Calgary anyone?

[Samigirl]

DH and I are contemplating a road trip to Yellowstone after we get our car paid off. (That won't be until next year. Hopefully, by then gas prices will have come down.) We're going to do it as cheaply as possible....KOA campgrounds, eating out of an ice chest, etc... I'm wondering if it will be worth the extra money to drive up into Canada? We've never been there, and would love to see what it's like. Are there any great sites to see in the Calgary area? What about KOA type campgrounds? Do they have that sort of thing? What about the weather...is it warm enough to camp in August? We're not set on where we'd like to go....just not too terribly far from Yellowstone. We've also kicked around the idea of skipping Canada and going to Mt. Rushmore instead. Any thoughts?

[redheadedwonder11]

There is quite a bit to do in and around Calgary.

Banff is a major tourist attraction. You can spend a lot of money visiting or a little money. I went there last summer with my boyfriend and we toured a bit of the town site. Apparently the gardens of the government (?) buildings are very beautiful. We went in May (I think) so they weren't very well established. You can camp in the mountains. I don't know how much it costs. The weather is generally nice enough to camp in August, but I am not a good one to ask as I have never camped in Banff area.

Another attraction you may be interested in is the Calgary Stampede. Even if you don't actually go down to the grounds and participate in the events, I think there is lots going on (free food!) that is cheap. I enjoy going to the Glenbow Museum and Science Center. The Jack Singer Concert Hall or the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium are good venues if you enjoy orchestra/musicals/opera/concerts. There is the Olympic Oval at the University of Calgary if you are interested in a bit of Olympic history. It doesn't seem to be too exciting to me. There is not all that much there other than the activities going on the Oval and a couple of displays.

There is a ranch in Longview area called the Bar U Ranch which is interesting to visit. When I was there a couple of summers ago, they had kittens running around, and you could feed the horses. It was really fun. There was also someone making bread over a fire for guests to try. They had a horse drawn carriage that took people on tours.

If you are in Lethbridge area, the Japanese Gardens are gorgeous. Fort Macleod is also interesting. It is near Lethbridge. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is also fun to visit.

If you have any questions, let me know and I will do my best to answer them!

[santoria]

I'm in Calgary!

its a great city to visit!

there are lots of campgrounds, infact I used to live up the hill from a KOA campground.

I'd recommend coming for the stampede! its an AWESOME show! http://calgarystampede.com who can pass up a 10 party? free lunches and BBQs and breakfasts all over the city for the whole 10 days

The Zoo is amazing, http://www.calgaryzoo.ca

you can drive an hour west into Banff and see the sights there.

on the way north from the border is head smashed in buffalo jump - quite a fascinating place. http://www.head-smashed-in.com

the Glenbow museum http://www.glenbow.org

Heritage park, a real working old time town.

Canada Olympic park where we hosted the 88 olympics has a great interpretive centre.

I could go on and on....

we've got a ton of stuff todo and see.

[santoria]

http://www1.travelalberta.com/en-ca/

this is a great site too...

[Samigirl]

Thank you both for the wonderful replies. I appreciate the details and links you gave me. The Stampede sounds like fun. Free food??? I'm there! Ooooo...the Japanese Gardens sound heavenly. The kids would have fun at the zoo and museum. I know we'll want to check out the Olympic sites too. I'm glad to hear there are KOA's there. I would feel better camping in designated campgrounds when we don't know the area. Thanks again...I will definitely look into all the great places you described.

[santoria]

lots of free food. there're pancake breakfasts all over the city - by community and then the stampede committee throws big huge ones with shows and stuff.

the zoo's great, we've got season passes and are (or were til I had foot surgery) there at least 3 times a week.