Banff/Lake Louise/Calgary road trip advise in Covid time?

[Hehe]

So the original plan of going back to Asia got postponed last minute and I had already made most of the arrangements at work to be free for 3+wks.

Thinking about bringing kids for a Banff/Lake Louise/Calgary (maybe Kelowna area like Osoyoos, Peachland... etc on the way back too) RT.

Already done this trip many times, but never with kids (not as RT per se, we just flew into Calgary and rented car to go to Banff and back by plane again)

What would be the route to take during this covid time? I figure the hotel situation shouldn't be too bad, so that's a positive. But anyone in the area (Kamloop/Kelowna and anything along the way really) can share how's the situation with everything else activities-wise? Any covid related limits?

Now, itinerary planning:

Day1:

I used to do Kamloop, then head north all the way toward Jasper, and depending on time of departure, we'd decide where to rest for day1 by the time we arrive to Kamloop for food stop and book the hotel there.

We might skip Jasper this time around and just head straight to Lake Louise (with 1night at the lake planned). Anything worthwhile to take the kids for a light hiking along the way? We had a 4yrs old... so, nothing overly crazy. But we'd enjoy some nice sceneries prior to Lake Louise. It's 9hr drive give or take to Lake Louise in one shot. But we figure if there's anything in between worth going, we'd leave early, go there, stop for day1, and then head to LL on day 2 enjoying the afternoon and night there.

Day2/3:
Depending on how we do on LL, we'd head to Banff after LL. It's really a short drive, so anything nearby worth a detour? The idea again is if we can fill additional stops in between, we'd rest the night in Banff, then next day to Calgary to meet with a college friend and spend the day in the city. If there's nothing in between LL and Banff worth the detour, then we'd do day trip in Banff and spend the night in Calgary.

Day4/5:
After Calgary, we plan to take hwy3 for Crowsnest Pass, Fernie... etc and head back north again once we hit Osoyoos to visit the Okanagan (Penticton, Peachland... etc)

None of the stops are set in stone except LL, Banff and Calgary.

Thus, if anyone can make some suggestions so I can plan my accommodations out, that'd be awesome.

[H.Specter]

Just came back. If COVID is your worry, stay away from Kelowna - less than 10% wore masks and filled with AB/Sask visitors. We stopped in Kelowna for Myra Canyon bike rides.

LL Fairmont has deals on which makes it worth it - felt very safe at that hotel as every guest wore masks (even though it wasn't required).

The lakeshore walks around LL, Emerald Lake were light easy hikes. Take the time to make it out to Bow Lake / Num Ti jah Lodge.

Johnston Canyon was closed when we visited so it's worth checking if places are open prior to your trip.

In Calgary, check out Sidewalk Citizen for great pastries and a stroll along their riverwalk area.

[Hehe]

I’d stay away from Kelowna. But what about the towns around okanagan? Are they also bad?

More than anything, I wanted to see if any of the activities in the area are closed due to COVID regulation.

[beatdownvictim]

Dont bother eith whistler, in whistler now and..no ones wearing a mask here out on the main stroll cept for me and my fam.

[CCA-Dave]

Just got back from 10 days on the road. Basically no one in southern BC is wearing a mask, which honestly doesn't bother _me_...if they are keeping distance. The entire Banff corridor is a s**tshow. No masks, no personal distance, people jammed everywhere.

I'm not a person who's scared by things like Covid. I don't personally feel the need to mask, hand sanitize every second, or wear gloves when refuelling. But I was _very_ uncomfortable in Banff and Lake Louise. There seems to be zero respect for the fact that there is a pandemic virus which is easily spread by closeness between individuals. Multiple times I had to ask people to step back. I'd have found a secluded spot on a lakeshore to take photos, or enjoy a coffee, and people would come and stand right beside me. F*** off!

Even camping is nuts. Every site between Port Alberni and Calgary has every spot taken...and people don't stick to their campsites. I'm fine with people admiring the beetle, coming over to talk, but if I'm constantly having to walk around the car to get you to keep your distance I start losing my patience.

I did two nights in a hotel in Banff, and overall the hotel procedures were reasonable and safe. I did not, however, head to the 4th floor where the pool, hot tub, and seemingly everyone in the place was. Not sure how you'd keep kids from the pool area. Restaurants in Banff all have outdoor patios, but with the huge numbers of people jamming the sidewalks and streets, I didn't feel comfortable and instead made my own food offsite.

In 90% of the places I stopped along my trip, you'd have zero idea there was a pandemic or any concern for what is going on. So, for me, I stuck to my car...made my own food that I brought from home, and camped out in remote spots wherever possible. When I ran out of fresh food, I turned to my backpacking stash.



...and just in case. Despite what I've said above, _I_ wore a mask when I couldn't be more than ten feet from anyone...because I was traveling between regions. Now that I'm home, I'll be wearing the mask for at least 14 days.

[CivicBlues]

what do them numbers mean on the map?

[CCA-Dave]

Originally Posted by CivicBlues

what do them numbers mean on the map?

Number of points my SPOT tracker has recorded in the vicinity. If I were to zoom into the map it would add more location points. So in Calgary, for instance, there are 16 individual location points.