Planning a trip to Canadian Rockies
The Banff and Jasper parks regions are among the most rugged and wild in the world. The natural splendor is almost beyond belief: Jagged peaks soar above burbling mountain streams that link icy, emerald alpine lakes; summertime brings colorful wildflowers dotting expansive alpine meadows, walled in by mountains all around; preternatural glaciers are cradled in massive mountain bowls; and all this is populated by wildlife particular to its alpine ruggedness -- cougars, grizzlies, and the like. Between them, Banff and Jasper, along with Waterton to the south, and Yoho and Kootenay National Parks to the west, preserve the entire spine of the Rockies from the U.S. border stretching north for 1,127km (700 miles).
It's best to visit the parks in the off-season if you can -- September and October, or May and June for hiking; December or April for skiing. If not, be sure to plan well ahead, or you may find it difficult to secure the accommodation you want. The parks can handle only so many people, and they're usually full all summer long.
Visitor Information
Yoho National Park Visitor Centre is located just off the Trans-Canada Highway, 83km (51 miles) northwest of Banff (P.O. Box 99, Field, BC V0A 1G0; tel. 250/343-6783; www.pc.gc.ca), and is open daily 9am to 4pm.
Kootenay National Park Visitor Centre, 7556 Main St. E., Radium Hot Springs, BC V0A 1M0 (tel. 250/347-9505; www.pc.gc.ca), is 134km (83 miles) southwest of Banff, but you drive through the park to get to the Visitor Centre, which is open daily 9am to 5pm.
Mount Robson Provincial Park (tel. 250/566-4325) is just across the Alberta and British Columbia border from Jasper and is open May through September daily 7am to 11pm.
Fees -- Admission to Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay parks costs C$9.80 adult, C$8.30 seniors, C$4.90 youths 6-16, or C$19.60 families per day.
Health & Safety
While it's thrilling to see wildlife here, the parklands are no zoos! Here, animals roam free, and the natural rhythms of the wilderness are maintained. There are 53 species of wild mammals here, 13 of which are on Parks Canada's "Species at Risk" list. Some animals meander along and across highways and hiking trails, within easy camera range. However tempting, never feed the animals and don't touch them. You can be fined up to C$500 for feeding any wildlife, for one thing. For another, it's extremely dangerous.
As docile as some of these animals may seem, remember: These are wild creatures for whom the first rule is survival. If they feel threatened, they will either run or attack. And while they can seriously hurt you, you might be doing the same to them. Bighorn sheep, for one, get accustomed to summer handouts of bread, candy, potato chips, and marshmallows when they should be grazing on the high-protein vegetation that'll help them survive through the winter. Moose have taken a kindly offered snack as an invitation to join a picnic, and once a moose has decided that's what he or she wants, you won't be able to say no: They sometimes weigh well over a ton.
Then there are bears. Both black and grizzly bears call the parks home; grizzlies, at up to 2m (6 1/2 ft.) on their hind legs, are the more threatening of the two, but don't underestimate the grizzly's smaller cousin, the black bear, which is relatively small at 1.5m (5 ft.) long. Both can be very dangerous when startled or threatened; your best bet is to make plenty of noise on the trails as you walk (singing and clapping your hands work well) to let them know you're coming.
The grizzly spends most of the summer in high alpine ranges, well away from tourist haunts. As one of North America's largest carnivores, its appearance and reputation are awesome enough to make you beat a retreat on sight. But the cuddly looks and circus antics of the black bear tend to obscure the fact that these, too, are wild animals: powerful, faster than a horse, and completely unpredictable.
Hiking in bear country (and virtually all parkland is bear country) necessitates certain precautions; ignore them at your peril. Never hike alone and never take a dog along. Dogs often yap at bears, then when the animal charges, they run toward their owners for protection, bringing the pursuer with them. Above all, never go near a cub. The mother is usually close by, and a female defending her young is the most ferocious creature you'll ever face -- and possibly the last. In the Canadian Rockies, there are more "bear jams" than "traffic jams" as tourists pile up in their vehicles to snap photos of grizzlies or black bears, creating chaos on the roads. Whistling, yelling, running about . . . tourists behave strangely in the presence of a magnificent mammal, causing problems that can turn fatal for the bear and for other drivers. If you see a bear and want a closer look, slow down safely but do not stop. Give the bear space. No matter the circumstances, stay in your vehicle and do not approach the bear. Once alerted to the sighting of a bear, Parks Canada staff and often the police will appear at the scene and urge travelers to keep moving. Remember to call in a bear sighting to tel. 403/762-1470.
Getting There
The parks are traversed by one of the finest highway systems in Canada, plus innumerable nature trails leading to more remote valleys and peaks. The two "capitals," Banff and Jasper, lie 287km (178 miles) apart, connected by Highway 93, one of the most scenic routes you'll ever drive. Banff is 128km (80 miles) from Calgary via Highway 1; Jasper, 375km (233 miles) from Edmonton on Route 16, the famous Yellowhead Highway.
