RV Camping at Banff and Jasper National Parks, Canada

Dear Soul,

“The still waters of a lake reflect the beauty around it. When the mind is still, the beauty of the Self is seen reflected in it.”  - BKS Iyengar

This is the second part of our Second RV trip, this time to Glacier-Banff-Jasper National parks in USA and Canada. Here is the link to the previous post for Glacier National Park, USA

The four National Parks of the Canadian Rockies: Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho share their boundaries and are part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have covered Banff – Canada’s first and Jasper – largest of the National Parks (and part of Kootenay) in this trip. Exploring these two parks is best done driving along 2 major highways:

•  Highway 1 (Alternately 1A -Bow Valley Parkway) connecting the town of Banff to the village of Lake Louise and
• Hwy 93 connecting Lake Louise village to Jasper town (famously called Icefields Parkway).

This is one of the most beautiful journeys on the planet and an awesome road trip for everyone.

As per the campsite availability along the way, we started with Jasper National Park and then Lake Louise and finally Banff National Park. One thing they promote is the “Bare” campsite program: to keep the campsite clean so that the campers can stay safe and help keep animals in the national parks alive and wild.

Day 6: July 21, 2022: Camping @ Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court, Banff National Park

From Glacier National Park, we started driving our RV to Canada only to know at the Customs border that it is mandatory to prefill and submit travelers’ information using ArriveCAN app and were asked to return to US. We had to re-enter USA and drive back for a while for LTE mobile coverage and downloaded the app. When we entered Alberta, we drove through endless yellow mustard fields to our friend’s home in Calgary. It was nice catching up after more than a decade and sure was a relief for the kids to get home atmosphere and play with other kids/toys. They helped us pick up Annual Parks Canada Discovery Pass, restock groceries and gave Indian breakfast batter, rotis and local tips for a good yogurt. The gas lines were long at Costco, so we drove towards Banff and camped at Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court that night.

Day 7: July 22, 2022: Camping @ Wabasso, Jasper National Park

We drove through the town of Banff to fill up gas and started driving on Hwy 1 and soon Hwy 93 towards Jasper. Rated as one of the top drives in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, this Icefield Parkway (Hwy 93) is a 232 km stretch of double-lane highway winding along the Continental Divide through soaring rocky mountain peaks, icefields and vast sweeping valleys. Our first stop on the Icefields Parkway was Columbia icefield Glacier discovery center to get tour tickets to experience Columbia icefield adventure and Columbia icefield Skywalk. We parked our RV there, board a shuttle then rode a massive ice explorer to take us on Athabasca glacier to explore on foot for an hour. Another shuttle took us to skywalk center, where after walking a one KM walkway, we reach the Glass floored skywalk with unobstructed views of the Sunwapta valley. After that, we drove to Athabasca falls and finally went to our campground for the night- Wabasso.

Day 8: July 23, 2022: Camping @ Wabasso, Jasper National Park

We parked at the junction of Hwy 93A and Edith Cavell Road and my DH tried to hitch hike to the trailhead since the road is not suitable for RV to do the Edith Cavell Meadows trail, but he couldn’t find a ride, so instead he did Valley of the Five Lakes trail. Then we both hiked the Maligne Canyon trail and then went to medicine lake and Maligne lake. While DH kayaked in the Maligne lake, we played in water and had a close encounter with a family of bears driving back on Maligne Lake road to our campground.

Day 9: July 24, 2022: Camping @ Whistler, Jasper National Park

We went to Jasper sky tram, the longest and highest guided aerial tramway in Canada for stunning views of six mountain ranges, turquoise lakes, glacial fed rivers and the mountain town of Jasper. We wandered around the boardwalks while my DH explored the alpines taking the Whistlers Mountain summit trail. We headed to the Town of Jasper for lunch at a Chinese restaurant and groceries and Afternoon, we played at lake Annette beach. We went to Whistlers campground, most beautiful ever with so many elks around, spring flowers and could even see the tram from here.

