The Canadian Rockies -

(Click on any picture to Enlarge)

One of the fantastic views @ Banff

Medicine Lake - Jasper National Park (on the drive to Maligne Lake)

Some vacations are best not planned...we did one of those in July this year.
Firstly, for a variety of reasons our dates kept moving. Eventually, it became a now or never and we just took the plunge with scarcely a thought or a plan. Worked out good nevertheless!

The plan was to spend time in Seattle/ Vancouver, but just a few days prior, bumped into a few friends who were absolutely raving about the Canadian Rockies and the San Juan Islands etc. We were still not sure about our plans as we settled into the first night in Seattle. The next morning we drove into Canada with not a plan in mind.

The border crossing can take up quite some time in the summer months. This is a good website that shows the wait times for the border crossing. We picked the I-539 border crossing, which worked out very well. Summer months/ weekends, the I-5 border crossings have a typical wait time of an hour to 2 hours. The I-539 crossing has a lower volume, not many folks know about it or prefer not to use it. But Canadian immigration seems to have a lot more time on their hands at this crossing. It reminded me of the viva exams, was asked a set of good 10 questions, 9 more than I have ever been asked while crossing into Canada. Stay away from the immigration gal there (our lane moved very slow).... she is persistent and grilled me as if I was the Kumar dude escapee from Guantanamo Bay. But not to dis-credit the rest of the Canadian junta, they are one of the friendliest I have ever come across (not to discount the natives of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin where I spent some quality winter consulting time and the officer who pulled me over on a dreary winter night, only to let me drive away).

As we entered into Canada, we were still not sure which way to head, Vancouver or to the Canadian Rockies. We ultimately settled onto the Canadian Rockies after some major hungama and hesitation - it was a long drive after all.

We also didn't have a GPS - our GPS covered only the US and we hadn't had the chance to order the Canada/Mexico SD card. It was pretty amazing how the blackberry and iPhone apps worked out so very well, to the point that a GPS was hardly required. I do see the death knell of the stand alone GPS device....just a matter of time now.

Jasper
Vancouver, Jasper and Banff (part of the Canadian Rockies National Park system) form a triangle. We picked Jasper because the drive to Jasper is shorter than the drive to Banff (took us about 7 hours from the border crossing). On the drive to Jasper, we also made reservations thanks to some tourist guide that we picked up along the way. The highway into Jasper is very well maintained and I got some *very* good speeds thanks to the KIA rental, while keeping up with the Canadian brethrens who were speeding along with carefree abandon. We found ourselves in the town of Jasper just prior to sunset ~6 to 7 hours after we had done the border crossing. The rangers were as usual *very* friendly and even briefed us on dinner potentials. We settled on a pizza place, Jasper Pizza, which was pretty good and eventually checked-in to catch a few hours of zzzs.

Some of the things worth checking out within Jasper NP are Maligne Lake (take a cruise here to spirit island, will become your highlight of the vacation with some fantastic scenes, expensive and some say overrated), Gondola ride (short and sweet), Sulfur Skyline Trail Hike, Miette Hot Springs, Mount Edith Cavell (Hike to Angel glacier is definitely nice)... Pick and choose what you feel like doing. The hot springs, Gondola ride are also at Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, so pick and choose what you want to experience.

On the drive to Maligne Lake - we particularly enjoyed the Medicine Lake (see picture above). Medicine lake is a geologic anomaly, not exactly a lake but the area in which the Maligne River (flowing from Maligne Lake into the Athabasca River) backs up and suddenly disappears underground. The Lake in summer behaves like a bathtub that is filled too fast for it to drain, it becomes laden with water until it can slowly drain as the runoff is s reduced. The disappearing of water was mystical to the natives and the lake was highly revered. The lake had a quiet elegance about it and we spent some time by its shores. We felt Maligne Lake was overrated and we turned right back. There are trails and hikes that surely must offer some speectacular views.

