Rocky Mountain Trip

June, 1998

Last winter when we were trying to decide where to go in June, Alisa wanted to go to the American northwest, and I wanted to go anywhere else, preferably somewhere in Europe. I knew that a flight from Israel to the northwest would be several flights and take 20 hours or so, and it would have to be a long trip, as whenever I'm in the states, I visit my family as well. I wanted a shorter trip and to go somewhere closer to home. In the end, we compromised the way we always do and decided... on the American northwest.

I checked out all the possibilities, and several chatting friends in that area all tried to convince us to visit THEIR area because it was the best place to visit. So, the route became a Rocky Mountain trip from Yellowstone, through Montana, Glacier Park, Banff in Alberta and ending in Calgary with a visit to the Calgary Stampede!! It was great!! Loved every minute!!

Here's the itinerary....



Jackson Hole 2 nights   1 day visit to Grand Tetons

West Yellowstone 3 nights   3 day visit Yellowstone

Butte, Montana 1 night     stop on the way to Glacier

Whitefish, Mt 3 nights   visit the Flathead area   and Glacier Park

Banff, Alberta 3 nights   3 days in Banff National Park

Calgary area 3 nights   visit friends in the area and opening night at the Calgery Stampede

Great Falls, Mt. 1 night on the way to Billings

Billings, Mt. last stop and a ride on theBeartooth Highway

JACKSON HOLE & THE GRAND TETONS

If you visit Yellowstone, you have to visit the Grand Tetons as well and that means Jackson Hole. Jackson is a unique little town and was very entertaining. Lots of good restaurants and nice shops. On the other hand, It is a bit expensive. We stayed at a motel just outside of town (2 minute car ride) called the Flat Creek Motel. It was perfectly adequate but nothing special. The visit to the Grand Tetons was wonderful. The weather was great. We got to Jenny Lake in the southern area of the park and took a free tour with the Rangers. It was a very nice way to start the trip and included a boat trip across Jenny Lake (the boat ride wasn't free). These Ranger tours are available in most National Parks and are well worth taking advantage of. The Grand Tetons is a park suited for driving around and looking at the mountains, or for doing some serious hiking.

YELLOWSTONE

Yellowstone is a problem for the first time visitor. It's so big and there are so many things to see, that it's tough to decide what to see and where to sleep. There are two road loops (a southern loop and a northern loop) and 4 or 5 major areas to visit. They are the Yellowstone Lake area, the Yellowstone Canyon area, Tower Falls area, Mammoth Springs, and all the geyser basins. Each area is worth a full day's visit, but most people (like us) don't have that much time, so we decided on the following program:

1. THE GEYSERS - On the way from Jackson to West Yellowstone, we visited Old Faithful and the surrounding geyser basin. We spent most of a full day here. Old Faithful is what everybody talks about, but it's not the biggest, nor the most interesting of the geysers. Take the walking trail which starts more or less at Old Faithful and takes you by a series of fantastic and fascinating geysers. Also the entire area nearby is dotted with very interesting geologic features - hot water springs, geysers of various shapes and size, mudholes sinkholes, you name it. Norris geyser basin is also worth a visit, although we didn't make it. Don't miss Firehole Lake Drive, north of Old Faithful.

2. MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS This is a must. You'll find an incredible array of hot springs and multi colored pools. Half a day was enough for us and from here we continued onto the third area, which is;

3. ROOSEVELT TOWER FALLS Tower Falls is well worth a visit. There is a walk down to the foot of the falls. Just remember, it's a long walk up.

4. THE GRAND CANYON OF THE YELLOWSTONE

This is a must. This canyon is beautiful and has several impressive falls. There are hiking paths along both rims of the canyon, and there are also many vantage points to park at along the road. There are also ranger led hikes. This picture of the falls may be the most famous picture of Yellowstone after Old Faithful. This is a picture of the lower falls. We spent a whole day touring this area.

