Kucavana- Travel by motorhome

The Canadian Rockies in summer: our 21-day itinerary + map

Kucavanera family

Lake Louise from the road to Lake Agnes

Welcome to our travelogue of our trip through the Canadian Rockies . One of our newest routes through this wonderful world, where every journey continues to surprise us with its hidden gems.

How lucky we are to have been born on Earth!

This time, we traveled to western Canada , specifically to some of the national parks in the west of the world's second-largest country . It's an area of ​​breathtaking natural beauty, with the Canadian Rockies as its main attraction and the focus of our visit.

Before traveling to Canada, we complete the entire checklist of logistical and bureaucratic needs , detailed in the super guide to traveling to Canada that we have prepared.

Having completed the tasks of obtaining the eTA visa on the official Canadian government website, purchasing the required travel insurance, checking the validity of our passport , buying the necessary plug adapter , purchasing a SIM card for mobile internet in Canada , booking tours and activities , and packing our bags with the essentials, leaving the unnecessary items at home, we can now depart for Canada and its breathtaking landscapes!

Our route through Canada is in a rented campervan (we rented from Roadsurfer, our second time doing so). It's a way of traveling we're used to. In Spain, we have our own campervan, the Kucavana, which is precisely what this blog is called, and we've had it for over seven years. If you're thinking of doing this trip through the Canadian Rockies in a campervan like we did, we recommend you first read our post about traveling to Canada by campervan , where you'll find all the regulations and things you should know beforehand.

TIP: If you want to do this road trip through Canada in a campervan like we did, we recommend renting one. We suggest doing so in Calgary or Vancouver with Roadsurfer , a company we would definitely use again. Roadsurfer gave us a $ 150 discount that you, as readers, can also take advantage of by applying the DISCOUNT CODE: KUCAVANAAMERICA

-150 $ ROADSURFER MOTORHOME RENTAL CODE: KUCAVANAAMERICA

About us

Banff National Park, Morain Lake
Banff National Park, Morain Lake

We are the Kucavana family , and we travel with our two children and our adopted dog, Max. We usually travel in our motorhome, also called Kucavana, hence the name of our blog (as a baby, Anna couldn't pronounce "motorhome" and said "Kucavana"). But we also enjoy traveling by bicycle, by plane, and backpacking—the point is to have adventures as a family. The one writing this is me, Pilar, the mom of the family and perhaps the craziest one. I enjoy every new experience we have as a family, and I hope to help you enjoy traveling as much as we do.

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6 curiosities about Canada that you should know

This is our first trip to this wonderful country that has captivated us and made us fall in love with it. So much so that we know we will definitely return and perhaps even live there. A country that is one of the record-breakers, if not, keep reading and you will see.

When we arrived, there were 7 things that surprised us, apart from the fact that everything there is huge (like in the United States) and that the world map does not really reflect the distances, which are the curiosities that I will tell you about.

Curiosities of the Rocky Mountains and Canada that surprised us

  1. It is a country of world records. The one that has longest coastline in the world, largest area of ​​lakes in the world (31.700 lakes, which are 20% of the world's fresh water!), largest number of large islands (not small ones, eh) in the world and the second largest country in the world, which is only surpassed in size by Russia.
  2. Multilingualism in Canada is omnipresent, and although being Catalan I am used to bilingualism, there I really enjoyed being able to practice two of my favorite languages: English and French. Of course, in the West the main language is English.
  3. The National Parks of Canada are extensive and there are many, in total 48!
  4. La security and quality of life In Canada, they make you breathe every second that this country is one of the best places to live in the world, without a doubt. 
  5. Generally there is very low population density, Despite being the second largest country in the world, it only 4 people per square kilometer They live in Canada. But, of course, the cold in the north in winter is not very inviting to populate those lands of tundra and ice where temperatures reach -40 degrees hahaha. Precisely in the north is where they are more Métis and Inuit indigenous reserves.
  6. Hay 6 time zones, what a crazy clock! In Toronto it is 6 hours shorter than in Spain, in Calgary it is 8 hours shorter and in Vancouver it is 9 hours shorter!
  7. The Maple syrup is a culture in CanadaIf you weren't already a fan of it, I recommend you start trying it along with some good pancakes.
The mind-blowing Prismatic Hot Springs Pool in Yellowston National Park, deep in the Rocky Mountains

Location and formation of the Rocky Mountains, the backbone of North America 

The Rocky Mountains are an impressive mountain range that stretches across the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, extending into the state of New Mexico in the United States . In Canada, administrative divisions are made into provinces, not states as in the United States.

The Rockies are the main objective of our route and trip. These mountains are famous for their spectacular natural beauty, rich biodiversity and opportunities for a thousand outdoor activities.

Last year we visited part of the Rocky Mountain National Parks in the United States on our road trip along the West Coast in a motorhome . On that trip, we made it as far as Yellowstone National Park. This year, we'll explore the remaining portion of the northern United States and the Canadian Rockies.

Hiking the Logan Pass Interpretive Trail, the highest point on the Going to the Sun Scenic Byway in Glacier National Park in Montana, USA

The Canadian Rockies , formed between 55 and 80 million years ago , occupy 1200 kilometers from the border with the United States , near Montana.

You must understand, then, that the Canadian Rockies are only one part of the Rocky Mountain Range ; the other part continues into the United States through the states of Montana and on to New Mexico —a total of 4800 kilometers of mountain range. Imagine its immensity!

In Glacier National Park in Canada, with the northern mountains in the background

The Canadian Rockies, UNESCO and the rest

Within the Canadian Rockies there are different National Parks and also many other Provincial Parks, equally protected but managed by different administrations.

