We recently traveled to the Canmore/Banff area of Alberta in western Canada. If you have never been then you should consider going. It is one of the most scenic parts of North America. Beautiful mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and streams on all sides and wildlife everywhere. We stayed in Canmore, which is just outside Banff National Park and a ten-kilometer drive to Banff.
When you drive the Trans-Canada Highway from Canmore to Banff you will need to stop at the park entrance and purchase a park pass if you intend to stop within Banff National Park or any of Canada’s National Parks). If you stop and don’t have a pass, then you can expect someone approaching you in a national park parking lot making you purchase a pass. They don’t play and have parking monitors at every parking lot looking to sell park passes for those noncompliant. If you do purchase a park pass, then it is good at any Canadian National Park for the time frame purchased. We went ahead and purchased a yearly pass, as we will be back in western Canada within the next year. It was $145 dollars Canadian for the yearly family Discovery pass. It is $10 dollars Canadian for a day pass per person or $9 for anyone over 65 years of age. (Note – Traveling outside of Canmore up Hwy 742 is an Alberta Provincial Park which will require a different pass if you stop.)
There are a lot of hiking and biking trails throughout this back country area. (You will be pleasantly surprised at how much wildlife you may see within town or at the edge of town. The first morning we arrived a herd of Elk were at the edge of our parking lot. The second day we were there we decided to take Highway 742 out of Canmore and travel up to the Kanaski Lakes area just west of Canmore to seek and view wildlife. We had heard that many Black and Grizzly Bears had been seen just off this highway over the past several weeks. (Note: If you plan on hiking or biking, then purchasing bear repellant spray is a good investment.)
We were about half a mile out of Canmore when we encountered a herd of Big Horn sheep with a massive Ram. We also saw more Big Horns farther back in the valley later in our trip. We even saw a moose. Did not see any bears but we could see they were around as they left bear scat (poop) at many places. It never hurts to stop at the Information Centers, within the parks, to find out about the latest wildlife sightings and recommendations on where to look. Make sure to get one of their maps of the park to scout out where to go and where an aid station or pay phone may be. Knowing where an aid station or pay phone is essential as you will not have cell phone service.
It is important to know that Hwy 742 is not paved and is exposed rock from start to finish. Make sure your vehicle is in good working order and your tires are in great condition. We were driving a 2023 Dodge Ram full size pickup with only 200 kilometers on the odometer and the second day in the back country we had a flat tire and could not get the spare tire down from underneath the truck. Luckily, some local friendly campers (a wonderful couple) gave us a ride to the nearest Discovery Center so we could use a pay phone.
We called a local tow service, which was 30 kilometers away in Canmore, and they sent someone out to help. Fortunately for us we have AAA which was a big help. AAA is good in Canada with their version called CMA and is a sister organization. Help arrived and picked us up from the discovery center. Once we got back to the truck, the tow truck driver was able to get the spare down and change the tire. We were so thankful he was able to fix the tire, because it saved us a ton of money as a tow back to town from our break down location would have been $850 dollars Canadian. We followed the driver to the nearest pay phone and called AAA/CMA about our tire change, and it did not cost us a penny. I gave the driver a tip and thanked him for all his help. We were able to get back on the road and finish our excursion.
The tow truck driver and local campers were our heroes that day!! Thank you so much for helping us. We loved our visit to Canada!
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