16 US States and 4 Canadian Provinces. (Banff NP and Jasper NP), July 2022

[PetitFrereArmada]

Getting ready for a road trip and just had to make a blog to document my travels and share a lot of pictures.

This is the map of my July 2022 Road Trip. I will be driving through 16 US states and 4 Canadian provinces. After this trip, my 2020 Honda Accord would have finally traveled through all 50 US states and have pictures of it infront of all the "Welcome to......" state signs. And also would have traveled to Canada 3 times now and been to Mexico 5 times now.

I will be spending most of my time in the part of the country where gas prices are at an all time high including the very high gas prices in Canada. Also, the price of hotels are very high at this time. So, spending 26 nights in hotels on this road trip is a lot higher than I have soent before. Everything has gotten pretty expensive this time around.

These 2 factors have affected my budget for this trip greatly and almost made me think of canceling this road trip since it will be an expensive one The only consolation is the fact that I will be doing the over 7,000 miles road trip in my gas saving 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid. So, I am hoping the price of gas would not be too much of a problem since in the city, I do hypermile and guaranteed to get over 55mpg.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

My 26 days Road Trip Itinerary. From June 28 to July 24.

Tues, June 28: Houston, TX to Fargo, ND. 20 hours drive
- Get off work at 7:30pm and start my 20 hours drive throughout the night at 9:30pm.

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Wednesday, June 29: Frago, ND to Winnipeg, MB. 4 hours drive
- Drive to Winnipeg
- Explore a bit of Winnipeg

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Thursday, June 30: Winnipeg, MB to Moose Jaw, SK. 7 hours drive
- Drive Red Coat Trail to Moose Jaw
- Souris Swinging Bridge
- Redvers MP on horse
- RCMP Heritage Centre, Regina

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Friday, July 1: Moose Jaw, SK to Calgary, AB. 7 hours drive
- Canada Day!
- Mac the Moose
- Saamis Tepee
- Brooks Aqueduct

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Saturday, July 2: Explore Calgary, AB
- Heritage Park ($29.95 ticket)
- Calgary Tower ($18 ticket)
- Prince's Island Park

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Sunday, July 3: Explore Calgary, AB
- Calgary Zoo ($29.95)
- Calgary Farmer's Market
- Calgary Stampede

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Monday, July 4: Calgary, AB to Banff, AB. 2 hours drive
- Mount Norquay Lookout
- Banff Park Museum
- Banff Spring Fairmont Hotel
- Cave & Basin National Historic Site
- Banff Gandola 5:30pm-7:20pm
- Sunset at Lake Minnewanka

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Tuesday, July 5: Explore Banff NP
- Sunrise at Moraine Lake
- Lake Louise and Fairmont Chateau
- Lake Minnewanka
- Return to Banff through Bow Valley Pkwy (BVP)
- Hike Johnson Canyon on BVP
- Walk Banff main street and visit shops

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Wednesday, July 6: Explore Banff NP
- Lower Spiral Tunnel
- Takakkaw Falls (2nd highest waterfall in Canada)
- Field, AB
- Natural Bridge
- Emerald Lake
- Yoho National Park
- Wapta Falls

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Thursday, July 7: Banff, AB to Jasper, AB. 4 hours drive
- Drive Icefields Pkwy to Jasper making numerous stops along the way
- Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, Num-Ti-Jah Lodge
- Peyto Lake
- Saskatchewan River Crossing
- Weeping wall viewpoint
- Columbia icefields/Athabasca Glacier
- Columbia Icefield/Skywalk 1pm (4hrs long)
- Sunwapta Falls

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Friday, July 8: Explore Jasper, NP
- Walk downtown Jasper
- Pyramid Lake, Pyramid Island
- Medicine Lake
- Lake Maligne Cruise 4:45pm (2 hrs long). Explore Lake Maligne after cruise for 9pm sunset pictures

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Saturday, July 9: Jasper, AB to 100 Mile House to Lillooet, BC. 7 hours drive
- 108 Mile Ranch Heritage Site
- 100 Mile South Cariboo Visitor Center
- Historic Hat Creek
- Lillooet Mile 0 1860 Cariboo Waggon Road

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Sunday, July 10: Lilloet, BC to Whistler to Seattle, WA. 6 hours drive
- Duffey Lake Viewpoint
- Drive Sea to Sky Highway (hwy99)
- Whistler (Squamish Cultural Center, Whistler Olympic Plaza)
- Vancouver (Capilano Suspension Park, Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park, Gastown Steam Clock, Canada Place, Granville Island Public Market)