Parks teeming with iconic wildlife such as black and grizzly bears, cougars, elk, and caribou. The highest point is Mount Robson at 3954 meters.

The main National Natural Parks of the Canadian Rockies have been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1984 and are as follows:

Apart from the Canadian Rockies, there are 3 more National Parks on the side of the Province of British Columbia to the west: Canada's Glacier National Park and Mount Revelstoke National Park and to the South bordering Alberta and Waterton Lakes National Park which was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site a little later.


In total, There are 7 national parks those that officially house the Canadian Rockies and not as many say only the top 4 or 5 adding some others. 

Every time I see a blog that doesn't do research on things I get nervous, and I haven't seen a single blog that gives this information correctly.

In the typical red chairs of Parks Canada at the Banff Hoodoos viewing point

Our 21-day route through the Canadian Rockies in summer

Our 21-day itinerary for August in Canada underwent a major change 15 days before our departure . Jasper National Park , the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, was engulfed in flames. As a result, all our reservations there were canceled, and the park was completely closed.

Wildfires are Canada's biggest battle . It has so many hectares of completely wild forest that when a fire breaks out, it's enormous and can easily become very serious.

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: The first thing you should do is download the Alertable App , where official Canadian administrations alert you to emergencies or evacuation orders due to emergencies such as fires, tornadoes, torrential rains, or any other reason.

About Jasper National Park that we couldn't visit due to a huge fire

When preparing our initial itinerary for spending 5 days in Jasper National Park, I did a lot of research and wrote about this National Park. That is why I am leaving you below an article about what to see in Jasper National Park that may be useful to you, since you will not find any stories about this National Park here.

Post: What to do and see in Jasper National Park

Although Jasper was going to be one of the most desired points of our visit and where we would spend more days on our route, we finally had to change it for other destinations, which today I can tell you were a great success, making our route more circular and with different landscapes.

Exchanging Jasper for Alberta's Dinosaur Provincial Park, Drumheller and Glacier National Park in the United States, thus crossing the border into the USA, gave us the opportunity to have new experiences and above all to change landscapes and see other realities of Canada very different from the Rocky Mountains of the north.

Driving next to an emerald lake in the Canadian Rockies

Our route and itinerary through the Canadian Rockies day by day

If you ask me today whether we'd repeat this route or go to Jasper, everyone at home would be clear: we'd do exactly what we did. We loved it so much and enjoyed it so much, why change anything!

Jasper National Park, we have already said that we would visit it on a route to Alaska along the TransCanadien, which is on the way to the north, another route that we are looking forward to and will surely do in the future.

Without further delay, here is a summary of our final route and below is our logbook with the route we finally took:

Outline of our itinerary for our trip through Canada and a small part of the USA , click to enlarge the information for each place:

Walking on the trail to Boom Lake

Tips for your trip through the Canadian Rockies

Below I summarize some tips that I wish I had known when planning my route and trip through the Canadian Rockies:

  • Book everything well in advance if you go in July and August like us. I already had problems doing it 3 months before.
  • Don't go crazy looking in a supermarket for the beer, you will only find it in the Liquor Store.
  • In your Mountain routes always lead bear spray, make noise by talking loudly, water, energy bars and a raincoat.
  • They close almost everything at 17pm, especially museums, so don't fall asleep.
  • El Euro is stronger than the Canadian dollarTake advantage of it to do activities, here they are much cheaper than in other places like Iceland or Switzerland where we have been.
  • There is only coverage in population centers, in the middle of the national parks you will live disconnected
  •  Canadian Rockies There are lakes, rivers, waterfalls, canyons, hot springs and glaciers. Come prepared to walk and enjoy nature at your leisure, there is no better plan. In general, there are few museums and leisure activities. Where there are more activities and museums is in Golden and Revelstoke.
  • weather conditions (tornadoes, heavy rain, wind, snow...) and fires can be a problem and disrupt your route. Be prepared on the route and check the weather forecasts and the conditions every day. Alertable app or website where you will find official emergency notices.
The deer that let us photograph him during our visit to Inglewood Sactuary

Tips to save

  • The prices of the food Prices are much lower at Walmarts in big cities like Calgary. In towns within National Parks everything is more expensive. Do a big shopping spree in Calgary before you head out to the parks.
  • The same thing happens with the gasoline, as soon as you leave the National Parks it is much cheaper. Although in general gasoline in Canada is cheaper than in Europe, they are producers, the 4th most important in the world and it shows. In some places we were putting it at less than €1. Although you should know that Canadian cars have a lot of power and use more gasoline on average than European ones.
  • Take the Picnics And save money on restaurants in Canada, they are very expensive and the food is not very varied and healthy. Basically there are hamburgers and pizzas or oriental restaurants. In all the National Parks of the Canadian Rockies there are picnic areas galore.
  • Apart from Discovery Pass To access Canada's National Parks, you will not have to pay anything extra for visiting, parking in the car parks or driving on highways. Therefore, rest free.
  • Always pay with card and in dollars, you won't have any problems and it's the best way to make your currency exchange more profitable. And if you want a card with no currency exchange fees for everyone, get one Revolut I carry it in my mobile wallet and I have paid everywhere without problems or commissions in Canada.

Rocky Mountains Canada Map

Below is the map we created to prepare our route through the Canadian Rockies , showing everything there is to see and do, including Glacier National Park in the United States and Drumheller's Dinosaur Valley, as well as other places we didn't end up visiting on our route.

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