Author: Joanna and Piotr

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Days 14-17: Yoho National Park – Icefields Pkwy – Banff National Park

June 27-30

Our road trip interactive map

We ended spending only one day in Yoho National Park. Somewhat disappointing as we were hoping for a few days of backpacking. We were really discouraged by the rangers claiming bad weather and trail conditions, some trails were closed due to snow still on the ground at higher elevations. The weather that day was really not too good, foggy and rainy. So we drove to Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake just to walk around. Both places are worth visiting and mountains in low clouds looked at times interesting too. We settled at Waterfowl Lakes CG in Banff NP (recommended) for 4 night as our base for day-hikes. The campground has flush toilets and hot water washroom, very nice and convenient cooking shelters.

The following day we stopped briefly at Peyto Lake Viewpoint just off Icefields Pkwy and then continued to Bow Lake for 10 km (230m elevation gain) hike to Bow Glacier Falls. The trail goes around Bow Lake and then up along Bow River to the base of the falls at 2100 masl. Plenty of space and rocks to explore to look at the falls from different angles. Joanna honed her rock hiking skills. Patches of snow on rocks, but nothing on the trail. Great mountain scenery. Pleasant day, with good weather (rain passed at night) and few people further away from the trailhead.

Mistaya River connects Upper nad Lower Waterfowl Lakes with the campground located on the river bank in between them. Chephren & Cirque Lake trailhead is just across the bridge over the river. No need to drive anywhere. We spent all day walking (total 13 km, 330 m elevation gain). Good and easy trails, relaxing walking mostly through forest and some wetlands, with panoramic mountain views at both lakes. We heard from another hiker first report of bear (grizzly?) sighting on a trail (to Chephren Lake), couple of hours before we came (we only saw bear scat).

Finally, on the last day we walked only 3 km along the river to both Waterfowl Lakes. Rested at camp.

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Days 11-13: Banff National Park

June 24-26

Our road trip interactive map

Approaching Banff we were prepared for crowds as the National Park is very popular. Not a big surprise, scenery all around is fantastic. It was crowded, but not overwhelmingly in most places. Fewer people further away from main atractions along roads. Normally we find campsites at the end of the day, but here we secured sites a day or two in advance or in the mornings when campers leave, and sometimes switched to different sites that we liked more.

On day 11, with car packed, we drove a short distance from Two Jack CG along Two Jack Lake to Lake Minnewanka. As we were walking along the lake (crowded), we decided to hike along Cascade River into Stewart Canyon (fewer people up there) – just easy 6.5 km. We did not spend much time in Banff itself, other than talking to rangers at the Visitor Center about day-hikes and possible backcountry backpacking. Higher elevation trails that we were interested in were still closed because of snow. Of course we stopped at the famous Banff Springs Hotel at the end of the day. For the night, we moved to Tunnel Mtn Village I CG located outside Banff with Tunnel Mountain Rd and Banff Ave wrapping around it – you get great views already from the roads (photos below).

Johnston Canyon is worth visiting, but it was packed with visitors (not even weekend). Walking in line and waiting 20 mins to get to viewing platform at Upper Falls. Beyond this point, along Johnston Creek and around Ink Pots, the crowd thinned quickly making for a nice walk. Springs bubling quietly in the pots are fun to watch. Rocky mountains all around. Good, easy walking (12 km, almost 500 m up and down).

Our Lake Louise campground was called “hard-sided” (cars and campers, but no tents) in case bears come knocking on your door. Trail along Bow River neaby was closed to protect their habitat. Bear warnings are everywhere and park rules for camping are quite strict (same for all parks from now on) – pretty much nothing can be left outside when nobody is around to watch/protect. For us it meant extra packing.

Time for Lake Louise, another popular destination. We took community bus from the village, inexpensive and convenient (good advice from Visitor Center). Parks Canada shuttles were all booked (to Moraine Lake also ). Lake shore near the parking lots and Fairmont Hotel, another famous building, was quite crowded. But we quickly started walking on trails to Mirror and Agnes Lakes and Little Beehive. Still many hikers, but not too bad. Each lake is different and views from the trail higher up are realy nice. With little time to spare (to catch last bus back to the village), we made it a 12-km loop, 550 m up and down. Now we felt like we were hiking in the mountains.

