Calgary

Flying and arriving

Calgary International (YYC) lies northeast of the city, a short half hour from downtown. From Amsterdam there are sometimes nonstop flights of around nine hours in the summer season; the rest of the year and from Brussels you mostly fly with one connection. Calgary is in the Mountain time zone, eight hours behind the Netherlands and Belgium, so you generally land in the afternoon while it is already late evening at home.

Immigration at YYC uses self-service kiosks; arrange your eTA in advance via the official Government of Canada website. Calgary sits at over a thousand metres and the mountains above it considerably higher, so drink extra and keep the first day light. Summer days are warm and dry, the nights cool, and the weather in the Rockies can turn in any season — layers at the top of the suitcase.

Picking up the RV

The RV depots are spread across the Calgary metro area, mostly ten to thirty minutes from the airport. Many rental companies offer a shuttle from a number of hotels or a fixed pickup point; otherwise you take a taxi or rideshare. Choose your hotel for the first night near the depot and the pickup the next morning is a matter of minutes.

The 24-hour rule applies in Calgary too with almost all rental companies: no pickup on the day your intercontinental flight lands. Plan the pickup for day two and listen carefully to the walkthrough on heating, propane and generator — nights around or below freezing happen in the mountains even in summer. Ask about the conditions for the Icefields Parkway and unpaved roads, and whether a drive into the US is permitted if you are considering one.

The first night

Do not drive straight on to Banff or Lake Louise on pickup day. A logical first night in the RV is Bow Valley Provincial Park or a campground near Canmore, about an hour from the depots, already with mountains around you but without the hassle of the busiest park campgrounds. That way you get to know the RV on a short, beautiful drive and are first at the Banff gate the next morning. Reserve provincial campgrounds via Alberta Parks and those in Banff and Jasper via Parks Canada, and for summer do so as early as the system opens.

Supplies and gear

Calgary is the place to stock up properly before you head into the mountains: large supermarkets and big-box stores of the Walmart, Costco or Real Canadian Superstore type, plus Canadian Tire and outdoor stores for warm clothing, sleeping bags and bear spray. Ask the rental company what the RV includes — a kitchen kit and bedding are often an optional package, chairs vary — and buy firewood locally at the campground, because the parks have rules about bringing in wood. In Canmore and Banff the shops are fine but smaller and more expensive; along the Icefields Parkway there is hardly anything.

Frequently asked questions