Most visitors to the Canadian Rockies are unprepared for the sheer scale of unpopulated and un-serviced land.

A lot of people visiting don't seem to have an idea of how big this area is and the distances they will have to travel to go from place to place.... the little chunk of western Canada which forms the Canadian Rockies occupies a land mass approx the size of England.

A common plan is 'we want to drive up to Jasper for the day' along the Icefield Parkway. Well during the summer, this is possible, but all you are going to do is drive... The drive to Jasper is approx 290 km and takes about 3.5 hours one way with no stopping.  Another thing that most people don't realize is that between Lake Louise and Jasper there is a total of 2 buildings - and that in the winter they are both closed.

The images most people have of Canada are of classic wilderness scenes and expect that it's available everywhere.

The National Parks here do not have that quintessential log cabin on the lake - because the towns are inside National Parks (which are protected areas) and they are not allowed to be developed outside their boundaries... nor
do we have on-hill condos where you can ski to your door. Do they exist in Canada - Yes - just not in places that you have heard of.

JULY and AUGUST months are always booked months ahead - think about it - 4.5 million people visit Banff every year - probably close to half of them during those two months - the hotels, motels, b&b's, etc, etc can only hold about 60,000 people a night and you will be several hours drive from more accommodations.

Expect to pay premium dollars to stay in Banff or Lake Louise - it's known thru out the world - it's a World Heritage Site - it has limited space - prices range from $130 Cdn - $250 Cdn per night for your average hotel room (two beds and a bathroom).

New York City this is not... The thing about the Canadian Rockies is that they are almost completely within protected lands - that means that nothing may be developed within them with the exceptions of the townsite areas which have very small boundaries.

You will be able to get gas, propane, and diesel in the main townsites (Banff, Canmore, LakeLouise, Jasper, Golden, Invermere , Revelstoke) - off the TransCanada Highway #1 you will more than likely only find gas.

Almost all rental cars and rental RV's use unleaded gas which is found everywhere.

Grocery Stores - open 7 days a week usually till 8:00p.m.  Hardware/Drug Stores - ditto but probably closed on Sundays.

Car Rentals - Big cities - Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver, Edmonton, etc...

Most of the towns in the are only three stories high due to development restrictions in National Parks.

Banff is a vibrant little town with a densely developed core of about three square blocks - there is a lot of museums, curios shops, clothing stores and restaurants and bars.

Canmore - essentially the bedroom town of Banff - it's developing it's own core of 'tourism' stores and nightlife but is still very quiet at night - the kind of place that most stores close at 6:00 p.m.

Lake Louise - is the lake, a few hotels with restaurants and a mall with a visitor centre... this is not a big place.

Jasper - like Banff but with a smaller downtown core not as many museums or as many "things to see".

BC Side of the Rockies Field

Invermere/Radium - the place to go when the weather on the AB side is a little too cold for your liking.

Revelstoke - nice mix of heritage houses, restaurants, browsing thru antique shops, coffee places etc. Railway Museum, located next to the Columbia River.

Most of the ACTIVITIES here tend to involve being outdoors and having access to a car.... by this we mean the mountain areas are a very outdoor pursuits oriented area - there are a few museums and galleries to poke around in, a few movie theatres (Banff, Jasper, Golden, Revelstoke ) but the majority of 'stuff to do' involves some sort of physical activity or driving somewhere to look at something.

Sightseeing - Big, bold mountains - towering waterfalls - There are so many picturesque scenes in this part of the world.

Activities - Flyfishing, Rafting, Hiking, Biking - they all exist - just like back home but click here to go to the unique places that exist here to do them.

Winter conditions start in earnest during the month of December - the odd freak storm may occur earlier - but this is the month when snow stays until spring.