Between Lake Louise and Jasper is one of the most beautiful roads in the world and in retrospect our favorite of the summer: the Icefields Parkway.
This road, the 93 N, 233 km long, did not initially hold our attention as a tourist attraction; we thought it was just a road like any other that would take us from one place to another. point to another. ERROR!!! The road itself is a tourist attraction! It is magnificent, dotted with breathtaking landscapes and surprises at every turn!
The Parks Canada pass is required to access the road which is the link between Banff and Jasper National Parks, even if you do not plan to stop to visit these parks or take advantage of their facilities. That said, you’d be depriving yourself of some wonderful attractions by not taking the time to stop there. For our part, we took 3 days to cover these 233 kilometers and we could easily have spent a whole week there because there are so many opportunities for hiking and observing the fauna and flora.
Both parks are part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their natural beauty that must be preserved. Whether you start your journey from Jasper or Lake Louise, you are sure to be amazed by the views from the numerous lookouts along the route which are also very educational.
To make the journey even more informative, we purchased an audio guide which shows you all the places worth visiting while telling you stories related to the magnificent landscapes and the explorers who discovered them. Departure is from both Jasper and Lake Louise. This application requires downloading before your departure and works with your phone’s GPS.
And since there is no cellular coverage in this region (this is good to know before leaving), it makes it easier to find interesting sites along the road… everything is done for you with more than forty comments.
There are numerous campsites in the park for tents and small RVs, but their number is more limited for large vehicles and reservations for the latter are mandatory (and as the network is practically non-existent, it is better to be warned!). Several sites do not have reception staff and registration is done online. When you arrive, a list is posted on the bulletin board with your location and sometimes, if there are still places available, you can register on a first come, first served basis. Not having a reservation is quite stressful, as there are no other options nearby… We were lucky enough to get the last spot at Silverhorne Creek and would have happily stayed an extra day if there had been availability , because the place is really charming and peaceful and what about the sunset on the mountain!
It was from this location that we also began to see more smoke caused by the many wildfires raging across the country this summer.
It is from the highest peak of the glacier route, Bow Summit located at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, that you can admire Peyto Lake located at an altitude of 1880 meters. A beautiful turquoise blue like several other glacial lakes in the region, this one is very photogenic and the hike to get to the lookout is very pleasant.
Lac Peyto
Columbia Icefield Center – Athabasca Glacier
This is the place from which you can go on an expedition to the glacier. The options are numerous, whether hiking on marked trails where you can see the retreat of the glacier since 1844, on a rope with a professional guide directly on the glacier or with an all-terrain vehicle, the Ice Explorer, which will transport you to the heart of the glacier.
As some excursion departures are early in the morning and the road to get there is long, you have the option of sleeping in your RV in a parking lot near the departure for a low cost. There are no services, but the view is breathtaking!!! Not to mention the fact of finding yourself in the heart of a starry sky reserve to admire the constellations at nightfall and the possibility of going for a short hike at sunrise straight out of bed to discover the glacier of closer. By being there, you will be able to visit the Discovery Center exhibition the day before, eat at the center’s restaurant and be ready for your adventure without the stress of missing something on the way for fear of missing your departure.
We opted for a tour of the Athabasca Glacier by all-terrain vehicle (absolutely necessary to climb a 33 degree slope!). It is the second largest glacier fed by the Columbia Icefield which covers an area of 165 square kilometers and feeds 6 glaciers.
Jacob, our driver to get us to the glacier, was funny, but above all well documented and made this adventure even more enjoyable. Children will love getting on board the explorer vehicle and once there, you can fill your bottle with glacier melt water, one of the purest waters on the planet (and no need for ice cubes, it is very refreshing!).
Back at the center, a shuttle will transport you to the Skywalk observation platform (included in the excursion), a glass-floored platform that allows you to walk 30 meters from the rock face and at a height of 300 meters at the above ground at the very bottom of the Sunwapta Valley. The experience is surprising and is not recommended for people who suffer from vertigo!
