Canadian Rockies Trip Plan
Travel Companions
Karen (Trip Organizer)Tracy
Dave
Eric
Glenn
Mary
Neil
Cara
Jeff
Itinerary 9 days – (Moderate to Strenuous)
Day 1 Wednesday, September 5th
Arrive at Calgary International Airport – obtain rental vehicle
Drive to Lake Louise, Alberta (2.5 hour drive)
Overnight Canadian Alpine Centre and Hostel - $45 per person / night (pay upon arrival)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/cac.html
Day 2 Thursday, September 6th
Sight see / light hiking / buy food and misc supplies
Overnight Whiskey Jack Hostel - $28 per person / night (pay on arrival)
http://www.hihostels.ca/PM/en/bchostels.aspx?sortcode=2.27
Day 3 Friday, September 7th
Emerald Lake – Iceline Trail Loop: 12.2 Miles 2,885 elevation gain
Overnight in Whiskey Jack Hostel $28 per person / night (pay on arrival)
Day 4 Saturday, September 8th
Hike to Twin Falls – 5.3 miles, 975 ft elevation gain
Hike to Whaleback Mtn – 12 miles, 3,000 ft elevation gain
Overnight Stanley Mitchell Hut (Little Yoho Valley) $32 per person / night (pre-paid)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/stanley.html
Day 5 Sunday, September 9th
Hike to McArthur Peak
http://www.peakfinder.com/peakfinder.ASP?PeakName=mount+mcarthur
Overnight Stanley Mitchell Hut (Little Yoho Valley) $32 per person / night (pre-paid)
Day 6 Monday, September 10th
Hike to Whiskey Jack Wilderness Hostel
Drive to Lake Louise
Day hike Plain of Six Glacier: 7 miles RT, 1,215 ft elevation gain or rest day http://www.canadianrockies.net/luminous/mpplain.html
Overnight Canadian Alpine Centre and Hostel - $45 per person / night (pay upon arrival)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/cac.html
Day 7 Tuesday, September 11th
Hike Larch Valley – Sentinel Pass - Paradise Valley Travers 12.2 miles, 2,855 ft elevation gain http://www.gemtrek.com/favorite_hikes.html#larch
Overnight Canmore: Pat Boswell Cabin - $32 per person / night (pre-paid)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/boswell.html
Day 8 Wednesday, September 12th
Hike Cory Pass Loop 8.1 miles 3,000 ft elevation gain http://www.trailpeak.com/index.jsp?cat=def&con=trail&val=1027
Overnight Canmore – Pat Boswell Cabin - $32 per person / night (pre-paid)
Day 9 Thursday, September 13th
Depart for home
Additional costs:
- Annual wilderness pass $62.40
- Overnight wilderness pass $10 per person / night
- Vehicle rental TBD
- Food TBD
- Air Fare to Calgary – individual responsibility
Getting There
Calgary Airport to Lake Louise: 2.5 hours (120 miles) – September 5th
- The drive from Calgary Airport to Lake Louise is very scenic. If you arrive on an international flight, it takes about an hour to clear immigration and customs at Calgary Airport. So you need to consider that it could take up to four hours to reach Lake Louise from the time that you land. The scenery as you approach the mountains is very beautiful.
- The road that links Calgary and Lake Louise is the TransCanada Highway (Hwy #1). The portion of this road that passes through Calgary is known as 16th Avenue North. The drive is fairly easy on a four lane divided all the way to the Banff townsite (and beyond); within the national park, tall fences keep deer and other wildlife off the road. This part of the road does not have any really steep climbs or sections where it clings next to a steep drop-off.
- The drive from Banff to Lake Louise and beyond is undergoing a slow upgrade, changing from two lanes to four lane divided. Pass with extreme care when you are using the passing lanes in the two lane sections, as there simply are not enough passing lanes to satisfy many drivers. Again, the Banff-Lake Louise section has few steep hills or sharp drop-offs.
- When you reach the Lake Louise area, watch for the signs telling you to slow down for bears! There is an ongoing problem in this region with vehicle-bear collisions. If you want to meet a Mountie as part of your Canadian vacation, drive through here at 110 km/hr. Unfortunately, the RCMP wear their regular blue uniforms when on traffic duty, so you won't get much of a photo-op, just an expensive speeding ticket. In Alberta, the law calls for a mandatory court appearance for drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h.
