ESSENTIALS - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 534

highway in Kananaskis Country
Routes from the United States
Reaching the Canadian Rockies from the United States is possible via a number of routes.
From Seattle, the shortest approach is to follow I-5 north to Vancouver and jump on the
TransCanada Highway. If you're traveling north from the Rocky Mountain states, U.S.
Highway 93 will provide a warm-up for the mountain scenery north of the border. This
route crosses into Canada north of Kalispell, Montana, merging with U.S. Highway 95
from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at Cranbrook, then continuing up the west side of the Cana-
dian Rockies to Radium Hot Springs, where you can cut through Kootenay National Park
to Banff. Much quicker is I-15, which begins in Los Angeles, looping through Las Vegas
and Salt Lake City on its way north to Montana. I-15 enters Canada at the 24-hour Coutts/
Sweetgrass border crossing south of Lethbridge, Alberta. From Lethbridge, it's a three-
hour drive to Banff, or you can choose to head west to Waterton Lakes National Park. Total
distance from Los Angeles to Banff via I-15 is 2,600 kilometers (1,617 miles). From the
Midwest and eastern states, there are innumerable options, including I-94 through Min-