One of the options that made our experience so pleasant is the possibility of downloading an application for free on our phone with, once again, a very informative audio guide on the ice field (28 comments) and the Skywalk platform (11 comments) and this in the language of your choice. If you forgot your headphones, you can also read the comments on your device.
If you’re in Banff and don’t have a vehicle to get to the Centre, you can book this tour that will show you much of this majestic route without having to keep your eyes on the road!
Sunwapta Falls
In Stoney, Sunwapta means “turbulent waters” and that is what these two successive falls with a total height of 60 feet and a width of 30 feet fed by meltwater from the Athabasca Glacier are.
Athabasca River
This tributary is the longest river in Alberta with its 1538 kilometers, the first 168 of which are found in Jasper National Park. This river, listed on the Canadian Heritage Rivers system, which originates in the Columbia Icefield and ends in Lake Athabasca, is bordered by Highway 93N to Sunwapta Falls and is a source of life for wildlife and the flora of the region and is probably one of the reasons why so many wild animals can be seen there. It was in the section between Jasper and Sunwapta Falls that we saw the most wildlife of our entire trip: bears, moose, deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep and all from the road! It is important to remember that caution is required and that these are all wild animals that are best approached with the zoom of your camera! In addition, there are severe fines for individuals who disturb wildlife or come too close to it.
Athabasca Falls
With a height of 80 feet and a width of 60 feet, the falls are impressive mainly for the quantity of water that passes through them in all seasons. The river falls into a narrower gorge and the formation of several giant potholes makes it an impressive place to admire the strength and power of the water.
Jasper Townsite
It is in fact a large village with several tourist facilities, hotels, restaurants, shops and gondola. You would expect it to be similar to Banff, but in fact the atmosphere is completely different and although it is quite a touristy place, it attracts a more “nature oriented” clientele than Banff.
Maligne Lake
Once in Jasper, there are still several magnificent places to discover, including the famous Maligne Lake located at 1670 m above sea level which is the largest lake in the Rockies. Although known for a long time by the First Nations, the discovery of Maligne Lake, located 48 km by road from Jasper, was attributed to the explorer Mary Schäffer in 1907. She was also the one who gave it her name as well as that of several surrounding mountains. This lake, worthy of a postcard, offers you the possibility of hiking, of course, but also of canoeing or, the most popular activity, a cruise with a passionate guide who will tell you the history of the lake and Spirit Island, a very small peninsula located on the lake and which is a spiritual place for the First Nations of the Stoney Nakoda tribe who have had to demonstrate tenacity to maintain access to this place dear to their culture and their traditions for much longer than Canada has existed. Today, the boat stop on the island is short and marked by paths that invite you to respect this sacred place.
The surrounding area was also popularized by the artistic depictions of the famous Group of Seven, two of whose members, Lawren Harris and Alexander Young Jackson, spent much time between the years 1924 and 1928 drawing inspiration from the Rockies to create colorful and unique like Canadian nature.
During the cruise our guide, Dan, who was equally informative and entertaining, in addition to pointing out the wild animals in the surrounding mountains, taught us an indigenous proverb that we remembered well, because it corresponds exactly to our vision of our life now: “Home is where the sun touches your skin.”
The road leading to Maligne Lake also crosses several stopping opportunities to walk a little or a lot or simply stop to admire the scenery. The Maligne Canyon is impressive and its 6 bridges allow you to see it from different angles. The hike to do all 6 of them can take up to 3 hours round trip, but they are also accessible by car via nearby parking lots. You therefore have hiking options varying from 20 minutes to 3 hours and everything is very well explained on site.
Miette Hot Springs
The Canadian Rocky Mountains are full of thermal springs scattered all over, but Miette Springs has the warmest waters (54 degrees Celsius). Don’t worry, the water is cooled to 40 degrees Celsius before being poured into the various pools fed by the source. Unfortunately at the time of our visit, access to the springs was closed due to a landslide which blocked the road. We’ll have to come back!
Some people will ask me which park is more beautiful and I will tell you that both are worth a visit for completely different reasons and that their personalities are as unique as those of the people who frequent them. It’s up to you to make your choice, but don’t miss the route between the two!
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