This brings us to the question of where to stay. There are 2 major possibilities - in the park or out. Staying in the park is probably a wonderful experience. In the park, there are several places, ranging from cabins to elegant Inns. They aren't too expensive, but the better ones have tourists crawling all over them, and they are usually full months in advance. That leaves "outside", and here there are three possibilities, West Yellowstone in the west, Gardiner in the north, and Silver Gate in the east. Each of these little towns is right next to a gate into the park, and exists primarily to provide motel rooms for the tourists. It's all a matter of convenience, where you're arriving from, and where you want to go afterwards. Perhaps the most convenient is Gardiner, as it's very close to 3 different areas of interest, but we stayed in West Yellowstone because one of our cyber friends, Daphne lives in West Yellowstone and she was a great help in our planning. We also met there, and had a nice dinner together. We stayed at the Kelly Inn, and it was super! As for Silver Gate, we didn't get there, so I can't pass judgment.

By the way, we loved Yellowstone. It's an incredibly unique place, and it would be easy to spend a week there. Our most unusual experience was getting stuck in a "buffalo traffic jam". We traveled in the midst of a buffalo herd for about 45 minutes. Here's what it looked like from the driver's seat.
That's Alisa on the inside. The buffalo is on the outside.

From West Yellowstone, we drove north on the Gallatin River Parkway to the next stop which was Boseman, a delightful little university town. The ride was beautiful, and Bozeman was a real surprise. There are several interesting museums in Bozeman, including a computer museum, and the museum of the rockies. We went to the computer museum, and it was one of the best I've been to (there aren't many...). It's called "The American Computer Museum", and although the presentation is geared more for the kids, it was well done, very educational, and very entertaining for the adults as well.

After Bozeman, we drove west on I-90, and got off on highway 2 in order to visit the Lewis & Clark Caverns. Very nice caverns, and well worth the visit. It's big and they give an excellent tour.

FLATHEAD COUNTRY

We stayed overnight in Butte on the way to Flathead Country. This is the area to the southeast of Glacier National Park near the Flathead Lake, and its main towns are Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Bigfork. We decided to stay here because of our cyber friend Randee, the postmaster in Dayton, Montana, who told us that Flathead country was THE place to visit. She was right. It's a great place with lots to do and see. The area is great for outdoor activities of all kinds, and each little town has its own personality.

Bigfork is a cute little artist's town on the lake with many galleries and is worth a visit. Whitefish is a delightful little town with a wonderful coffee company. If you are in the area and you are a coffee lover, go to the Whitefish Coffeetraders.

We stayed at a lovely B&B named the Good Medicine Inn. It was the best!! The house looks like new with all wood finish both in and out. There's a hot pool in the back yard. That's me in the picture relaxing after a hard day's touring. The owners serve a wonderful breakfast and really keep the place clean and spotless.

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

As for Glacier National Park, it is not Yellowstone, and if you just want to enjoy the view, a ride through it on "Going to the Sun Road" can be done in 3 hours or all day, depending how you travel. We did it twice because the weather was lousy the first time. The second time, we could see how beautiful it really is, although the weather was still far from perfect. It's also a place with lots of possibilities for hikes and camping. While we were there, a couple of campers were killed by bears, and several bears had to be destroyed, so you can have an exciting trip if you're "lucky".

Glacier can be visited from the west or the east. We stayed on the west side in Flathead country, but you can also stay in Great Falls and visit Glacier after a 2 hour ride. Of special interest is the Plains Indians Museum in Browning Montana. Much of the area surrounding Glacier is Indian reservational land, and if you are interested in Native American culture, you can learn a lot in here.

WATERTON PARK is on the Canadian side of the border and is an integral part of the Glacier Park ecosystem. On the other hand, it's not part of the Glacier Park eco(nomic)sytem, and it has a separate entrance fee. It has some beautiful lakes and countryside. We saw it on a rainy day, and went through it pretty fast on our way to Banff.

