"You should go to Canada".
If you're new here welcome! If you are not new here, you probably have caught on with the wanderlust ventures I have been on as of lately. & a little catch up on life hotel TRD took a major upgrade to 4Runner status last month. With the upgrade, it only seemed fitting to get back to my roots in car camping. However, if you are a long term follower you know that most times my routes are NOT planned. Hence Canada, I mean if we're going to take the 4Runner out fully set up why not go INTERNATIONAL?! In all fairness though, I was a bit peer pressured by my friend Grace (Who also lives in her 4Runner full time and I highly recommend watching!) Those are the friends you need LOL, the ones who say you should go to Canada.
For 3 days I spent the most magical time in Banff, a bucket list park for YEARS. I've seen the beauty of the park on Instagram, but in real life OOF. Real life during Fall...DOUBLE OOF. & with many people wanting to go I figured why not share my trip and the logistics. Let me first start by saying TOTAL LEARNING CURVE. From the crossing the border, to things being in KM, and gas being prepaid in liters it took an adjustment and easily had some laughter. Also keep in mind you will need a daily park pass which is $10.50 x day. & YES your credit cards do work there.
Where did I stay?
Hotel TRD as I like to call Jax is typically my means of sleeping arrangements when traveling. I love solo travel, and I love the coziness of car camping. Often at times I do dispersed camping (ioverlander and freecampsites.net are two favs) but being that this was international I decided it would be best to book a campsite. I went onto Parks of Canada and booked 3 nights at Tunnel Mountain Village 2. This campsite is listed as open all year round, and is located super close to downtown Banff. It has showers, bathrooms, fire pits (on certain sites) and is easily accessible for cars/trucks/campers or even just a good old tent. Each night was roughly $42 after taxes and very quant! The drive from UT to Canada is 14 hours one way, and I stopped for the night to sleep at a rest area an hour away from the border in Montana. For the record when I disperse camp I use rest areas, Loves, or BLM land. This rest area was quiet, safe, and clean! PS Montana does it right with their rest areas LOL. I will say that while I don't feel nervous or anything being alone at a rest area USE YOUR INSTINCTS. I've posted before on my approach but at the end of the day if it seems sketch LEAVE.
What did I pack?
Canada isn't in true Winter or anything yet so when checking the weather snow wasn't a concern but the avg. temperatures were 34 ish at night to sunny days in the 60s.
Clothing wise: I did leggings, long sleeves, smartwool socks, a beanie and my Patagonia jacket.
Hiking Gear: Osprey backpack, hiking boots, hiking poles, SNACKS, Water, Bear spray, & portable solar charging panel for my phone just in case.
Sleeping wise: My Nemo 20 degree sleeping bag, and then stuffed my Rumpl blanket inside to add a layer of insulation. I had no issue at night and slept in leggings/long sleeves without any issue.
Food storage: At the moment I pack cold things in my Yeti Roadie, but do plan on upgrading to a Dometic fridge for longer term travels the more full time I go.
Food: I ALWAYS bring dry goods with me for easily being able to snack or make things. Oats, Verb bars, applesauce packets, bananas, Kodiak cake mix, peanut butter packets. Cold goods: egg whites, almond milk, fresh veggies, deli meat.
Where did I hike?!
This is where the fun part comes as there is SO MUCH to see in Banff. While I don't think there is one single "bad" spot, I easily will go back to make my ways into Jasper and other areas that I did not see. Keep in mind that as Winter comes this could change, and I was bummed that I missed Lake Moraine by 3 days due to the road closure for the season. & IF I could have done Lake Agnes teahouse/Big Beehive that would have been amazing as well. (Once again seasonal closure for certain parts).
Here are spots I HIGHLY SUGGEST that I did.
Downtown Banff: From the campground you can easily walk 20 minutes and it is ADORABLE. So many fun shops, restaurants, and a little river trail. Most the parking is needing to be paid for OR there is a shuttle that is about $2 x time. Truthfully I would say just WALK.
Sulphur Mountain: RIDE THE GONDOLA if you don't want to do the hardest hike of your life. If you are adventurous like myself the hike up is TOTALLY worth it plus you can book a one way ticket back down on the gondola. (Total is $70 ish for up and down ticket). If you go here walk the boardwalk up another half ish mile to the lookout box. THE VIEWS ARE UNREAL. The hike is hard, and going up took me 2-2.5 hours. It is STRAIGHT elevation gain the whole time.
Near the exits to Tunnel mountain: Two Jack Lake, and Lake Minnewanka are beautiful but Sunset/sunrise OOF.
Norquay Lookout: SUNSET overlooks the city, and WOW. Easily able to pull up to it and just admire the views. NO hiking needed!
Lake Louise: MUST SEE. There are other trails that connect once here, and once again being a BIG attraction I would say get there early to even have a spot to park. Also once again this is a paid parking area. The water is the bluest I have seen, and you can even do stand up paddle boarding!
Peyto Lake: I found this gem thanks to an amazing photographer I ran into on another hike. & if you go a little off the path you can get to the best open view! This lake is also on the way to Jasper, which IF you can go GO. I will head back to make my rounds there soon!
Other things to keep in mind:
Weather can change easily.
Wildlife is a THING. I saw elk, deer, and plenty of chipmunks. Keep in mind that bears are active out there, and moose are as well!
Groceries are a CRAP ton higher.
It is a bit costly- I think I spent about $500 in gas easily with the total drive, $180 ish for park passes/campground fees, $40 for the gondola attraction.
This trip all in all was an absolute dream, and for not planning I would say easily one of the best places I have traveled to thus far. What is also nice is that 20 minutes outside the park is a town to get groceries and other things as needed. (Safeway, Starbucks, Anytime Fitness, etc.) Even with a few learning curves I didn't feel as though it was too complicated for solo travel, and I hope that this makes your trip a little easier to navigate! One thing to note (at least at the time I am writing this) is that Jasper does have camping open, but it is first come first serve. If you do opt to do that part of the park, I would look at going at a time you can truly reserve a spot if that concerns you. If you are not someone who likes to camp, there are plenty of resort/hotel stays around the area too making housing arrangements easy!
Until next time, wander where I'll end up next.
-Taryn
IG: Taryn_annette
Email: taryn.shaffer@yahoo.com
Sticker purchases of national parks venmo: taryn-shaffer
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