I have tentatively figured out that I would like Calgary a lot better if I left it periodically for mini-vacations of a couple of days here and there, and so I am looking for suggestions for places to go hang out. Ideally, they should be within a couple hours drive from Calgary, and with a quiet, clean place we can rent for a couple of days. They don’t need to be particularly special or have any fantastically interesting draw; just a restful place to not be in Calgary.
Any ideas?
The dinosaur museum at Drumheller is really cool. I think they also let you dig if you take some training.
You’re looking for rentals, which I don’t know much of, but I recall Dad taking us to some cabins out by Canmore. Just outside the park limits and outside the town, so it’s not busy. I remember them being quite nice, each cabin has it’s own kitchen and you can just kick back there or zip into the park if you like.
Unfortunately most of my travelling was when younger, and we usually camped, so that’s not much help.
ETA: These seem to match my memory.
I can’t wait until I drive and have a car so I can do the mini-vacations thing… I like the city, but I really need my space and I find I go mad if I don’t get away even for a short time.
I’m always surprised at the number of little lodges, cabins, and whatnot that are available either in or close to the mountains. Everybody knows about places like the Banff Springs Hotel, of course, and Chateau Lake Louise, but few seem to know of places like Johnson Canyon Cabins, which is between the two of them, along Highway 1A. There’s a similar establishment along 1A west of Morley, but east of Canmore. Might be worth a Sunday drive on the backroads to find a few more.
Of course, if you’d like to go the “save your pennies and splurge on a first-class hotel” route, then your options become a little greater. My wife and I headed up to Kananaskis yesterday to check out a hotel/conference centre where she will be speaking at an upcoming conference. Beautiful place, quiet and elegant, and we also had a nice long walk on the hiking trails. Now she’s not only looking forward to her conference, but we’d also like to book a room for a weekend up there sometime.
We always day trip to Drumheller; it never occurred to me to rent a hotel room there. Ditto with the mountains; we either go hiking in K Country for an afternoon, or go all the way to Radium for a weekend. Good ideas, guys. Thanks.
While I’ve still not had a chance to get down there, I’ve heard lots of good things about Waterton. The description that stuck with me is “It’s like Banff without the crowds.”
Well, they’re so close it’s easy enough to drive out for the day and come home that night so I can see how you might not think to rent a room. I probably wouldn’t either except having done it with family a time or two as a mini-getaway.
I’d suggest the Miette Hot springs near Jasper. I’ve seen little cabins for rent there. I’ve never stayed there, but it looks kind of neat. The hot springs are awesome on a cloudy fall day. The mountains appear in and out of the mist around you, while you’re relaxing in mineral springs.
I’d have to check my maps since it’s been a while since I’ve been in that neck of the woods, but there is a highway that goes to Whitehorse provincial park and the ghost mining town of Mountain View. Neat little interpretive trails and such - the cemetery is restored with little stories of all of the families that settled there. A little further down the road is a place where you can do a relatively short (but brutal if you’re out of shape like me) hike to the top of a ridge. Hundreds of feet below, the Cardinal River twists through a valley. It’s absolutely stunning.
I spent a bit of time in this little corner of the province during my field work at the U of C. It’s absolutely beautiful, and it’s so far from major population centres that NOBODY goes there, except folks who work in forestry and mining and live in place like Hinton.
And a weekend in Rosebud to see a play and have a leisurely breakfast the morning after is always nice.