Sometimes it’s hard to estimate driving time by just looking at a two-dimensional map. It doesn’t take into consideration topography, traffic, climatic conditions and so on. Here are some
approximate driving times for some of the more popular routes in Western Canada:
- Calgary to Banff: 1.5 hours
- Calgary Airport to Banff: 2 hours
- Banff to Lake Louise: 45 minutes on the TransCanada Highway; 60 minutes via the Bow Valley Parkway (Hwy 1A)
- Lake Louise to the Columbia Icefields: 1.5 hrs
- Columbia Icefields to Jasper: 1.5 hours.
- Jasper to Clearwater: 4 hours
- Clearwater to Kamloops: 2 hours
- Kamloops to Whistler, using the northern route, (hwy #1 to 97 to 99 and then south), would take about 4.5 hours. This is some serious mountain driving and there are very limited facilities on this route.
- Whistler to Horse Shoe Bay Ferry: 2 hours
Plan on some extra time when driving along the Icefields Parkway; there are lots of beautiful sights along the way and wildlife on the side of the road. The nominal 3-hour drive from Lake Louise to Jasper easily can take the better part of a day.
Wherever you go add an extra 15 to 30 minutes if you’re planning on traveling during peak season (July and August). Highway 1 especially can get pretty crowded as you approach Lake Louise, and the road narrows down to two lanes.
** Note: The original information for this thread came from the following forum thread:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-...
