Planning trip to Canada Sept 2016 (never been before)

Poppageorge, when I say off the beaten track I mean walks/areas which aren't always the obvious 'tourist' routes.
We have no desire to get lost in the West on our trip - when you look at package holidays as good as they are for seeing a bit of everything they tend to all go to the same spots, do the same walks which is why doing it ourselves has much more appeal.

If you want to get off the beaten path and be amid spectacular scenery, then I highly recommend visiting the badlands, Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, east of Calgary. Only few places to stay near the park, most visitors go camping, but not a lot of folks visit this great area. It's worth about three days, but it can be done in one. There are also terrific places on the way to Drumheller, a nice prairie town with an expansive, modern, and important dinosaur museum. Nearby Horsethief Canyon is quite a sight.

In this area, Taber corn is grown until the third week of September. It is prized, and you may see it sold from trucks by the side of the road. Wherever it is sold, places are supposed to display a certificate of authenticity. We cooked some at a campfire, but maybe you can figure out something else.

I love to hike & the best hike I've ever done in North America is in Waterton National Park. Not on your route so far & good thing, as too many people already know about the great hiking there. (cuts into wildlife viewing if 100 people are tromping through in a day or week! Crypt Lake defies description, though. Google images for the location, or just plan a trip. If you can also enter the USA the Glacier NP on the US side has an incredible drive up & over the continental divide...

The most beautiful part of the country I have ever seen is the Kootenays in BC. I like it far, far better than the overly touristy Banff, etc route that is so over done.

http://www.hellobc.com/kootenay-rockies.aspx

We are thinking now maybe it would be worth planning the trip ourselves taking in the same types of places (starting in Calgary going to Jasper, Banff, Whistler, and ending in Vancouver).

Having had a look at the Ingham's Peaks and Valleys of the West, I definitely recommend that you just rent a simple sedan and drive it yourself over two weeks from Calgary to Vancouver via Whistler, or possibly just Calgary back to Calgary.

We are an Australian couple in our 60s and have done three road-trips in the area over the years, and in fact have been (at least notionally) to all the places on the Ingham itinerary, plus many more too. You can have a much better time being independent, without sacrificing access to any of the attractive sites in the package - they don't have sole access or anything.

We are not avid hikers, but we walk a lot, and enjoyed walks in the Canadian Rockies immensely, so here are some modest tips that might assist:

1. I wouldn't worry too much at all about some areas / walks looking very touristy and therefore crowded. Our trips have been in September (a busy time), and from our experience they might be hundreds of people straight off tour buses near the hotel or carpark or lake-edge, but by the time you have walked about 400 metres, you can almost have the place to yourself.

2. The hikes around Maligne Lake (near Jasper) are excellent and scenic (give Jasper two nights).

3. The Icefield Parkway from Jasper to Banff is the most beautiful 200 kms we have ever driven in all North America (we had a big snowstorm the days we were there last year, 8-15 Sep).

4. Allocate three nights minimum to Lake Louise (great YHA hostel), and complete (a) the Sentinel Pass Trail above Moraine Lake, (b) the Beehive Trail above Lake Louise itself, and (c) perhaps one of the more ambitious trails.

5. We pre-booked the permit-only Lake O'Hara Trail - and were pleased we did, although it did snow all day. We had a family member (who lives in the US) call the booking number right at 0800 on 13 June, so we could get in on 13 Sept, and even though we had 14-15 Sept in reserve, she got through ... so that worked well. There are some long hikes in there ... we just did the lake circuit because of the weather.

6. Banff is very touristy, but the walk up and down the the mountain is worth it for the lookout and the views.

7. The drive from Jasper to Whistler is great, and Whistler itself is a really good experience - certainly not off the beaten track though.

8. Yoho NP and Kootenay NP are good too, and much less crowded.

9. Haven't been to Waterton NP, but have been through Glacier NP and really loved it - stark, bald, and uncompromising indeed.

Have fun in the planning. It's a tough call whether you return to Calgary and give the Rockies more time, or include the Whistler / Vancouver sector. All good.

Hi Ianw6705,

Thanks for your post, funnily enough we have now decided, after reading the replies and looking at the scenery in the rockies alone, to fly in and out of Calgary and spend the 2 weeks just in the rockies, as much as we would love to see Vancouver we would much prefer to really see and experience the rockies and not have to rush it. I will be looking at your tips in more detail in terms of where to go and what to see. These forums really are great for getting advice and tips. It was only a few weeks ago that we didn't have much idea on where to go, now we have lots of ideas which is brilliant and a trip is coming together nicely.

Do you like hot springs? (I do!) Have a look at this. There is also a great deal of other interesting info on the government site:

http://www.hellobc.com/british-columbia/things-to-do/food-wine-relaxation/hot-springs.aspx

You're welcome!

If you are focusing just on the Rockies, I would at least consider Waterton Lakes NP at the end (if the long additional kms don't deter you). BTW I would do the trip anti-clockwise, starting with Calgary > Hot Springs > Jasper > Banff ... I think it's better.

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