Day 10: July 25, 2022: Camping @ Lake Louise Campground, Banff National Park

We skipped Jasper East area and starting driving back on Icefields Parkway making random stops on our way to Lake Louise. We stopped at Sunwapta falls and later my DH did Toe of the Athabasca Glacier trail while we fought the mosquitoes at the trailhead. After shopping at Saskatchewan River Crossing, we did Mistaya canyon trail, Peyto and Bow lakes. Just when I thought the lakes couldn’t get any better, Lake Louise was breath taking with turquoise water against the white glaciers at distance and wondered if this is the heaven on earth. While my DH and DD1 kayaked in the beautiful lake, my DD2 played in the ice-cold waters for a peaceful night in Lake Louise campground.

Day 11: July 26, 2022: Camping @ Lake Louise Campground, Banff National Park

As my DH left for hiking early in the day to Lake Agnes, Kids and I took a free connector bus from the campground to the Park & Ride with beautiful views of the Lake Louise Ski Resort & Sightseeing Gondola. From here, we took Parks Canada shuttle (reserved advance through Parks Canada website) to Lake Moraine, which is yet another beautiful lake but has no beach. We went back to bow lake that afternoon to play in the water although it was very windy unlike the day before.

Day 12: July 27, 2022: Camping @ Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court, Banff National park

We took scenic alternate route 1A from Lake Louise instead of Hwy 1, called The Bow Valley Parkway stopping by the viewpoints. We hiked the Johnston Canyon, and kids enjoyed the views along the suspended catwalks to the lower and upper falls. Next stop is Lake Minnewanka, where my DH and DD1 were adventurous enough to swim in the freezing waters while I struggled to even soak my feet in. We drove back to the town to finally take picture at the most sought-after BANFF sign before going back to our campsite at Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court.

Day 13: July 28, 2022: Camping @ Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court, Banff National Park

My DH hiked to the top of Tunnel, Banff’s most popular mountain while we are still asleep and returned to take us into the town. We took the bus from our campground to Banff and from there to “Cave and Basin” National Historic Site. In 1885, a small area around the Cave and Basin Hot Springs was protected and became the core of the first national park in Canada. For years people used to bath in “the basin”, pool with warm, mineral rich spring fed water and preferred it over the dark and sulphurous Cave pool; now home for the endangered Banff Springs snail. We got to know the area history watching videos, interactive exhibits and roamed around the area and took the Roam Public transit back to the town. We explored and shopped around the vibrant downtown making the most of our final day in Canada.

Day 14: July 29, 2022: Kootenay National Park, BC, Canada

We started driving back to States via Kootenay National Park on Hwy 93 South (Kootenay parkway). We hiked the Marble canyon trail, which crosses the canyon multiple times on small bridges and at the top was a beautiful waterfall. Kootenay (and Yoho) is also home for the Famous and most important Burgess Shale fossils, soft-bodied organisms that lived in Cambrian Sea, 505 million years ago.  We hiked the Paint Pots trail, that take us through mineral-rich springs of incredible colors. Our last stop was Numa Falls before we entered USA. We did shop at Whitefish, MT for Huckleberry tees and finally went back to Rocky Mountain “Hi”RV Campground. Kids played in swim hole until after 9pm, as it wouldn’t set until 10pm and made friends catching Crawfish. Apparently for them, this is the best part of the whole camping trip.

Day 15: Saturday, July 30, 2022: Back home

We spent all morning at the creek, catching more Crawfish and drove the RV to airport where the owners picked it up. There was chaos at the airport as there’s no internet, so they manually checked the list and let the people board. We were glad to reach home safe and sound after a very long memorable trip, indeed still vivid that I could write this post today after almost 2 years 😊

Love for Nature and Camping made easy :)

 Dear Soul,

 “Beauty lies in the simplest of things: Think Right always”

 Who doesn’t like holidays with long drives, hiking in valleys and mountains, playing in snow/beaches, watching sunsets/stars, lake fun or just enjoying silence in Nature?? A weekend of Camping is a good relaxing break from routine with no pressure of planning or packing and best way to discover and explore new places. Luckily, being in California and a family who appreciate outdoors most, we have several destinations close by to enjoy year around. We have evolved as campers over the last decade growing from a couple to having two kids (however the love remained the same) and went on several short and sweet nearby and some longer international camping trips (RV and tent/car). Since some of my friends are interested too and summer is around the corner, I thought this is a good time to make it easy for them here. 

