Icefields Parkway to Jasper

15^thSeptember 2019

We have a decent drive ahead of us today and a lot to see , so decide to have breakfast at the hotel, as we are not sure what breakfast options are ahead of us at our first destination.

Once again we decide not to use the trans-Canada Highway (Hwy1) to take us back to Lake Louise (which is on our way), but rather to stick with the old highway, Bow River Parkway (Hwy1A).  Our first planned stop is about hallway between Banff and Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon. There is a 5km hike there up the canyon, following Johnston Creek up stream past rapids and two great waterfalls . It comes highly recommended.

On arrival at around 9.15am, the main carpark is already full, but we found a privately owned one where we had to pay to park, but it was a bit closer to the trail.

The climb is moderate and the scenery quite special, Sadly, a busload of Chinese tourists slowed the pace down a bit, but it was a great way to start the day.

The early part of the canyon in narrow and the walkway hangs out over the creek.

Back at the car park just before 11am, we headed off in the direction of Lake Louise, planning to bypass the town and take the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. It is reputed to be the most scenic drive in the Rockies. There is a lot to see and I doubt we will get it all done today, but we have all tomorrow in Jasper to backtrack and catch up on what we missed, if necessary.

Another quick stop to take in  the Castle Escarpment and we were on our way again.

Castle Cliffs

Not long after we were on the Parkway, we sighted our first Glacier, Crowfoot Glacier, which can be viewed from a convenient roadside viewpoint.

 Next 40 km along the Parkway, we arrive at the first attraction, Bow Lake.  It is really viewpoint, where the scenery makes the stop more than worthwhile. Another very stunning glacial lake with scenic mountainous backdrop, and a glimpse of a glacier at one end.

Only a few km along the road is Peyto Lake, one of the must see attractions on the Parkway. From the tourist carpark, it is a healthy 1km+ hike up a hill to get to the viewpoint, but the effort is well worth it. The tourist buses get closer access, with only a short walk from their bus only carpark.

You could pull over at almost every bend on this road to take more photos as it is amazing scenery all along the way. There is a huge selection of picnic spots, viewpoints and hikes to lakes and waterfalls, so many that you must just pick out a few.

Lunch is by now becoming a priority, and the Saskatchewan River Crossing viewpoint and resort looks like the best option. We stopped at the viewpoint first, as the resort was on the other side of the road some distance down and did not afford the views of the viewpoint.

Lunch was a simple affair, in their self styled “Pub”, with game trophies hanging on the wall (we particularly liked the Bison). It was home cooked fare, or you cooked your own on the grill. We settled for home made soup and a chicken and salad sandwich, both of which we enjoyed. It is a pretty cold day today, and with intermittent showers. Once settled into the warm pub it was hard to get motivated to move on.

The Resort

Pub Decor

Nevertheless. The clock is ticking and the largest attraction on the Parkway, The Columbia Icefields is our next stop. The glaciers here feed the mighty Columbia River which enters the ocean in Oregon, USA. It is very cold and raining lightly, so any thought of going out on the Athabasca Glacier in this weather is not even worth considering. Instead we have booked to do it tomorrow morning and will drive the 100km back from Jasper, and take in the rest of the attractions between there and Jasper.

Approaching the info centre

It is clear the weather is not great ( info centre in the background)

The Athabasca Glacier

You can drive down quite close to the toe of the glacier and take a short walk up to the toe. Even in this crook weather, we decided to give it a go. The cold Katabatic winds rolling down the glacial valley, and a dose of light rain, made this probably not the best decision we have made today. However, the walk was worth it, and there was a lot of information along the way that took our interest.

The Foot of the Athabasca Glacier

By now the rain is constant, it seems to be getting colder and it is around 4pm, so we decide to just drive straight to Jasper and come back tomorrow morning and finish the attractions on the Icefields Parkway, beginning with the Athabasca Glacier Experience which we have booked for 10.15am.

After about an hour and a half driving through constant rain, marking of the places we will visit tomorrow, we arrive in the outskirts of Jasper. There are a lot of vehicles parked along the side of the road near a meadow, and lots of people out with cameras. Maybe they have finally spotted some of the famous wildlife. Sure enough, there were two male Elks fighting over a female. By the time I got there with my camera, it was all over but it was clear who won.

Looks like a loser to me!