For the second night we moved to soft-sided part of Lake Louise campground complex protected by electric fence. Plus showers. Campgrounds in Banff NP are very good.

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Days 7-10: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and dinosaurs in Alberta badlands

June 20-23

Our road trip interactive map

Day 7 and 8 were all about driving 1300 km across Manitoba, Saskatchewan and into Alberta. Endless flat highway, small green hills, fields and pastures. We stopped briefly in Winnipeg to retorque car wheels and then at Portage Spillway PP MB for driver’s nap and watching pelicans and gophers. Very good Echo Valley PP Campground SK was almost empty. After walking around the park in the morning we were back on Trans-Canada Hwy. Stopped for lunch break in Moose Jaw, passed by sodium sulphate mine in Chaplin SK, another driver’s nap in Swift Current SK. With weather deteriorating we decided to park for the night at Tel Star Motor Inn in Brooks AB.

Day 9 and 10 were all about dinosaurs in Alberta badlands. We liked it so much that we decided to stay an extra day in the area to have enough time for both ☞ Dinosaur Provincial Park AB and then Willow Creek Hoodoos, ☞ Midland Provincial Park and ☞ Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller AB. Hours of walking the badlands and studying fossils at museums. Interesting and worthwhile even on very hot days (walking) and in sometimes crowded spaces (museums). We found refuge camping in very quiet and “local” Little Fish Lake Provincial Park.

But end of the day brings dramatic change of scenery. We are in Canadian Rockies camping the first night at Two Jack Campground in Banff National Park.

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Days 1 -6: from Chicago to Manitoba

June 14-19

Our road trip interactive map

The plan was to cover the first 1000 miles in four days. With anticipated slow start out of Chicago and a day or so to check out Voyageurs NP. Driving was slow as Piotr needed frequent rest stops (after intense and tiring events just before the trip). One rest stop was at three-way continental divide (Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay) near Anchor Lake MN. First two campgrounds, Harstad on Eau Claire River WI and Woodenfrog on Kabetogama Lake MN, were nice and relaxing. We managed only short evening walks in both places.

The following day we stopped at Kabetogama Lake Visitor Center (Voyageurs NP) just to look at the lake and later at Ash River Visitor Center. Here we spent more time walking on Blind Ash Bay and Sullivan Bay Trails, both short. Stopped at Kabetogama Lake and Beaver Pond Overlooks. At this point we realized how hard it is to see anything of the Voyageurs”waterpark” from shore. Quick decision to stay extra night in hotel (RiverFront) in International Falls MN and take morning National Park boat trip on Rainy Lake, with short stop/walk on Little American Island for a history lesson about gold mining. The 3-hour trip was about observing the lake, its islands and shore. With good interpretative talk by our guides. Water everywhere around.

We crossed Canadian border (International Falls MN/Fort Frances ON) in the afternoon. As we were driving on scenic Trans-Canada Hwy (Hwy 71), we could hear screeching noise coming from the breaks getting louder and more frequent. By the time we arrived at Rushing River Provincial Park ON campground it was clear we needed car mechanic. Now it was all about fixing our car. Next morning we drove slowly to Canadian Tire in Kenora ON and spent most of two days in town waiting. Walked from Travelodge motel to stores and spent some time relaxing in Anicinabe Park. Luckily they were able to bring all the parts next day and get the car ready just before closing. Really great service.

We packed resupplies and started driving west on Trans Canada Hwy (Hwy 1), but made it only short distance past Ontario-Manitoba border. After driving for a while on side/dirt roads we found a decent site on sandy flats, first wild camp of the trip, only to be swarmed by mosquitoes (in retrospect, the worst case of the entire trip including Alaska). We ate something in the car and spent some time hunting insects until all inside were incapacitated.

