Motorhome travel: the Canadian Rockies

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Geneve Brand

When my husband and I married five years ago, we marked the occasion with a trip of a lifetime to Patagonia. We had such a wonderful time that we knew we wanted to celebrate our wooden anniversary with another big motorhoming trip.

As we love hiking and being in the wilderness, often taking our little VW campervan to the most remote and far-flung corners of the UK, we thought a fly-drive holiday in the Canadian Rockies was just perfect.

Although we’d have taken our campervan if we could, it just wasn’t realistic for a fortnight away. Instead, we booked a motorhome tour through Worldwide Motorhome Holidays.

Hiring a motorhome in Canada

We arrived in Calgary during a heatwave and were rather jetlagged due to the seven-hour time difference, so were glad to spend our first couple of days in a downtown hotel acclimatising to our new environment.

After a wonderfully relaxing weekend in the city, we headed to the Cruise Canada depot to collect our motorhome, a Ford E-350 Super-Duty with a 5.4-litre V8 petrol engine. We were amused to be handed a set of keys and pointed in the direction of Banff after little more instruction than watching a short induction video on how to fill the water tank and connect grey waste pipes. However, finding our way to Banff proved easier than finding our way out of the supermarket, which was so large that it probably had its own postcode!

Exploring the National Parks

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are comprised of the four National Parks: Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho. We decided to start with Banff and see where the mood took us thereafter.

Being June, we were out of the main summer holiday season, so there was no need to book campgrounds in advance. Being able to explore at leisure and without having to plan far in advance was one of the things we were most looking forward to as we set off along the Trans-Canada Highway.

We spent our first couple of nights at Tunnel Mountain, a large campground that sits high above Banff and has the most spectacular views down into the valleys and up into the mountains. The English language may have more adjectives than most languages, but it wasn’t until this moment that I truly understood what it is to be lost for words.

On our first evening, we strolled along the Hoodoo Trail. The hoodoos are spire-like rock formations sitting above the river that have been created through the natural process of erosion by water and wind. We enjoyed the most amazing sunset and saw the cutest baby chipmunk and a herd of mule deer on our return through the woods.

Banff is reminiscent of Keswick in the Lake District as it’s the gateway to the mountains with everyone stopping here on their way through.

We’d read on the Parks Canada website that carrying bear spray was recommended, so we sought out the tourist information office for spray and walking maps. One thing we were struck by in Canada was just how friendly and helpful everyone is. We left with more knowledge of how to operate a can of bear spray than to drive an RV! Most importantly, the bear spray is applied to the bear, not to yourself, explained a very enthusiastic member of staff. Fortunately, we never had to use it, but we did meet a couple of locals who’d had to defend themselves from an angry mother elk while out on a morning run.

Spotting Bears in Canada

From Banff we pressed on to the village of Lake Louise. We’d picked up a leaflet for the gondola that said there was a good chance of seeing bears. We weren’t disappointed and soon spotted a mother grizzly with two cubs cooling off in a patch of snow. We were so delighted that we didn’t get off at the top of the mountain, insisting on going round again to see the bears, much to the amusement of the gondola staff.

June is, apparently, a good time of year to see bears because there’s still a lot of snow around and not much food, so they come down into the valleys. Later in summer, when the berries are out, they prefer to stay up high and out of the way. We also saw a couple of black bears.

Canada’s ‘Bare’ Campsite Program goes a long way to ensuring humans and bears can coexist in harmony. Not a scrap of food or even toothpaste should be left outside so as not to attract bears (there can be hefty fines). The food lockers and bins on campgrounds look as though they would withstand a nuclear war!

Bears cover a lot of ground each day in search of food so, if you see a bear crossing the road, the advice is to slow down but not to stop in order to allow the bear to continue on its way undisturbed. Unfortunately, tourists seem unable to resist the temptation of pulling over to take photos, which leads to ‘bear jams’. We witnessed a father taking his two small children from the car and then walking straight up to a bear whilst brandishing a selfie stick.

Visiting Lake Louise

Lake Louise was named after the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria who married the Governor General of Canada. Indeed, the main reason to visit is to see the turquoise lake. The colour comes from the silt-like rock flour that’s carried down in the water from surrounding glaciers. And it is simply stunning – especially early in the morning before the sun hits it.

We walked all around the lake and into the mountains beyond and had planned on continuing to the summit, where there’s a Swiss-style teahouse. However, a recent avalanche meant that neither we, nor the teahouse staff, could get there.

The following day, we drove over to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway, which ranks as one of the best drives in the world – and for good reason. It’s essentially a 232km (144-mile) stretch of highway that winds its way along the Continental Divide through soaring mountain peaks and sweeping valleys – it is breathtaking.

At the heart of the Icefields Parkway is the Colombia icefield, one of the largest non-polar icefields in the world. The Athabasca Glacier can be seen from the road and there’s a Discovery Centre here from where you can go out onto the glacier in an all-terrain ice explorer, although we chose to admire it from the footpath that follows the toe – albeit slowly, as the altitude leaves you a tad breathless.

Jasper National Park was established in 1930. Unfortunately, we didn’t see it at its best because the weather had changed, with thick cloud and rain setting in.

From the Whistlers Campground, there was a good footpath following the banks of the Athabasca River, which we followed into Jasper via a hiking trail up a hill called Old Fort Point. Although we’d intended to get to the viewpoint at the top, the ground was too wet to continue, so we opted to explore the woods and valley. Much to my delight, we spotted a young woodpecker looking for a suitable tree in which to set up home and who seemed quite happy for me to follow it around with my camera.

