Canada!

Uncle Long

Alright, so I'm on my way to Alaska. I'm in Yorkton right now and looking to be going through the Rockies pretty soon. What should I be sure to not miss during my trip?

Oh, and I have to be to Prince Rupert by Thursday, so nothing too out of the way. Thanks.

strakha_7

Where are you crossing the border?

Pheezer

strakha_7 wrote: »

Where are you crossing the border?

Which border are you referencing

The Alberta/Saskatchewan border? Because that's where Yorkton is, Saskatchewan.

Given the nature of his question, I suspect that where he crosses the SK/AB border (and I suppose the AB/BC border to an extent) is up to determination.

The shortest route passes through Saskatoon and then Edmonton. Saskatoon is boring, so don't waste much time there. If you can bypass SK in general in as little time as possible, you could probably find time to visit both Calgary and Edmonton, which might be cool.

Obviously, as pretty as Vancouver and Vancouver Island can be, neither are really possible given the time frame and final destination.

I'm not personally very familiar with that part of the country, either. It'd help though, if you could list off some of the things you're actually interested in. Jasper National Park is on the way and I hear it's awfully nice. Banff is a tourist trap, but it's a tourist trap for a reason and it's not too far out of the way to be feasible that you could pay a visit. You'll have the most fun there if you're into skiing or snowboarding though.

strakha_7

I thought Yorkton was still in Michigan. Heh.

Screw that easiest route my friend. You miss the best highway in Canada if you do that (Icefields parkway from Banff to Jasper). You also could visit the glacier if you're ahead of schedule, but you can see it from the road too.

You aren't so far from where the Yellowhead splits from the TransCanada. Go to Saskatoon then down to Regina. That's a day drive there.

Then to Calgary. Spend a night there if you want, but you might want to go straight through to Banff and spend a night in one of the hostels there. I actually suggest the Canmore Hostel and home of Alpine Club of Canada. Great views. Then drive along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and then you're back on the Yellowhead. It does cost money to drive through the park, so if money's a huge concern there's that to consider. It's 9 bucks a head for adults daily.

Yorkton -> Regina 1 day (Monday night)
Regina -> Canmore 1 day (Tuesday night)
Canmore -> Prince George (Wednesday night)
Prince George -> Prince Rupert (Thursday around dinner)

This is assuming non-amateur driving. If you want to wake up at 10am, you can't go through the parks.

If you need to be in Prince Rupert Thursday morning, you're fucked unless you make herculean driving efforts. If that's the case, cruise along the Yellowhead until the mountains then take your time. Jasper is along the way so take your time there, but the town is actually kind of boring in shoulder season.

edit:

RE: the skiing stuff, the resorts in Banff and Jasper don't open until November, so never mind that stuff.

Uncle Long

Argh. So my lappy broke down on me last night (just some stupid power disconnect problems) and my screwdrivers were packed too far into the interior that is the heap of all my belongings to extricate from my toolbox and repair that night.

Anyway, I just passed through Edmonton. I'm around 200-300k outside of Jasper and I'm headed along the Route 16/Yellowhead still. I've got a solid two days plus the morning of Thursday (my ferry to Wrangell, AK boards at 11:30AM) I'm assuming I have plenty of time to get through the Rockies and all (which is why I kind of pushed it a bit those first two days to cover the 2200 mi flat bulk of the trip and take my time going through the only terrain I'll really get to white-knuckle over).

I'm not much of a skier or snowboarder, but I do enjoy taking photos and could always use a few more opportunities to do something like that.

Thanks for all the help so far.