Any issue with driving between Golden and Lake Louise while pulling a TT?

Discussion in 'Trip Planning and Travel Concerns' started by David_191, Jul 17, 2022.

  1. David_191

    David_191
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    We have hastily planned an RV trip for next week where we will be going from WA state to Glacier National Park in MT and then up into Banff National Park in Canada. Due to the last minute nature of the trip and the lack of available campground space in the park itself, we will be staying around Golden, BC. This means when we come up from Glacier NP we will drive up through Calgary to Banff NP, Lake Louise, then Golden (with some stops on the way) along TransCanada1.

    This all seems doable but when I used the RV Life trip planner for this trip it shows that for the leg from the Glacier NP area to Golden, BC will be 931 miles and take nearly 20 hours and require us to drive up through Jasper NP, down through Wells Gray Provincial park to Kamloops and then back east to Golden!!! Needless to say that is not going to happen so I'm trying to figure out if it is due to 1) a glitch in the trip planning software, 2) the safe RV routing option, 3) the construction going on along the stretch of TransCanada 1 between Golden and Lake Louise, or 4) the fact that apparently the road is fairly winding (which apparently is the reason for the construction). If there is a legitimate reason for why we shouldn't take a travel trailer along this stretch of TC1 then we will find a different destination but I suspect that it is because of the construction.

    So I'm curious if anyone has traveled along this stretch of TransCanada 1 pulling a travel trailer, especially recently, and if there is any reason that we shouldn't be able to take that route rather than the 3 day detour proposed by the RV Life trip planner? There is an ongoing significant construction project going on along this stretch of road (see https://www.kickinghorsecanyon.ca/construction/calendar/) but based on the information on that page during the day the highway is fully open.

    We will be pulling a rental 25' travel trailer and this will be only our second trip with a travel trailer where the first trip went quite smoothly but was not through the mountains just hilly terrain in WA state so less challenging.

    Thanks for any advice or thoughts on this topic!
     
  2. Rollin Ollens

    Rollin Ollens
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    I am probably too late with my advice. I am sorry. If you do get this before you leave....let me save you some gas a well as some wear and tear on your tow and towed.

    From Glacier take hiway 6 to Lundbrick then head west on higway 3 to Elko than north on hiway 93 all the way to Radium then 95 to Golden.

    I have driven this route many times and it is not difficult. It is a scenic route so you can take your time. There are NO real ugly grades and it can get a little curvy. It is only two lane pretty much all the way but quite scenic. There are many nice campgrounds to choose from along the way if you desire from rustic to full service. You can do the whole trip in a day if you really want to but you might want to stop and smell the roses.

    On 93 Fort Steele has a Wild West Museum that is only a little tacky. Also on 93 Skookumchuck (ya, that is the name) is close to a rustic Provincial Campground (Premier Lake) and near by from there, if you head towards White Swan Lake, there are natural Hot Spring Pools by the side of the road (be aware, there may be some nudity in these pools). Farther up 93 Fairmont is a privately owned Hot Spring location. (and I have not been to that campground in a very long time) Next is Radium. It is known for it's "Radium Hot Springs" (they are not radio active. It's just the name) These are natural HOT spring fed pools. From Radium it is an easy drive to Golden. Just an FYI, Highway one from Lake Louise to Golden has some serious construction going on near the Golden side. There are usually delays happening. 93 and 95 are by far the better option. Safe travels!

    Darrell
     
    #2 Rollin Ollens, Jul 29, 2022
    Last edited: Jul 29, 2022
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  3. David_191

    David_191
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    Darrell,

    Thanks for the detailed response, I was already in Golden by then but I appreciate the information and will file it away in case we go back to Banff / Jasper (which I hope we will).

    We ended up taking TransCanada 1 all the way to Golden and I didn't find it too problematic. The main section that was a bit stressful was the last stretch where the construction you mentioned was happening. But we went through when that section when it was still light out and before any of the construction delays were happening.

    Otherwise there were a couple of short 6% or 7% grades on highway 1 which required some constraint but I didn't feel like they were any worse than other roads in mountainous areas that we have gone through. With that said we didn't have the largest rig and so others may find another route, such as you described, more comfortable.

    Cheers,

    DaveF
     
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