Lake Louise to Yoho NP (Whiskey Jack Hostel) 40 minutes (24 miles) – September 6th & 10th
- Twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway continues through a section of highway east and west of Lake Louise to improve safety for people and wildlife. Roadwork is underway from dawn until dusk, 7 days a week. Expect intermittent 5 minute delays and minor detours until further notice. Drivers are reminded that the 70km/h reduced speed zone for wildlife protection is once again in effect along the 9 km stretch of highway adjacent to Lake Louise, part of which lies within the twinning construction zone.
- The major highway in the park is the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH or Hwy #1). This highway is two lanes in Yoho and is used by both commercial and recreational vehicles.
- The section of the Kicking Horse Pass between Field, B.C. and the Alberta-B.C. border is the first truly challenging section of the Trans-Canada Highway for the new mountain driver. It is fairly narrow and somewhat winding, with steep hills and some drop-offs.
- Exit the TransCanada Hwy 4 km east of Field (Yoho's only town) and 23 km west of Lake Louise village, turning north onto Yoho Valley Road.
- Whiskey Jack Hostel, just before the end of 13-km Yoho Valley Road. Only hostel guests can park here - everyone else must use the Takakkaw Falls parking area at the road end.
Both of these locations offer eat-out dining. I was planning on going to one of the brewpubs in Canmore (our last 2 nights, either Bow Valley Brewing Co. or Peak Brewing Co., and to the Lake Louise Bar and Grille
http://www.finditinlakelouise.com/app/obj/?oid=558560
We will have chance to make a grocery store stop in Lake Louise, also later in the Canmore area. Feel free to pack you favorite snack bars and freeze-dried dinner.
Canadian Rockies Accomodations: Advanced Costs (per person)
Half of our accommodations are at a hut and a cabin owned by the Alpine Club of Canada.
Stanley Mitchell Hut (Little Yoho Valley, Yoho National Park)
2 overnights (September 8th & 9th) $64.00
Boswell Cabin (Canmore, Alberta)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/boswell.html
or
Canmore Clubhouse (2 will stay here)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/clubhous.html
2 overnights (September 11th & 12th) $64.00
Backcountry / Wilderness Pass (2 nights September 8th and 9th)
$18.00
$146.00 - Total Advanced Costs
Stanley Mitchell Hut
Amenities:
The cabin is very spacious and
provides sleeping space for 26.
Outhouse
NO electrical power
Propane system for cooking and lighting
It is very well equipped and has a woodstove for heating
plenty of space for hanging gear
What you need to bring:
Sleeping bag, ear plugs, eye covers.
Toilet paper
Hand sanitizer
Day 4 - Saturday, September 8th and Day 5 - Sunday, September 9th
The hike in is about 6 miles from the Takakkaw Falls parking area (3 to 4 hours), but we will probably do our entire day hike on our way there which means more like 10-12 miles..
Check-in: between 2pm and 10pm (lights out at 10). If we arrive early we can leave stuff inside.
Check-out: no later than 11am
Hut is open for daytime use by non-overnight guests who have paid a daily use fee
Clubhouse
The main building sleeps 31 people in seven separate rooms upstairs. There are washrooms down the hall from the accommodation rooms, and washrooms and showers in the basement. The main floor has a very cozy living room with a library of mountain literature and a fireplace. The Clubhouse is licensed, and beer and snacks are available from the reception desk.
- There are storage lockers and coin-operated laundry machines which come in handy for guests on longer stays.
- On the deck, there is new barbeque.
- There is a pay phone and a free local-call phone in the lobby and the office staff will send or receive faxes for you for a small fee.
- A coin-operated e-mail computer is also available.
- There is an excellent selection of local guide books and maps and audio-visual equipment is available.
Cabin
We have 3 of the 4 private rooms, each sleeps 2 persons (2 twin beds)
For the Boswell cabin you must bring either your own sheets, duvet, or sleeping bag. Sheets are provided at the clubhouse.
Canadian Rockies Accomodations: Pay on Arrival Costs (per person)
The following accommodations are hostels. Pay on arrival (I only had to reserve on my credit card, but not required to pre-pay).
Blankets and pillows are always provided, but bringing your own sleep sheet is a safe bet. PLEASE NO SLEEPING BAGS. There’s always privacy for bathrooms and changing areas.
Whiskey Jack Hostel (Yoho National Park) 2 overnights (September 6th & 7th) $54.00
http://www.hihostels.ca/PM/en/bchostels.aspx?sortcode=2.27
This wilderness hostel has showers and flush toilets in each nine-bed dormitory.
- Check in time is between 5pm - 10pm. Check out time - 10am. This hostel is closed during the day.
