Hi
I've got a rather unexpected chance to visit a friend in Calgary in May. I'm spending 4 days at her wedding from the 16th-21st of May and afterwards I have until the 30th on my own. I love hiking (have been to Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and Ireland) and would really love to spend my time in the Rockies. The area itself is huge - the information is vast and I'm a bit scarce on time for doing my planning. Furthermore, I'm travelling on my own (for the first time in my life) and could really do with some insiders knowledge on how to get the best out my week in the middle of May in the Rockies! Is it possible to get around by public transport or do I need a car? Should I book myself into a hostel or B&B in the Banff-area (any suggestions) and just plan my days as I go along? Is it a vaste not to go around and stay 3-4 different places during the week? Do you know any options for guided tours that doesn't cost a fortune and runs in May The easy option ;-) ? All in all - if you have any suggestions for how to get the best out of a week in the Rockies in May I would love to hear your opinion!
BR, Nina Lee
Hi;
You will find that there is lots to do and yes, there is public transport.
Greyhound and Brewster are 2 bus companies that can take you to Banff or Canmore.
Also take a walk along the Bow River in downtown Calgary.
Do not make to many firm plans as weather can do you in.
Most tourtisty things start on the Victoria Day weekend which is on May 21 this year which means that Banff will be quite busy.
Try and get up to Sunshine Village ski resort for a day. Make shure you have sunscreen.
You can rent skiis or just go up to see it.
Public transit will get you to the towns, but having a car will make it so much easier to explore all the sites, as most of what you'll want to see is not wedged in between the hotels and restaurants, but might be 30km, 50km or 200km down the highway where you simply have to have a car to access it. The only other alternative is a guided bus tour where you might get a chance to see the scenic viewpoints, or lakes, or hiking trails - but you won't have much time there beyond a photo opportunity.
If they're running, I'd look into the Moose Travel Network as they have a hop-on hop-off bus loop through the Rockies which might give you more flexibility than relying upon Greyhound or Brewsters.
Good advice so far, but I wanted to also just point out that if you're hiking in the mountains it'll likely still be a bit snow covered in the higher elevation.
I wouldn't stay in Banff the whole time, you would have time to go to Lake Louise and up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. True North does low cost tours that stay in the hostels or try Moose Network. Otherwise you could rent a car and go to the various highlights that are listed in the Parks guide but if you aren't comfortable exploring on your own it would be better to go on a tour. There will be very limited hiking at that time of year, but the attractions in the valley like Johnston's Canyon etc won't be very busy.
Thank you so much! I've looked at Moose Travel Network and True North tours - that's excactely what I was looking for. The former has a tour running from Banff to Jasper and back through Lake Louise, which sounds great. On your advice (and from what I've been reading) I think I'll skip Banff and see if I can get a couple of days in Canmore instead if I can catch a Greyhound from Banff to there. Suddenly it all sounds a lot more accesible when you're droped of at a hostel and picked up the same place! Also a great opportunity to meet som people :-) I'll remember the advice of not planning too tightly to allow the weather conditions. Should I expect not to be doing much hiking at all beacuse of snow or can I plan for walks as long as the altitude is not too high? Anyone with an idea of the expected limit at that time a year? The cold doesn't scare me (done hiking in Iceland in storm and rain) so I'm more worried about the accesibility... And a last question... I would like to plan for a horseride om one of the days in Lake Louise, Jasper or Canmore. Any suggestions for which location is the better and maybe which guide company to look for?
Thank you again - Nina
There won't be any snow in the valleys or on south-facing open slopes. But there aren't many trails that are just south facing. Into the higher elevations/forested/not south facing there is generally too much snow to keep to the trail (unless the spring comes really early).
The popular trails would be your best bet because any snow would be beaten down, Lake Louise has a couple of good hikes: Lake Agnes and Plain of the Glaciers. It might be an idea to buy ice walkers for your boots if there's going to be ice. You can see conditions in sites like: banff trail conditions, .Kananaskis trail report but your best source is to ask at the park information centres, they always have the latest conditions and any bear reports.
nlee, you might want to think about a side trip to Brown Lowery Provincial Park. It's a 45 minute drive from Calgary near Bragg Creek, and has the advantage of being at a lower elevation than most of the popular destinations in Kananaskis Country. Trials are extensive and some of the views magnificent; it's about the best you can do without going into the mountains, and a good alternative if the weather's a bit iffy. It also has a major plus in being very unpopular with Calgarians; I went on a hike two weekends ago (no snow), and had the whole park to myself and my SO. It's a very neat place.
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