Book:

In addition to national parks/forest lands(recreation.gov) and state parks (reservecalifornia.com), there are several other resources to find and book campgrounds: regional parks, county parks, private (KOA.com, hipcamp.com or just google for “campground”), hike/backpack camps for more adventurous spirits. There are also first come first serve options in many campgrounds, so we can take advantage of them if we reach early, for last minute trips. Weather is very important for everyone to have a fun experience in camping, there are quite a few trips in the past year that we canceled due to weekend rains or bad forecasts.

Must pack:

We have a spreadsheet that includes my shopping/packing list which makes it easy each time, you can tailor make one according to the then needs of your family.

• Food and drinks: Breakfast cereal/croissants, Lunch sub or hoagie sandwiches, Elaborate dinners with rice, tacos, noodles etc. and desserts
• Cut/Cook/clean: cutting board, knife, utensils, dish soap, trash bags, plates/napkins/cutlery
• Camping equipment: Tent, tarp, stove, fuel(propane), cooler, mattresses, picnic blanket, lighter and firewood, lamp
• Hiking essentials: flashlights, hiking sticks
• Luggage: seasonal wear, swim wear, toiletries, towels
• Travel aids: A good book, first aid, games, kids’ activities

 In camping:

• Setting up tent early in the day is easier with sunlight and gives plenty of time to relax and explore around/make dinners, campfires and smores. On other days of hiking, we return early to enjoy what campground has to offer.
• Food tastes so much better, as I get to enjoy my DH’s cooking with my DD1 helping and DD2 feeding herself, so I get to really relax.
• We go to bed early and align ourselves with Circadian cycle so Mornings start early and fresh.
•  This is the best time to enjoy company with oneself, family, old friends or new ones made with campsite neighbors with so many stories to share around campfire.
•  Since we are engaging in nature all day instead of technology, thoughts become slow and so clarity and creativity are biproducts. So, I make sure to take notes or write/record my experiences in phone.

In short, camping for me is all good things wrapped up in one, so please do definitely give it a try. Now off to enjoy our lake camping for the long weekend, see you all again soon 😊

Camping in SoCal - Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park

Dear Soul,

“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday” – BK Shivani

 This trip is very dear to me, as I wanted to do camping in SoCal from a long time and I enjoyed EVERY moment of it. I learnt many lessons from the desert: Being flexible and adapt to (harsh) weather/environment, being true to nature from the cold-water springs, knowing self-worth from Joshua tree, being hopeful from desert blooms and having trust in higher self from Oases.

Plan for Spring break:

Since this was a road trip we tweaked it as per weather and started on Sunday instead of Saturday and set to return on Friday. Initially the plan was to do Mohave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, but in order for the kids to enjoy a different scenery, we skipped Mohave and decided to do Palm Springs instead.

Sunday Mar 31: Drive to SoCal

We loaded the car with all the camping and food supplies for the week and started driving south early from the Bay area. Along Hwy 152 (connecting 101 to I5), are a couple of cool spots to stretch the legs: Casa De Fruta And San Luis Reservoir Recreation area (Romero overlook visitor center). 

I5-S along central valley has nothing much to offer, mostly vast plains with occasional big rest area/gas stations. We stopped for lunch at ButtonwillowRest Area – Southbound close to Tule Elk State Preserve, and kids enjoyed playing with hamsters.  As we are approaching SoCal, the snow mountains were a welcoming scene and soon we passed through Six flags and reached our hotel in Beaumont by late afternoon. Heard it’s snowing up in the mountains (Oak Glen – San Bernardino National Forest) but resisted the urge to check it out and rested instead (even made it to my online class), excited for the next day.

 Monday Apr 1: Palm Springs - Indian Canyons

Diving into palm springs, we enjoyed the change of scenery into desert and sands. We stopped by Palm Springs Visitor Center for some pics and info and since Mt San Jacinto appeared to be engulfed in clouds, we decided to do Indian canyons instead of Palm Spring Aerial Tramway. Indian Canyons are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. There is a fee required for entry PP and we get to explore three desert canyons: Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon and Murray Canyon. We parked the car in the Murray Canyon Parking lot and did 4-mile Murray Canyon Trail to Seven Sisters, a 12-foot waterfall. We shared the initial trail with horseback riders until a horse hitching area when the trail became more challenging. The first sight of Palm filled Oasis in the canyon was very thrilling.  There were multiple stream crossings (we lost count after a point) along the trail, which was the most fun part in the hike. For the first couple, we managed to cross the stream/creek without shoes getting wet, but soon realized it’s not possible and walked our way through the water going forward- much faster, easier, and keeping us cool to get through the trail.

