spinnaker

I have been wanting to tour the Icefields Parkway for sometime now. Two things have always bothered me.

1. The logistics and hassle of booking rooms on a National Park (I don't want to camp).

2. Those long mountain climbs. I know I can make it but it sure would be nice to have some sort of backup plan. The Icefields really has none in the way of shuttles.

So I decided to go supported for my first time in my life. I want to keep the daily miles short leaving plenty of time for side trips. I am more of the smell the flowers kind of guy then get to point B from point A guy.

I have broken it down into three companies based on itinerary that for my low daily mileage criteria.

Great Canadian Adventure Company

Experience Plus

What bothers me about these two is they appear to be booking companies rather than the actual local touring company. If you look, both have the same itinerary. Even down to the descriptions!

Experience Plus gets all glowing reviews which I find a bit strange. There are always complaints even in the very best of companies. I can't find reviews for Great Canadian.

The itinerary I like best is from West Canada Tours.

I like the layover day and the fact the tour starts in Banff. The first two start in Jasper for the touring part but leave on the shuttle from Banff day 1. The West Canada Tours gives more flexibility when flying in and out.

What bothers me about West Canada Tours is it is so much cheaper than the others and actually offers a couple more meals. It is $1000 CAD when you consider the rental.

Does anyone have any experience with any of these companies? Any suggestions for any other companies with similar itineraries? I would like to keep it at less than 50miles (80km) a day and there can be no camping.

skookum

I notice the West Canada tour avoids spending the night in Banff, or Jasper, both expensive places. You start riding on the Bow Valley parkway, which is just west of Banff, thus avoiding the town altogether. Which may or may not be a good thing. Banff is your typical tourist trap, but it does have good restaurants.

The Lake Louise accomodation is at the Mountaineer, which is down in the valley near the highway. But the dinners are at Baker Creek Bungalows which is about ten miles from Lake Louise. The only accommodation at the actual lake is the Chateau Lake Louise, Deer Lodge which is a bit further away and Paradise Lodge which is about halfway up the hill from town.

The accommodation looks reasonable, there really isn't much choice between Lake Louise and Jasper. the only one I have stayed at is the Columbia icefields chalet, which was a generic hotel with high prices. Which is what you would expect given the location.

The other weird thing is you stay at Sunwapta lodge but dinner is in Jasper. 28 miles away.

The other tours are similar but go North to south, which is the preferred direction due to the prevailing winds. I think the other tours might have pricier accomodation in Lake Louise and they stay in Jasper, but it doesn't account for the $1000 price difference.

They all look reasonable, but its hard to make a recommendation without talking to someone who has tried them.

Its a spectacular area, good luck with the weather, whichever one you choose.

spinnaker

Thanks for the insight. Really helpful in making a choice. I assume they take you in the van to those dinner locations. Wonder why dinner is just not at the Chalet? Is there dinner there? An hour drive 1/2 each way is kind of a waste. While I am sure it is pretty drive but would still be more relaxing at the lodge.

Thanks for the tip on the wind. I was not aware it played such a factor there. That might change my mid the the more expensive places. Any thoughts as to why those two are identical?

Do I need luck on the weather? BTW weather is just another reason for keeping the miles short.

Happy Feet

Just did that route last month.

By far the largest, most active company doing supported tours was Backroads. I have no idea about the itinerary but their vans with trailers and bikes on top were prolific.

It seems hard but the route is not so bad. There are two main passes and while long they aren't killers.

Another option besides hotels are the HI chain hostels of which there are some in Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper and up the parkway. You can reserve them.

skookum

The biggest wild card is weather. I have done this trip and had brisk winds from the south, as well as snow on the high passes in June. You never know.

The HI hostels are a reasonable option, you need to bring food, which requires some planning makes your load heavier.

I don't know how easy it would be, but I would recommend booking the hotels yourself and doing the trip on your own. Spend the difference on good hotels and nice meals. Its not particularly hard, as long as you can fix a flat tire, you should be able to do it.

Back roads are the big operator, I took a quick look at their site, but didn't see that ride. They have a good reputation, but I think they are expensive. As they all are.

I'm going to say again, the trip is worth doing, despite the crowds and the high prices.

Happy Feet

Regarding weather,
Rather than short mileage I think the best strategy is to be able to clear certain sections quickly to get out of the weather.

