Crossing route from Glacier National Park, Montana to Banff, Canada

[ADOR]

Good morning. We will be heading to Glacier NP in Montana next week for few days. Then, we will be going to Banff in Canada.

The GPS is giving me 2 different routes.

1st route = crossing thru ROOSVILLE BORDER CROSSING (via Hwy 93). Passing thru Cranbrook, Radium Hot springs into Banff area (5.5 hr drive).

2nd Route - crossing thru CARWAY BORDER CROSSING (via Hwy 89), into Calgary, to Banff (7 Hr Drive)


We have driven to Banff from Helena, Montana in 2019. But never from Glacier National Park.

We will be in a 35 ft Class A (gas v8) motorhome, pulling a Jeep Wrangler (with 2 dogs).

I want to avoid driving through lots of high grade elevations and narrow/winding roads. What would be a BETTER option from Glacier NP given those 2 routes?

(We have the ArriveCAN ap, Covid vaccine cards, passports and dog vaccine records ready).

Thanks in advance.

[glen1971]

Which side of Glacier Park are you crossing from? Avoiding the elevation change on the south route of GNP, highway 2, will help determine the best route. That said, we've taken our holiday trailer that way a few times.
Rooseville isn't too bad of a crossing, but there is A LOT of construction east if Golden, BC as they twin the highway. You'll end up heading north in Alberta on highway 22 or 2. 22 is a 2 lane racetrack to Calgary, and highway 2 is a 4 lane to Calgary.
Carway is a smaller border crossing and takes a 2 lane highway to the junction of highway 3 and 2, where you would take the 4 lane north, as above.

[ADOR]

Glen, thank you for for feedback. We will be staying at West Glacier KOA in Montana. I saw that "yellow markings" on the GPS tracking going to ROOSEVILEL Crossing. That is probably due to that on-going construction you are referring to.

Any other route you suggest? Or best to take the ROUTE 2 that the GPA gave me?

Originally Posted by glen1971

Which side of Glacier Park are you crossing from? Avoiding the elevation change on the south route of GNP, highway 2, will help determine the best route. That said, we've taken our holiday trailer that way a few times.
Rooseville isn't too bad of a crossing, but there is A LOT of construction east if Golden, BC as they twin the highway. You'll end up heading north in Alberta on highway 22 or 2. 22 is a 2 lane racetrack to Calgary, and highway 2 is a 4 lane to Calgary.
Carway is a smaller border crossing and takes a 2 lane highway to the junction of highway 3 and 2, where you would take the 4 lane north, as above.

[glen1971]

From Google Maps, it looks like your route would avoid the construction I mentioned, but there will be an increased amount of traffic. Highway 2 on the south side of the park is a nice drive and shouldn't give you any issues with elevation.
Two more thoughts on a route. BC has a provincial sales tax, and gas is usually about 8-10 cents a liter higher than in Alberta. Currently it is $1.929 here in my corner of Alberta, so in BC, I'm expecting it is over $2.10 a liter. If your trip has time, a day trip to Waterton Park isn't that far ifcz detour from Carway, if you've never been that way before

[Webefine]

We just did West Glacier through Roosville to Lake Louise about 3 weeks ago. We are in a 36’ super C towing a 30’ trailer that weighs 12,000 pounds. There were a few grades up and down that slowed us down some but for the most part I didn’t think I was a bad route for a large RV. That being said I do have a diesel with a engine brake so the down hill grades don’t bother me much, I just take it easy and let the motor do the work.

[Campingnut]

I like the route through Crambrook better but like what was said construction and BC prices are bad. Highway 22 can be interesting but highway 2 is the best route.

[DJohn]

Hi, we just came from the KOA in Cranbrook to Banff, drive Hwy 93 a few times a year. Good route, joins Hwy #1 at Castle junction to Banff. Drive a 35 ft Class A, no problems. Gas in BC is around 2.15 a litre, so fill in Montana then wait till Banff, 1.92 a litre. Enjoy the trip.

[Seeking Adventure]

Your first route through Rooseville is the most scenic and takes you through Kootenay National Park on Hwy 93 before you get to Banff. This also avoids all the construction that is on HWY 1 between Golden & Banff. The highways are good but more hills going through the Rockies while in Kootenay National Park. I live in Cranbrook & favor this route. The other route would be faster, less hills & less scenic. Enjoy your trip!

[ADOR]

Thank you everyone for the responses. We will have to make the decision on which route to take on our last day in Glacier NP in Montana.


Last few questions....

We will be crossing into Canada July 1st (Canada Day). How is the border crossing on a Holiday? Do some border crossing close July 1st?

With ArriveCAN ap, it ask which border we will be crossing. We have to do that 72 hrs before. If I declare on location, then change mind and use a different location, will that be a problem?

We are excited to visit Canada once again. This will be our 4th trip to Canada in our RV.

[Dennis88]

Use the Caraway crossing, you do not want to go through Calgary. That road is a mess. I was raised just east of Banff . I know the roads well,as I still travel them regularly. Plus you can stop at Radium Hot Springs.