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Central & Western Canada, and Alaska 2024: 103-day road trip.

We planned the road trip for quite sometime, but it was only this year that we were able to pull it off. The initial plan was very ambitious (we skipped some destinations shown in red on the overview map below) as there are so many places one would want to see across six provinces/teritories (ON, MB, SK, AB, BC, YT) and eight states (IL, WI, MN, WA, ID, MT, ND, AK). We were in Alaska 40 of the 103 days. We crossed US-Canada border 8 times. The interactive map shows places where we stayed O/N, more often in areas explored in-depth.

Our road trip interactive map

Overview map

The plan was to drive between major destinations and camp in our car or tent most of the time (campgrounds and wild camping), stay in motels/hotels/cabins from time to time. Altogether we stayed in 76 different destinations. We drove 13000 miles with only several longer driving days (longest was 660 miles on return to Chicago from Fargo). Luckily, we were able to fix unexpected car mechanical problems on the go, but wasted energy and precious time (~4 days).

It was wide range of scenery and activities. Mountains, glaciers, lakes, rivers, fjords, temperate rain forest and old tree stands, sand dunes, badlands, Pacific coast. Dinosaurs. Wildlife watching (salmon, bears, orcas, whales…). Driving through areas destroyed by wildfires, some recently. Historical towns and sites from gold rush era. Changing views along highways. Changing weather. In retrospect, our schedule was very interesting travel-wise, but also very intense with little time to rest.

We managed only one short backcountry hike/camping from Kennecott to Root Glacier, disappointing as we were prepared for more. But we did many day-walks/hikes. Memorable several hours on Root Glacier, long day on Harding Icefield Trail and long, but relaxing hike to Kinney Lake and beyond. Two off-trail “wild” hikes: one on slopes of Cathedral Mountain in Denali NP and one exploring petrified forest in badlands of Theodore Roosevelt NP. Kayaking half of Eklutna Lake. Walking along rivers to watch salmon. Exploring gold rush history. Add sightseeing fly-over from McCarthy to Mt Blackburn in Wrangell-St Elias NP, and two ship cruises: from Seward to Northwestern Glacier and from Valdez to Columbia Glacier. Just to name some highlights.

Even with last minute daily planning, we did not have any problems, other than a couple of times, finding places to overnight. There were many campgrounds with good locations and layouts. Most had no running water, flush toilets or showers. We were sometimes surprised by dilapidated infrastructure and poor maintenance. Some automated fee collection stations were technologically top notch. We found very good old-fashioned campgrounds too. We stayed at established campgrounds most of the time (61 nights/42 destinations). Wild car-camping was fine (11 nights/11 destinations). Weather (rain), tight schedule, restocking and laundry, car repairs and long driving was a factor: renting a place to stay overnight was then the only viable/comfortable option (30 nights/23 destinations). Found many excellent and some interesting ones, not always expensive.

We experienced two travel health problems, but both resolved quickly.

Main expenses: gasoline $1980 ($2.80 to $6 per gallon), three ferries $200, rental overnight accommodations $3600 (average $120 per night), paid campgrounds $1060 (average $19 per night), tickets (airplane/ship excursions, mountain gondolas, museums etc.) $2120. Plus we camped 17 nights for free. Total $8970 = $88 per day. Spending on food and drinks was no more than at home. Car repairs and maintenance totaled $2180, but were not directly related to this trip other than by added mileage.

The interactive map (above) and itinerary table (below) are work-in-progress – coming soon destination-specific reports/posts will add more details and photos.

