(Hit the Highway with an RV

Jasper National Park Photo Courtesy of Parks Canada / Rogier Gruys

As we approached Fairmont Hot Springs, the steam from the hot pools visible from the highway, our plan suddenly changed. As it turned out, we would not make it to Golden that day. The hot pools were calling. And we needed to go. Ah, yes, the “change the plan on the fly program.” Just one of the many benefits of RVing!

Indeed, cruising down the highway with a luxurious houseon-wheels - last spring our family rented a cozy CanaDream RV that comfortably slept five - is definitely something to add to your bucket list. RVing is synonymous with exploration and adventure. The world is your oyster! You can take the roads less travelled. And you can see them in a whole new way.

As we discovered, hitting the road with an RV opens the door to so much more than what’s possible when you travel with an automobile. With an RV, you’re self-contained. You have freedom to roam. The pressure is off! Jam-packed hotels, busy restaurants, keeping a tight schedule, these are not exactly relevant when you’ve got your own home sitting right there behind the cab.

Granted, there are plenty of tricks-of-the-trade when it comes to RVing. On our spring journey down the legendary Powder Highway in the Kootenay Rockies (yes, you can RV in winter!) there were some important lessons learned. Like, for example, if you’re travelling in winter, bring a shovel! During our overnight stay in the parking lot at the Kimberley Alpine Resort, we received 40 centimeters of pillow-soft powder overnight. Needless to say, when it was time to move on, digging out our “home” with only the aid of our skis took a little longer than expected! But, man, the skiing was epic! The Powder Highway certainly lived up to expectations.

Of course, there are hundreds of options in terms of places to go and things to experience. In summer, the Powder Highway becomes a playground filled with pristine lakes and endless places to explore and experience. In terms of destinations to

travel to, another one of my favourites is the Slocan Valley. Under-the-radar towns and villages like Nakusp, New Denver, and Winlaw are prime places for the RVing way of life.

And of course, in terms of additional tips for newbie RVers, I’ve compiled a few more (with some help from CanaDream, one of the largest RV rental companies in Canada).

1. Don’t Drive Too Much In One Day

CanaDream recommends 3-4 hrs maximum driving time per day. You should allow plenty of time to recreate outdoors! Visit a winery, hike to a lookout, sit on a beach.

This, ultimately, is why you’re on the road to begin with.

2. Get The Right RV

So you’re a newbie and have no clue which RV is right for your party? And you’ve also never driven one before?

Not a problem! All the reputable RV rental companies, including CanaDream, will make sure you are set up with the perfect vehicle based on the number of people in your party. They will walk you through every detail and there are online tutorials you can take as well.

3. Keep An Eye Out For Special Offers

Every week new online specials are offered. One-way relocation specials (RVs go from A to B but sometimes don’t come back to A, depending on a party’s travel plans!) are very common. Check often!

4. Do Your Research

Planning a general route and booking the most popular

RV parks (if you want to go that route) can save you some frustration along the way. CanaDream has a Trip Planner tool that allows you to completely customize your travels.

They also have plenty of information on over 1,000 campgrounds, activities, tours, and attractions.

5. Be Flexible

Altering your original plan - you cand and will discover the unexpected! - as you “cruise” along is not something to fear. It’s something to embrace! Take advantage of those really special locations that speak to you.

6. Plan Your Meals

Preparing food, BBQing, s’mores by the campfire, stocking the cooler, it’s a big part of the fun when you’re RVing.

There is plenty of space for food in an RV, including a bigger-than-you-think refrigerator and freezer. Load up and plan your awesome gourmet meals!

Regardless of which “home” you decide to choose, which road you travel, and what, exactly, you pack in your cooler, an RV adventure is going to leave you and your clan with many, many magnificent memories. My final tip? Just do it! By: Andrew Penner

Be sure to book your reservations in advance and enjoy the adventure!

