Going to Moraine Lake for a week in June. Luckily I've got

Not OP, bumping for info on bear proof containers in the area as well

Go fishing. Avoid all the asian tourists.

No Alberta natives on /trv/?

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I was in Jasper and Banff in July last year and it wasn't too bad in terms of other tourists. Lake Louise was overrun and a few other places were fairly busy, but most of the lesser-known lakes and hikes only had a few people on them. I spent more time in Jasper so my recommendations are mostly for there - Maligne Lake, Pyramid Lake, hiking around Mt. Edith Cavall, and hiking to the top of Mt. Whistlers were my highlights, but there's so much outdoorsy shit to do there that you really just have to pick a direction, drive, and see what you uncover. Not in Jasper or Banff, but pic related is on the Berg Lake trail about an hours drive west at the foot of Mt. Robson in BC. Out of all the beautiful lakes I saw (and there were lots) this was probably the most stunning, and took me completely by surprise as I just turned a corner on the hike and there it was. So I guess what I'm saying is don't worry too much about making sure you tick off a particular list of things to see, because it's all incredible. Go into the shops and speak to the locals/seasonal workers, and see what they recommend.

I don't know about bear proof containers. We had to lock our food in a locker overnight so it wouldn't attract bears, but that's because we were in a campsite and didn't have a car at that point. When hiking I carried a bag full of snacks, but we also had bear spray. Didn't hear anyone suggesting we needed the bear-proof containers, and I was with some locals. Finally, with foods you have to try, iirc there is a famous pastry shop in either Jasper or Banff or both that has a very good reputation, and some steakhouses which sell things like Moose and Elk burgers. I didn't try any of it myself, but it's probably part of the full experience.

Enjoy it, it's the most beautiful part of the world I've come across in my travels.

>>1114076

Thanks for the info man. Yeah when I go to national parks I usually just go explore without any sort of reference guide, but trying to just get some names to keep an eye out for. This is my last dream location to get to so I'm really excited.

>>1114112
There's nothing wrong with doing a bit of both - have some locations in mind, but definitely also speak to the people who live there permanently (or at least seasonally) as they'll probably me more aware of some of the best places where tourists don't tend to go.

>>1113981
sup 403/587 whatever the fuck we are here

>>1113333

>Drive the Icefield Parkway up to Jasper. Visit Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls and Mistaya Canyon on the way there. Also take the trip up to the Athabasca Glacier (part of the Columbia Icefield).

>Drive the Bow Valley Parkway to Banff. Visit Johnston Canyon on the way.

>The Jasper Tramway is better than the Banff Gondola. Both are worth it though!

>Drive through Kootenay National Park, all the way down to Radium Hot Springs and back. Stop at Marble Canyon on the way.

>Take the drive up to Malign Lake from Jasper. You pass Medicine Lake on the way. At Malign Lake, take the boat trip to Spirit Island. Also hike Malign Canyon on the way there or back.

>>1114719

Icefields Parkway to Jasper, Athabasca falls, and Malign Lake are all guaranteed. Trying to only do one day/night in Jasper because it's 2 hours from where I'm staying so I'm probably gonna leave at sunrise and stay until a little before sunset.

I'll do the Bow Valley Parkway for my drive from the airport to Banff and do some shopping before I head to Moraine Lake. I'll try to get to Kootenay but Banff, Jasper, and maybe Yoho are the primary spots I'm trying to hit. Think I might try to go white water rafting somewhere too.

Thanks for the suggestions.

>>1114719
If you have the time, I'd say it's better to hike up Mt. Whistlers instead of getting the Jasper tramway up. Sense of achievement is far better at the top, and you get to smugly tell all the other tourists that you hiked from the bottom and make them feel bad about themselves.

>>1114855
Good point. I didn't mention hiking up because OP sad he didn't have that much Jasper-time.
>>1114799
Cheers. I did a similar trip (Seattle - Vancouver Island - Jasper - Banff (including Kootenay and Yoho) - Glacier - Yellowstone - Seattle) in 2014. If you have any more questions, just ask.

With the Athabasca Glacier though, it helps to make a reservation in advance via Brewster.

The Kootenay drive was great for us because we also saw a bear with cubs and we saw mountain goats on the drive. But it really does have a lot of great stops.

The Malign and Johnston Canyon trails are great hikes, but can be crowded at times (especially Johnston). We did 3 nights in Jasper and 4 in Banff, and even then we were really busy. But the area is just SO amazing.