Hiking in the desert has its own challenges and with my 4-year-old DD2 hiking all the way, it took us way longer than expected and got really hungry by the end. We then drove to Palm Canyon, the world’s largest California fan palm oasis stretching fifteen miles long. It can be seen best from up the trading post which has food options, souvenirs, books etc.

We did lunch picnic and hiked down to palm canyon where kids enjoyed the remnants of the early Agua Caliente society and played in water. Finally, rejuvenated, we went to our KOA campground in Desert Hot Springs to relax for the evening and thanks to the weather, the shoes got dry by night.

Tuesday Apr 2: Palm Springs Aerial tramway and Mount San Jacinto State Park

Ignorant of the huge wait times at Palm Springs Aerial tramway, we spent time roaming around in campground and went to Tramway by its opening time. Little did we know that the ticketing opens well ahead, and by the time we reached, there were lines at the entrance, then lines at the parking for bus transport, then ticketing lines with a 2.5 hour wait time for boarding the tram. So, we picked up the tickets and drove down back to the city and hung out in the vibrant downtown. We shopped around –loved the “Only in Palm Springs” store and had a date shake to beat the heat. We went back just in time for boarding and enjoyed the 360degree view from the rotating tram. It reminded me of Jasper Skytram in Canada, only its even higher and longer. The landing station exits to San Jacinto State Park where my DH and DD1 did the snowy Discovery Nature Trail and Desert View Trail while my DD2 and I spent time playing with snow on concrete pathway to Long Valley and watched the movie on history of the tram. 

On the way down the tram ride, we got to listen to some great songs of all time: “Don’t worry be happy”, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.  We went back to campsite for some swimming and relaxing at Natural hot springs as promised to kids and ended the day with a nice dinner. Since the tram turned out to be an all-day thing, we had to skip Date Farm tour (next door to our KOA), Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (for my DD2’s love of animals), Coachella and other preserves around Palm Springs (Palm-filled Oases).

 Wednesday Apr 3: Joshua tree National Park

We packed up our tent and drove to Joshua tree Visitor center at Joshua Tree passing by Yucca Valley and small towns. We took the park map highlighted with must see places in the park and saw exhibits one differentiating Joshua tree from Mojave Yucca. We entered the park through West Entrance Station and did few hikes:

Hidden Valley: As the name suggests, a valley hidden by boulders, what’s believed to be a legendary cattle rustlers' hideout. We first saw rock climbers here in the park.

Barker Dam: Only spot in park with water, constructed by early cattlemen then abandoned. We had lunch picnic in the shade of a Joshua tree here.

Ryan Ranch: Remains of an old homestead of J.D. Ryan who operated the nearby Lost Horse Mine

We skipped Keys View (panoramic views) for Sunset/Sunrise for next day and continued to Jumbo Rocks Campground and were thrilled to see our campsite.

We set up our tent and drove to skull rock (should have taken the trail instead), did rock scrambling around and hiked Discovery Trail. As we made dinner, DD1 explored around with their newly made friends with campsite neighbors. As the night got chilly and windy, and we enjoyed the warmth (and smores) at the campfire and stories from our neighbors.  

Thursday Apr 4: Joshua tree National Park and Drive home

My DH set out to do Ryan Mountain trail instead of driving to Keys View in the morning while the daughters strolled around with their friends and I packed our tent with the windy forecast. We drove south to hike to Arch Rock, Heart rock and had lunch at Cholla Cactus Garden. 

We decided to not be around Joshua tree NP as it got very windy and started driving home. We experienced every kind of weather on our way back home- wind, rain, hail, snow, sun and took a detour on I-5 for the best Chinese dinner at New China Restaurant in Huron, CA (well worth it). We made it home late in the night and relaxed on our own bed, reminiscing about the trip and planning for the next camping trip 😊