Alberta Route Question for my Canadian Friends

Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump and Frank's Slide are places I would also recommend. It's having the time to see it all. As for driving through Calgary, there is a ring road on the east side that you can go around Calgary on, I believe and maybe the west side might be done by this summer coming????? I have always just driven through Calgary going south around noonish and just drove right through without a problem pulling my 5th wheel. It all depends on how much time you have to do what you want to, in order to see what you want to and how fast you want to drive to do that. Enjoy your trip.

That's Head Smashed In. A world heritage site.

Frank's slide is of interest.

There is also the lovely Lundbreck water fall (and campground).

padredw wrote:
I hope it will be OK for me to piggy-back on this thread to ask a similar question.

We too will be entering Canada at Sweetgrass/Milk River, but we would like to stay at Claresholm (I could change that.)

We will have all day to get from Claresholm to Banff where we have reservations at the Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court.

I have never been in this area and will be towing a 34' fifth-wheel, but I would like to take a scenic route. I was considering going over to Longview, AB to take 40 on up to 1.

Looks like either Highway 540 or 533 would be choices to go over to 22 and then to 40.

Is any of this a good idea? If so, which would be better 540 or 533?

We are not going until July, 2017. Have our reservations and passports, so am trying to make good plans. Thank you for any further observations.

I haven't done Alberta route 40, westnof Claisholm to Hwy 1, with my 5er dragging behind me. And I can't comment on that road.
But.... what son inlaw said, from driving logging truck in sountern Alberta, he says he wouldnt take his trailer on the road.
Take route 520 east from Clarsholm to Hwy 20 north to Hwy 1.
I have driven Hwy 20 all the way up to the Jct with Hwy 1 many times as the loggingbtruck driver I just talked about lived in Cochrane and I drove that route many times.
The Rockie Mountains will be out the drivers side window most of the way and it is an easy drive.
When you meet Hwy 1 there is a large truck stop file stop on the entrance to Hwy 1. If fuel is required or if your near 1/2 tank fill up here as the price is only going to go up from here to Banff and North to Jasper.

Also check out Nead Smash In Buffalo Jump just north west of Fort Macleod

Soup.

Why not head farther west along I-90 or Hwy 2 and grab Hwy 97 north at some point as there are a lot of way to get to it.
Enter Canada at Osoyoos and follow Hwy 97 north to Prince George to Hwy 16 west to Kitwanga and then take Hwy 37 north past Stewart / Hyder to just west of Watson lake where you join up with the Alaska Hwy.
Then on the way home once at the Jct west of Watson Lake continue on the Alaska Hwy down to Dawson Creek, then east over to over to Grande Prairie, then south on Hwy 40 south through Grande Cashe where you will join up with Hwy 16 just east of Hinton Alberta and follow it west to Jasper where you will join up with the Ice Field Parkway.
Also,if you give the dates your coming through, it would have a better idea of the Salmon spawning ( bear viewing) at Stewart / Hyder.
Great route.
I pull a 33.5 ft 5th Wheel all over BC and Alberta, never had an issue, just never go down a hill any faster than you went up it.
Soup.

I hope it will be OK for me to piggy-back on this thread to ask a similar question.

We too will be entering Canada at Sweetgrass/Milk River, but we would like to stay at Claresholm (I could change that.)

We will have all day to get from Claresholm to Banff where we have reservations at the Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court.

I have never been in this area and will be towing a 34' fifth-wheel, but I would like to take a scenic route. I was considering going over to Longview, AB to take 40 on up to 1.

Looks like either Highway 540 or 533 would be choices to go over to 22 and then to 40.

Is any of this a good idea? If so, which would be better 540 or 533?

We are not going until July, 2017. Have our reservations and passports, so am trying to make good plans. Thank you for any further observations.

Personally I would just go through Calgary. It is quick and painless. Unless you want to take a more scenic route. The route you have chosen is single lane 100km/h road. Hwy 2 through Calgary is multi lane 100-110km/h highway. FYI.

Pipemans route just north of the border is a little complex, but the route has nice scenery and the cowboy trail is a nice route. The route North of Cochrane is a good one all of the way up to your destination. If time is not an issue than this is a very good route.

Thanks to all for the info.

rkassl, that is a nice scenic route to go. You won't have any problem along that route.

rkassl....your plan is a good one. Pipemans is OK but IMO a bit too complex.