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Monday, July 11: Explore Seattle
- Fremont Troll
- Gas Works Park
- Kerry Park
- Seattle Center & Space Needle
- Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Pike Place Market
- Klondike Gold Rush Park
- Snoqualmie Pass
- Raised donuts or Top Pot donuts

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Tuesday, July 12: Seattle, WA to Lake Tahoe, NV. 12 hours drive
- Vista House
- Bridal Veil Falls
- Multnomah Falls

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Wednesday, July 13: Explore Lake Tahoe
- Drive around Lake Tahoe

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Thursday, July 14: Explore Lake Tahoe
- Walk around Lake Tahoe

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Friday, July 15: Lake Tahoe, NV to Yosemite NP to Fresno, CA. 7 hours drive
- Visit Yosemite NP
= Sleep Fresno, CA

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Saturday, July 16: Fresno, CA to Sequoia NP to Dead Valley NP to Pahrump, NV. 8 hours drive
- Visit Sequoia NP
- Visit Dead Valley NP

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Sunday, July 17: Pahrump, NV to Las Vegas, NV. 1 hour drive
- Visit Dead Valley before leaving for Las Vegas
- Explore Freemont and Las Vegas Strip

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Monday, July 18: Explore Las Vegas
- Explore Las Vegas

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Tuesday, July 19: Las Vegas, NV to Oatman to Flagstaff, AZ. 6 hours drive
- Drive Route 66 from Oatman to Kingman to Peach Springs to Flagstaff

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Wednesday, July 20: Visit Jerome, Prescott and Sedona
- Visit Jerome and Prescott, AZ
- Visot Sedona

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Thursday, July 21: Flagstaff, AZ to Mexican Hat, UT. 5 hours drive
- Explore Page (Horseshoe bend, Wahweap overlook)
- Monument Valley. Forest Gump point


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Friday, July 22: Mexican Hat, UT to Albuquerque, NM. 6 hours drive
- Visit 4 corners
- Visit Shiprock (7 miles offroading in my Honda Accord)

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Saturday, July 23: Albuquerque, NM to Palo Duro Canyon State Park to Amarillo, TX. 5 hours
- Visit Groom, TX to see the cross
- Visit Palo Duro state park

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Sunday, July 24: Amarillo, TX to Houston, TX. 10 hours drive
- Drive Home!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

#1 Welcome to Oklahoma @4:30am.

#2 Welcome to Kansas

#3 Welcome to Nebraska

#4 Welcome to Missouri

#5 Welcome to Iowa

#6 Welcome to South Dakota

#7 Welcome to North Dakota

#8 Welcome to Minnesota

#9 Welcome to Manitoba, Canada

#10 Welcome to Saskatchewan

#11 Welcome to Alberta

#12 Welcome to British Columbia

#13 Welcome to Washington

#14 Welcome to Oregon

#15 Welcome to California

#16 Welcome to Nevada

#17 Welcome to Arizona

#18 Welcome to Utah

#19 Welcome to Colorado

#20 Welcome to New Mexico

 

[NOPEC]

Man, I had to have a nap after reading your itinerary.

When we were drunk teenagers, after partying we used to go and swing on the Souris bridge to try and make each other sick. I am sure all the barf has all been cleaned up by now (55+ years of UV exposure..) and nowadays, they no doubt limit access to the local idiots like we were!!!

Enjoy the trip!!

 

[Uncle Jeffy]

Very ambitious! Glad to see that you planned for some sleep in Fresno on July 15!
I'll keep an eye out on July 10 in Vancouver: I live near the Steam Clock. Safe travels!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Very ambitious! Glad to see that you planned for some sleep in Fresno on July 15!
I'll keep an eye out on July 10 in Vancouver: I live near the Steam Clock. Safe travels!

My plan is that I absolutely have to stop and take a picture with the Steam Clock. So, maybe I will see you, lol.

 

[NOPEC]

And, after a hard day of wandering around the RCMP training/heritage site in Regina, when you are thirsty and have the munchies, just East on Dewdney Ave is Bushwakkers in the old warehouse district. It is a highly acclaimed and much awarded Saskatchewan pioneer Brewpub. Superb beer and food, it was a favourite haunt of mine when I lived there.

Bushwakker Brewpub Regina « Saskatchewan’s Craft Beer Pioneer

bushwakker.com

 

[billiebob]

We got a long way to go and a short time to get there.....

Calgary, Banff, Jasper, Field BC, not AB is my backyard.

In Field stop at the Side Track Cafe for a bite and a glass of wine. When the weather is bad this is my all time favourite pit stop. Wine with Soup or Chilli.

