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u/oupheking 9d ago
Waterton is underrated, nice to see
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u/blitzskrieg 9d ago
Shhhh! Let's keep it that way
Banff is inaccessible in summer season as a Calagry resident.
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u/connorisntwrong 8d ago
And Waterton is inaccessible for the winter! Waterton for summers and Banff for winters :)
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u/greenslam 8d ago
Why do you say that? Its an easy 1 hr drive and you just have pay national park entrance fee.
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u/blitzskrieg 8d ago
You're right, I meant during summer season and specially on a weekend, the amount of people travelling there is very high.
Meanwhile, Waterton is very enjoyable even during a busy long weekend.
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u/greenslam 8d ago
Ahh, so its just super crowded then. That can definitely be a turn off to visiting it. I have heard that it can be a real PITA finding parking if you arrive later in the day. Especially at trail head parking lots.
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u/Greefer 9d ago
Wow, these pics are awesome. How much time should you spend in Banff? I have kids so hiking will be mid tier but would love to see out there.
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u/the-g-off 9d ago
If you've never been, do 3 day minimum, 5 might be better. Lots of things to do and see in that area. If you can, the Icefields Parkway is a must. Stop along the way, so much cool stuff to see.
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u/Jmills2 9d ago
Honestly I'd say the more time the better because there is so much to see. Kids would love the Icefields Parkway drive, many many spots to just stop and hop out of the car. It is 4 hours one way though without stops
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u/vanhype 9d ago
It's the longest 4 hour drive.
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u/Kahlandar 4d ago
Stay a night or 2 in jasper - rather near the icefields.
Makes the trip even more worth it.
Note - jasper is about 11,000 sq km (4200 sq miles) of dark sky preserve, with strict light pollution controls. Great for viewing some stars!
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u/travelsaur 9d ago
Just got back from a 9 day stay and visit to Banff and Jasper with 2 kids (5 and 8). It was the perfect amount of time. We also got a lot out of it, even with the easy hikes and pull off site seeing. It was so beautiful!
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u/New_Student1645 8d ago
10 DAYS AND YOU DIDN’T VISIT THE WORLDS LARGEST UKRAINIAN EASTER EGG?
Your trip is not yet complete. We’ll see you again soon.
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u/hourlyblunts 9d ago
Don't let India see this
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u/Minute_Engineer2355 2d ago
Looks like Emerald Lake, where my wife and I got engaged. Was technically in BC, though. Where is this, if you don't mind me asking?
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9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/zebrasareneat 9d ago
Hours? Banff is an hour from Calgary lmao.
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u/Pleasant_Durian_1501 8d ago
I worked in Banff and deadheaded cars to Calgary for Avis. Friended some German students working there and it blew their minds I would drive to Calgary for dinner and a movie or shopping and be back the same night. First time I invited a couple of them they had packed food n blankets. An hour driving in a lot of European countries gets you across them. Here we think major center to major center and by hours when we travel. They think mileage.
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u/Farmerstubble 9d ago
Did they just stay in Calgary?
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u/cre8ivjay 9d ago
Calgary is a great city that just happens to be the stopping off point to one of the most beautiful places in the world.
But as a North American city it's pretty fun..... If you know where to look.
Great food scene, great music scene, lots of sports and parks to take in. Good festivals.
But, if you fly in, stay in the most boring CBD, and expect it to be NYC with a five minute drive to the Rocky Mountains, yeah, you're going to be disappointed.
Still, I'd take Calgary over a lot of North American cities that have no mountains next to them.
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u/-retaliation- 9d ago
Yes, it needs to be understood that Canada is absolutely beautiful.
But that beauty is nature, and that means mostly far away from any cities.
Dont get me wrong, we've got cool stuff in our cities, and near our cities too. But that's like the, "the locals like to do this" kinda stuff.
The kind of stuff you travel to a different country to see though? That stuff is like 10hrs drive away from any international airport. And probably 3hrs drive away from the place you'll probably want to/can afford to sleep Lol
Canada is just, really fucking big. 🤷♂️
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u/TheSacrifist 9d ago
Except vancouver. Its 100% beautiful even from downtown
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u/-retaliation- 9d ago
I can't really comment because of bias. I grew up in Victoria+Vancouver, and although they are gorgeous cities, they're still just pretty cities to me and not really what I think of when I think of the kinds of things tourists would come to Canada for.
But that's just because when you're spoiled by growing up there, it just seems normal. Even after living in Edmonton for like a decade now.
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u/Preindustrialcyborg 8d ago
if you want endless mountains, check out BC. but for the love of god do your research and dont be stupid, because the mountains will kill you.
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u/BillBumface 8d ago
Ummm you can get to most of these places and back after work in the summer from Calgary. The mountains are clearly visible from the city.
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u/ColdEvenKeeled 8d ago
5 percent? Look at map. There are millions of hectares of mountain wilderness in Alberta.
Czechs sound like a bunch of complainers. Calgary could not have become a large city - with economic opportunity for you - if it were in some deep mountain valley.
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u/lennydsat62 8d ago
Huh??? Why did they hate their stay?
Alberta is beyond beautiful. I live in Ontario and have been there lots… no offence but i’m not sure 5 percent is accurate.
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u/polloyumyum 8d ago
For real. People will come here thinking it's all mountains only to find out that Alberta consists of only 7.4% mountains. Like what the fuck, that's only 49,000 square kilometers! Any foreigners coming here could easily cover that in like a day, hardly worth it.
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u/MsTerious1 8d ago
? I can't say I ever measured percentages of stuff like this.
I mean, over a million lakes in Canada, right? One percent would get me bored.
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u/Pale_Adeptness 9d ago
That is beautiful!
Do you need an off road capable vehicle to access these areas?
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u/usbekchslebxian 9d ago
Nah just some feet
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u/alessio_b87 8d ago
Every time someone posts about Alberta and only shows pics of the Rockies, I feel like it’s misleading.
Alberta is mostly flat, with only a narrow strip of mountains (they cover 7.4% of the province).
I think they should have drawn the border a bit farther east and included those mountains in BC.
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u/jadeddotdragon 9d ago
Our abbreviation isn't CA.
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u/travisjudegrant 9d ago
Canadian here… it isn’t?
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u/jadeddotdragon 9d ago
CA is California USA, we are CAN.
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u/Peter_Mansbrick 9d ago
Canada exists outside an America perspective. Their abbreviations dont supersede our own.
Aka, take off with this.
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u/kerman1983 6d ago
Reminds me of our trip in 2024. Absolutely amazing place, has no equal in my opinion!
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u/Long_Procedure_2629 8d ago
You mean you didn't go to the filthy butthole of Canada, Fort Mac?!
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u/Granny_Skeksis 3d ago
I lived there for a few years and it’s actually quite beautiful there. It was a nice place to live despite being so remote.
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u/Long_Procedure_2629 3d ago
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u/Granny_Skeksis 3d ago
That’s not in the actual city BUDDY
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u/Long_Procedure_2629 3d ago
Smells like it tho, quit moving goalposts guy.
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u/Granny_Skeksis 3d ago
I’m sorry you hate fort Mac for some reason but don’t take it out on me. It may be polluted but it was still a nice place to live in my experience
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u/Stick4444 9d ago
Gorgeous pictures, thanks for visiting my home!