BANFF

Banff is a pretty big place and actually encompasses 4 major different Canadian park areas, Banff itself, Kootenay, Yoho, and Jasper parks. The main attractions are Banff Park, and the Icefields Parkway which is quite an amazing ride in the direction of Jasper, with the Columbia Icefields Center on the way. This area is quite different from Yellowstone or Glacier, as you feel like part of the scenery. On the Icefields parkway, you can view glaciers from the roadside. At the Icefields center, you can stroll around on one of the glaciers. The center itself is a lively attraction. I'm told that Jasper is an interesting town, but we didn't go that far because the weather got worse and worse as we headed north. We spent two days in the Lake Louise area, and one night in Canmore. If you get to see Lake Louise and nearby Lake Moraine on a nice day, it is a sight to remember. We did, as you can see from these pictures. Lake Louise and Lake Moraine together get my vote as the most beautiful area we visited on this trip. Here's a site with lots of great pictures.

Banff village is a wonderful little town with lots of beautiful shops and expensive hotels. You can also stay in nearby Canmore, which is just outside the park boundaries, and is a lot cheaper. It is full of B&B's, and if you are lucky, your host may offer you the use of his or her entry pass into Banff park. We stayed at a delightful B&B called "OFF OUR ROCKIES" and hosted by Jacky who helped us a lot during our short stay. And... Canmore itself is a town with a beautiful mountain view from every window!

There's lots to see on the way from Lake Louise to Banff Village. The park gives out an excellent publication which describes each place of interest.

When we left Canmore, we took the scenic route to Calgary and drove through KANANASKIS, which is a ski resort in the winter and just a resort in the summer. (There is a golf course nearby.) It ranks as the most beautiful man made place we saw on this trip. Absolutely beautiful setting, with a stunning garden, pool, and fountain, and several beautiful hotels which all blend into the setting.

From there, we arrived at our destination for the next 3 days - Olds, Alberta, in order to visit our friends the Windsors on their farm in nearby Didsbury. These are not your usual tourist destinations, but we had a great time! We had a great visit with Kathleen, Bill and their 2 sons. We roamed the entire area, ate ribs in Calgary, visited Heritage Park (best theme park I've seen - about the history of Calgary), and got a live demonstration of artificial bovine insemination. The cow didn't seem to enjoy it very much, but I think that's because Bill wouldn't put out his cigarette, and didn't buy her dinner first.

On the last evening, we visited the CALGARY STAMPEDE, the greatest cowboy show on earth. It rained a lot, but we enjoyed it anyway. We saw the "chuckwagon races" run in the mud.

BACK TO MONTANA

From here, we drove south to Great Falls. We arrived on the day of the official opening of the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. Entry was by invitation only, so instead we went and looked at the Missouri river and its many falls and hydroelectric generating facilites.

The next day we drove to Billings for the flight to our next stop (Florida - to visit my family). We got to Billings with one thing in mind, to visit the Beartooth Highway. This road was described by somebody as the most beautiful road in America. Could be. The ride was spectacular and almost brought us full circle to the eastern entrance of Yellowstone. We rolled in the snow at the peak. The next day, we were in the July heat of southern Florida.

Here are some more links I used in planning this trip:

	PARKNET: THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
	TRAVEL MONTANA this is a very good tourism site about the state of Montana
	VISIT MONTANA a comprehensive site about travel in Montana
	MONTANA B&B's this site will help you find a B&B anywhere in Montana
	DISCOVER ALBERTA lots of information and links for touring in Alberta
	ALBERTA LISTINGS lots of B&B's in Alberta
	THE NATIONAL PARKS OF CANADA
	VISITOR'S CHOICE the official guide to Banff & Lake Louise

	Here's a great web site for making banners
	Here's the way to Tuscany...
	...and here's the way back to my home page

Last update: May, 2003

Jackson Hole	2 nights 1 day visit to Grand Tetons
West Yellowstone	3 nights 3 day visit Yellowstone
Butte, Montana	1 night stop on the way to Glacier
Whitefish, Mt	3 nights visit the Flathead area and Glacier Park
Banff, Alberta	3 nights 3 days in Banff National Park
Calgary area	3 nights visit friends in the area and opening night at the Calgery Stampede
Great Falls, Mt.	1 night on the way to Billings
Billings, Mt.	last stop and a ride on theBeartooth Highway