One month into our 3 year adventure!

[Greydad]

Did not make it Daniel Boone's Restaurant, but loved the Boone / Blowing Rock area. All of NC was great.

 

[Greydad]

Welcome to the group. Fulltime RVng isn’t for everyone but sound like you will do just fine. At the end of summer we will have completed all 49 states you can drive to and 2 trips to Alaska. Still enjoying, you may want to extend your 3 year plan

Keep us posted on your journey, especially with pictures.

I get your point. It started as a 2 year plan and has already expanded to 3. The more research and planning I do the more I realize we will want to keep going!

 

[Rollin Ollen]

I am sorry that you have been waiting 43 years to see Banff and Lake Louise. You should not have waited!! Sadly, now the area is so over populated from June until September that there is hardly enough air to breath! Are you sure you really want to visit Banff and or Lake Louise during July?

If you do, it will be impossible to get a site. One has to be ready on the day bookings come on line and then you may still not get one. There is ONE first come first served park in Canmore (about 10 miles west of Banff) that might have a vacancy but I would NOT take a chance. It is called Wapiti Campground. There are Alberta Provincial Park campgrounds near by but I just checked and there is NO availability left for July or August. The next option is the town of Cochrane which is about a one hour drive from Banff. Bow River's Edge is a very nice park but it too may be fully booked. Spring Hill RV Park is about 7 miles north of the town of Cochrane. I believe your chances would be better there.

Now, as I stated before, the Banff/Lake Louise area is crazy. You will have a very hard time finding a place to park in Banff and if you do, you will find the town is wall to wall people. When visiting Lake Louise or Moraine Lake (which in my opinion is far prettier) you must book a shuttle bus Visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake and again, you will find wall to wall people.

You should have come 20 years ago. One could actually do some hiking and see some animals in the wild. The scenery around Banff is spectacular. No doubt about it but there is spectacular scenery to be seen in many areas. If July is the only date, then I would do Banff and Louise from the Cochrane area using your Jeep. Once you have finished there, then head your coach little further north to Rocky Mountain House. From there you can take the David Thompson Highway to The Saskatchewan River Crossing where you can join the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. The area is virtually unknown to tourists. The mountain views are nicer than Banff's in my opinion and the chance to see wildlife is probably better.

I seriously would avoid Banff and Louise unless you could do them in late September or early October. The fall colors are spectacular. The days are usually still fairly warm but the nights will be cool. I doubt if you would see any snow at lower elevations. You can then even enjoy a dip in the Hot Springs (for which Banff became a destination). I just checked and there is availability at Tunnel Mountain after September 15th and in Lake Louise.

Jasper is not as crazy as Banff but it still may not be possible to get a site. You may be able to spend a night at the Columbia Icefields Center parking lot. I believe you can overnight there at no charge but space is limited. https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopi..._the_ice_fields_parkway-British_Columbia.html
And it is an adventure to take a Snow Coach out onto the Glacier. If you can't get into a campground in Jasper, head west (just outside of the National park boundary) as there are a few private campgrounds that one can book and you can commute back to Jasper.

I am guessing that from the Jasper area you will be heading to the coast for your journey to California. Let me know if you want any information about that area.

Safe travels

Darrell

 

[Headhunter]

Welcome aboard and glad you like your new life style. I always admired people who have the guts to sell everything and hit the open road.

Take your time and enjoy the adventure. Travel safe.

HH

 

[John&Andrea]

Welcome to the group. Sounds like a good plan , enjoy.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Just a heads up to folks that were considering a visit to Jasper Alberta. At present it is on fire. Reports are saying that at least 50% of the town site is up inflame. The fire is still not under control. Everyone including emergency responders have been evacuated. It will be while before any kind of recovery takes place.