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Old 12-11-2016, 01:50 PM   #1
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Towing Toto to Banff / Jasper

I swear I have researched this a bunch, but I'm not confident with what I learned, so I'm asking. Forgive me if the answers are here somewhere and I just missed them.

We want to take advantage of the free Discovery Pass for next year and visit (for our first time) the Banff / Jasper area, right after Labor/Labour Day in early September. From our south Puget Sound location, we can drive up I-5 and angle through Abbotsford toward the Trans-Canada Highway, then follow it and the Coq. over to the Rockies. OR.... we can skip Seattle, head across Washington State into Idaho and head up 93 through Cranbrook and Radium Hot Springs.

Our question: is one route markedly easier than the other, from a mountain driving perspective? We're prepared for what mountain driving entails, but easier (gradual grades, fewer 1000-foot dropoffs, safer roads) is always better.

Thanks for any light you can shed!
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Old 12-11-2016, 02:26 PM   #2
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If one were to come over Cranbrook , one would also drive through the Kootenay Park to arrive in Banff . Radium is at the south end , the park is beautiful and has a lot nice stops right off the highway like Marble Canyon , Stanley Glacier, Paint Pots etc.
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Old 12-11-2016, 05:04 PM   #3
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Go north through Alberta on route #2 to Edmonton then swing west to Jasper .
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Old 12-11-2016, 05:07 PM   #4
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Both routes offer great drives, but the route through Cranbrook will see someone less mountain pass driving. Neither route is that tough to do though.

Why not make it a round trip? Head up Highway 5 from Kamloops through to 17, and into Jasper. You could take in Wells Grey Provincial Park along the way, which is one of my favourite BC parks. You could then make your way south to Lake Louse, and even Banff, then head by south on 95 back to Cranbrook.

Other nice routes north to south through BC are up 97 through the Okanagan, or up through the Kootenays, another favourite part of BC for me.

Sounds like you might need to do this trip twice.
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Old 12-11-2016, 07:24 PM   #5
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Go north through Alberta on route #2 to Edmonton then swing west to Jasper .
I think most people would be bored with the view from Alberta Highway 2 in a few minutes... and almost three hundred kilometres of Highway 2 after Calgary you reach Edmonton, only to realize that you are still almost three hundred kilometres (on the Yellowhead Highway) away from the mountains. I think the only reason to go through Edmonton would be if you want to visit the city, or someone there.

If going to both Banff and Jasper, I would suggest going through the parks on the Icefield Parkway - much more scenic. If looping through the mountain parks and not wanting to go both ways on the Icefield Parkway, Highway 5 in B.C. is probably more interesting (although after a few dozen times the novelty has long worn off for me).
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Old 12-11-2016, 07:25 PM   #6
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Why not make it a round trip? Head up Highway 5 from Kamloops through to 17, and into Jasper. You could take in Wells Grey Provincial Park along the way, which is one of my favourite BC parks. You could then make your way south to Lake Louse, and even Banff, then head by south on 95 back to Cranbrook.
Assuming that "17" was supposed to be Highway 16 (the Yellowhead), I agree. The route south from Jasper to Lake Louise would be the Icefields Parkway.
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Old 12-11-2016, 07:48 PM   #7
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Assuming that "17" was supposed to be Highway 16 (the Yellowhead), I agree.
Yes, my finger was not quite in the right spot.
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The route south from Jasper to Lake Louise would be the Icefields Parkway.
Really, I would never have known, as I have rarely driven it, but maybe 100 times, give or take a few.
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Old 12-11-2016, 07:55 PM   #8
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The route south from Jasper to Lake Louise would be the Icefields Parkway.
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Really, I would never have known, as I have rarely driven it, but maybe 100 times, give or take a few.
No kidding - that was for Doug, not you Jim.
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Old 12-11-2016, 07:59 PM   #9
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No kidding - that was for Doug, not you Jim.
Don't worry, I'm married, and quite used to being corrected.
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Old 12-11-2016, 08:18 PM   #10
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When we came up through Banff and Jasper via Whitefish Montana, we traveled the route through Cranbrook and Radium Hot Springs. It was a scenic route and not very stressful on our truck at all. I do wish we had spent a night or two in Radium Hot Springs rather than just passing through, it looked like a great place to visit.
I've never traveled the other route, as our trip to Alaska and back took us down the icefield parkway each way and we enjoyed different views each way.
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Old 12-12-2016, 12:32 AM   #11
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The Icefields Parkway is nice but take your time. The frost heaves in parts seem to be getting worse in the last few years.
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Old 12-12-2016, 12:33 AM   #12
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Just a note on the Icefields Parkway - if you going north, the Big Hill is one heck of a climb. If you're going south and have any fear of heights (like I do!), you should be aware of the downhill... don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, but I kind of avoid it with a trailer. (Partly because I overheated on it once many years ago.)
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Old 12-12-2016, 01:44 AM   #13
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I much prefer driving Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon rather than Highway 5, the Coquihalla. 5 is like a freeway although the scenery is nice the first time through. Good for making time if that is important. I find the Fraser Canyon much more picturesque. In Sept the traffic would be very light on that route. There is a BC Provincial Park campsite in the canyon called Skihist. Very nice place to camp. Not a lot of activity to take advantage of in that area unless you are interested in white water rafting. A great place to relax and enjoy calm and the scenery.
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Old 12-12-2016, 01:57 AM   #14
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Canadian and US Rockies

