Waterton to Banff Route

[Thiss]

Good morning all,

We leave from Waterton Townsite to Lac des Arcs today.

My new Garmin RV GPS is sending me up Hwy 2 instead of Hwy 22. Is this justified?

I see Alberta 511 has some road work on Hwy 2, but are there any other reasons not to travel this route? We have our Ram and Overlander.

Also, after we leave the Banff area we are going across Canada 1 and then heading south. Which way should I go Golden to Cranbrook or pass through the Kootney National Park?

Thanks!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

We have one of the Garmin RV GPS units. Our nickname for it is "Psycho" It's taken us through prison yards, corn fields, and up to locked gates ( that was all on one single route). It also regularly routes us onto dirt roads that run parallel to mulit-lane highways. On other days it does a great job and comes up with a rational route.

Around here my favorite is the "navigate off road" instructions when you get to the grocery store. "Turn into the driveway" would also work in all those cases. Unfortunately we've also seen that at the end of a road that leads up to the side of a mountain while heading back to the campground.

Very much a "trust but verify" sort of thing using one of the modern Garmin's. Checking the route with Google Maps on a phone is one generic approach. Using a ... gasp ... paper map also works.

I don't recall either 2 or 22 being all that crazy a drive. It's been decades since I was out there so things may have changed. Both routes are nearly identical in terms of drive time.

Bob

[Thiss]

Verifying is certainly important!

After entering Glacier on the current goat-trail-under-construction-future-best-route, MT Hwy 89, I will no longer forget to check each state/providence 511 road information. Don’t use 89 this summer! We made it slow and OK, but who I feel sorry for the diesel pusher motorhome with a tote vehicle; there was one dip that was ugly.

Thanks Bob!

PS We are the only shiny trailer in all of Townsite the last couple of days. I am surprised this town/Park is awesome!

[jcl]

We like 22 over 2. More scenic, a nice view west. It has rolling hills, with a few ups and downs, but a nicer drive IMO. I wouldn’t worry about towing on it.

From Banff, if going south we always go through Kootenay National Park.

All the above should be subject to checking current conditions for construction and forest fires.

Jeff

[gypsydad]

We just took that trip in reverse, from Lincoln, MT to East Glacier thru Calgary, over to Banff for a few days. We came back thru Kootenai and Radium Hot springs thru Cranbrook and down thru Bonners Ferry on 95 and 2. Drive was fine last week. Some minor construction, but nothing like an hour wait for flag car we saw a few years back. Also, no fires yet

Spent a few nights in Radium last couple years and saw bears and lots of mountain sheep; did not stop this year however. We found 3 Sisters campgrounds outside of the Banff Park just past Canmore, as Banff campgrounds were full. This was a nice surprise if your coming up from East Glacier since it was easy to get into, no showers, clean pit toilets, but lots of nice spacious sites and next to Bow River for floating or fishing. Canmore also was very nice and not nearly as crowded as Banff. I got up early next morning from 3 sisters campgrounds, and drove my TV to Two Jacks Lake Main campgrounds around 8am and was able to get 2 sites without any problem, even though on line said it was. I figured if I could not get in I could always extend at 3 Sisters since it was nice also. In Banff, Tunnel Mountain was way over crowded when we looked there...we like 2 Jacks; less people and only few miles to town. Food tip- Bear Street Tavern for pizza...great unique treat with hot oil and honey twist to dip great pizza in! Enjoy!

[Thiss]

Thank you folks. We are at Lac des Arcs this morning, and we are leaving to stay at Moyie tonight.

We spent yesterday exploring Banff, and the night before we made it to Lake Louise after the crowds had all died down.

Why 93 theough Kootenay. Isn’t it a tight highway with a somewhat steep pass? Or is the pass on a different part of the route when it 93 joins 3?

I read the Kicking Horse Pass is 6-8%, but it seems wider with more sweeping corners. Is that wrong?

[Camper Crazy]

Good morning Thiss. We live in Alberta, and know hwy 2 well. It is 2 to 3 lanes but has a heavier traffic volume. The highways in Alberta are very well kept; hence road construction but usually not too bad to get through. We probably would choose the scenic route over hwy 2. Safe travels. Enjoy your stay.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by Thiss

Thank you folks. We are at Lac des Arcs this morning, and we are leaving to stay at Moyie tonight.

We spent yesterday exploring Banff, and the night before we made it to Lake Louise after the crowds had all died down.

Why 93 theough Kootenay. Isn’t it a tight highway with a somewhat steep pass? Or is the pass on a different part of the route when it 93 joins 3?

I read the Kicking Horse Pass is 6-8%, but it seems wider with more sweeping corners. Is that wrong?

93 is a nice drive, and is in a National Park. It wouldn’t occur to me to go north from Castle Junction to Field and on to Golden and then turn south, if in fact my destination was south. I think you will find fewer large trucks as well, as they are using Hwy 1. There are grades and curves on both routes. But the Park route has lower speed limits, a good thing.