Thwarted by the weather, we gave up on heading north to Mount Robson – the highest point in the Canadian Rockies – and retraced our steps over the Icefields Parkway. The sun returned as we headed south, giving us the chance to see some of the many waterfalls.

The powerful Athabasca Falls were my favourite, with lots of different sections to explore; the scenery resembled a movie set as we followed the river. Spotting moose prints at the water’s edge was very exciting. Another highlight was seeing a herd of bighorn sheep that had come down from the mountains to lick salt from the road.

Bow Lake was still mainly frozen during our visit, with small icebergs floating around. Although we attempted to explore the footpath around the lake, one end was being guarded by a grizzly bear, while the other had been cut off by ice melt. We chose the safer option of hot chocolate in the café!

That night was spent at a self-service campground which, despite its name of Mosquito Creek, didn’t yield any mosquitos and we enjoyed the most romantic sunset whilst camped by the Bow River.

Next morning, Peyto Lake – another ‘must-see’ – was busy with tourist-laden coaches. It’s similar to Lake Louise insofar as it is emerald blue-green in colour, but Peyto Lake is admired from above rather than the water’s edge.

From the viewpoint, we followed the Bow Summit Trail (a 6km/3¾-mile loop) to the top of the mountain from where the view was truly staggering and was shared only with mountain bluebirds and cute little pikas. We’d read that the Bow Summit Trail is a popular hike but, probably because the path was still under several feet of snow in places, it was just us and the wolves. Although we didn’t meet any wolves, we saw lots of wolf prints and evidence of prey animals having met their maker.

With just a handful of days remaining, we crossed from Alberta into British Colombia to explore the Yoho National Park, which was noticeably quieter than the Banff and Jasper parks – and with a more temperate climate. We drove to Emerald Lake (no prizes for guessing the colour of this beauty) where we hiked up to Emerald Peak.

Our route through ancient woodlands was reminiscent of Lord of the Rings and a tropical rainforest at the same time. Eventually, we popped out in another glacier-carved valley where the glacier was still poking out at the end. Unfortunately, a recent avalanche had cut off the footpath but, with summer storm clouds now brewing, we figured it was time to head back anyway before we got drenched.

Our explorations took us past yet more snow-capped mountains, wildflower-filled valleys, emerald lakes, waterfalls and gushing rivers, with Natural Bridge over the Kicking Horse River being a particular highlight. This large rock formation spanning the river used to be a waterfall and has been sculpted by the force of the river to form some interesting shapes. There’s a safe bridge next to it from where you get a great view. We couldn’t resist walking out on to Natural Bridge to admire the whirlpools where the rushing water thunders through the gaps. As no day trip would be complete without a hike, we followed a footpath along the banks of the Kicking Horse River as far as a pretty wooden bridge where we admired dragonflies at the water’s edge. 

Our last night in the wilderness was spent sitting by a campfire watching the sun set, while sipping Canadian craft beer and nibbling maple biscuits, making memories to savour.

OUR MOTORHOME

Five-berth Ford E350 Super-Duty, with 5.4-litre V8 petrol engine from Cruise Canada and included as part of the fly-drive holiday package we booked with Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays.

THE JOURNEY

In June, we flew to Calgary and spent two nights in a hotel, then 11 nights in an RV. We drove from Calgary to Jasper and back, staying at campgrounds in the Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Parks. In total we drove 600 miles.

THE COSTS

Fuel average 12mpg: £177.22 ($290)
Fly-drive package for two adults, return flights Gatwick-Calgary, airport transfers, two nights in Calgary hotel and 11 nights motorhome hire: £3,000
Site fees: £198.60 ($325)
Fort Calgary museum and Lake Louise gondola for two adults: £64.78 ($106)
Total: £3,440.60          

TOP TIPS FOR MOTORHOMERS

Use the Parks Canada website to plan your visit, find and book campsites, buy park passes, download maps, learn about history and culture and find local events. We enjoyed good food and an excellent range of local craft beers at Craft Beer Market, 345 10 Ave SW, Calgary.

WE STAYED AT...

Tunnel Mountain Trailer Campground
Tunnel Mountain Road, Banff, Alberta T1L 1K2
Tel: 001 8777 373783
Website: www.pc.gc.ca
Open: 11 May – 2 October
Costs: Two adults, pitch and electric: From $38.20 (£23.34)

Lake Louise Trailer Campground
Lake Louise, Alberta T0L 1E0
Tel: 001 8777 373783
Website: www.pc.gc.ca
Open All year
Costs: Two adults, pitch and electric: From $32.30 (£19.74)

Whistlers Campground
607 Connaught Drive, Jasper National Park, Alberta T0E 1E0
Tel: 001 8777 373783
Website: www.pc.gc.ca
Open: 3 May – 9 October
Costs: Two adults, pitch and electric: From $32.30 (£19.74)

Mosquito Creek Campground
Icefields Parkway, Improvement District No 9, Alberta T1L 1B3
Tel: 001 8777 373783
Website: www.pc.gc.ca
Open: 1 June – 10 October
Costs: Two adults, pitch and electric: From $17.60 (£10.76)

Kicking Horse Campground
Yoho Valley Road, Field, British Colombia V0A 1G0
Tel: 001 8777 373783
Website: www.pc.gc.ca
Open: 18 May – 9 October
Costs: Two adults, pitch and electric: From $27.40 (£16.74).

You can also read this feature, among many others, in the April 2018 edition of MMM Magazine — available to buy via Pocketmags.