WHL trip Edmonton-Red Deer-Calgary

[Bonk]

So my wife and I are planning a trip to Banff and Jasper.

At the end of the week, we're going to head east from Jasper and hit a couple of games, and we are trying to figure out who to see and where to stay.

Ideally we like getting hotels walking distance to rinks and having a place to walk and drink afterwards. In other words, I like to be done driving when I arrive somewhere.

I've never been to Alberta, but I'm not impressed with what I've read about the area surrounding Rexall, so we're thinking about going to Red Deer and staying for a night and then Calgary the next night.

It looks like Red Deer has at least a close hotel and a couple of pubs. Calgary looks pretty cool, too.

Thoughts?

Click to read more...

 

[PCSPounder]

Was in Banff a week ago. Wow.

Didn't make it to Jasper. While I've been to Calgary, and while I'm planning something similar in the next year or two, I'm not full of advice here...

...however...

...when I was planning the World Cup trip we just finished, I did look at Edmonton. It would have been all too easy to stay downtown (or elsewhere, possibly) and take light rail to both Commonwealth Stadium and Rexall Place. So I wouldn't dismiss Edmonton out of hand.

My wife tweaked her ankle just before the trip, so two of the places we stayed in downtown Vancouver ended up being a hassle on game days. We stayed at River Rock Casino for the last Vancouver stop... since that place is right ON a Skytrain stop, even though there was much about the casino she didn't like and it's a fair distance from downtown Vancouver, it became her favorite from a mobility standpoint. Something to incorporate into your strategy, perhaps?

 

[Emerald City Bruin]

So my wife and I are planning a trip to Banff and Jasper.

At the end of the week, we're going to head east from Jasper and hit a couple of games, and we are trying to figure out who to see and where to stay.

Ideally we like getting hotels walking distance to rinks and having a place to walk and drink afterwards. In other words, I like to be done driving when I arrive somewhere.

I've never been to Alberta, but I'm not impressed with what I've read about the area surrounding Rexall, so we're thinking about going to Red Deer and staying for a night and then Calgary the next night.

It looks like Red Deer has at least a close hotel and a couple of pubs. Calgary looks pretty cool, too.

Thoughts?

Wife and I did the Alberta swing as part of our honeymoon a couple years ago. In Edmonton, almost any hotel downtown will be close enough to light rail that getting to the arena won't be an issue. Same with Calgary. In Red Deer, we stayed in Gasoline Alley because parking was no issue at the Centrium.

There's a casino next to the Saddledome where we went after a terrible Seattle loss. A few Hitmen fans were also there and it was a nice place to have a bite and a drink and meet some fellow WHL fans.

And you didn't ask but Jasper was amazing. We stayed at the Fairmont which is a little out of the town proper but everything around there was spectacular.

 

[Bonk]

Thanks to both of you.

We're going to stay in Calgary for one night and a Hitmen game, Canmore for three (so we can get out to Banff, etc., easily), Jasper for two and Red Deer for two, including a pair of WHL games.