For example, I planned, and did, the icefield summit pass as one day, no matter what. The temp drops quite a bit up there and I did not want to have to hang around and camp if I could help it as I was travelling light. So I ended one day at the last capsite before the climb and expected to reach the next set of campsites on the other side. Which was reasonable to do remembering for every big pass you climb there is a long downhill on the other side.

valygrl

Probably too late, timing wise, but my sister did this, and loved it.
Glacier Banff Jasper Icefields Parkway Cycling Tour | Cycling Escapes

spinnaker

Not camping so I don't care how cold it gets at night. as long as it warms to a reasonable amount during the day. Above 4.5 C is tolerable but I prefer 10-21C.

spinnaker

Thanks saw this one. Way over the distance I want to do in a day pus 9 days is a bit much for my riding buddy. Eight days might be a stretch as ut is.

Mtroup

I'm always a little stunned when I see the pricetags on supported tours. I could keep touring for months with what some of those week-long tours cost. To each their own though. I don't doubt that they're a great time, I just prefer more of a dirtbag approach.

Machka 

We were in that area last month and opted to go with the less expensive option of staying 2 nights in a B&B in Field and 2 nights in a B&B in Jasper. More info later.

Machka 

What time of year are you thinking of?


Regarding accommodation: As I mentioned above, there are options outside the park (Field) or in the park in B&Bs. I was able to find reasonably priced accommodation for early/mid-June all right.

Regarding hostels: Book early. I tried to get hostel accommodation, but it was all booked up by the time I started looking ... and I was looking for shoulder season accommodation, not peak season.

Regarding the climbs: They're not that bad. Long climbs like the ones in the Rockies are easier than shorter, steeper climbs.

Regarding the weather: Chances are you'd have great weather in July ... most likely. In any other month, it'll be anyone's guess. This year, it snowed quite heavily on the May long weekend (end of May) ... and quite often it snows in August. But sometimes it doesn't. However, be prepared for rain, snow, sleet, hail, and quite hot temps.

Regarding a good month to travel: While July will likely have the best weather, it is also the busiest month. It can be quite a zoo! Early to mid-June is quieter ... as is late August. But the weather isn't as stable then.

Regarding supported tours: You can go that route (I never have) but it is not that difficult to tour that area. I've cycled from Jasper to Golden in one day ... now, granted, I was trained for long distance cycling and that was in the middle of the Rocky Mountain 1200, but still, I wasn't the greatest climber in the world or the fastest cyclist in the world. I've also cycled it quite comfortably in 3 days, and I've cycled fairly lengthy portions of it on day rides many times.

spinnaker

Probably July or August. Your warnings noted. While I love the idea of less crowds, I likes the idea of good weather even more. Riding in the cold is OK. Riding wet is OK. Riding cold and wet, ain't a lot of fun.



Well it looks like there is at least one 10%-125 climb up near the icefields but it does not appear to last for awful long. I am sure I am worried about nothing. I have likely done more difficult tours.



As mentioned in my OP, I have never done a supported tour either, But since I want to stay at a hotel each night it sure makes it a lot easier having someone do all the booking for you. It is also a comfort knowing someone has your back should the weather turn foul or you simply have a bad day. I just want to make sure I don't use it as a crutch. There have been several times where I either felt lousy or screwed up on directions and had to ride a lot further than expected. I sucked it up and just did the miles because there really wasn't much of an alternative.

But I have been putting this trip off for years because of the anxiety of making the climbs and booking the rooms etc. If I don't do it supported I may never do it. If I was from the area or have at least visited it might be a different story.


I really value your input. Thank you.

I need to see if I can rent a car one way Edmonton to Banff. I have seen your "favorite highway" that you have posted a couple of times. That has to be the most beautiful places on earth.

Now I need to convince a friend or two come along.

Machka 

Yep ... I know the climb. I've walked it twice and have managed to cycle it once. It isn't all that long.





Why Edmonton to Banff?

Happy Feet

Which climb? The one up from the hairpin going northbound? I think that was the steepest I did and it was not something to worry about. Just settle in and tweedle.

but then again I do have a 42 32 22 crankset

Don't put it off. I would go back and do it again right now if I could. The riding and views are spectacular.

Machka 

Sunwapta from the north, heading south. The hairpin going northbound isn't nearly as steep ... that one probably sits around 6-8%, but it's longer. The one on the other side, heading south is shorter and steeper.

Happy Feet

Hum... that one seemed easier going downhill

Here's the elevation guide I picked up along the way. Jasper is on the left and L Louise is on the right. You can see how the uphills seem longer N to S :

Parkway by dc460, on Flickr

spinnaker

Well if you have walked it then I am not going to feel so bad if I have to hoof it then.



Just seemed to make more sense to come from Edmonton. Though thinking about it. I suppose I could just rent a car in Calgary and return it there.

spinnaker

My touring bike is geared pretty nicely too but I think I might just rent. A lot easier than packing it up and flying with. I have not checked bikeflights yet but as I recall it is expensive to ship across the border.

Happy Feet

If you plan to stay in a hotel in Banff the first night see if they have a shuttle from Calgary Airport. Some do. Saves the cost of a rental car.

spinnaker

Thanks good tip. Some of the tours shuttle from Calgary too. Also I believe there is a paid shuttle.

Philly Tandem

We just got back from a (driving) tour from Jasper down through Lake Louise, Banff, and Calgary. We saw quite a few self-supported bike tourists along Icefields Parkway. The trip got me thinking that I'd like to go back and do the route on a bike, as (for the most part) the hills aren't all that bad. There are a few big ascent/descents, but mostly it's light rolling hills. The lack of services could be an issue, but there are quite a few campgrounds and the hostels, too. I started looking into it last week, so here are a few links/info bits that might be helpful.

The Icefields Chalet (part of the discovery center) does have a restaurant (https://www.brewster.ca/attractions-...enture/dining/), although we didn't eat there. We almost did their "twilight" glacier tour, which includes a tour, appetizers on the glacier, and dinner back at the restaurant for a fairly reasonable price. I think the Chalet would be a neat place to stay, as it would be nice to be there after the hordes of bus tours depart.

There is a regular bus service that runs Calgary-Jasper, with stops in between, that you could use to get to the beginning or end. Says they will take "bikes in boxes subject to space availability." See Calgary Edmonton Airports Jasper Alberta Airport Shuttle Express, Brewster & Sundog

Reservations would be essential at the hotels along the route. We had a campervan and camped, but even the campgrounds are booked ahead. Not sure if they will turn away touring cyclists if the CG is full.

We did see quite a few Backroads tour groups, so I would guess they are the dominant operator up there. Didn't note any other guided bike groups, but maybe they were there and just lower-key.

The only thing I'd really worry about is all the rental RVs traversing the route with inexperienced drivers. Definitely take a rear-view mirror and bright blinkie lights!

We stayed one night in Jasper (Whistlers CG) and three nights in Lake Louise CG. Beautiful country, for sure. As I said, it's on my "future tours" list now!

Machka 

We did the glacier tour in mid-June ... but the daylight one.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka...99188730/page4


I've contacted Brewster about carrying bicycles and yes, they are quite particular about having them in boxes.


But don't forget to check B&Bs. I started looking for places to stay for our early-mid June trip in late-April, and things were booked. The hostels were full, the inexpensive hotels were full. However, if I wanted to fork over $300-$700 a night, I could find a few rooms. So then I started checking B&Bs and was quite pleased with what I discovered.


Yes, they are ... and have been for decades.


Agreed ... I'd probably avoid the area in July (although I have gone there for day trips then). But whenever you go watch the traffic, it can get quite alarming.


It is beautiful.

spinnaker

Another benefit of going supported. No hassle getting the bikes back to Calgary. The best way to do it is if you have the time is to ride back but not everyone has that kind of time.

I am really surprised someone does not have a bicycle shuttle. Even the bus companies could simply haul a trailer and/or have a rack on the back of the bus. The pic below was in Austria. When it is busy, they also haul a trailer.

What about between Calgary and Banff? Do they take bikes unboxed?

Machka 

I highly doubt Brewster would take bicycles unboxed anywhere. Back between about 2005 and 2009, I asked about that many times and always got the reply back that there was nothing on earth that would convince them to take unboxed bicycles. They even seemed surprised I would ask.

It seems to me that a few companies have started up trying to provide bicycle shuttles, but it also seems to me that they last about one season and are gone, and there's nothing for a few years. But I could be mistaken about that. One of the difficulties is that the perceived bicycle season is June-July-August, and that's not enough to make any money. Also, a lot of cyclists just ride it or arrange other transportation.