Before leaving
- 1
Read the road
511 Alberta (511.alberta.ca) is the province's official service for road conditions, cameras and advisories. Check it before the Highway 2 or Trans-Canada leg, not after.
- 2
Tell the desk
If arrival will be after 10 p.m., put the time in the notes of a room request or call the front desk, which the hotel says is staffed 24/7 on (403) 236-7529.
- 3
Pack the car
Brush and scraper, washer fluid rated for winter, a blanket, water, phone charger. Calgary's cold is dry and serious.
- 4
Fuel
The Flying J and Shell across Barlow Trail SE from the hotel mean you can arrive on a low tank, but not on an empty one.
On Deerfoot Trail
The freeway's posted limit through most of the city is 100 km/h. In snow, that number is a ceiling. The ramps near interchanges are where traffic bunches. Move to the right lane well before exit 240 for Barlow Trail, and expect the 114 Avenue SE intersection to come up quickly, about 0.9 km after the exit.
In the lot
Parking is complimentary. The hotel does not publish whether it has plug-ins for block heaters, covered parking or snow-clearing times. If you drive a diesel or a vehicle that needs plugging in when it is very cold, ask the desk before you book.
After check-in
- The waterpark is open to hotel guests until midnight. A hot tub after a winter drive is the cheapest therapy on the property.
- The pub kitchen keeps the latest hours of the hotel's restaurants.
- Set out boots and gloves by the door: the morning in the lot is colder than the evening.
The morning after
- 06:30
Look outside
Snow on the car means fifteen extra minutes.
- 07:00
Breakfast
The Mohave Grill opens at 7 a.m.
- 07:45
Clear the car
All windows, the roof and the lights. Alberta drivers notice, and so do police.
- 08:00
Check 511 again
Especially before the drive to Banff or north on Highway 2.
Chinooks
Calgary is known for chinooks, warm westerly winds that can lift the temperature sharply in winter. A chinook afternoon followed by a freezing night turns slush into ice. If the forecast shows a big swing, assume the lot and the ramps will be slick the next morning.
What we would not do
Plan a tight connection, an early flight and a winter drive from Banff on the same evening. Give the weather one buffer in the schedule. The hotel will still be at exit 240 tomorrow.