If you were a globetrotting landscape photographer and could only take one more breathtaking image, where would you go? What would you shoot? Maritime seascape? Remote desert scene in Africa? Burning lava flows in Hawaii? For many “shooters,” the answer would be a majestic, postcard-perfect scene in the Canadian Rockies. Indeed, the baby-blue lakes, rushing rivers, and jagged, snow-dusted mountains in Alberta and British Columbia, can make for the ultimate photographic prize.

Perhaps the challenge, if you could only choose one location in the mountain parks, would be just that. Choosing just one! Here are five locations that would do just fine for your final postcard.

Lake O’Hara: Getting into the remote Lake O’Hara region – you need to be on the ball and book a seat on the bus (serviced by Parks Canada) or walk up the 11 km road – is not a piece of cake. However, if you find your way there you’ll be rewarded. The region is peppered with lakes, tarns, cirques, crystal-clear streams, and soaring mountains.

Moraine Lake: Good enough to be featured on the Canadian $20 bill for decades, the Valley of the Ten Peaks, as seen from the rock pile at the east end of Moraine Lake, is one of the most famous scenes in the Canadian Rockies. Capture this in the morning, when low-angled light paints the peaks, and you’ve got a keepsake to cherish.

Vermillion Lakes: If you’re staying in Banff, you don’t have to venture far to find some sweet scenes. The Vermillion Lakes Road serves up classic photo-ops that have been shuttered by thousands of visitors. True, you won’t be alone here, but the beauty of Mount Rundle reflected in the calm water of the spring-fed lakes is a shot every serious landscape photographer needs in their portfolio.

Spirit Island: Made famous thanks to an image capturing its surreal beauty was hung in Grand Central Station for over forty years, Spirit Island is the quintessential Canadian Rockies shot. The clutch of pines on the island, the lake, the mountains, it’s simply sublime. From Jasper, drive to Maligne Lake and for $71/adult take the 1.5 hr classic cruise to reach the island and snag your shot. Unfortunately, it’s a quick stop so make sure you’re first off the boat! Or, better yet, take the Premium cruise ($101/adult), a 2 hour tour geared for photographers. (see pg2)

Waterton Lakes National Park: Perched on the wind-blasted bluff above the lake, the historic Prince of Wales Hotel is a striking subject in this classic scene. Getting the shot is simple: pull over when the hotel comes into view and shoot until your heart is content. In fall, when the aspens go gold, the scene can really “pop.” Story and Photos By Andrew Penner

Alberta Fast Facts

Capital City: Edmonton Population: 4.37 million History: Entered Canadian Confederation in 1905 Total Area: 661,848 km sq/255,541 mi sq Highest Point: Mount Columbia, 3,747 m/12,293 ft Lowest Point: Slave River, 152 m/499 ft above sea level Longest River: Peace River, 1,923 km/1,195 mi Provincial Flower: Wild Rose Provincial Tree: Lodgepole Pine Provincial Bird: Great Horned Owl Provincial Fish: Bull Trout Provincial Motto: “Strong and Free”

As a child, I was lucky to have grandparents who lived 60 km away from Waterton Lakes National Park. On hot summer days, my siblings - or cousins - and I would beg one of the adults to take us there for the day. We would head straight to the outdoor pool, rent green bathing suits for one dollar, and go for a swim. After that, a picnic of fried chicken and baked beans made for a perfect summer day.

Waterton seemed to be mine. We roamed freely, there was nothing to trouble us. We learned to respect the wilderness, were taught by our parents that bears needed their distance, and learned the hard way that the water in the Waterton Lakes is freezing, always freezing, no matter how hot the day. I’ve been working on my rock skipping skills my entire life, and nowhere, absolutely nowhere that I have been, has rocks as smooth and round and pancake flat as does Waterton.

