There’s so much beauty to see in and around Jasper and Banff National Parks. On our way back from our Alaska adventure in our Winnebago Travato camper van we decided to stop in and spend a few days exploring the area. We explored Banff on the way to Alaska and felt like we had skipped Jasper and wanted to make sure we didn’t skip it on the way home. Since it was after Labor Day we thought crowds would be a lot smaller… we were WRONG! There were tour bus crowds everywhere we went. On our drive on the Icefields Parkway, which is breathtakingly beautiful BTW, we counted at least 120 tour buses on the road. Wow! And each bus was full of tourists too. You know the kind… they run from spot to spot taking Instagram photos… it’s run, run, run… pose… snap and then run, run, run… pose… snap. All the while they rudely bump into others there to enjoy the park. And the tour bus operators just count the money and smile. It sure made it hard to enjoy the spectacular scenery, wildlife and views in Jasper and Banff. But, we managed to make the most of our time there, making even more memories of a lifetime and checking off bucket list items many times. But, to be honest Owen had several “GET OFF MY DIRT” moments as you will see in the video.
More About Us and The Equipment We Use:
🔴 Subscribe to our little channel http://youtube.com/c/VANTREKKINGlifestyle?sub_confirmation=1
🔴 Read More About Our Adventures On Our BLOG @ http://www.VanTrekkingLifestyle.com
✅ Most of our footage is shot with DJI Osmo Pocket, iPhone X, iPhone 8 and Sony DSHX80 and a6400 cameras
✅ Our Equipment:
Our RV: 2019 Winnebago Travato 59K
Our SUP: BOTE Rackham Aerobote and BOTE HD Aerobote
Our VLOGGING Cameras: DJI Osmo Pocket and SONY a6400 / SONY DSCHX80
Our Editing Software: Final Cut Pro X
✅ About Us:
We are Owen and Lynn Poteat and Maggie. We travel the country in our Winnebago Travato 59K camper van and try to document what we see and experience at destinations we’ve always dreamed of going to. We love the water and our trips seem to always be centered around having fun on the water… either fishing or just paddling around enjoying the wildlife from our BOTE inflatable Stand Up Paddle Boards.
We hope you will consider subscribing to our channel and more importantly share your adventures with us as we share ours with you. #BOTE #Travato #Travato59K #WinnebagoTravato #RetiredVanLife
24 Comments
Owen and Lynn, how many miles on your Travato now? Have you had to get any routine maintenance done while on this trip? Wondering how that gets taken care of on such a long trip. Thanks…be safe!
We live on a beautiful planet and you are seeing (and sharing) some great places and yes, some are inundated with tourists. It can be very frustrating and it was clear you had some rough moments. Weekday travels are always the best. Off peak months as well. But sometimes ya just have to pull up the big boy pants and nug through it. I personally like to find the "hole in the wall" places….there are plenty of them around.
Thx for posting! Keep them coming all the way home. Safe trip!
Wow! What beautiful scenery!
Beautiful as always!
The year we went, there was still ice in the canyon. The trans Canadian train was stopped in Jasper when we were there. We stayed at Whistler, the elk have babies right in the park.
“Get off my dirt”! Lynn you must cringe from time to time!😂🤣😂🤣
The buses hold approx 55 people per bus, and while annoying, just think of the additional cars that would be in the area were it not for the buses.
For the record, I likely would have laid on my horn the few times I saw people backing out that weren’t even aware you were there. ❤️🐾
Beautiful…..too bad about all the people…..
Was that on a weekend in Jasper? It’s 41 degrees and she asked if she needs a coat. Then the look! Priceless!🤣🤣. I know, I’ve seen it and if looks could kill I’d have been dead a long time ago.
ummmm… you're a camper too dickhead!
I do landscape photography, so I am often up before dawn. You can have many of these places to yourself or just a share with a few others. Also the lighting is often special. I rarely get a shot worth taking in the middle of the day unless the clouds are special or a storm is coming through. I would imagine most of the tourist buses are back at the hotel before sunset too. Take a hike, go in a drive, or relax in the middle of the day. I would be frustrated too with the bus loads and the parking. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Welcome to Canada…it's going to get fuller. Reflection of our government!
I think you stayed pretty positive in dealing with the crowds. Clearly it "positively" sucked. Loved the background music throughout the video. Hope you enjoyed Banff. We have stayed in Canmore. Found Banff too crowded with buses everywhere. Safe travels.
Hey guys it’s Owen. So we’re getting a lot more Thumbs Down reviews on this one and after watching it again and again I realize that I was a little bit of a downer on this one. I’d like to explain though if you’ll let me. When we arrived at Jasper we were pumped. You see we’d briefly visited Jasper and Banff as we headed to Alaska 3 months earlier but since it was prime summer season there the crowds were just insane. So instead of heading over to Vancouver Island after Smithers we decided we needed to take the time to explore Jasper. Our thoughts were that since it was after Labor Day the crowds would be much, much thinner. So… when we arrived the crowds seemed at least as thick as they were in the spring it was deflating. So… maybe I whined a little more than I should have because it is truly a very, very special place… that’s one of the reasons it is so crazy busy with crowds. Also, many of you know me now and know my “dry sense of” humor. I made a short comment about “Get off my dirt”. That was an inside joke between Lynn and I that dates back to our days of spending winters in Florida. We had a friend there who used to tell folks to “stay off his grass”… when we told him he had no grass he changed his saying to “stay off my dirt”. Not knowing that, I’m sure I probably offended someone for sure. Sorry. Also, BLL (a dear friend), pointed out that each bus holds 55-60 people. Seemed like a hundred to me but she’s right. So, all that said… thank you guys for watching this episode. It has been one of the best performing videos we’ve released recently and we really truly appreciate each and every one of you. So, let us know… should I try to limit my “grumpy old man” moments on camera or should I keep the vlog “real”? What do you think?
Been watching your channel for months, Love it, Just now hit the Subscribed button and the Bell, I watch your videos on my 60" Smart TV, Stunning, Now I'm subbed !!
Beautiful video, thank share your video
When were you out there? We flew into Vancouver and rented a van and drove up to Whistler, Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. It was so beautiful. We were there for almost three week in Sept. Like you I didn't think there would be many people. I guess Canadians love to RV all year. We found a lot of full campgrounds and did a fair amount of boon docking but loved it up there. I want to return again some day
Thank you for this video…. I do have a question thou. Would it be safe to take my 31 ft. class C up to Edith Cavell and is there RV parking and if so, can I over night there? Thanks. Be Safe and Be Well.
Very cool, thank's for sharing
I hate crowds but this place has been on my bucket list & after seeing the spectacular scenery will remain on my list! Just amazing! Keep it real. Your loyal viewers know you are a grumpy old man & watch you anyway! 😉🤪😂😘
I love seeing Maggie 😊
I bet people on tour bus also bitching about too many cars and RVs in national park. Really, Why complaint? It's the top tourist destination in the country it suppose to be crowed in high season, those people on tour bus deserve the same as you.want go quite and tranquil go in low season, winter is magnificent in Jasper .
Do you use a microphone hook to your shirt collar? How do you muffle the background Noise buses generators etc.
the tram in Jasper has massive 360 degree vues on a sunny day — but it has crowds — just like the gondolas in Banff — both worth doing for the views