Completed itinerary
Day       Destinations   Overnight
1 Jun 14 Fri Harstad Park, Eau Claire River IL-WI Harstad CG
2   15 Sat Voyageurs NP MN Woodenfrog CG
3   16 Sun Voyageurs NP MN RiverFront Hotel, International Falls
4   17 Mon Voyageurs NP, Rainy Lake, Rushing River PP ON Rushing River CG
5   18 Tue Kenora, Anicinabe Park ON Kenora Traveloge
6   19 Wed Trans Canada Hwy, Portage Spillway PP MB Trans Canada Hwy wild camping
7   20 Thu Echo Valley PP SK Echo Valley CG
8   21 Fri Echo Valley PP, Trans Canada Hwy SK-AB Tel Star Motor Inn, Brooks
9   22 Sat Dinosaur PP hiking, Little Fish PP AB Little Fish CG
10   23 Sun Midland PP hiking, Royal Tyrrell Museum AB Two Jack Main CG
11   24 Mon Banff NP: Minnewanka Lake, Cascade River, Banff AB Banff Tunnel Mtn Village I CG
12   25 Tue Banff NP: Johnston Canyon, Ink Pots AB Lake Louise (hardsided) CG
13   26 Wed Banff NP: Lake Louise, Lake Agnes & Little Beehive AB Lake Louise (softsided) CG
14   27 Thu Yoho NP: Takakkaw Falls, Emarald Lake, Banff NP: Icefields Pkwy BC-AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
15   28 Fri Icefields Pkwy, Banff NP: Peyto & Bow Lake, Bow Glacier Falls AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
16   29 Sat Banff NP: Chephren & Cirque Lakes AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
17   30 Sun Banff NP: Waterfowl Lakes, Mistaya River AB Waterfowl Lakes CG
18 Jul 1 Mon Icefields Pkwy, Banff NP: Mistaya Canyon, Parker Ridge, Saskatchewan Glacier AB Wilcox CG
19   2 Tue Icefields Pkwy, Jasper NP: Wilcox Pass trail, Athabasca Glacier AB Wilcox CG
20   3 Wed Icefields Pkwy, Jasper NP: Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca River & Falls AB Jasper Becker’s Chalets
21   4 Thu Jasper NP: Medicine, Maligne & Moose Lakes AB Jasper Becker’s Chalets
22   5 Fri Jasper NP: Maligne Canyon trail, Mt Robson PP: Overlander Falls AB-BC Robson Meadows CG
23   6 Sat Mt Robson PP: Kinney Lake, Valley of Thousand Falls BC Robson Meadows CG
24   7 Sun Yellowhead Hwy: Rearguard Falls PP, Ancient Forest PP BC Yellowhead Hwy wild camping
25   8 Mon Yellowhead Hwy: Vanderhoof, Hagwilget, Hazelton, Ksan Village, Kitwanga BC Kitwanga Municipal CG
26   9 Tue Cassiar Hwy: Gitanyow Totems, Bear Glacier, Clements Lake, Stewart, Salmon Glacier BC Granduc Rd wild camping
27   10 Wed Stewart-Cassiar Hwy: Salmon Glacier, Fish Creek, Hyder AK, Bear Glacier AK-BC Dease Lake Water’s Edge cabin
28   11 Thu Cassiar Hwy: Boya Lake, Alaska Hwy BC-YT Alaska Hwy wild camping 1
29   12 Fri Alaska Hwy: Teslin, Johnsons Crossing, Marsh Lake, Whitehorse YT Caribou RV PK
30   13 Sat Whitehorse: Yukon River, Miles Canyon YT Kaleido Lodge Whitehorse
31   14 Sun Klondike Hwy: Carmacks, Five Finger Rapids, Moose Creek YT Moose Creek CG
32   15 Mon Klondike Hwy, Dawson City,  Diamond Tooth Gerties YT Dawson City private room
33   16 Tue Dawson City: Dredge No. 4, Bonanza Creek, Midnight Dome, Klondike & Yukon Rivers YT Dawson City private room
