Driving from Salt Lake to Canada... any ideas?

Hi everyone!

We%26#39;re going to be driving from Salt Lake City through Idaho to Montana (Glacier National Park) and then on to Canada (Banff National Park) this fall.

Any recommendations on things to do while in Idaho? We love anything outdoors. We%26#39;ll be taking this trip in September.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!!!

Monica

Driving from Salt Lake to Canada... any ideas?

If you want the scenic outdoors route I would drive from Salt Lake up to Twin Falls, Idaho then take State Highway 75 via Sun Valley and Stanley which goes through the Sawtooth National Recreation area which is probably the most scenic mountain area of Idaho. From Stanley you could continue up to Challis on Highway 75 and take US93 through Salmon, Idaho over into Montana and onto Missoula, US93 is also very scenic from Salmon over Lost Trail Pass and through the Bitterroot Valley in Montana. Its worth staying a couple of days in the Stanley area if you like to hike, great days hikes available from several trail heads located on very scenic mountain lakes.

Driving from Salt Lake to Canada... any ideas?

No idea about Idaho - only been there briefly myself but plan to explore this summer. From Glacier I don%26#39;t know if you were planning on going to Banff via Calgary, but I highly recommend Route 93 at least one way. Beautiful, mostly flat drive alongside mountains and lakes and rivers. There%26#39;s also lots of hotsprings in the area which make great pit stops. If this interests you I can recommend my favorites...

Actually, from GNP it%26#39;s a long ways out of your way to go to highway 93! Although the drive from Sandpoint, ID up to Cranbrook, BC is really beautiful.

I hope you will also post in the Alberta forum for suggestions on the Banff component of your trip.

From the West side of GNP, Hwy 93 is the most direct route to BNP. So it depends on what they plan to do and where they plan to exit the park.

I assume that when she says ';through Idaho to Montana'; she doesn%26#39;t mean Coeur D%26#39;Alene area, but Idaho Falls. So Sandpoint would be a substantial detour.

For hot springs along route 93 I recommend Lussier - also called White Swan after the provincial park they are in. There%26#39;s also one near Kimberley (';Bavarian town of the Rockies';, popular ski destination thus relatively cheap accomodation in the summer) called Dewar but it might be too out of the way for you, about a 4 mile hike too. But if you%26#39;re going to be in Kimberley and need to stretch your legs it%26#39;s worth checking out.

Lussier

These are about 20 mins East of the highway. Don%26#39;t be put off by the dirt road - I do it in my coupe which I baby. Take the turnoff for White Swan Lake Provincial Park just south of Canal Flats. (This is ';White Swan Forest Service Rd'; on a map.) Stay on that road and the springs will be on your right, the road widens for parking and there%26#39;s a path down the springs. There%26#39;s a changing room/pit toilet at the top. Unless you%26#39;re there very early in the morning or evening there will be a couple dozen people there that time of year. (Careful! Sometimes early morning nudists..) These springs are my favorite because there are 6-10 stone pools (when the river rises it moves the boulders, and then when it recedes people rebuild them so the layout can change every season.) The hot springs come out of the mountain in the top pool, which is the HOT - hotter than your typical hot tub. The water trickles between the rocks to 3-4 middle pools which are slightly less hot (average hot tub temp I would say). Then the water trickles further down into pools that the river water also gets into a bit, so they are about room temperature... and lastly there are usually a couple of wading pools people have made in the river water - which is freezing!

Keep in mind that this being a natural, ';undeveloped'; hot spring means there are rocks in the pools, no ladder to get in etc... as such I recommend bringing water shoes or sport sandals as the rocks are usually a bit slimey so it%26#39;s hard to get traction.

Whiteswan lake, if you care to drive another 15 mins to see it, is lovely and pristine but FRIGID! If you do the polar bear swims you might like to take a dip. Not everyone%26#39;s cup of tea but I love it because there%26#39;s never anyone there except the odd fisherman. (The fishing is good.) Also a native band on the far side of the lake so when you look across there are teepees. Sometimes I hear them drumming %26amp; singing across the lake as well.

Radium Hot Springs, which you%26#39;ll be driving through as you get closer to Kootenay National Park/Banff, has a nice pool (I think admission is about $10). I prefer the natural hot springs experience but if you%26#39;re going to go to a developed hot spring, make it this one. It%26#39;s a beautiful setting, and right on your way. Fairmont is full of timeshares so you can imagine the atmosphere.

Also a few lakes on the way, all %26lt;10 min detours:

Wasa lake is popular for swimming but it%26#39;s very well used in the summer. There are also two huuuuge lakes on your way: Columbia lake is great for swimming and has a very nice beach. Windermere Lake (in/around Invermere) is also an OK swimming lake. If you%26#39;re interested in renting a boat or jetskis Invermere is a good place to do that.

I actually have some great pictures of Kootenay National Park which I%26#39;ve been meaning to post. You%26#39;ll be driving through there if you take route 93 so look for the pictures in the next couple days!