Rocky Mountains (Canada) Travel Guide

From Wikitravel

The Rockies are a region of Canada that more or less divide British Columbia and Alberta. The roads and railroads here are amongst the most beautiful in the world. Much of the Rocky mountains of Canada are within various National and Provincial Parks.

At 3954m (12,972f) Mount Robson is the highest point in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Regions

Cities

• Banff
• Canmore
• Jasper
• Lake Louise
• Kananaskis
• Calgary
• Radium Hot Springs
• Waterton
• Field
• Fernie
• Valemount
• Hinton

Other destinations

• Yoho National Park
• Jasper National Park
• Banff National Park
• Kootenay National Park
• Mount Robson Provincial Park

Understand

Talk

The people living in this area are Anglophone Canadians and therefore speak English. Canadian National Parks are operated under Federal jurisdiction, and therefore have signs, brochures and (theoretically) all services in French, as well as understandable pictograms. Banff is a major international destination, and the tourist industry recognizes the role of international visitors; tourist services are usually available in Japanese and German, and increasingly in languages such as Mandarin and Spanish.

In the Canadian Rockies, Banff townsite is the most foreign-language-friendly, followed closely by Lake Louise. Jasper is the next best bet, with travellers advised to check before travelling to smaller or more remote sites such as Radium, Field, Waterton and Kananaskis.

Get in

By Plane

The closest international airport are located in Calgary and Edmonton. Some travellers arrive into Vancouver either fly to the regional airport in Cranbrook or drive to the Rockies.

There are tour operators that transport passengers between Edmonton and Jasper via Train and Bus.

By Car

Banff is about a 2 hour drive from Calgary. Jasper is about 3 hours from Edmonton. Either one is about a 10 to 12 hour drive from Vancouver. Note that the highways from Vancouver run through alpine passes, and can be closed or slowed due to avalanches, accidents or other such problems. Closures are most common in winter, which is roughly from October to May. Drivers with little or no winter driving experience are cautioned against long alpine drives in snowy, icy or cold conditions.

By Rail

VIA Rail offers service into the Canadian Rockies via the gateway cities of Edmonton or Calgary.

The Rocky Mountaineer rail service is a beautiful way to get to the Rocky Mountains and to see many spectacular sights from the dome car.

Get around

There are a number of extremely scenic highways through the Rocky Mountains.

• Icefields Parkway connects Banff to Jasper.

See

Itineraries

Do

Eat

Drink

Stay safe

Get out