Banff.... anyone can buy property. In the off season it is a ghost town.
Jasper... you need to work there to own property.....
I'd love to hear your impressions.

Just before Peyto Lake is Bow Lake and Num-te-ja Lodge.... an incredible building..... hopefully they will have food service... do not by pass it.
We used to climb starting at Bow Lake because it was the shortest route to the Continental Divide, heres a pic from 40 years ago on the AB/BC border above Bow Lake. A 6 hour ski North puts us at Peyto Lake. A 12? hour ski south puts us at Takakkaw Falls and Field, BC.



Do not buy gas at Saskatchewan Crossing but definitely get a picture of the gas price on the pump..... Guaranteed the highest price in the Americas
And do not buy anything in the tourist trap gift shop where all the Canadian memorabilia is made in china.
But there should be lots of photo ops.

 

[billiebob]

My 26 days Road Trip Itinerary. From June 28 to July 24.

how many miles ??
i'm already tired.

 

[BLand Cruiser]

" - Visit Shiprock (7 miles offroading in my Honda Accord) "

You won't forget seeing that. It's amazing. I did not know you could drive up to it.

Are you going to go right by the Grand Canyon and not go see it?

 

[ITTOG]

I really liked Johnston canyon but don't bother going to the inkpots. They were pretty lame.

That itinerary is crazy. Good luck.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Banff.... anyone can buy property. In the off season it is a ghost town.
Jasper... you need to work there to own property.....
I'd love to hear your impressions.

Just before Peyto Lake is Bow Lake and Num-te-ja Lodge.... an incredible building..... hopefully they will have food service... do not by pass it.

Do not buy gas at Saskatchewan Crossing but definitely get a picture of the gas price on the pump..... Guaranteed the highest price in the Americas
And do not buy anything in the tourist trap gift shop where all the Canadian memorabilia is made in china.
But there should be lots of photo ops.

Thanks a lot for all the tips. I will make sure to talk to the locals to find out more about owning or buying property in Jasper or Banff. Those 2 locations are the highlight of my trip.

I saw Num-te-ja Lodge in one of my searches and thanks for reminding me as I plan to definitely visit it. It is now a must do on my list.

Thanks for the tip about not buying gas at Saskatchewan Crossing. I hope to find out where gas prices are cheaper and so fill up there often. I am pretty goo at hypermiling in city driving giving me over 55pg. I plan to do that often, though it means I will be a bit slower, but then again, people have to drive slowly in Banff and Jasper National Park. So, I should be good. With the way gas prices are these days, hypermiling a Hybrid for the most miles out of a tank of gas helps a lot.

how many miles ??
i'm already tired.

During this 26 days road trip, I estimate to cover 7,000 to 8,000 miles. It sure is a long one, but getting time off work comes to me at a premium price, so I might as well go to as many destinations as I can and visit as many attractions as I can because it is hard to get a long time off for vacation.

" - Visit Shiprock (7 miles offroading in my Honda Accord) "
You won't forget seeing that. It's amazing. I did not know you could drive up to it.
Are you going to go right by the Grand Canyon and not go see it?

Yes, you can drive up to Shiprock. I have been there before in my 4x4 Infiniti, so it was a piece of cake. The road is just a dirt road and no 4x4 needed, but decent clearance is needed. I will be taking a small risk taking my Honda Accord on that road, but I remember the road is easily passable with a 2 wheel drive vehicle, though my main drawback is my Accord sits pretty low. The drive offroad is 7 miles each way to the bottom of Shiprock. It would make for some beautiful pictures and video as I will fly my Mavic 3 drone to take some pictures and some video in the area. I just hope I do not get a flat tire.

Sadly, I will not be going into the Grand Canyon because I have been there twice before and have other places I want to explore that I have never been to. But if I happen to be able to squeeze some time, I may go into the Grand Canyon for like a quick 2 hours visit.

 

[AbleGuy]

I didn’t see anywhere in your thread where you mentioned being seriously int interested in buying property in Canada, but if you are you should know that there is a recent moratorium on non-Canadian citizens buying land up there, so just something to think about.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

I didn’t see anywhere in your thread where you mentioned being seriously int interested in buying property in Canada, but if you are you should know that there is a recent moratorium on non-Canadian citizens buying land up there, so just something to think about.

Thanks a lot for that info. Unfortunately, I am not looking at buying any property in Canada.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

I have never visited any of these attractions, so I purchased a package for us to visit these attractions for our first time. Looking forward to it.