Geocaching in the Rockies

[+luvvinbird]

Hello all. My wife and I will be in Banff very soon. Our plan is to holiday there, plus Lake Louise and Jasper. After a week in this fabulous part of the world, we're off to Vancouver via Revelstoke and Kelowna (love wine...luv vin). My wife is not big on geocaching but I really enjoy it. Can anyone recommend a few easy caches along the way that won't interfere with the little lady's agenda but will still satisfy my urge to "find"? I'm a senior, so a two star terrain and difficulty, I think, would be ideal. Many thanks for your feedback!

[+dfx]

Lots of virtuals and earthcaches around that area, which are easy to do (but of course don't "find" you anything). We've just been to that area and pretty much just went by what the popular tourist spots are, and most (if not all) had a virtual or an earthcache there, and maybe one or two traditionals, so that made picking caches a total non-issue. Everything being in a national park doesn't make placing caches easy, so there's not a lot of them.

 

Banff village: http://coord.info/GCCFCF http://coord.info/GC2FR5M http://coord.info/GC28KA4 http://coord.info/GCMB99 and that's all there is. No particular recommendation. The first one is nice cause it's close to the Bow falls, while the second one is nice cause it's a nice large box (for TBs etc).

If you go up the gondola: http://coord.info/GC134E

At the gondola ground station is http://coord.info/GC16HB1 which is also where the hot springs are.

 

Lake Louise: http://coord.info/GCN80G and http://coord.info/GCA079

 

Halfway between Banff and Jasper is the Columbia Icefields, which has http://coord.info/GC9B2B

 

Further towards Japser is http://coord.info/GC1CRK5, which was totally amazing to me, a must-do (or rather a must-see - the cache isn't that amazing, but the nearby location is).

 

Even closer to Jasper are the Athabasca Falls with http://coord.info/GC2DJ3A and http://coord.info/GC2BB27

 

Jasper then also has a gondola kinda thing, with http://coord.info/GC2BT2P at the ground station. The close-by Maligne Canyon also was nice and has http://coord.info/GC1J0EE and http://coord.info/GC2X275, but those might be longer/more difficult hikes, depending on where you start from.

 

http://coord.info/GC2Q8E6 also was an interesting spot, but probably not on your way any more.

Edited July 23, 2011 by dfx

[+luvvinbird]

dfx, thank you very much for taking the time to put together a fantastic geocaching itinerary. I also looked at Swiss Travel Box and, (couldn't help myself), gravitated toward the spoiler picture and thought, "Yeah! I'll do that one while my wife's in the shower!". You've come up with some great suggestions which I truly appreciate. Thanks, again!

[+t4e]

if you can you absolutely must go see those creations

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=840f3743-80be-477c-b0d7-e8e169bd0ed7

 

those two are in the same area just down the road from the Hot Springs, a very interesting place but don't be fooled by the sign that says its closed, the parking is indeed closed and the main area, but you can still walk the trail and get to the boardwalk with all the interpretative signs...those are the coordinates to the trailhead N 51° 10.130 W 115° 35.548

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=15a3f185-9723-407c-8181-c7b464a2614f

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=53097096-04d4-4721-8c8d-79d0902fc809

Edited July 23, 2011 by t4e

[+Keith Watson]

There is so much to see there. We had a great time last year and found a cache, earth cache, or virtual at almost every interesting thing to see. The following link will open a Google Earth browser showing the track log of our trip along with pictures of the places we stooped to check out.

 

Google Earth View

[+luvvinbird]

Thank you all for your excellent suggestions.

[+CanadianRockies]

Near Banff, Travel back in time to Castle mountain takes you to an interesting artifact.

 

At Lake Louise, A Watery End is a good excuse to rent a canoe and paddle across this beautiful and gentle lake.

 

Near Lake Louise, Valley of Ten Peaks is an EarthCache that takes you to a lake with views that many people consider even better than Lake Louise.

 

Just outside the township of Jasper is Arvon's Cache, a clever hide at a scenic location.

[+luvvinbird]

Near Banff, Travel back in time to Castle mountain takes you to an interesting artifact.

 

At Lake Louise, A Watery End is a good excuse to rent a canoe and paddle across this beautiful and gentle lake.

 

Near Lake Louise, Valley of Ten Peaks is an EarthCache that takes you to a lake with views that many people consider even better than Lake Louise.

 

Just outside the township of Jasper is Arvon's Cache, a clever hide at a scenic location.

More great cache suggestions. Thank you all!

[+mrcanoehead224]

t4e, dfx and CR have listed some great locations, I've done a lot of them and you can't go with those.

 

If you're planning on taking Trans Canada between Lake Louise and Golden/Revelstoke, be aware that there is lots of construction (especially east of Golden) with rotating closures. There was a rock slide just this past weekend that closed HWY 1 east of Golden. Here's a link for BC road closures to help you plan.

 

The upshot is you could reroute through Radium and grab this great EarthCache, Marble Canyon, on the way. I did this one just over a week ago (shortly after meeting t4e & dfx) and it was the most amazing EC I've done since Moneyed Waters for sheer beauty and interesting geological history. The terrain isn't too bad and there are handrails most of the way if you need them. Then a little further west is another cool location, the Paint Pots which is listed as a multi with no container to search for.

 

I was also going to suggest my EarthCache, the Inkpots which are almost as cool as the Paint Pots but it's no two star terrain.

 

Whatever you decide, have fun in Alberta/BC!

[+luvvinbird]

t4e, dfx and CR have listed some great locations, I've done a lot of them and you can't go with those.

 

If you're planning on taking Trans Canada between Lake Louise and Golden/Revelstoke, be aware that there is lots of construction (especially east of Golden) with rotating closures. There was a rock slide just this past weekend that closed HWY 1 east of Golden. Here's a link for BC road closures to help you plan.

 

The upshot is you could reroute through Radium and grab this great EarthCache, Marble Canyon, on the way. I did this one just over a week ago (shortly after meeting t4e & dfx) and it was the most amazing EC I've done since Moneyed Waters for sheer beauty and interesting geological history. The terrain isn't too bad and there are handrails most of the way if you need them. Then a little further west is another cool location, the Paint Pots which is listed as a multi with no container to search for.

 

I was also going to suggest my EarthCache, the Inkpots which are almost as cool as the Paint Pots but it's no two star terrain.

 

Whatever you decide, have fun in Alberta/BC!

I really appreciate the highway link. In terms of construction, etc., I never really gave the drive from Lake Louise to Revelstoke (and beyond) much thought. But recently, as you noted, I heard the highway was closed due to a mud slide and I started to think that could happen to us. I'm bound and determined to get my Alberta souvenir, I only wish my wife was a little more interested in geocaching. Thanks for your input.

[+DanOCan]

Three of the ones I liked along that route:

 

Kicking Horse Nano: Nice rest stop along the river. Cache has 10 Favorite votes too so they must be doing something right. Lots of convenient parking, even for RVs.

 

One Second Falls: Not the best parking as there is a dirt pulloff to the side of the highway, not a real parking lot and, when traveling westbound you need to cross the highway. Terrain is higher than you asked for, but I think it is rated a little too high -- more like a 2 or 2.5. Check the previous logs as it had moved a fair distance when we found it. Great spot that many people never even see as they zip along the highway. 31 Favorite votes, including one from me.

 

The Last Spike A great location highlighting some Canadian history. Another convenient rest stop with lots of good parking and photo ops. 12 Favorite votes, including one of mine.

[+luvvinbird]

I plan to have a full report on everyone's desk upon my return. I can't thank you enough for your input. I'm downloading as we speak...

Edited July 30, 2011 by luvvinbird