34   17 Wed Yukon ferry, Top of the World Hwy, Taylor Hwy, Chicken AK, Pedro Dredge YT-AK Taylor Hwy wild camping
35   18 Thu Alaska Hwy, Delta Junction, Richardson Hwy AK Chatanika Lodge
36   19 Fri Fairbanks, Chatanika AK Chatanika Lodge
37   20 Sat Fairbanks: Pioneer Park, Tanana River AK Chatanika Lodge
38   21 Sun Chena River, Angel Rocks, Chena Hot Springs AK Granite Tors CG
39   22 Mon Parks Hwy, Nenana, Denali NP AK Riley Creek CG
40   23 Tue Denali NP: Savage Alpine Trail AK Riley Creek CG
41   24 Wed Denali NP: East Fork Toklat River, Cathedral Mountain AK Riley Creek CG
42   25 Thu Denali NP: Savage River, Horseshoe Lake, Nenana River AK Riley Creek CG
43   26 Fri Parks Hwy, Talkeetna AK Talkeetna Cabin
44   27 Sat Talkeetna, Parks Hwy, Hatcher Pass, Independence Mine AK Eklutna Lake CG
45   28 Sun Chugach SP, Eklutna Lake AK Eklutna Lake CG
46   29 Mon Eklutna, Anchorage, Ship Creek AK Anchorage Airbnb
47   30 Tue Seward Hwy: Turnagain Arm, Mt Alyeska AK Granite Creek CG
48   31 Wed Chugach NF: Carter and Crescent Lakes, Kenai Lake AK Primrose CG
49 Aug 1 Thu Kenai Fjords NP: Exit Glacier, Harding Icefield AK Resurection River wild camping
50   2 Fri Resurection River, Kenai Fjords NP: Exit Glacier, Seward  AK Nauti Otter Inn Seward
51   3 Sat Kenai Fjords NP: Northwestern Glacier AK Trail River CG
52   4 Sun Ptarmigan Lake trail, Tern Lake, Kenai Lake AK Kenai Lake wild camping
53   5 Mon Kenai River (Russion River Ferry) AK Cooper Creek CG
54   6 Tue Russian River & Falls, Sterling & Seward Hwy AK Williwaw CG
55   7 Wed Portage Lake, Whittier, Williwaw Creek, Portage Valley, Anchorage AK Anchorage Airbnb
56   8 Thu Glenn Hwy, Chugach Mountains, Matanuska Glacier, Tazlina Glacier AK Lake Louise Rd wild camping
57   9 Fri Richardson Hwy: Tonsina, Worthington Glacier, Thompson Pass AK Sheep Creek wild camping
58   10 Sat Richardson Hwy, Valdez, Columbia Glacier, Richardson Hwy AK Valdez Airport Mancamp Hotel
59   11 Sun Valdez Glacier Lake, Duck Flats, Old Valdez AK Gilpatricks Hotel Chitina
60   12 Mon Chitina, Chitina & Copper Rivers, O’Brien Creek AK Gilpatricks Hotel Chitina
61   13 Tue Wrangell-St. Elias NP: McCarthy Rd, Kennecott AK McCarthy CG
62   14 Wed Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Root Glacier AK Root Glacier moraine backpacking
63   15 Thu Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Root Glacier AK Root Glacier moraine backpacking
64   16 Fri Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Kennicott & Root Glaciers, Erie Mine AK Root Glacier moraine backpacking
65   17 Sat Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Root Glacier, Wrangell Mts, Gilahina Trestle  AK Gilahina Trestle wild camping
66   18 Sun Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Crystalline Hills, McCarthy Rd AK Snowshoe Haven Cabins Gakona
67   19 Mon Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Nabesna Rd, Caribou Creek AK Kendesnii CG
68   20 Tue Wrangell-St. Elias NP: Nabesna Rd, Skookum Volcano AK Kendesnii CG
69   21 Wed Nabesna Rd, Tok Cutoff, Alaska Hwy AK Deadman Lake CG