The drive to Banff from Jasper is about 3-4 hours with some stunning sights along the way. The day time temperature all through our time there was in the low 90s - very hot considering that spring does not arrive here until late May or early June sometimes. As a result, much of the wild life lay burrowed in to avoid the heat, and we missed out some great wild life sightings, which I was told becomes a tame affair by the time we typically leave the Canadian Rockies. Well, we didn't quite experience that! Wild-life sighting is common if you take the Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy #1A) - which is slower than Highway 1 - between Banff and Jasper.

It is worthwhile to take the Columbia Ice field tour and also check out Lake Louise, Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls and Canyon etc. while driving between Jasper and Banff. From Lake Louise, you can visit Moraine Lake 14kms away (depending on time). En route, you can also visit Johnston Canyon, walk to lower and upper falls etc.

LAKE LOUISE VILLAGE doesn't amount to much, centered around a single mall, Samson Mall There's almost nothing to do in the village. There are canoe rentals on the lake and make sure you don't fall into the frigid waters. Depending on time - Lake Louise Gondola (the "Friendly Giant") can take you partway up Mount Whitehorn. You can choose between enclosed gondola cars, open chairs, or chairs with bubble domes - which can get you a unique fearful experience. A trail takes you to the summit of Mount Whitehorn, for the fearless only. There are some nice trails...Lake Louise can give you that breather in your hectic vacation schedule where you can stop and 'smell the roses'. Around Lake Louise considering checking out Takkakaw Falls, Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake

The Bus Ride to the Columbia Ice Field

The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield south of Alaska, shimmering glacial ice and snow cover some 400 sq. km with a depth of 300 to 600 meters. The Snowcoach tour onto the Athabasca Glacier is unlike any Alaskan backyard view Russia experience. We took that and it is indeed an experience! The Columbia Icefield is a true "hydrological apex," for its meltwater feeds streams and rivers that pour into the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. Take this unique experience to the next level by spending a night at the Columbia Icefield in the Glacier View Inn. The lighting in the evening and morning hours is spectacular and is the perfect complement to the magnificent glaciers.

Athabasca Glacier

A view of the Athabasca glacier while standing atop the Columbia Ice Field.

In this pic, you can see the bus route onto the Columbia Ice Field
View from the visitor center (click to enlarge)

Banff
As you near Banff, the highway evolves into a 4 lane separated highway with a 90KMH speed limit. There is fencing by the side to prevent animals from butting heads with cars, and some 'natural bridges' enable the essential animal crossings. Very well thought out I must say! The town of Banff has a commercial feel to it in comparison to Jasper. We liked it a lot. Jasper is much smaller but has a unique identity of its own too. Strolling down Banff's main shopping street can be relaxing too as you browse into the various retail stores. Hotel choices Brewster Mountain Lodge, Lady Macdonald Country Inn, Georgetown Inn in Canmore etc. Fairmont Hotel is located at Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff and is certainly top rated.

Everyone seems to want to ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain. The hot springs is right by the GOndola ride and that was one of the best experiences for us during this trip. The hot springs are made to flow into a swimming pool like enclave and the temperature dropped to 40C from the typical hot springs temperature of 50C - which makes it a very enjoyable experience. With the beautiful views around it, this must be one of the exotic hot springs of the world. This can be a wonderful model for other hot springs - it is certainly commercialized but enriches the whole experience. The Gondola ride up the mountains has some wonderful sights - so not to be missed.
Some Top-Rated Banff Hotels Fox Hotel & Suites , Delta Banff Royal Canadian Lodge, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Post Hotel & Spa, Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa, The Fairmont Banff Springs
Some Top-Rated Banff B&Bs - Buffaloberry Bed and Breakfast, The Poplar Inn, Treetops Banff Bed and Breakfast, Banff Avenue B&B
If you stay at the Fairmont Banff springs hotel, you can do a quick stroll to Bow falls. Not sure if it is worth checking out otherwise.

View of Banff from Sulphur Mountain

While leaving Banff (heading to Vancouver) considering visiting Yoho National Park and checking out Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake. A visit to Calgary didn't fit in our itinerary and I am sure we missed out on a nice city. You also hit Glacier National Park, which has a couple attractions as well.