[ADOR]

So that I can have an idea on where the construction areas are.... where exactly are those areas, in reference to City and Highway?

Anything I should be aware of when crossing on Canada Day (July 1st)? Like road or border crossing closures due to being a Holiday?

[B.Boudens]

Originally Posted by ADOR

So that I can have an idea on where the construction areas are.... where exactly are those areas, in reference to City and Highway?

Anything I should be aware of when crossing on Canada Day (July 1st)? Like road or border crossing closures due to being a Holiday?

Hello and G'day from Calgary, and a pre- vacation welcome to you.

So, there is major construction on Calgary's west side as we complete the inter-change between the south- west section of our ring road with the Trans Canada HWY. If you come through Calgary on the #2 HWY as per one of your routes you will not be able to avoid this construction zone. Depending the time of day. Friday evening, Sat. Moring for example, you can be stuck in the rush to the mountains.

There is major construction on the Trans-Can. HWY west of Lake Louise as we twin the highway to Golden B.C.

I drove the #93 route at the end of may and it had more traffic than usual because of the periodic closures due to the construction on the Trans - Can. There are some tight and twisty sections on the #93 as to travel north out of Radium but nothing extreme. But it is in the mountains and there are some climbs/ descents that I'll manual shift my transmission on when towing my TT. You can expect busy traffic during that Thursday to Sunday time frame as it is a long weekend for us. Especially between Radium-Banff-Calgary as a lot of Calgarian vacation homes are on the lakes around Radium and Invermere. However you'll be going against the rush on this route.

A 3rd route option that I'll propose is the HWY #22 "Cowboy Trail" that runs along the base of the foot hills between the QE HWY#2 and the #93 in B.C. access is just west of the town of Lunbrick. along the Crows Nest Pass HW Good paved 100 km single lane secondary HWY that is considered the "scenic route" (ie slow) compared to the #2. This ends at the HWY 22x on the south end of Calgary and allows you to skip the city altogether by going west to Bragg Creek then north again on the a different section of the "Cowboy Trail" Hwy 22 that will intersect with the Trans Canada Highway south of the town of Cochran. There is a Petro-Can. truck stop at this interchange.

This route will pass through a number of small towns and will save you some $ at the pump as Alberta gas prices are about 15 cents per liter cheaper than B.C. It dose have some high wind warnings form time to time that hit from the west. Access it from either border entry points, but from the BC entrance you will be backtracking east a bit. Give it a Goggle and see if it might be an option for you.

Safe travels, Happy Camping and let me know if I can be of any more assistance.

Cheers!

[ADOR]

Thanks again for the response folks.

It seems like we will be doing the Hwy 93 route. The weather forecast on the day we will be travelling from Montana to Banff (Friday, July 1st) is 60% Chance of Rain. Would that route be a bit more difficult to navigate in the rain, when driving a 35ft Gas Class A motorhome, pulling a Jeep Wrangler?

Would you suggest just taking on the traffic on Hwy 2 if the weather condition is less than ideal (60% chance of rain)?

We encountered some rain showers back in 2019 in Hwy 2 and it isn't bad of a drive.

Never driven Hwy 93 in the past. 60% chance of rain in the mountains makes me a bit uneasy. Is the winding road, uphill and downhill long distance?

[B.Boudens]

Originally Posted by ADOR

Thanks again for the response folks.

It seems like we will be doing the Hwy 93 route. The weather forecast on the day we will be travelling from Montana to Banff (Friday, July 1st) is 60% Chance of Rain. Would that route be a bit more difficult to navigate in the rain, when driving a 35ft Gas Class A motorhome, pulling a Jeep Wrangler?

Would you suggest just taking on the traffic on Hwy 2 if the weather condition is less than ideal (60% chance of rain)?

We encountered some rain showers back in 2019 in Hwy 2 and it isn't bad of a drive.

Never driven Hwy 93 in the past. 60% chance of rain in the mountains makes me a bit uneasy. Is the winding road, uphill and downhill long distance?

G’day again.

For the most part the BC. HWY 93/95 route follows the Kootenay River in a wide valley between two mountain ranges. The river and the highway split off around Canal Flats as the road starts to shift around Columbia Lake and climbs on to the lower shelf of the mountain range. At Radium, you then climb up a pass over the mountain range to meet up with the head waters of the Kootenay river. Vermillion Pass, the high point of this section of Highway is 1,640 m. (5,380 ft.) of elevation Radium is 808 m.

So, you will climb 832 m. (2,792 ft.) then drop down to Castle Junction at 1,443 m. (4,734 ft.) descending only 197 m. (646 ft.) to do so.

I’m focusing on this section because it will be the most challenging part of the route, but also some of the most scenic. Most of the climbs are two lane. And honestly, the dive between Radium and Banff is only an hour and a half. If the weather is not to your liking, there are plenty of trail heads and day use areas to pull off and have a break.

It’s much better to be in the mountains than dive around them IMHO. My aunt and uncle drove through this route with a V-10 gas class A and a toad in the springtime with no problems. Just take you time and enjoy the adventure!

Happy Canada Day and Happy camping everyone!