70   22 Thu Alaska Hwy AK-YT Haines Junction Airbnb
71   23 Fri Kluane NP: King’s Throne YT Kathleen Lake CG
72   24 Sat Kluane NP: Rock Glacier, St Elias Lake YT Kathleen Lake CG
73   25 Sun Alaska Hwy, Klondike Hwy, Carcross Desert, Carcross, Bennett & Tagish Lakes YT Conrad CG
74   26 Mon Klondike Hwy, Summit Lake, White Pass, Dyea, Skagway YT-AK Westmark Skagway Hotel
75   27 Tue Skagway, Klondike Gold Rash, Yakutania Point AK Westmark Skagway Hotel
76   28 Wed Klondike Hwy, Tutshi Lake, Alaska Hwy YT Alaska Hwy wild camping 2
77   29 Thu Alaska Hwy, Watson Lake, Liard River Hot Springs YT-BC Toad River Community CG
78   30 Fri Toad River, Alaska Hwy, Stone Mt PP, Summit Lake BC Andy Bailey CG
79   31 Sat Alaska Hwy, Hudson’s Hope, Chetwynd, Pine Le Moray PP BC Heart Lake CG
80 Sep 1 Sun John Hart Hwy, Bijoux Falls, Crooked River PP, Prince George BC Prince George Airbnb
81   2 Mon Cariboo Hwy, Green Lake BC Green Lake Arrowhead CG
82   3 Tue Cariboo Hwy, Chasm, Hwy 99, Marble Canyon PP, Fraser River BC Nairn Falls CG
83   4 Wed Whistler: Blackcomb & Peak 2, Whistler Mt, Half Note Trail BC Whistler RV PK
84   5 Thu Sea-to-Sky Hwy, Brandywine & Shannon Falls, Howe Sound, Porteau Cove, Langdale Ferry BC Porpoise Bay CG
85   6 Fri Sunshine Coast, Porpoise Bay, Eagle Falls, Comox Ferry, Vancouver Island BC Seal Bay RV PK
86   7 Sat Vancouver Island. Comox: Goose Spit, Seal Bay Park BC Seal Bay RV PK
87   8 Sun Strachona PP: Karst Creek & Wild Ginger Trail, Buttle Lake BC Ralph River CG
88   9 Mon Comox; Strachona PP: Lower & Upper Myra Falls, Lupin Falls BC Comox Airbnb
89   10 Tue Strachona PP, Mt Washington: Paradise Meadows, Battleship, Lady & Croteau Lakes BC Comox Airbnb
90   11 Wed Catherdla Grove (MacMillan PP), Ucluelet: Wild Pacific Trail BC Surf Junction CG
91   12 Thu Pacific Rim NP: Rainforest Trails, Long & Wickaninnish & South Beaches, Florencia Bay BC Surf Junction CG
92   13 Fri Pacific Rim & Island Hwy, Sproat Lake PP, Nanaimo-Vancouver Ferry BC Surrey Airbnb
93   14 Sat Surrey, Hwy I-5 & 20 BC-WA Newhalem Creek CG
94   15 Sun North Cascades NP: Skagit River, Rock Shelter, Trail of the Cedars, Ladder Falls, Gorge dam WA Newhalem Creek CG
95   16 Mon North Cascades NP: Gorge & Diablo Lakes, Thunder Knob, Ruby Arm WA Newhalem Creek CG
96   17 Tue Okanogan NF: Lake Ann, Washington Pass WA Klipchuck CG
97   18 Wed Driving: Hwy 20, 155, 2, I-90, Coulee Dam WA-ID Coeur d’Alene LaQuinta
98   19 Thu Driving: I-90, Hwy 20, MacDonald Pass ID-MT Helena Baymont Hotel
99   20 Fri Driving: Hwy 12 (89, 294) Helena to Forsyth, I-94, Medora MT-ND Sully Creek SP CG
100   21 Sat T. Rosevelt NP, Wind Canyon, Buck Hill & Coal Vein ND Cottonwood CG
101   22 Sun T. Rosevelt NP: Roosevelt Cabin, Petrified Forest South & North ND Cottonwood CG
102   23 Mon T. Rosevelt NP: Skyline Vista, Painted Canyon trail; I-94 to Fargo ND Fargo Expressway Suites
103   24 Tue Driving: I-94, I-90 MN-WI-IL Chicago

Some highligts…

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