West Coast Traveller RV Roadtrip: Navigating the Canadian Rockies’ National Parks

Share this:

No matter how many times I’ve travelled to Alberta I’m always gobsmacked by the mountains. They never fail to take my breath away.

This was the first time I had approached Alberta from Highway 93, travelling from Invermere to Radium Hot Springs and into some of Canada’s most well-known national parks: we drove through Kootenay National Park and Banff National Park, skirting Yoho National Park and keeping just south of Jasper National Park.

These four parks are recognized by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world heritage site for its outstanding natural beauty as well as its diversity of flora and fauna. Travelling through the area, it’s easy to see why it was turned into a series of parks, with Banff the first, as its core area became a designated park in 1885.

We pulled off the road soon after entering Kootenay National Park and found ourselves beside a raging river without warning or advertisement. It was just one of many rivers paralleling the highway.

From there we drove through the unrelenting mountain scenery culminating in the stunning view of Rundle Mountain, skirted by the Vermilion Lakes at its base. It’s a panorama I know very well.

Like many college students of my day, I had spent a full year in Banff and Jasper, before returning to Ontario to finish my undergraduate degree. Arriving in May, I was stunned to find the ski hills still open, and spent a day on the slopes before returning to town to soak in the hot springs under a light, warm rain.

A family looks out over Sunshine Meadows in Banff National Park. Travel Alberta / Leigh McAdam photo (@hikebiketravel)

The rest of the summer I focused on hiking as there are countless hikes in the area, from well-groomed beginner trails to more challenging multi-day adventures.

Even if you aren’t a big hiker, there are lots of things to do in the area, like renting a kayak or canoe or taking a guided trip like rafting or horseback riding. If you visit in the winter, there’s skiing, snowboarding and even dogsledding.

When I was in Banff, the town was known for its excellent Alberta steak dinners and there were a number of restaurants that made Alberta beef their specialty. That town’s culinary highlights now include multi-cultural cuisine with Asian and Indian food. But the traditional steak dinners are still on offer.

On this trip we chose not to stay in Banff, but there is RV camping in town. A quick search showed spots were available, but given how busy Banff can be, I would book as far in advance as possible.

We also chose not to do the well-known route from Banff to Jasper as we were trying to find routes that were a bit off the beaten path. But it is definitely worth doing once, and probably more often, as it passes the iconic hamlet of Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefield – the largest glacier south of the Arctic Circle – and on to Jasper National Park and its commercial centre, the town of Jasper.

The route is just under 300 kilometres long, but you should take all day to make sure you stop at at least some of the many viewpoints along the way.

Elk in Jasper National Park. Travel Alberta photo

When I was last in Jasper, elk walked the street and a grizzly bear and her cubs ran across the road when we were driving in the park. Elk still hang out downtown Jasper, especially in the evenings and wildlife tours advertise possible glimpses of moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolves, as well as elk and bears.

***

Enter to win your own RV adventure! West Coast Traveller and RVezy offer you the chance to win $1,500 in RVezy credits in B.C. or Alberta, a $150 gas card and free premium insurance and roadside support. Click here to enter today!

***

Fiona Anderson and Paul Bucci, from Triumph Social, are travelling across North America this year, first by bicycle from Florida to California and now by truck and travel trailer from B.C. to Northern Ontario and back. Both are veteran writers, editors and social media marketers.

***

Plan your adventures throughout the West Coast at westcoasttraveller.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thewestcoasttraveller. And for the top West Coast Travel stories of the week delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our weekly Armchair Traveller newsletter!