We left Banff on a Friday afternoon, hoping to get into Vancouver late evening. But the highway is much slower, typically one lane upto Kamloops. We hit some heavy traffic too and we decided to call it a night at Kamloops. Every hotel in town seemed to be sold out due to a variety of ongoing activities, and we had to settle into a motel, that jacked up their rates, for the night. I missed the Clinton era 40% differential in the US Canadian dollars - that would have lessened the pain - but certainly one of the hazards of unplanned travel that we were ready to face upto. The recession the world was going through certainly made this last minute travel a bit easier.

The Coquihalla Highway toll route, south from Kamloops, cuts time by heading diagonally southwest to the town of Hope.

Vancouver
Our time in Vancouver was smack in the middle of the the weekend. Prior to leaving, I had remarked that we should get our weekend reservations squared away. We didn't quite do that - our travel plans being in a state of flux - and we had to scamper to make reservations for Vancouver (once again made while driving into Vancouver). All the recommended hotels were sold out and we luckily managed to get accommodating at the SandMan Hotels - primarily based on their location - walking distance to the fireworks. The views of the city and the ocean, standing outside the balcony was wonderful, the sunsets exotic. THere was a reason why we struggled to get a hotel accommodation, the Gay Lesbian parade was happening beneath our hotel, streets were cordoned off and there was palpable excitement in the city, with multiple activities planned for the weekend including the renowned fireworks. The fireworks brought an unprecedented amount of crowd to the waterfront, reminded us of the ball dropping in NYC. But the crowd behaved well, the fireworks (sponsored by China) was spectacular and worth while.

At Vancouver, check out the views from Vancouver Lookout. Stanley Park, Lions Gate Bridge (SRK shot in Pardes), Punjab Marg (over-rated) are other POIs. We spent some time in Granville Island - but in retrospect we should have skipped it. YOu can park at Stanley Park and walk onto the Lions Gate Bridge ~1.1 mile in comparison to the Golden Gate's 1.7 miles. There are some lovely beaches in Stanley Park (3rd beach, Jericho Beach), but it is crowded on the weekends and parking is hard to find. Did I say the people in Canada are friendly? As we entered the parking area of Stanely Park, someone gave us their day long parking permit as they left the park. Capilano Bridge is a neat attraction - fun to walk on the dangling suspension bridge. A lady handed us a coupon (free entry) into the Capilano Bridge as we waited in line. Definitely worth walking on the bridges connecting the trees at the other end of the Capilano Bridge. Grouse Mountain Gondola ride (a short drive from Capilano) is worthwhile too. Spend some time in the Gas Town (downtown), checking out the narrowest commercial building (Guinness Book of World Record), shopping, eating etc.

The streets below our hotel had a million restaurants to pick from. Amazing choices. Stephos PLace Restaurant was highly recommended - perpetual long lines outside. Good middle-eastern food, got my mind thinking of La Shish in Dearborn.

Vancouver indeed is an exciting city and I would love to go back again - a city that reminds me of Bombay, considering the mixed living concept that is so rampant all over downtown with intermixing of apartments and commercial.

We missed out on going to Whistler (rated very highly by one of my buddies - one of the most beautiful sights). We missed out on Victoria too, and we have gotten conflicting reviews about Victoria. If you are going, better to take the ferry from Vancouver itself - instead of taking it from Seattle.

We exited Canada from the I-5 point early morning on a Sunday. There are signs all over indicating the wait time at the border crossing. We chose the 1 hour wait versus the 2 hour wait - this is a royal pain. Do not forget to get the VAT Tax refunded from the duty free shopping area before you leave Canada.

Couple things to watch out for
- Call your credit card company in advance, to ensure that your credit card will work in Canada. Usually they are blocked from being used internationally.
- If you have an iphone / blackberry, turn on the international coverage plan - otherwise you will end up seeing a hefty charge on your next bill