Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Hey all, my wife and I are in the process of planning a road trip up to Banff for a two week camping trip this fall. We are currently targeting early September. We would be open to any travel suggestions, or "must see" spots in Banff or along the way. We'll be traveling from the Chicago suburbs. Currently we don't intend to spend too much time sight seeing along the way as we want to spend as much time in the park as possible. We are looking for routes/places to camp along the way. Let us know if you have any suggestions or tips!

We were able to get our reservations made today! We'll be camping in Tunnel Mountain Village from August 25-Sept. 2. We're extremely excited to visit Banff and check it off the camping bucket list. The current plan is to get up to Banff as quickly as possible then take a 2-3 day road trip back home. Now it's time to get the trailer out of storage and blow the dust off!

Cody, I am Steve from Tear Jerkers. I missed meeting you at Camp Inn Camp Out this past September. Our group caravaned out to Glacier and Baniff last July. We left from Galena IL . I would be happy to share our itinerary with you as well as some spots to see and stay. Are you joining the Illinois TJ group at any of our early gatherings? I would be happy to share what we found out. The area is awesome and you will love it. Very crowded and very expensive, but worth it. Feel free to PM me if you want.

I live just outside Calgary. Banff is in my back yard. First off, bring warm clothes. Your campsite will be around 4700 feet elevation and at that time of year weather can be unpredictable. So many things to see in Banff and area. For sure hit the Upper Hot springs for a soak. Bow falls are nice to see. Take a wander through the Banff Springs hotel. You can take the gondola up to Sulphur mountain, or you can hike all the way up and get a free ride back down. Take the road up to Mt Norquay, great views. There is a boat cruise on Lake Minnewanka. I have never taken the boat but have paddled around the lake by canoe and kayak. If you are a diver you can dive down to the town that was submerged when the built the dam in 1912. The Banff Jasper parkway is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever take. Just over 3 hours to Jasper with no stops. You can stop at Columbia icefields along the way. About 2 hours from Banff. Or go on the skywalk, which is a glass walkway about 900 feet above the canyon floor. If you like Hot Springs, Radium is just over 1 -1/2 hours away and another beautiful drive. Great campground there, Redstreak. That's what comes to mind immediately, if you have any questions, let me know
Barry

Sounds like an amazing trip! It’s high on my to-do list as well. Since you will be crossing the border I wanted to share a couple of lessons learned while towing in BC last summer as trailering laws appear to be a little different in Canada:

#1) We were stopped by the RCMP because we did not have a license plate on our teardrop. It’s not required in Oregon and is difficult to obtain here as a teardrop in Oregon doesn’t meet the definition of a camper, camping trailer nor utility trailer (there is already a TNTT thread on this topic). So definitely have a license plate with a current registration sticker attached to your trailer. Curiously, the RCMP officer who stopped us suggested we photocopy our car’s license plate and tape the copy onto the trailer. OK…? (My reply).

#2) We were told by the RCMP that if our car insurance document (the one we keep in the glove box) did not specifically list the trailer that it was the same as not having car insurance because the two were connected together when in motion. That concept was new to me and I’m still working on a solution for our next trip North. I contacted our Farmers Auto Insurance agent and requested some form of documentation listing the trailer but they were confused by this as well and I haven’t heard back.

The RCMP officer who stopped us was looking for a trailer thief and was super professional and polite and let us continue with just some advice. With that in mind, trailering across the border is huge and I’m wondering if others have encountered similar issues and what solutions they have come up with?

The planning phase is one of my favorite parts of the trip— have fun with it!

mountainminded wrote:The RCMP officer who stopped us was looking for a trailer thief and was super professional and polite and let us continue with just some advice. With that in mind, trailering across the border is huge and I’m wondering if others have encountered similar issues and what solutions they have come up with?

We made two trips to Canada last Summer (one just to Campobello Island off the coast of Maine, the other a few hours into Ontario to Algonquin Provincial Park), and didn't have any problems. With New Mexico, we have a registered trailer with license plate. But we don't have specific insurance on our trailer. We have liability on our vehicle that includes the trailer, if we're involved in an accident, and I thought that was more-or-less typical, at least on US auto insurance policies.

Glad to hear the RCMP was professional, and actively hunting when a trailer was reported stolen. When we entered Ontario, we told the border agent we planned to camp in Algonquin and so she asked us if we had fire arms ("no") and then "how about bear spray?" Shelly said, "never use it", and I explained that we planned on being in a busy camp site with lots of people, and were unlikely to be in a situation where we would need any. She let us go, and a few miles...er, kilometers down the road, Shelly turned and asked me "why did she ask about hair spray?"

Luckily, when we returned, the US border agent didn't ask about the brand new, non EPA regulated, and therefore functional, gas can in the back of our truck!

Tom

B-Bop wrote:I live just outside Calgary. Banff is in my back yard. ...

Thank you for the tips Barry! Banff and Jasper are definitely on our list!

