Chase and I are road trip lovers. We share a passion for the journey and the plan of said journey just as much as the end destination. So when Chase got a week off from work due to a job change (exciting time, friends! I’m so proud of my man.) we immediately started dreaming of a road trip. Banff has always been on the top of that list, along with Victoria/Vancouver. We chose Banff because well, why NOT? but also because we wanted more of a camping trip and less of a city trip with the tot along. The Boise to Banff road trip was Lucy’s longest car trip, so we learned a few things to share.
A few tips of traveling with a toddler we learned:
– Take breaks, before the meltdowns! We would pull over at a park and get wiggles out, walk around a little town and grab coffee or a snack, or my favorite, stop at a lake to splash around and stretch.
– Limit drive time to 7 hours max a day. This may not be feasible for some schedules, in which take advantage of early morning driving or late evening driving. But for us, our goal was to drive a little every day.
– Diaper changes can be tricky because of all the gear packed in the car! And our toddler has a fear of public changing tables- so Lucy learned real quick how to help us change her standing up in the car. Place the clean diaper against the seat and have the toddler hold it in place with their bum while you attach the front!
– Plan driving times during nap time- may seem like common sense, but thought I’d point that one out. But also be prepared for shorter naps….. Yeah.
– Have plenty of small toys for them to play with in their seat and a tablet for games/shows. But, also turn their attention outside throughout the drive- keep them engaged with the scenery by pointing out animals or fun things they wouldn’t normally see.
Boise to Banff Road Trip Details
Total Drive Time: 32 Hours; Total Miles: 1,718
Day 1:
Left at 4am so we could travel as far as possible while Lucy slept. Got to Cottonwood, ID for a playground/ stretching break. Then on to Moscow for a late breakfast! Coeur d’Alene was another stop for just a moment in their beautiful downtown park on the boardwalk. (sidenote: I would love to go back to explore more there!) Dinner in Bonners Ferry at a brewery on the river, then the night at Robinson Lake Campground near Good Grief, ID (ha!).
Day 2:
Entered Canada at Eastport, then stopped for a break at Moyie Lake for Lucy to stretch her legs. She loved splashing around! Then another break for coffee and Canadian money in Cranbrook, a cute town. The views were already beautiful on this stretch of 95! We made it into Banff a few hours later, after jumping on 93 in Radium Hot Springs. This was a beautiful stretch of the park, as there are huge rock walls lining a portion of the drive. It was also before getting onto the roadway that had game fencing so we had a greater potential to see animals (but no luck for us). Our first stop was Lake Louise, then stayed the night in the Lake Louise Campground! (Lake Louise Campground was my favorite campground of the trip- it’s situation right on the Bow River, which makes for some beautiful exploring!)
Day 3:
Treked back up to Lake Louise to view the gorgeous sight in the morning sun. We got coffee and pastries at the Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise and toured around the hotel (WOW, just wow). Back into the car for a short drive to the town of Banff- we got off the main highway with game fencing in hopes to see some animals. We saw some mountain goats and a bear! We rode the Banff gondola and had lunch at the top of the mountain to enjoy the views. Lucy loved the gondola ride and kept saying “Weeeeee, Weeeeee!” even though her mother was close to hyperventilating. It’s just so high in the air! Eeek. But the sights made it worth the while for sure. We ate a late lunch up at the Sulpher Mountain Summit, and while it was a fun experience, it was nothing short of a glorified cafeteria. I wish we would have eaten in Banff before or after the gondola ride. We stayed the night in the Tunnel Mountain Village Campground.
Day 4:
Left Banff pretty early as we had a big travel day ahead of us, but we had to stop for a “Red Chair Experience” before leaving. Gassed up and got coffee in Canmore, right outside the park. (For hotel goers looking for economical options, Canmore would make a great option- very close to the park without the Banff or Lake Louise prices) We took a scenic route that kept us from going into Calgary and wound us through the beautiful country side. We entered Montana through the Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta which was stunning. During our drive, we encountered a wicked hail storm that had all of the cars pulling off the highway. A chip in the windshield came home souvenir with us from the experience! That evening we made it to West Glacier and stayed in Apgar Campground.
Day 5:
Explored Glacier for a few hours in the morning, then on to Whitefish where we explored their downtown and had lunch and got coffee for the drive. What a cute town! Off again and on towards Missoula. We stayed the night near Gibbonsville, ID.
Day 6:
Got up quite early after a restless night and made it to Stanley around 9 am where we made a coffee stop and saw the views of Redfish Lake. We made a stop in Sun Valley for a pastry and a walk around downtown, then on towards HOME!
Such a gorgeous trip that I’d take again in a heartbeat, but boy- our bed and shower never felt so good!