Banff/Lake Louise, intermediate/advanced, 117K, Lyle O & Jeff D

         Banff to Lake Louise

Difficulty:

Pace: 22-25 kph, intermediate/advanced, no sweep

Distance: 117 km, advanced

Elevation Gain: 946 m (intermediate+/advanced)

Parking: Banff Train Station, 327 Railway Ave. (see below)

E-Bikes:

Yes. E-bikes are permitted but you must be able to do the distance. You can catch a roam bus (with your bike) if your battery goes dead. (Roam buses have bike racks on the front.)

<Cranky anonymous member>: The last time you did this ride on June 18, there was no free beer or a free T-shirt at the Banded Peak lunch stop at the Lake Louise ski resort. And it sprinkled and threatened to rain even more. The pavement was wet and my bike got dirty. I was thirsty too. I was not happy.

<Coordinator>: Well, it only sprinkled briefly and was actually quite nice, especially on the return. A free beer (which you can't drink there) and a free cycling cap are now available at Banded Peak but you must show that you've ridden from Banff on your GPS device. You have a working GPS device don't you???

Also, you only have to ride to Banded Peak from Banff. You don't have to ride back if the beer and cap don't improve your mood. You can take a roam bus back.

Route description:

We will stop for a lunch break at the Lake Louise Ski Resort. There are a number of eateries open at the resort if you wish to purchase a lunch. We plan to stop at the Banded Peak Base Camp which is handing out a free beer to take home and a free cycling cap. We then return along the same route we went out to find a tailgate party at the end.

There will be a brief stop out and back at Castle Junction. 

All of highway 1A (Bow Valley Parkway) is now open to cars.

Support:

If you run into trouble, you can use the Roam Bus to return to Banff.

New Parking Location:

Banff is asking cyclists to park at the new Banff Train Station Public Parking Lot located at 327 Railway Avenue as the Fenlands Recreation Centre is open again. This is free parking, with a 9-hour limit.

The Wild Apricot app will guide you to the correct parking location. We will meet in the large lot east of the train station and traffic circle, not the overflow lot on the west side of the train station. The large lot to the east is not readily visible from the train station due to a bunch of trees. The GPS coordinates mark the location of the lot.

See: https://banff.ca/trainstation

Time:

• Arrive at least 15 minutes early
• Wheels rolling at 9:30 a.m.  
• Out of respect for those who arrive on time, we won't wait for latecomers.

Safety elements:

• Consider carrying bear spray
• There are areas on 1A without cell service
• 1A is open to regular traffic
• Be self-sufficient; carry tools and be prepared to perform simple bike maintenance (especially where the road is closed to vehicles)
• There will be no sweep. There is a brief stop at Castle Junction.
• Due to the distance, be prepared should your e-bike battery not last