These years we have commitments in the East during the Summers, but later, we want to explore Western Canada!

Tom & Shelly

"why did she ask about hair spray?"

Now THAT is damn funny.

Tony

I'm new to this forum, but I couldn't resist chiming in on your Banff road trip plans! It sounds like an incredible adventure, and I hope you and your wife have an amazing time. As for travel suggestions, I recommend checking out the Travel Safe Abroad website https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/countries/ before your trip. It provides up-to-date information on safety and health concerns in different countries, which can be incredibly helpful when planning an international trip. In terms of "must see" spots in Banff, I highly recommend checking out Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and the Banff Gondola. These are all incredibly beautiful spots that are definitely worth a visit.

Woodbutcher wrote:Cody, I am Steve from Tear Jerkers. I missed meeting you at Camp Inn Camp Out this past September. Our group caravaned out to Glacier and Baniff last July. We left from Galena IL . I would be happy to share our itinerary with you as well as some spots to see and stay. Are you joining the Illinois TJ group at any of our early gatherings? I would be happy to share what we found out. The area is awesome and you will love it. Very crowded and very expensive, but worth it. Feel free to PM me if you want.

Thanks Steve! I'll be sure to reach out soon. We haven't scheduled any Illinois TJ trips yet, but we are looking to see what we can fit in our schedule this year.

mountainminded wrote:Sounds like an amazing trip! It’s high on my to-do list as well. Since you will be crossing the border I wanted to share a couple of lessons learned while towing in BC last summer as trailering laws appear to be a little different in Canada:

#1) We were stopped by the RCMP because we did not have a license plate on our teardrop. It’s not required in Oregon and is difficult to obtain here as a teardrop in Oregon doesn’t meet the definition of a camper, camping trailer nor utility trailer (there is already a TNTT thread on this topic). So definitely have a license plate with a current registration sticker attached to your trailer. Curiously, the RCMP officer who stopped us suggested we photocopy our car’s license plate and tape the copy onto the trailer. OK…? (My reply).

#2) We were told by the RCMP that if our car insurance document (the one we keep in the glove box) did not specifically list the trailer that it was the same as not having car insurance because the two were connected together when in motion. That concept was new to me and I’m still working on a solution for our next trip North. I contacted our Farmers Auto Insurance agent and requested some form of documentation listing the trailer but they were confused by this as well and I haven’t heard back.

The RCMP officer who stopped us was looking for a trailer thief and was super professional and polite and let us continue with just some advice. With that in mind, trailering across the border is huge and I’m wondering if others have encountered similar issues and what solutions they have come up with?

The planning phase is one of my favorite parts of the trip— have fun with it!

Thank you so much for this info! My wife is a veterinarian so we have all the i's dotted and t's crossed to get our dog across the border but I hadn't thought much about the trailer! We are required to have a plate on our trailers in Illinois so that part shouldn't be an issue.

B-Bop wrote:I live just outside Calgary. Banff is in my back yard. First off, bring warm clothes. Your campsite will be around 4700 feet elevation and at that time of year weather can be unpredictable. So many things to see in Banff and area. For sure hit the Upper Hot springs for a soak. Bow falls are nice to see. Take a wander through the Banff Springs hotel. You can take the gondola up to Sulphur mountain, or you can hike all the way up and get a free ride back down. Take the road up to Mt Norquay, great views. There is a boat cruise on Lake Minnewanka. I have never taken the boat but have paddled around the lake by canoe and kayak. If you are a diver you can dive down to the town that was submerged when the built the dam in 1912. The Banff Jasper parkway is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever take. Just over 3 hours to Jasper with no stops. You can stop at Columbia icefields along the way. About 2 hours from Banff. Or go on the skywalk, which is a glass walkway about 900 feet above the canyon floor. If you like Hot Springs, Radium is just over 1 -1/2 hours away and another beautiful drive. Great campground there, Redstreak. That's what comes to mind immediately, if you have any questions, let me know
Barry

Thanks Barry! This is great info. I'll be sure to reach out if we have more questions along the way!

Tom&Shelly wrote: Shelly turned and asked me "why did she ask about hair spray?"

My wife and I both LOL'd Tom! Great story

Your Banff road trip sounds absolutely incredible! Since you'll be crossing the border, I wanted to share a couple of tips based on my experience towing in BC last summer. First, make sure to have a license plate with the current registration for your trailer. We got stopped by the RCMP because we didn't have one on our teardrop. The officer suggested photocopying our car's license plate and taping it onto the trailer temporarily. Strange, but it worked! Second, ensure that your car insurance document specifically lists the trailer. The RCMP mentioned that they consider them connected when in motion, so it's important to have proper coverage. By the way, I love traveling too! I'm actually planning a trip to Africa soon and recently discovered a travel agency that might help me. Here's the link to their website: https://altezza.travel/en/tanzania-safari. They have some great information on Tanzania safaris.