I'm heading to calgary on Wednesday, and am having trouble deciding on how to get there. I have gotten several different sets of directions from online map places...one heading north to Canada and then east to Calgary, the other east to Spokane and then heading north. Can anyone help me out? I'm doing the trip in one day.

 

I drove it last year but the other direction. If you can swing it, make your way to Kalispell and then through Glacier Park on the Going to the Sun highway. Absolutely spectacular drive. No trailers are allowed on the road though. Enter Canada north of Babb, Montana and drive north into Calgary.

Or...take #1 in Canada will take you through Roger's Pass, Revelstoke, Banff, etc. Beautiful drive as well.

Doing it in one day is a long drive..........

 

I was thinking the Hwy 1 route; it's much shorter. How is canada as far as speed traps and such? Will they target me because I'm American, or throw me in jail for 5 or 10 over the limit? More importantly, will I have to convert speed limits into MPH?!?

 

Wave when you go thru town. 30 mph is 60 kmh 55mph is 90kmh. wear your seatbelt Just stay with the slowest person on the road and you will be doing the limit, most people speed a few or more kmh. Enjoy Canada!!!
Bob

 

1. The same as you all.
2. I doubt it. Although I had a friend (canadian) who was refused fuel at every station in some small montana town, the sherrif ended up giving him a jerry can and telling him to just leave.
3. definitely no jail
4. Yes we use the metric system, your speedo has both doesn't it? I use my GPS when sout of the 49th.

 

Will do! I'm hoping not to keep pace with the slowest person - I'd like to sneak as many MPH in as I can, just don't want to be unsafe or get caught!

 

You can usually get away with about 8-10% over the speed limit. Depends on traffic conditions. If you're passing everybody on the road...........
Speed limit conversions are roughly kph * 0.6 = mph. ie. 100 kph = 60 mph, 80 kph = 50 mph, 50 kph = 30 mph. BTW, it's legal to turn right on red lights in Alberta if there's no oncoming traffic and it's not posted "no right on red alone."

While in Calgary, you should check out Peter's Drive-in. Excellent burgers and shakes. Here's a link: Peter's Try some locally brewed Big Rock beer. Taber corn is worth eating too. Enjoy your trip.

 

You are generally pretty safe going 15-20 kmh over the limit, just becareful going through the parks they can get a little touchy in them. The hwy 1 coqahala route in british columbia is a toll road but generally moves the quickest. No we don't throw speeders in jail we just shoot them on the spot , just kidding Are you coming up for the stampede? Enjoy your trip!!

 

Yup! My girlfriend trains horses and has done a bunch of parades and some rodeo, and it's always been a dream of hers to go. It was a birthday present from me. Not that I'm not going to enjoy the trip, but it's mostly for her.

 

Umm.... I'll have to disagree with the 20 kmh over..... 10 over your safe, 15 over is pushing it, 20 over you are more than likely to get a ticket (that's the way I view it in bc anyway)

you would be best to cross at sumas washington. Highway 1 is about a mile north of the boarder at this point. As has been said, take highway 5 at hope (coquihalla toll highway) you can't miss it, highway 1 turns into highway 5 at Hope without making any turns. You follow this through Merritt and then on to Kamloops where highway 5 turns back into highway 1 (once again without having to make any turns)

Highway 1 turns into a two lane outside Kamloops and remains that way to pretty much calgary there are passing lanes and traffic moves along pretty good.

Frankly, I don't think you'll make it in a day..... You have the roughly two hours traveling up to the boarder, and then you will have what ever waits at the boarder.... It's a long drive from here (15 hours??) This is the height of the tourist season and they are slow and frustrating going through the park sometimes with no place to pass. Take your time, budget an extra day and enjoy your trip. There are lots of sights worth seeing.....

 

Unfortunately, already made the reservations, arranged for days off work for myself and the girlfriend... Too many arrangements to change at this point. I figure I'll leave at 6am and see how it goes from there. Hopefully I'll be out of the Seattle and Everett area before traffic hits. I've done thousand mile days before, and several 600-700 mile days in a row. Pretty much everything I've found says 12 hours Seattle to Calgary.

 

Leave your handgun at home, drivers license and birth certificate (passport is even better for the border both ways) It won't be hard finding a place to take us cash, you'll just get screwed on the exchange.

I did that run in may, I can't think of anything that could delay you other than repaving?? even at that it should only be a slow down.....
Have fun, and enjoy your stay with us.....

 

DO NOT speed through a national park such as Banff unless you have a very good radar detector (90kph), the RCMP are few and far between but they just look for speeders on a back and forth route. if you get lucky, they'll all be going theother way or busy. If you can, spend the extra time to see the rockies, you'll be glad you did. Enjoy your stay in the great white north eh.

 

Thanks for the advise! I've already made the trip, and I ended up following someone through Banff and most of the way to Calgary at....slightly over the speed limit. I saw a few speed traps on the way back, but never really had a concern. It was a great trip; the scenery was amazing and the Stampede was awesome! Thanks again.