My final trip itinerary!

Please let me know what you think and any improvements i can make, any places i MUST see and do, and maybe a little insight to how practical my trip is?

Day Activity
1 Flight from London Heathrow to Calgary International
2 Catch the shuttle from the airport to Canmore early doors and hike 1 hour west to Banff National Park entrance, pay for permits and passes then hike north east to Two Jack Lakeside next to Lake Minnewanka and set up tent, make fire and eat before having a short stroll around part of Minnewanka at sunset.
3 Day 3 will be spent hiking up to and viewing Ghost River Wilderness Area and the far end of Lake Minnewanka. In the evening a visit to the nearest Public House to sink a few Canadian bevies’.
4 Early morning will involve the hike to and ascent of tunnel mountain for photography and video purposes as this point is a good view of Banff ad the surrounding scapes. Midday and evening will be spent looking round the town in shops and visiting bars, and hostels talking to other travellers.
5 Day five will be the deconstruction of the tent to move on slightly south to tunnel mountain village one, here I will hike up tunnel mountain one once again, later in the day take another look in more detail around the town, or stay at the tent site were I can reflect and write, look at photos and film more tape. I will need to buy food stuffs and fresh water for the days ahead as I leave the town.
6 Early doors day 6 I will pack up the tent and set off north following the highway to castle mountain were I will set up the tent once again, the day will be spend looking around the local area and capturing footage, taking pictures and writing.
7 Day 7 will be the first hike with the sole purpose of sightseeing; I will venture off into two of the trains, one leading to Castle Lake, and the other to Vermillion Pass. After a tiring day I will set up the camp fire and cook dinner.
8 Day 8 will be the trek to Lake Louise further north, this will take up ¾ of the day as it is about 2 ½ hike with all the equipment and gear including all the food stuffs that will last the next 5 days. In the afternoon I will get an early night as the days ahead will be tiring.
9-11 Day and night 9, 10 and 11will be the same but different routes, al of these days will be venturing into the deep forest and venturing up into the mountains.
12 Day 12 will be hiking back to Banff and pitching up in two jack main, I will then venture out on the longest trek of the trip following the Cascade River to the base of Mt Flint and back, before settling in.
13 A boat trip on Lake Minnewanka, throwing away unwanted items and getting ready for the shuttle back to Calgary.
14 Shuttle to Calgary
15 Buy ticket back to London Heathrow, if not until next day, kip in airport, take more photos and write more!
16or17 Get train from London St Pancreas to home!

Ignore some of the little irrelevant details there just for me

Thanks!

When are you planning this trip for? That would definitely change whether this is practical or not, as many of the trails may be closed in the off season or completely impassable.

Is there a specific trail from Canmore to Banff that you are planning to hike? I feel like it's not that nice of a trip in that section... walking along side a busy highway. Why wouldn't you take a shuttle all the way to Banff?

Kristy

I will be traveling at the time of year were all of the campsites are open, on the site it gives a space of 3 months that most of them are pen per year so im expecting that there will be alot of other travelers there too!

Im going to follow the Bow River north up to Banff rather than the highway, the river leads streight to the enterance were they can take all my money!

I will be traveling in July/August time as the campsites close in October/september depending on which ones.

What ever happens i will be keeping 900 GBP for the flight, so if i need to spend the rest i can just hitch hike or go by foot back to calgary, which is what i planned int he first place, i don't want to be getting the shuttle every were, it costs a BOMB, and it kind of takes away the experience a little!

Thanks for the reply Kristy!

Sounds like quite the trip! You'll love it. If your planning on doing all this hiking I would recommend a hike to Mt. Assinaboine. You can start at the Mt. Shark trailhead just south of Canmore.

I'm exhausted just reading about your trip! I would suggest you plan for some unscheduled sit-back-and-savour time in the Rockies; they will surprise you even after you've visited many times. For instance there's wildlife - the four-legged kind - roaming the streets!

I too like photography and I would recommend Vermilion Lake which is almost within Banff itself - you could rent a bike or walk there; (concatenate the following 2 lines for the complete URL)

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Canada/Province_of_Alberta/Banff_National_Park-911385
/Things_To_Do-Banff_National_Park-Vermilion_Lakes-BR-1.html

Lake Louise is another great photo op because of the stunning location but there's also the architecture; I've framed some outdoor shots through the hotel windows and no one objected.

Enjoy! You've chosen a magnificent and majestic destination.

[ Edit: Edited on Dec 18, 2008, at 3:31 PM by dbl-nkl ]

Thanks for the reply chub and dbl,

I would have been staying in either canmore or banff for a while to work but the whole dilema with the visas etc is not what im wanting to deal with!

To dbl-nkl, on day 6 i will have free time to get myself walking out and out so i have added it to my hard copy itinerary, thanks for the recommendation!

To ChubbDub, i have added the ascent into my hard copy itinerary as i have just read reviews and seen some amazing photos, thanks for the recommendation and thanks for the post!

I have got a job working nights packing products so i can afford the trip! At the 1,500GBP point im booking the flight and the shuttle to canmore so i can get in cheap, and i know it's sorted!

Anyone fancy joining?