wildlife with my 100-400. i'm focused on animals i don't normally see in california, like moose, bears, etc...

 

[CraniumDesigns]

also, is glacier national park near banff worth hitting? (i dont mean the one in northern montana)

 

[CraniumDesigns]

here's my list so far, along with times to shoot them and reference photos....

Banff
- Moraine Lake (Sunrise - http://www.flickr.com/photos/danballardphotography/5118746521/)
- Healy Pass (Sunrise - http://www.flickr.com/photos/danballardphotography/4909836151/)
- Lake Louise (Sunrise - http://www.flickr.com/photos/papalars/4013594219/)
- Johnson Lake (http://www.flickr.com/photos/denemiles/4112250248/)
- Castle Mountain (Sunset - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cornforthimages/5114980096/)

Jasper
- Icefields Parkway (highway between Banff & Jasper)
- Mt. Robson
- Mt. Edith Cavell (Sunrise - http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattchamplin/2328742009/)
- Medicine Lake (Sunset - http://www.flickr.com/photos/larspics/725638737/)
- Maligne Lake

and finally, there seem to be so many amazing spots in this area. maybe it will become more clear when i get there, like most of my photo trips, but how do i GET to all these spots easily? can i just drive to a parking lot most of the time and make a short hike or what? thanks

 

[WesternGuy]

also, where would i get the best chances of photographing some wildlife with my 100-400. i'm focused on animals i don't normally see in california, like moose, bears, etc...

It is questionable whether you will see moose or bears at the time of year that you are going. Moose are very elusive animals and often solitary. Any that I have ever seen have almost always been by chance...you would most likely find them only in the "back country" while hiking - they frequent small ponds with lots of vegetation in the ponds, their main source of food until the ponds freeze over and then they go to eating the ends of tree branches and grasses. Bears...again same situation - mostly solitary animals that are often hard to find at the time of year you will be touring as they are still up in the "high" country following the elk herds. Generally, if bears are spotted on hiking trails and reported to the wardens by the hikers, then the trail will often be posted with a warning and in some instances, actually closed. With the exception of elk and Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, you usually have to get away from the roads and the main campsites to see much in the way of animals, unless it has started to snow in the high country and then this will force them to lower altitudes where they may be seen. I know this doesn't tell you much, but it is my experience with over 30 years of roaming the Alberta and BC Rockies.

Regards,

WesternGuy

 

[Big Mike]

That is more good advice. I've never seen a moose in the mountain regions, they are more common (or just easier to see) out in the prairies where I live. I have seen plenty of bears, but it really depends on the time of year and it's almost always by chance. Plenty of elk, big horn sheep & deer though. A good drive for wildlife might be the Bow Valley Parkway. It is the 'old road' between Banff & Lake Louise. It's much slower than the main highway, but I'd certainly recommend it. You might even try the Kananaskis trail (highway 40). It starts off of Hwy 1 (the main route between Calgary & Banff) and circles around down south of Calgary. Although, my recommendation would be to only take it as far as Spray Trail, then take Spray Trail along the Spray Lakes and that will bring you back out at the town of Canmore. Canmore is a great little town, although it's getting nearly as busy as Banff. Canmore is still outside of Banff National Park.

I think you plan of 6 days in Banff and 3 days in Jasper is a good one. Maybe plan to take a whole day just for the drive between Banff & Jasper. The Ice field. Parkway is easily one of the most spectacularly scenic drives in the world. About half way is the Columbia Glacier Center, where you can take a tour up onto the a Glacier if you want.

If you can swing it, I'd suggest staying in/around Lake Louise rather that in the town of Banff. Banff is a great town, but it's insanely crowded and touristy most of the time. I'm not sure if there is a hostel there, but there is a large campground. The location of Lake Louise makes for a great base camp so you can take day trips out from there.

Many of the main 'sites', like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Payto Lake etc. have a parking area and then you have to walk in. On busy summer days, there can be hundreds and thousands of visitors, so you may have longer to walk...but on slow days, you can usually park pretty close. There are usually hiking options at any of the sites...so you could easily spend a few hours at any of them....so don't try to pack too many sites into a single day. Johnson Canyon is a great hike, but can be busy at times. (If you can't tell, I tend to avoid the busy areas during busy times). Malign Creek/canyon is a great hike...it doesn't really have those epic views, but the sheer nature is amazing.

I don't know exactly where Healy Pass is...but I'm guessing that it's a hiking trail/destination...and maybe not something that you hit on a non-hiking type trip.

Mt. Edith Cavel is near to Jasper and would be a good trip. It's quite a drive to get up there...and then there is a small hike where you can get right up to a small glacial lake.

If you are staying in or around Jasper, I'd also suggest a morning trip up to Pyramid and Patricia Lakes. It a quick drive from Jasper, but you'll want to be there around sunrise for those shots.

On the topic of times....one of the best lessons I've learned about photographing the mountains, is that the time of day (position of the sun) make s huge difference. Pyramid Lake is an early morning shot for example. Lake Louise is best in the morning, but probably not right at day break. Same goes for Moraine Lake. Peyto Lake is usually best in the mid morning to mid afternoon and Castle Mountain has many different looks throughout the day.

So if you really want to get the most out of your trip (photographically), you could try to plan your day trips so that you hit the best sites and their best time of day....but this may be asking a lot for the relatively short time that you have.

 

[SpeedTrap]

Ont think I would suggest is going to Takaka Falls, it is about a 30 minute drive from Lake Louise to the entrance. It is the highest waterfall in North America, it is near Emerald lake with is also a must see in my books.
If you took some time in that area you would get to see some sites 99% of tourist skip over and it is too bad, because it is fantastic.