Are You Ready For the Rocky Mountains?

Spirit Island on Maligne Lake

Take one visit to the splendour of Canada's magnificent Rocky Mountains and you will be hooked for life. Soaring rock faces, cool lush valleys, tumbling waterfalls, jewel like lakes, amazing accommodations with unequalled views and pure fresh air scented lightly with pine. The Rocky Mountains will continue to draw you in forever. Why not plan a trip there now.

Locally known as the Rockies these monuments to the sky stretch from Alaska through British Columbia and Alberta and down into the USA and feature some of the oldest national parks in north America. Whether you camp in tents, travel with trailer or motorhome or if you prefer, rustic cabin facilities or world renowned Five Star accommodations you'll find it throughout this amazing playground.

Sunwapta Falls

I first experienced the Rockies as a child of 10 traveling with my folks to visit Grandparents in BC's lower mainland. We were prairie folks who made a living farming the fertile soil around Edmonton. We weren't well off but we made do and our first tour vehicle was Dad's pickup truck. It was a '52 or '53 Ford with wooden side racks on the box and a tarp stretched over that to provide cover and a place to sleep and eat. In fact we were having a tail-gate party way before they became popular. There was a mattress on the floor and another support above that toward the front end of the truck with another smaller mattress for us kids to sleep on. Food was packed in a cooler box with dry ice inside to keep it as fresh as possible. Campground fireboxes heated whatever we need so it was a great adventure.

There was only one real route to get to the coast so it was a long trip and that old Ford chugged up some huge hills and down into some pretty impressive valleys which I'm sure heated the brakes to maximum temperature many times.

Now-a-days, there are many routes from the Crows Nest pass in the south the Roger's Pass in the Middle and the Yellowhead in north central. Many of these roads are four lane where possible so the trip from Edmonton or Calgary can be made in 11 to 12 hours if you need to do that. I prefer to take my time and drink it all in.

As I mentioned, there is a wide range of accommodations and you might want to use this service Booking.com to find the best deals. I've used them recently and they make the trip much easier and the more you use them you begin to qualify for private discounts that save you even more money. Oh and the best yet, the service is FREE. Oh, you have to pay for your rooms but signing up is hassle free and you can search accommodations world wide and get some very accurate reviews from people who have stayed at these properties. Enjoy your visit and return here for more adventures of the Old Ford. Next time our Bear for lunch experience.