We departed San Marcos, CA, USA on Aug 9 2016 via I-5 via Seattle to Chilliwac, BC. Took a side trip to Nanaimo to visit friends, back to Chilliwack. Had rails installed for Andersen Hitch, orientation, ETI import new 5.0TA to Sumas and we brought it back to Chilliwack, transferred our stuff to the new trailer on Aug 19. On the 21st we headed out; Kamloops on to 3 days in Banff; this leg was our first cloudy day with light to moderate wind and rain in the mountains. Towing with 2012 Dodge Ram 1500; no problems and with a reasonable amount of caution getting use to the new rig on wet pavement and mountains, everything went well. The ice road to Jasper is a beautiful drive. This trip was our most scenic RV trip; we would see one scene that we thought was the best. Turn a corner or come around another mountain and there was a new one. Three days in Jasper National Park with no hookups and just our solar panel! On to Edmonton, Alberta for a family reunion and on to Winnipeg for more family visiting. Down into the US and Minnesota for the other side of the family. Out through S. Dakota's Black Hills and other National Monuments/Parks and down through Denver and I70West and the US Rockies and Utah's National Parks. Only in Zion National Park where we drove through several one-way tunnels and some narrow roads with several horse-shoe turns with one foot tall retaining walls at low speeds, did we two 80 yrs old feel a little squeamish! As mentioned earlier, your most scenic trip! The Ram has more than enough power and the Escape 5.0TA handled well; hardly knew it was right behind us. Back home Sep 30. -Ethan and Jacki
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Old 12-12-2016, 10:06 AM   #15
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Something totally different Toto would love:
From Cranbrook follow 95 north to Radium, take 93 to highway 1 and visit Banff, back to 93 (ice field road) to Jasper, 16 to Edmonton, highway 2 south till you hit 53, go east to 36, 9 east (Drumheller), continue to Calgary and take 22 south followed by highway 6 into Waterton Lakes Park, which will bring you into Montana.
This route will give you lots of variety: scenery, provincial parks, farming, cowboy country, cities and villages, hoodoos, dinosaurs, mountains, flats, coolies and prairies. Topped off with Waterton, which is my favourite of all.
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Old 12-12-2016, 10:11 AM   #16
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Wow, all these insights and ideas are priceless. Thanks to you all! I think we will definitely do a circle of one sort or another... and it does sound like more than one trip is in order (okay by me!).

One of us gets a little nervous when there are big dropoffs next to the road. Can't avoid them in the mountains, but it's helpful to know that about the Icefields Pkwy. We'll plan for a calming cup of tea in there somewhere.

Really looking forward to overdosing on scenery. Thanks again all!
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Old 12-12-2016, 10:14 AM   #17
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coolies
My turn to be the corrector (I blame my mother(or Brian)).

A coolie is an unskilled worker, a coulee is a ravine or valley formed by rivers over many years.

*stands broadside to Marry so her reactionary blow is on my shoulder* (can you tell I am used to getting hit by women?)
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Old 12-12-2016, 02:56 PM   #18
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An interesting and scenic side trip, or entire loop, provided you're not "tied to" RV parks with all the amenities, is east on Hwy 11 from Saskatchewan Crossing (on the Icefields Parkway), towards Rocky Mtn House.

East of Nordegg on Hwy 11, gets kinda boring (for us), but the road is very scenic & much less heavily travelled, and there are some great Alberta Parks and Forest Service campsites (albeit rustic boondocking).

It's the way we usually travel when we head to NW of Edmonton for family visits.

At Nordegg, you can travel north on Alberta 40/734 (and really feel like you're out in the boonies), come out on Hwy 16 near Hinton, and head west again to Jasper. This road is still mostly (good condition & well-graded) gravel, but is being paved piecemeal by the Alberta government. Although maybe not so much anymore given what's happening to Alberta economy!

Its interesting seeing the famous Rockies from the "other (east) side"

One of these years I'm going to take 40 all the way north to Grande Prairie.
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Old 12-12-2016, 05:42 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
My turn to be the corrector (I blame my mother(or Brian)).

A coolie is an unskilled worker, a coulee is a ravine or valley formed by rivers over many years.

*stands broadside to Marry so her reactionary blow is on my shoulder* (can you tell I am used to getting hit by women?)
I blame his typo mishap on yesterday's (my) birthday party!
Should have gone to the "C" in the dictionary first, finishing my morning coffee to sober up, before commenting. My sincere sober apologies!!
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Old 12-12-2016, 06:02 PM   #20
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We have travelled highway 40 from west of Hinton to Grande Prairie towing our Escape a few times but not the section from Saskatchewan Crossing to Hinton. Highway 40 from Hinton to Grande Prairie is paved, narrow in places and in pretty good shape. The road seems to be getting improved over the past several years. The scenery is nice - some very pretty river crossings and mountains around Grande Cache. We gas up and take a break in Grande Cache when travelling through the area. On two occasions we have seen moose just north of Grand Cache. The downside to this route is the closer you get to Grande Prairie the greater the number of heavy trucks servicing the oil wells will be. During boom times Highway 40 going into Grande Prairie can be very busy with big rigs.
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