Waterton changed very little since my childhood until recent years. The 2017 Kenow Fire burned 80% of the hiking trails, many of which are still to reopen. That fire also destroyed the original Visitors’ Centre, a charming stone building nestled beneath The Bear’s Hump on the edge of town. Now, three years after the fire, Waterton’s beauty is even more unique.

A hike on one of the trails will take you through a kaleidoscope of wild mountain colour. Imagine a patchwork quilt with blue lupine and purple bee balm blooming in vast drifts, with the bright green of ash-fertilized grass and nodding white daisies sprinkled with the pink of Alberta roses. All this colour is set against black tree trunks and backed by an Alberta blue sky.

Waterton is unique. Wildflowers grow there that are found in few other places in the Rockies. It is part of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, biologically and physically diverse, and then... there’s that wind. Strong enough to blow a two-burner campstove, lit and with a pot of bubbling porridge on it, across a picnic table, or to lift a tent with a sleeping family of five right off the ground, Waterton’s winds are legendary. They shape the

The 2017 Kenow Wildfire impacted Waterton Lakes National Park areas and facilities. To find out what is currently open and closed in the park, please visit pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/waterton/visit/ideale_best

forests and sculpt the hills. There’s a local saying, “If it isn’t windy, it isn’t Waterton.”

Waterton Park was set aside in 1895, nestled in the southwest corner of the Province of Alberta, it borders Glacier National Park in the State of Montana, USA. In 1931, Rotary Clubs from each region suggested the two parks be joined, creating the first International Peace Park in the world. A symbol of friendship, this partnership also creates cooperation in the stewardship of this unique area. Hikers can put their boots on in Canada, and hike in the United States.

It is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The Triple Crown Hikes: Crypt Lake, the Carthew-Alderson and Akamina Ridge trails are all world-class bucket-list hikes. The Triple Crown Challenge of completing all three hikes – a total distance of 55.2 km – in one summer, will get you bragging rights, a commemorative pin, and your name in lights a local café.

Waterton has a year-round population of about 300. In summer those numbers swell into the thousands, but it was made for walking. The town itself is only six by four streets wide, so park your car and walk everywhere. Walk the path on the shore of the lakes, find a perfect skipping rock and see how many times you can make it bounce across the water. But study the rock and notice the colour of it before you send it off. Waterton’s fascinating geology has resulted in names such as Red Rock Canyon, and colourful red and green argillite stones that inspired this name can be found on the beaches, sand, riverbeds, and waterfall-cut canyons, as well as in man-made habitats, put to use forming old rock walls, the foundations of the older buildings in town, even as part of sidewalks.

Waterton’s unique character is a treasure. A designation as respected as the UNESCO Biosphere term should be coined to commemorate its charm, beauty, and simplicity. So, Happy Anniversary Waterton! May your gentle charms remind us to slow down, wild winds make us feel alive, wildflowers dazzle us, your many bears demand our complete respect (and very safe distance) and may your representation of peace as well as cooperation help us to understand one another. By: Lisa Christensen

PLENTY OF

mywaterton.ca

See Campground Directory on pg 67 See Legend on page 67

Some areas may be closed due to the 2017 Kenow wildfire. Check parkscanada.ca/waterton frequently for updates and closures.

To fully experience Waterton pick up a copy of Waterton Lakes National Park or download it at ExperienceTravelGuides.com

Waterton Lakes National Park Activity Guide Waterton Lakes National Park Activity Guide Waterton Lakes National Park Activity Guide

Alpine Stables

Come visit Alpine Stables and experience spectacular scenery on horse back in Waterton Lakes National Park!

Alpine Stables has seen a lot of changes in the last 50 years, including multiple floods, changes in Waterton landmarks and growth of our family, now in the 5th generation. One of the biggest changes being the Kenow Fire of 2017 where all of Alpine Stables’ buildings were lost.

What remains is our love for Waterton and sharing the natural and cultural history with visitors from around the world. Since 1969-we are proud to partner with Parks Canada in showcasing this remarkable place.