Good Day All

A little info if you would be so kind. We are coming on vacation to Alberta, flying into Calgary in the last week of May for 3 weeks. We will be travelling to Banff then up to Jasper then probably breaking into BC to provide a round trip as the inlaws are coming and have never been to Canada before so.......without the freak weather changes ie 2ft of snow in 5 hours what sort of weather can we generally expect, hoping it wil be warm enough to just wear t-shirts etc during the day but expect the temperature to fall as the evening goes on. Also on the wildlife front, is there any activity at this time of year?, I know the Elk rutting season is sort of September time but I am sure there must be something to watch out for at the close of winter so to speak.

Come on then lets have it.............................................

Cheers
Ridd :scared:

Ridd,
2 years ago my partner and I stayed in Invemere and drove the banff jasper run first week in June. The weather was absolutely glorious...averaged around mid twenties during the day chillier in the evenings but we still sat outside around the fire....however do expect that doing that drive the closer you get to Jasper the higher the altitude...we stopped at Emerald Lake and believe it or not it snowed!! Beautiful though and definetly worth the drive. Even drank water from a small waterfall just off the side of the road.

Also, while doing that drive...take frequent breaks as the altitude will make you sleepier. There were 6 of us in the vehicle with me driving...and it became so silent I was almost nodding off myself....needed to get out and breath some fresh air to wake up!

There is always wildlife around....we saw several brown bears (please do not feed them), mountain goats, wild turkeys...several different types of birds including hummingbirds.

Having said all that...Late May is sort of a lottery...be prepared for all types of weather...you will be fine.

I think everyone should take that drive at least once....it's worth it.

Forgot to mention...unlike a few years ago...the roads are terrific and very wide...so driving is not a problem.

Thanks for that, we actually went last year to the same place but it was in early sept and it was lovely and warm then also, we actually saw bears and were kept awake by wolves howling which is a real good experience when you aint used to it. I have been to Canada 5 times up to now and love it but dont like the mozzies one bit.

Cheers for the weather report and advice

R

No problem...and if it's any consolation...the mozzies aren't out in full force end of May first part of June...so it wasn't an issue

HI RIDD
Having never experience a canadian mozzie before myself :scared: are they anything like the good old midges of the north here in blighty

Just a friendly FYI. When in Canada (at least out west), you're more likely to hear mosquitos called 'skeeters' or 'skeetos' (usually preceded by '*****en' ) and in some parts of the country mosquitos are nothing compared to the black flies!

Swoops / HWP

The skeeto's in Canada are savage, take my word for it. They make the Manson family look like the Partridge family, the ones in the UK are a relative treat compared to their Canadian counterparts. We were in Manitoba in 1999 which was as luck would have it apparently one of the best years ever!!

Hi Ridd. Big fan of the hilly bit too but last time I was there was in august and we had cold wet days as well as snow, grey days, warm sunny days!! Pack everything!! With the *****in skeetas we were recommended a make of spray for the skin from the park ranger which name i can't recall, will pm you if it comes to me, hardly any bites. Ask a local, they suffer too!

The regular joke in Calgary is "Bored with the weather? Wait 5 minutes ..."

Calgary usually gets a big dump of snow sometime around the May long weekend near the end of the month ... sometimes it snows into the first week of June.

Wise gardeners don't plant anything out until after the May long weekend ... even then it pays to keep some burlap handy just in case it snows again.

June is springtime in southern Alberta ... it's the only time we get a "lot" of rain ... by July it's dried out and we're into summer.

Be aware that hail here isn't the little pellets you get in the UK ... it's sized somewhere between a grape (most commonly) and a grapefruit (if you're in Calgary, look for garages with signs saying that they can repair hail damage) ... we get prairie thunderstorms through July & August, which occasionally bring hail and/or tornadoes.

September can be very nice ... by October it cools off and we usually have a big dump os snow sometime around Halloween.

Mozzies here are really vicious little bastards and are starting to carry West Nile fever ... so wear some sort of repellant. We also have deer flies which will literally take a chunk out of you and leave a scar.

If you're going a wanderin' be aware of ticks ... don't pull them out.

If you're heading into the badlands, don't go sticking your hand into any rock crevices you find ... the local scorpions sting is equivalent to a bee, we also have black widows and you find rattlesnakes everywhere from the badlands to the rockies. Personally, I haven't seen any of them.

If you're heading into the rockies ... check out the tourism sites for advice for what to do if you see a bear or cougar ... also learn to tell the difference between a black bear and a grizzly, because they react differently. We get two or three back country animal attacks per year ... they're rare, but they do happen. If you're camping or RVing ... don't leave food out and cook well away from your tent/camper ... you're asking for a visit from a bear.

In the last year or so I can think of three attacks ... a back country camper who was mauled by a bear, an experienced hunter who was mauled by a grizzly and a young kid who was attacked by a cougar when he played beyond the limits of the campsite ... all three survived. Buy yourself bear bells and make plenty of noise while you're walking ... keep children close to you.

Be sensible and you'll have fun

Not sure about Alberta, but weather in BC in May can be unpredictable. Sometimes it can be quite warm (t-shirt) weather, and other times very wet. Usually in May, we do have a nice warm summer-type weather stretch, and then it disappears again in June. We also have gotten snow in May a few years back, but that is uncommon. Last year, I camped near Hope the first week of June and it was very hot during the day, but freezing at night. So just be prepared for both warm, wet, and cold weather...

Of course, on Vancouver Island.....we already have our bulbs coming up, able to drive a convertible with the top down and spend time at the beach......but what else can you expect from living in the center of the universe......

I've seen people with convertables this past week with the top down!!!!