Moon Canadian Rockies: Including Banff & Jasper National Parks (Moon Handbooks)

> This is 7th edition, the 8th edition is available. It is probably the best idea to buy the latest edition, but honestly, the main difference is probably the hours of admission to points-of-interest and prices, which are best checked online anyway. For 2017, you can multiply the prices by 1½ to 2x—a substantial change in just 2-3 years.> The Moon Canadian Rockies guide is truly comprehensive, covering options for travelers on a very tight budget to those who think nothing of $600/night rooms and helicopter tours; from night clubbers to golfers; from hikers and skiers to natural history enthusiasts; picnickers to gourmands; summer (July and August) or winter. It would even a great guide for the typical Japanese/Chinese "villages" traveling by tourbus.> The prime target reader is probably a 30-year-old German (/Dane/Swede/Swiss) who is an eco-smart (not necessarily a compliment), financially-comfortable, professional; who is traveling by public transportation, who might stay in a hostile for a few nights just for the sociability, whose main interest is hiking and maybe snow-boarding if there is snow. OR maybe such an orientation is just de rigueur (mandatary) for fashionable travel guides. However, the information is most certainly not limited to such readers.> In a way, the Moon guides are too thorough. Wading through the endless pages for the specific information which apply to a particular traveler is a time-consuming process. But it’s all there, somewhere in the 387 pages.> Within all this “comprehensiveness” the Moon Canadian Rockies guide is relatively a little thin on museums, exhibits, and similar indoor activities and a little thin on “family friendly” advice. Simply by virtue of covering the extremes, “middle-level” accommodations and restaurants and “popular” points-of-interest seem relatively lightly covered. Some Moon Guides are brittlely politically-correct. The Moon Canadian Rockies guide is politically neutral.> Great maps—albeit some places mentioned in the text are not on the map. You can find better and more complete maps on corresponding Parks Canada websites. I purchased a detailed road-map atlas of Alberta, but it was a waste of money—the maps in the Moon guide were more thorough. It is not always easy to find the pertinent map (corresponding to the point-of-interest you want to find)—it would be nice if the page numbers of pertinent maps were cited in the text and on the maps.> Much background material on geology, fauna and flora is repeated in the general introduction, then again for each Park, and then yet again recapitulated more thoroughly in a chapter at the end of the guide (and with illustrations). Just read the last chapter for that info.> The trail information appears to be reliable, at least for short day-hikers, but more specialized guides, websites, and local information, are recommended for hikes of more than a few miles.> Special attention is given to information which is pertinent for travelers without cars. So, sometimes the detail information on how to take a shuttle, or how to hike to a destination, obscures whether or not you can simply drive to a destination. Where to park is rarely mentioned. As far as I can tell, whether roads are paved or not is NEVER mentioned, but that really matters when some of the destinations are 25 miles or so one-way on dirt roads.> No chain hotels (not even high-end chains) are mentioned, even though they are present in Banff and many other locations, and which may be preferred by many travelers. See TripAdvisor for those.> The designation of Moon “gems” (“must sees”) points-of-interest is very helpful. Each is worth serious consideration, even if it doesn’t sound interesting at first.> Moon “gem” hotels and restaurants are much more subjective. They are sure to be historic, or trendy, or unusual (frequently peculiar), and non-chain—but are not always the most comfortable, convenient, or family friendly. There is an emphasis on in-town restaurants and accommodations. The choices range from very cheap to very expensive, but seem a little thin on mid-range.> RECOMMENDATIONS – I recommend using TripAdvisor to FIND potential hotel and restaurants, but not to CHOOSE hotels and restaurants. With TripAdvisor, you will find the full selection of hotels/restaurants, and get a quick idea of the price ranges, and exactly where they are located—but not necessarily the quality. 4 to 4½ star TripAdvisor ratings are meaningless, but TripAdvisor 3-star establishments are best avoided, and full 5-star establishments are often worthy of a LITTLE extra consideration. Seriously consider Moon “gem” establishments (if any) in your price range, but take the recommendations with a large “grain of salt”. Sometimes Moon “gem” hotels and restaurants are TripAdvisor 3-star establishments, sometimes even for good reasons.> Click on “Stoney” just below the product title to see my other reviews, or leave a comment to ask a question.

2007's "Canadian Rockies" is the latest Moon handbook on the swath of wonderful parks that straddle the Canadian Rockies from Jasper through Banff to Waterton on the U.S. border. Packaged in a convenient size and packed with a variety of information, "Canadian Rockies is a superb guide for planning a vacation in a area full of opportunities.The guide covers Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, and Waterton National Parks, along with the Kannaskis Country provincial parks just west of Calgary. Information is provided on a range of accomodations, restaurants, museums and tourist exhibits, and opportunities for recreation. The guide includes a nice selection of maps and photographs. Segments on local history provide context for each area. The guide includes information on access to the parks and cautionary warnings on interacting with the abundant wildlife.Depending on the season, the Rockies offer hiking, camping, boating, biking, golf, or skiing at a variety of venues. For example, each park narrative includes a representative sample of day hikes and longer hikes. This reviewer and his family are frequent visitors to the Canadian Rockies and found unsurpassed opportunities for hikes to spectacular terrain accessable in few other places in North America.This guide is very highly recommended to those planning a vacation in the Canadian Rockies.

In general this guide is a solid overview of the major features of the area; the author had to cram an awfully large volume of data into a relatively petite book, so he did a good job. A few of the hiking trail descriptions were off-base, though, in my opinion. For example, a few trails were listed as "easy" but would probably be better classified as "moderate" for the average person, and then some uber-easy trails we found were not mentioned at all. If you are a frequent hiker, the trail reviews are probably accurate for you. But if you are someone who engages in moderate exercise only with little hiking activity, look for a few alternate opinions on trails of interest before you embark. You might feel some of the "easy" trails are actually "moderate." At any rate, this book served us well and was worth the price for us. It helped us to see a nice selection of natural features in 3 of the parks in only 5 days.

Before heading to the Canadian Rockies for the first time, I spent time reviewing and reading several guidebooks. This one is notable for its really broad overview of the Canadian Rocky area and covers a wide variety of topics such as restaurants, hikes, lodging, sites to see, etc. I used it a lot during the trip and it really made a positive difference in my experience (e.g., by being able to choose great restaurants in the evening, by choosing lesser-known but really cool sites to visit, etc.). It also provided good history of the area, and descriptions of the flora and fauna, all of which interests me when I travel to an area. I used much of the information later to create a photo album with much more interesting verbiage on the places and sites.I am an avid hiker and backpacker, and therefore did not have the expectation that such a general guide would meet all of my needs in providing detailed and extensive information about trails. This book is not intended for such, and therefore should not be considered a fault. It is probably sufficient for most who enjoy an occasional hike. For those looking for detailed and more thorough hiking information, I highly recommend the hiking "Bible" of the area: "Canadian Rockies Trail Guide", by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson.