Banff Lake Louise, Jasper - Smoke??

The air is very bad and many fires in Glacier National Park which is south of your intended destination.

Odd that the weather sites are saying there aren't any problem with air quality. I'm getting daily email pop ups from The Weather Network about air quality where I live in northern British Columbia and have friends in Ontario - 4 Provinces east - that are complaining about the levels of smoke from the fires out here.

Here's a link to a map of all current wildfires in BC:

https://governmentofbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=ef6f11c8c36b42c29e103f65dbcd7538

It's a good bet that smoke will be a problem in the near future in the areas you will be visiting.

I did see the reports for smoke in BC but not Alberta. Guess it really kind of depends on wind too...

All other things being equal, the air quality should be better at higher mountain elevations compared to Seattle

Here is another website to help with your decisions. It's one we used a great deal when travelling full time in the RV. https://www.airnow.gov/

If you click on "Click to see map" you will get the graphic, which should include the smoke. Note that sometimes it takes some time to load, especially first thing in the morning. https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=topics.smoke_wildfires

Linda,

When is your trip taking place? The smoke conditions are expected to improve this week with a change in wind direction driving the smoke towards the coast. There's already a slight improvement here in the Okanagan, and hopefully that will continue.

You can check current conditions in Banff / Jasper / Lake Louise using the webcams.....

• https://www.banfflakelouise.com/park-webcams
• http://www.jasperskytram.com/visit/webcam-weather

Some of the webcam pages also list current weather at the bottom.

One other point to note is that if you'll be taking any cable cars to higher elevations in those locations, you may find clean air and blue skies. For example......

• Current conditions here - http://api.wetmet.net/client-content/PlayerFrame.php?CAMERA=165-05-01&CFVER=WM&WIDTH=640&HEIGHT=360 .
• Current conditions at nearby Silver Star Resort - http://www.skisilverstar.com/my-mountain-info/mountain-conditions/webcams .

I took a run up to Silver Star yesterday afternoon and it was beautiful, blue skies and a light breeze. Certainly an improvement over conditions in the valley!

Good luck!

Oh my, Ken. This is encouraging. My trip is 9/1st to 9/9th and so, I am hopeful. This area has been on my bucket list since I was in middle school (I don't want to say how long ago that was)... suffice to say, a real big deal for me.

Linda

I hate to be the bearer of bad news ... I live 4 hours drive east of Jasper National Park in central Alberta. This has been the worst summer for wildfire smoke from British Columbia since 1961 (according to today's news!). It varies from day to day - the wind changes in a matter of hours ... normal bright blue summer skies change quickly to poor visibility and air quality advisories that have been lasting for days. Today there were sunny skies in Edmonton, Banff, and Jasper and smoke in Calgary (1.5 hours from Banff). A few days ago, Banff had thick smoke and poor visibility. We are all in the middle of a drought and need rain badly (without lightening). You'll probably just have to take your chances and hope for the best.

Linda,

The smoke situation is somewhat dynamic and changes from day-to-day. As your trip isn't until 1 Sept., hopefully things will have improved by then (but of course no guarantees). Scattered showers are forecasted for Sunday in this area, and I'm sure that will help.

Linda: I do hope you will experience your dream trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks, however, the air quality will be dependent on Mother Nature.

Today is more normal for most of Alberta, but tomorrow is looking to be very smoky again, according to the Alberta Air Quality Health Index. http://airquality.alberta.ca/map/ (Hinton would be the community for Jasper)

Here are the headlines from a local TV station (also in today's Edmonton Journal newspaper):

Wildfire smoke from B.C. gets in the way of mountain scenery for Jasper tourists
By Rob Drinkwater, The Canadian Press

https://globalnews.ca/news/4396249/jasper-tourism-bc-wildfires-smoke/

Guess what! I am going. One of the attorneys in my firm is there in Banff and says that the smoke has cleared out a lot. Since there was rain and more predicted, there are clouds to hide some views but not significant. So, I have decided not to cancel my trip.

Will post a short trip report upon my return. Thanks again for all your help.

Fantastic! I figured the smoke might have dissipated by the time your trip takes place. There's virtually no smoke here in the Okanagan, and hopefully it stays that way! Temperatures have cooled, we've had some rain and the winds have co-operated.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Thanks Ken for your encouragement. I have packed thermals, down, and rain jacket. Ho, and my Seattle Sounders beanie and leather gloves.

Linda

Shazam! Smoke is greatly diminished next to Glacier National Park. This, during my favorite time of year.

Linda, so glad it has worked out for you! As residents of Alberta, we are relieved to be seeing our sunny blue skies once again - and breathing healthier air - even if it means clear and cool! Enjoy your visit!

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/national-parks-gearing-up-for-last-long-weekend-of-the-summer

Linda,

I believe your trip is ending tomorrow. I hope it was everything you hoped for, and that you had a wonderful, smoke-free trip!

Ken,

Yes, my trip was fabulous and I could not be happier with how things went. Now back to work and busy with life here in Seattle. I will try to prepare a short trip report later in the week.

Happy travels,
Linda