Backcountry / Wilderness Pass (2 nights September 6th and 7th)
$18.00
Lake Louise Alpine Center 2 overnights (September 5th & 10th)
$83.00
Hostelz.com review of Whiskey Jack Wilderness Hostell
Day 2 - Thursday, September 6th and Day 3 - Friday, September 7th
The hike in is about 1/2 mile from the parking area.
Check-in: between 5 pm and 10 pm
Check-out: no later than 10 a.m.
Hostel is closed during the day
Amenities:
Showers and flush toilets
NO electrical power
Propane gas powers the lamps, refrigerators, water heaters for showers
kitchen/dining rooms and porch are the only common areas
Self-service kitchen - Pots and pans, fueled stove provided
Lockers, Luggage storage, Parking
The hostel supplies linens at no extra cost and requests that you do not bring your own sleeping bags.
Three 9-person dorm room (so we all might be in the same room together)
http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/facility/cac.html
The Canadian Alpine Centre is a modern facility of timber frame construction. It has two distinct buildings joined by a walkway. Hopefully our group will have its own room that sleeps 8 (bunk beds).
The main building contains Bill Peyto's Cafe, internet access (free Wi-Fi); Self catering kitchen with complete cooking and eating utensils, general lounge with fireplace, and the Guides Lounge with the Lizzy Rummel library. There are also complete laundry facilities, a workshop for equipment repairs, and a sauna.
You've paid $146 for 2 nights at Stanley Mitchell Hut, 2 nights at the Canmore Clubhouse / Boswell Cabin, and for 2 overnight wilderness passes for Stanley Mitchell Hut.
Here's what you'll be paying on a day by day basis (credit cards
accepted:
1st day For entire trip annual national park pass (same cost as
7 days - we will be in the national parks on 8 of our 9 days in Canada) $60
- 1st night Lake Louise Alpine Center $41.50
- 2nd & 3rd nights Whiskey Jack Hostel $54.00
- overnight wilderness pass $18.00 (ACC wasn't sure if we needed or not, so we'll buy when we check in)
- 6th night Lake Louise Alpine Center $41.50
- 4th & 5th already paid (Stanley Mitchell Hut)
- 7th & 8th already paid (Canmore Clubhouse / Boswell Cabin)
Meals
Each person is responsible for their own personal snacks and lunches on our day hikes. You should also bring your favorite (energy) drink mix, tea bags, or instant coffee.
B = breakfast
L = lunch
D = dinner
ind – independent
Day 1 Wednesday, September 5th
B – ind (air travel)
L – ind
* We can stop between Calgary airport and Canmore on way to Lake Louise
*
We can buy group food and you can purchase individual food for Days 2-6
D – ind
* Lake Louise Village Grill & Bar http://www.finditinlakelouise.com/app/obj/?oid=558560 It’s located in Samson Mall, so there are some inexpensive, informal dining options.
* There is a kitchen with complete cooking and eating utensils at the Alpine Center as well as Bill Peyto's Cafe
Day 2 Thursday, September 6th
B – ind
L – ind (Six Glaciers teahouse – it’s part of our day hike up the mountain above Lake Louise)
D – group (Whiskey Jack Hostel – “WJ”)
Day 3 Friday, September 7th
B – group (WJ)
L – ind (on the trail)
D – group (WJ)
Day 4 Saturday, September 8th
B – group (WJ)
L – ind (on the trail)
D – group (Stanley Mitchell Hut – “SM”)
Day 5 Sunday, September 9th
B – group (SM)
L – ind (on the trail)
D – group (SM)
Day 6 Monday, September 10th
B – group (SM)
L – ind (on the trail)
D – ind (Lake Louise Alpine Center – “AC”) – see Day 1
Day 7 Tuesday, September 11th
B – ind (AC)
L – ind (on the trail)
* We will stop in Canmore to buy food for remainder of trip)
D – group (Boswell cabin – BC)
Day 8 Wednesday, September 12th
B – group (BC)
L – ind (on the trail)
D – ind
* Local brewpub choices: Bow Valley Brewing Co., Peak Brewing Co., and
The Grizzly Paw Pub & Brewing Company
This local brew pub combines fine beer with good food in a friendly atmosphere. The beer is brewed onsite with some quirky names like Dribbling Moose. The menu changes seasonally but they always have selections for vegetarians, meat lovers and the health conscious. The only outdoor fireplace in Canmore livens up the patio.
Day 9 Thursday, September 13th
B – group (BC) – then leave for airport