We visited Emerald Lake and a short hike along Kicking Horse River starting at Natural Bridge. We couldn't see the takakkaw falls because the road was still closed (half June). Other than that we didn't see much of Yoho. It was nice, but definitely not one of the big highlights for me.

>>1114925

I forgot to add in Vermilion Lakes and maybe the Kananaski's are on my agenda as well.

For some reason I had it in my head that Jasper was a 2 hour drive from Moraine Lake, but it turns out it's 4. But I'm definitely gonna be stopping along the Icefields to do certain things like Athabasca falls. I feel like I need to do a second day there, but just the 8 hours of travel kinda kill it and if I was just camping or sleeping in my car it would be fine, but I'm paying way too much to lose a night.

I really need to make use of the long ass days, and the nights too because of the incredible night sky up there. Little worried about driving late at night up there though, don't know how the wildlife ventures about.

Since I definitely won't have cell service up there, I'm gonna just make lists of directions to places and a list of places to keep in mind so thanks for the other names of places. I have a feeling, like with other national parks, that I'm just gonna be driving along and see a sign for some trailhead or lake that I knew about and stop.

>>1115276
Certain roads close at night though. I'm pretty sure Bow Valley Parkway is closed after 10PM or something. We had to take the Trans-Canadian Highway back to Johnston Canyon (where we were sleeping) after we spent an evening in Banff (the town). I imagine they do the same with the Icefield Parkway. It's to protect the wildlife. So you'll need to sort out how that works.

We took a full day just to get from Jasper to Banff on the Icefield Parkway. But on that day we also included the Athabasca Glacier trip (not to be confused with Athabasca Falls, look both up) and a lot of stops along viewpoints and short hikes (like Mistaya Canyon). You can easily include Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls on a trip like that too. There's just SO much to see and you don't want to be in a rush to get somewhere.

But also adding in Maligne Lake (boat trip to Spirit Island) and Maligne Canyon (pretty long but good hike) on the same day would be a lot. So you might want to do that the next day in Jasper and maybe combine it with a trip on the Jasper Tramway. if possible.

Vermillion is nice, but we didn't hike there. It was partially closed due to certain species breeding or with young at that time. Probably Elk.

>>1115395

Thanks for the heads up, I'll look up if any roads around there close. Pretty much my only fear is that I'll be lost up there with no service.

Yeah I really have no intention of rushing anything. The drive itself is part of the reason for going to Jasper. I think maybe one day will just be doing shit along the Icefields Parkway and another being the actual drive to Jasper to do the Skytram and Maligne Lake, etc.

>>1115660
By getting lost you mean while hiking? Because it's pretty much impossible on the road. And don't worry about it, everything was very well-organized and reception was usually good.

The Icefield Parkway is honestly one of the best drives I've ever been on. You will make a lot of stops, even if it's just viewpoints or wildlife. Some short stops like Athabasca Falls are fine to make during the trip. Same for Sunwapta Falls. Or even the Athabasca Glacier.

Just not stuff like Malign Lake, Maligne Canyon and Medicine Lake. Those 3 were a full day for us. Jasper Tramway takes too long to combine with a drive too.

If I were you I'd probably:
- Day 1: Drive there (Icefield Parkway) and take all the short stops, viewpoints, falls and small hikes like Mistaya Canyon, Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, Peyto Lake, Weeping Wall etc etc. If you have time left hike around Mt. Edith Cavell
- Day 2: Do Maligne Lake, Medicine Lake and Maligne Canyon
- Day 3: Do Jasper Tramway in the morning and drive back in the afternoon/early evening stopping at the Athabasca Glacier.

I'd actually prefer doing Jasper Tramway on Day 3 and going back (including Athabasca Glacier and maybe Skywalk, the latter is overrated imo as there are many free viewpoints that are just as good) on Day 4. That depends on how many nights you want to spend in Jasper.

>>1115814

That's the problem, I'm not trying to spend any nights in Jasper unfortunately. Staying at the Moraine Lake Lodge for way too much money per night (luckily the Canadian dollar is shit right now) so I don't want to lose nights there. Jasper is definitely gonna be two days though. I think the first day will be doing a ton of shit along the parkway, with the second being things in Jasper itself.

>>1115997
Are you staying in The Deer Lodge?

>>1116162

Nah, Moraine Lake Lodge. Right on the lake.