Our goal to travel the entire parkway in one day was successful, although it was 4.5 hours in one direction from our campground, located in Cochrane. We left at 7:30 AM and returned at 11:45 PM. But it was worth the trip and suited how we travel.
Since we are used to being in Colorado, we think the high elevations should continue to the north and maybe grow higher. We were surprised again that the elevations in the Canadian Rockies are not higher. This doesn’t mean it’s not cold – it gets very cold in the winter.
Our goal to find cooler weather on our four month trip was achieved on this day. Temperatures started at 42 degrees in the morning, with rain. By the time we arrived at Jasper it was over 80 degrees and we were hot, as we dressed for the cooler weather.
The Parkway is Highway 93 between Lake Louise to the south and Jasper to the north – 144 miles. Traveling north, you leave the Banff National Park and enter Jasper National Park, both part of the Canadian Rockies.
It’s a beautiful drive that highlights the ruggedness of the Canadian Rockies and the unique glacier formations that can still be viewed along the way. There are several lakes both adjacent to the highway and others accessed by a short hike. Hiking is always popular in the mountains and there are certainly a lot of hikes into the mountains and waterfalls. With our time schedule, we didn’t take any hikes and saw what we could from the many pullovers. The late afternoon return trip offered reflections of the mountains on the smooth lakes, and great photo opportunities.
The river running alongside the parkway offers the same turquoise blue color with lots of glacial milk, or rock flour (silt-sized particles of rock from glacial erosion). On the north side of the Columbia Icefield, the rivers were extremely milky looking – a very different sight to see.
Glaciers are thickened ice masses that are formed from fallen snow over many years. The Icefields Parkway gives you the opportunity to see several of these formations, however, the Columbia Icefield tours allow you to experience the glaciers up close. They are amazing!
The crowds along the Icefields Parkway were not as large as Lake Louise and Banff. Several people told us that Jasper was much less crowded, and that proved to be true. Jasper is a nice, small town with its fair share of souvenir shops. There is a variety of offerings for food. A quick visit to the Fairmont Hotel was a step back in time. It has a laid back feel with lawn games, pool, and outdoor seating for reading, while overlooking the beautiful crystal blue lake.
Gas stations are limited, however, toilets and pullovers are plentiful. Approximately one third of the way to Jasper, Saskatchewan Crossing is the only place to find fuel, but you will pay more. So, its best to fill up prior to leaving Lake Louise and again in Jasper. There are no services along the way, so it’s a great time to pack a picnic and find a beautiful scenic view to enjoy.
The Parkway is considered wild, and wildlife will appear from time to time. We experienced one location where a black bear was feasting on red berries beside the road. As tourists normally do, they were stopped, blocking the highway trying to get a glimpse, and even getting as close as possible to get selfies with the bear. It is amazing how people don’t pay attention to warnings about these animals being wild and respecting the suggested distance. We chose to pull off the road and get the best view we could from the truck. A piece of advice we received prior to the trip was NOT to travel this road after dark since there are no fences protecting the highway from wildlife. Trans Canada 1 that goes through Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise does have the fence barriers, so it helps with wildlife on the roadway.
We highly recommend this experience to see very beautiful and unique features of God’s creation.
Guide: Experience The Mountain Parks by CMI Publishing. There is a map of the Icefields Parkway on page 35 if you want to view our route. Sister publications are available for other areas, which are all very helpful.
